History is where you stand

I've lived in Treaty 8 territory for most of my life, growing up in Dawson Creek, working in Sexsmith and Fort Resolution, and for the past 26 years, in Slave Lake. I never thought much about the treaty until now. I certainly never learned anything about it in school. For the past few months I have been researching the spirit and intent of treaties in Alberta. I started with Treaty 8 because it is where I live. I am unraveling a fascinating story.  What follows is what I have uncovered to date. I am sure there are some errors and some missing pieces. If you spot any errors or have information I could add, please let me know.

Archaeological evidence found in Northshore Day Use area of Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, Wagner where the creek runs into the lake, Canyon Creek and Grouard all point to human habitation going back 5,000-12,000 years.

In those early days, the Beaver and possibly the Slavey lived in our region.They gathered along the lake in summer and built wooden houses further into the forest in winter. In the 1600s, the Woodland Cree moved west from around Hudson's Bay, driving the Beaver and Slavey away. Equipped with guns from the fur trade, the Cree came close to decimating the Beaver, who were known to be peaceful and honest as well as gallant and fierce fighters. Just as the Cree were about to deliver a final blow to the Beaver in 1780 the Beaver got guns and at the same time, a smallpox epidemic almost wiped out the Cree. Eventually they made peace at a place along the river that they called "Unchagah" or "Peace" River in honour of that agreement. Today, the Woodland Cree live along Lesser Slave Lake and the Beaver live mostly in the Peace River area.

White explorers and fur traders came this way establishing forts and trading posts. By 1802, there were two forts, one on either side of the Lesser Slave River where it flows out of the lake-one owned by the Hudson's Bay Company and one owned by the North West Company. There were similar forts at Buffalo Bay, Shaw's Point and Mirror Landing near modern-day Smith, where the Lesser Slave River flows into the Athabasca. 

Hudson's Bay Fort at Lesser Slave Lake, circa 1905
South Peace Archives

The Cree people in northern Canada established themselves as the preferred tribe for the white explorers and traders.  Apparently they sometimes told the newcomers that other tribes were fierce and uncivilized so they would not trade with them. They were known as a peaceful people who helped the early traders survive the tough winters. In exchange, they obtained rifles and metal knives and axes as well as tobacco and other goods. The women of the Woodland Cree were described by explorer Alexander Mackenzie as being the most beautiful of all the indigenous women in Canada. That's not really to the point, but maybe it is one reason why the French and British men settled permanently around the forts, marrying local women, building houses, planting crops and setting up businesses. 

At first it was a good relationship. As things became more established, the trading companies supplied food and medicine to the trappers and their families when times were tough. Then the BNA Act established the Dominion of Canada. The trading companies lost their exclusive rights to trade. They stopped helping the people in times of trouble. 

The government knew it needed to sign nation to nation agreements with the First Nations people of western Canada as they had done in the east, going back to the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Or at least they should have known. The Cree wrote letters asking for Treaty. The factor of the Hudson's Bay company asked for Treaty. Missionaries asked for Treaty. The government had no interest in signing. They apparently believed no one would ever want to move to the north despite the fact that more and more settlers were moving north. Treaty 6 and 7 were signed in central and southern Alberta in 1876 and 1877. But nothing for the north.

York Boats sail Lesser Slave Lake
Glenbow Archives

There was a severe famine in the north in 1887-88. There was so little food that people resorted to eating their horses out of desperation. Still no help came. 

On January 1 of 1890, the chiefs of the area met. Chief Kinoosayo of Lesser Slave Lake reported that only a very few were against the treaty and a very large majority were in favour of it.

The government sent geological surveys north. The surveyors reported that there was excellent farmland in the north. Oil was discovered. Minerals were found. Then, there was the Klondike Gold Rush. The government pushed for a Canadian route and an overland route was created from Edmonton to Athabasca, then via the Athabasca River to the Lesser Slave River to Lesser Slave Lake, then across the lake under sail, then overland along the old warparty trail to Peace River and then by river north to the Klondike. At least 800 people traversed this trail including many Americans. Some of these people stayed behind to make their fortune off the prospectors.

Cree and Metis trackers pulling a York boat up the Athabasca River.
Peel's Prairie Provinces Postcard Collection.

The Klondike Gold Rush led to hardship for the First Nations along the route. Reports state that the American prospectors in particular were lawless and disrespectful. They over-hunted the area and took the best horses from the First Nations people. Food was in short supply. The indigenous people could see their way of life being destroyed in front of their eyes.  The situation came to a head near Fort St John when the Cree people of the area pushed the prospector's carts over the high river banks into the Peace and later blockaded the road. Finally, faced with unrest and a possible disruption to a growing economy, the government decided to act. They began to plan for Treaty. 

Treaty Eight, a nation to nation legal agreement between her majesty Queen Victoria and representatives of First Nations would cover a vast area of Canada including most of northern Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. That agreement gave the Dominion of Canada the legal right to sell land to European immigrants and established Treaty rights for the indigenous peoples of our area.

The story of the treaty signing will be the subject of my next post. Followed by some opinions of which I have no shortage.

What do you do when you stop?

What do you do when you stop being a teacher?

Years ago I wrote a piece called "50 Ways to Leave your Classroom." In my mind it would be sung to the tune of  Paul Simon's "50 ways to leave your lover."

You just slip out the back, Zack.
Stop being a slave, Dave.
You can set yourself loose, Bruce.
There won't be another quiz, Liz
When you set yourself free.

Maybe it wasn't all that funny. Unless you were a teacher trying to get out. Certainly the ATA News didn't care for it and they are basically the only people who have ever paid me for anything I've ever written.

And now I am getting close to that point myself. Getting close to finding my own way to leave. Granted, my "classroom" is a virtual place, but it is real to me.

On his bike in Shanghai, 1984

My husband will retire this June. He says he might just get on his bike and start riding. He's wanted to do that for years.

Some of our friends left and then came back.
Others have found alternate careers.

My father-in-law built an extension to the family cottage, researched family history, organized the family photos, and produced books of his wife's poetry.

Our friend Dan is building a house.

My parents and my aunt became obsessive volunteers. Arts and culture, local history, advocating for a seniors complex, organizing events, gardening and writing newspaper columns.

Walter and Gerry

My former teachers Walter Schoen and Gerry Clare became archivists and developed an incredible collection of images and memories at the South Peace Archives.

My great aunts, both teachers, were inspirational in retirement. Well into their 80s they explored the backwoods, bought wilderness land, pursued their artistic interests in painting, pottery and photography, and taught urbanites how to ride horseback. In fact Aunt Betty got her nose broken after being bucked off a horse she was trying to train when she was in her 90s.

What do you do when you stop teaching? 

What do you do when the world lies before you and you can do anything? 

What happens when you set yourself free?

I can't wait to find out.

Trajectory

June 6, 1944.

D-Day.

A fateful day.

The weather was bad in France that day, or so they say. The phases of the moon, the rise and fall of the tides, and the time of day- all had to be taken into account.
So despite the weather, June 6 was the day.
Operation Overlord, code name for the Battle of Normandy that was preceded by the assault of 1200 aircraft that attacked coastal defenses so that 5000 ships and almost 160,000 British, Canadian and American troops could storm the beaches and begin to drive back the Germans.
The assault that turned the tide.
The assault that determined the course of history.
The liberation of Europe.
The Allied victory on the Western Front.
The end of the war in Europe less than a year later.
All part of the trajectory of war.

If the allies hadn't succeeded, how much longer would World War II have lasted?
How many more lives would have been lost?
How much more of the world would have been decimated?
How many more of Hitler's victims would have died?
Without D-Day, the war would have followed an alternate trajectory.
The history of the world would have taken a different path.

Lancaster bombers, D-Day

Just as that day changed the course of history, the results of that day determined the course of my history.

My dad's log book shows three entries as part of Operation Overlord when he and his loyal crew, his good friends Doug Johnston, Burns Foster, Sig Teit, Johnny Knox, were tasked with softening the defenses.  June 4 "OPS Calais. Fair Trip,Gun Emplacements." June 5 "OPS Merville. Good Trip. Gun emplacements." June 6, "OPS Coutances, Good Trip. Excellent Nav, Bridge and Highway, Diverted Colerne."

As my father's Lancaster "S for Smitty" followed its path from Middleton St. George to Caen to Colerne and back,  as his plane moved through space and time, did he know the scope of the mission? Did he know that the fate of Europe hung in the balance? Or, like so many brave young Canadians, did he simply follow orders, trusting his superiors to chart his course? Or did he trust in fate or trust in God?  Or did the crew start that mission, like their 29 other missions, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice?

The odds of survival for bomber command were slim. Their first 17 missions were flown in a Halifax. In 1943 and early 1944, when my dad's crew were stationed with #419 Moose Squadron, the survival rate of a Halifax Crew surviving the 30 missions of a tour of duty were 16%, Overall, the odds of survival ran under 50%.  Did Dad and his crew know what those odds were at the time? Would it have mattered?  Reading his log book, in typical Dad fashion, he minimized the dangers and emphasized the good work of his crew.  The simple phrase, in tiny writing, "hundreds of SL/S...holes in kite" surely downplayed an exciting trip. His entry of July 18, "coned by SL/S ...Hit by flak" is described in the Moose Squadron website in a far more dramatic fashion.

I only remember him telling us two stories of his time in the air.  On one trip the crew witnessed one plane after another going down ahead of them. Defying orders, Dad veered off, surely saving himself and his crew.  In another, a malfunction prevented the plane from dropping its load of bombs. But the plane, with a full tank of fuel and a full load of bombs, was too heavy to land. So they flew out over the ocean, "reduced weight" as the log puts it, and then landed safely at base with a full load of bombs. Moments that defined my Dad.

I wonder if the fact Dad and his crew survived against so many odds influenced how they lived. Did they feel lucky? Did they feel blessed? Did they feel powerful? Did they feel, on some level, that they were saved for a reason? Did they think about how the war made them into the men they would become?

If my father's plane had been shot down, he wouldn't have married my mom. I wouldn't be here. My children would never have been born.There would have been an alternate version of history. One without me in it.

How many stories begin, "It was a fateful day?"  While the phases of the moon and the rise and fall of the tides may influence our trajectory, so too does every act and every accident.  I think of the history of my country, the choices made by my ancestors. The acts, big and small, that influenced history. The small things we say that influence our children and our students in ways we may never know. The flick of a switch. The thrust of a throttle. Who you sat next to on a bus. A car accident. A letter. A relative stranger telling you "You're good at that." A fire.  Day by fateful day, over the course of history, the course of each of our lives, one defining moment after another.  Defining moments that shape you, that make you who you are.  Yet it all could have taken a very different path.

Every day is a fateful day.

My dad and his grandson

Not my Superpower

I'm still ranting about this Jason Kenney thing.

If you read my last post you will know this rant stems from Kenney's absurd notion that Canada's teachers are responsible for the failure of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Well... I have to be honest.  Killing a political party is not my superpower.  The conservative parties managed to damage themselves quite well all on their own with no help from me or my teaching colleagues.

But this idea that teachers somehow have the ability to influence the beliefs and values of society got me thinking. Thinking about things that teachers all over the world are blamed for.

Obesity
Teen pregnancy
Bullying
Unemployment
Low test scores
The crashing economy

My dear readers, I cannot even get my students to stop spelling "a lot" as one word. I can't get them to hand their assignments in on time, if at all. I can't get them to put their cellphones away. I can't make them exercise or protect themselves from sexually transmitted disease or eat broccoli. I certainly can't convince some of them that treaty rights are guaranteed by law; that Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden weren't on the same team; that people aren't poor because they are lazy; that it's  wrong to cut and paste your essay from Wikipedia, or that paying someone on Course Hero to answer your math questions is a form of cheating.

How the hell am I going to tell them who to vote for?

Teachers teach students how to think.

We do not teach them what to think.

If we did, we could rule the world.

That's on you, Jason Kenney

Jason Kenney.

You are a fool.

I could call you a fool for any number of reasons, but for today I will focus on your asinine comment that young adults do not vote for the Conservative Party of Canada because they are "hard wired " to accept "collectivist" ideas from an early age by their teachers.

"I think it's the first generation to come through a schooling system where many of them have been hard-wired with collectivist ideas, with watching Michael Moore documentaries, with identity politics from their primary and secondary schools to universities. That's kind of a cultural challenge for any conservative party, any party of the centre-right, and we've got to figure out how to break that nut."

Let's just set aside, for a moment, your misunderstanding of the term "hard-wired"which refers to tendencies people are born with and not ideas they learned in school.

Let's ignore your absurd assumption that all teachers espouse a left wing ideological perspective. Canada's teachers have wide ranging views on political and economic systems.

Let's forget all about the fact that 67% of the people in your Alberta riding voted Conservative while 70% of Rachel Notley's constituents voted NDP. These were all Alberta voters who have gone through the Alberta school system with the identical curriculum K-12.

Let's overlook the ludicrous notion that the school system has the ability to control students' actions.

Let's set aside your apparent or perhaps deliberate attempt to equate collectivism-a political and economic ideology based on state ownership of the means of production-and the actual views held by today's young people which are in fact mostly liberal or progressive.

Let's instead look at what teachers actually teach in today's schools in Canada.

Respect for diversity
Compassion for the human condition
Understanding of multiple perspectives
Social justice
Equal treatment for all

If I had the power to imbue every one of my students with the items on the list above, I would retire happy. Unfortunately, that is not how education works. Ideological beliefs come from a complex set of factors. Students are not "hard-wired" to accept any belief system. Deeply held values are taught by parents at an early age. They come from families and communities and religious faith and spirituality. They are influenced by one's employment and financial status. They come from lived experience and worldviews and relationship to the land. They come from the media and popular culture. They come from a critical analysis of the world. I could show a student a Michael Moore movie every day and it would not influence the way he will vote when he turns 18.

You know what? I'm sick and tired of being blamed for society's ills because I'm a teacher. And I can't and won't take credit for how young people vote.

If people don't vote for your party, that's on you.

The ones who went before

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it," said George Santayana. 

I hope we learn from history. Otherwise why teach it? I hope people are able to take away some positives from disasters and tragedies. 

We wanted people to learn about our Slave Lake story. That was one reason we wrote The Sky was on Fire:Slave Lake's Story of Disaster, Exodus and New Beginnings.  In fact, the reviewer at the St. Albert Gazette called it "a cautionary tale that all Albertans should read."

High Level is in my thoughts. I wonder if Alberta has learned anything from our Slave Lake story.

THEN When fires struck Slave Lake on May 15 of 2011, "fire season" had just begun. Water bombers had just arrived at our tanker base. It was a dreadfully dry year. There was speculation that we were not prepared.

NOW After the fire, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development made specific recommendations in 7 key areas in the Flat Top Complex review.  One was to advance start times for resources. Fire season now begins on March 1. Necessary supports are in place well before the snow melts and fire risk increases. 

THEN Communication was poor during the 2011 fire. There was no evacuation notice. People saw the fire in their back yards. Some were actually in their homes while they were on fire. Mandatory evacuation was called 5 hours after the fire swept through the town. In the days that followed, communication continued to be limited. Rumours on social media filled the vacuum created by the lack of official response.

NOW There are clearer lines of communication, especially in wildland urban interface areas. While wildland fires are unpredictable, and people had very short notice to leave the community, High Level Andy Fort Mac residents were told to evacuate.  Post-fire, the provincial government provided lengthy daily updates to the press, on its website and on social media as well as evening "town hall" phone in programmes.  Their comprehensive website provides a wealth of information for evacuees.  Slave Lake MLA Danielle Larivee was Minister of Municipal Affairs during the Fort Mac fire. She lived through the Slave Lake fires. I am sure she used that experience, all the things she remembered from those difficult times, to help those evacuees. Hopefully some of her wisdom was passed on to the current government.

THEN In High River after the 2013 floods, former MLA Danielle Smith had to beg for information from the government so she could relay it to her constituents. My own MLA was rarely heard from during the Slave Lake evacuation.

NOW In Fort McMurray, Wildrose opposition leader Brian Jean was one of the first on the ground. He been working with the provincial government every step of the way, appearing with them in press conferences and being part of the solution.

THEN Lesser Slave Lake Regional Fire Service fought a fire that is beyond the scope of any fire department of its size. They reacted almost by instinct, using concepts that are more frequently used in wildland fires to protect key buildings and infrastructure. In some cases they, alongside heavy equipment operators, created firebreaks by chopping down some buildings to save others and by bulldozing the middle of a mall. 30% of Slave Lake was destroyed by fire. It would have been more if these firefighters had not used the tactics that they did.
NOW Slave Lake fire crews were dispatched immediately to Fort Mac. Their unique knowledge was used by Fort Mac firefighters to save large portions of the city. They won't tell you more than that. Because urban firefighters are trained to save houses, they don't like to talk about the times when they didn't. But maybe, just maybe, their knowledge helped save the 85% of Fort Mac that remains standing today.

THEN Red Cross donations flooded in to Slave Lake. Yet a year after the fire, only 177 thousand of the 5.5 million went to direct support. A further 2 million went to community groups and programmes. The bulk of the money went to volunteer support and hiring and housing Red Cross employees. Those who requested direct aid were humiliated by having to beg for assistance which was then denied. Neither the federal or provincial government provided financial support to the Red Cross.
NOW  Almost immediately after the evacuation, the Red Cross announced its Fort McMurray disaster relief drive. That fund is now up to 67 million dollars. Both the federal and provincial government announced matching grants to the Red Cross so aid could go to individuals and families. Ten days after the fire started, the Red Cross announced it would provide $600 in direct aid to every evacuee. 

THEN In 2011, university students were told "we are here for you" but then were refused any financial help. 

NOW  The U of A announced a Disaster Relief Bursary.  And while Slave Lake and High River post secondary students were given no breaks in paying for their student loans, Alberta's Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt recently announced a six month reprieve for student loan repayments.

THEN Most people with homeowners or tenant's insurance have mandatory evacuation insurance.  My own insurer phoned me the the day after the fire to tell us we were covered and to come in and pick up a cheque.  Those without insurance had to rely on friends, family and total strangers. It was heartwarming to see communities large and small come together to assist. However, people can't sleep on cots in a temporary shelter forever. Those who lost their homes and had no insurance were in deep trouble with nowhere to turn.

NOW The Alberta government announced the Wildfire Evacuee Transitional Accommodation Benefit that will cover rent, damage deposit and utility connections for up to 90 days from the date of evacuation.

THEN A third of the homes in Slave Lake were destroyed by fire. Many shady contractors showed up to rebuild, causing costly delays and leaving homeowners with poorly constructed houses. They have been without recourse.
NOW The Alberta government established the New Home Warranty Programme in 2014.
 

THEN Slave Lake Homeowners begged for assistance from Mike Holmes of "Homes on Homes" but he wasn't interested. 

NOW Holmes has announced help for Fort McMurray.

THEN We Slave Lakers survived our ordeal and rebuilt our community on our own. Sure, we had moral and financial support from communities far and wide that was deeply appreciated. We had some help from the provincial government. But there weren't any people out there who had been through what we went through. We made mistakes along the way. But but we figured it out.
NOW The wisdom and knowledge of Slave Lake has been widely shared. From the "Lessons Learned" and "Wisdom Gained" and heartfelt wishes from Alberta Emergency Management, the Town of Slave Lake and MD 124, from the Facebook pages providing support, the people of Fort McMurray have people to talk to who can provide them with guidance and suggestions about their insurance, the issues their children will face, and more. 

The people of Fort McMurray are receiving the benefit of our disaster experience, whether they realize it or not. Governments and social agencies and regular folks are learning from the mistakes of the past.  Last week I was talking to a co-worker about how our school reacts to disasters. We provided free materials and instruction to Slave Lake evacuees and we are doing the same for Fort Mac. I speculated that the government was learning from the past.  He wasn't sure about that. 

I don't know if the Government of Alberta has learned a lot about how to manage a disaster but I do think that this new government has a better sense of people and their needs and that is why we are seeing the improvement that we are. They are turning people loose to do what actually needs to be done ...there seems to be a greater degree of "caringness" than there was before, and I don't think that is something you can plan for, it is either there or it isn't.

In the process of writing this, I found myself becoming a little angry. Three of my kids were in university in fall 2011. They could have used a break. I have friends that certainly could have benefited from some additional financial aid from the Red Cross. And everyone in my town would have loved more information and support from others who had gone before.
But anyone who experiences a disaster like a flood or a fire suffers.  

Why should I begrudge someone whose suffering might be alleviated because of lessons learned from our experiences?   A grade 6 kids submitted his story for our book. He wrote:

I lost everything in the fire, I lost my house, I lost my cats. I lost my gerbil. It was the worst weekend of my life. I feel bad for everyone, because if I just felt sorry for myself, I would not have learned anything from this experience. The fire taught all of us to be thankful for what we have.  

King Solomon's Seal blooming through the ashes. June 2011.

Protocols were not observed

I was at a conference a couple of weeks back.

I thought all was going well.

Suddenly with no warning one of the participants stood up.

"Protocols were not observed," he said. This was followed by a long speech about observing protocols, what the protocols were, and how upset he was they had not been followed.  Then a series of apologies, a scurrying around to make it up to the offended party, more apologies. Tears were shed.

There had never been any intention of rudeness. People simply did not know what the protocols were. Yet trust was broken.  It became almost impossible to move forward.

It was awkward.

I left.

Last week in a political group I belong to, protocols were not observed.  I'm not sure how innocent the breaking of the protocols. They had not been made clear.  But trust was lost.

It's hard to come back from.

The colour of your skin

I was four. Mom said we were going shopping. We were going shopping for a doll for me.

I already owned three dolls, See-See, Susie and Freckly Face. My parents had this adorable habit of letting me name my own toys.

But back to my story. A new doll? That I could pick out myself? What?

We went to Kresge's and the Co-op. The local toy store. But none of the dolls we saw would do. We were looking for a "special" doll said Mom.  Finally we found it in Woolworth's.  This one, she says. I was dubious. She had no clothes. But she was pretty.

What are you going to call her? Mom says. Chocolate, says I. I was a kid. What did I know? My mom must have thought, well, there's a lesson in cultural diversity gone wrong.

Freckly-face, See-See, Chocolate, and Susie

The year I got the doll, my parents adopted my brother. My mom didn't think she could have more kids and my parents wanted more. The social worker asked them if they would consider adopting a child of a different race. The question threw them. They hadn't thought about it. Of course, they said. What difference would it make? 

So my brother was adopted. He was my brother. I never thought about the colnour of his skin. Except in summer when my skin burnt red and his was golden brown. I didn't think much about his race or even what "adopted" meant. We were family.

In Dawson Creek in the early 1960s, there weren't many people of colour. I suppose the special doll was my mom's way of showing me there were people in the world who didn't look like me because in my world,  among the Jenkins and the Dixons and the Jorgensons and the Baliskys and the Connellys, there were just a tiny handful of families who weren't white. Except for the indigenous people like my brother and sister who didn't look like me, but somehow didn't seem "different".

There were the Asian  families. Mr. Mah who owned the Mile Zero Cafe and always gave my Dad whiskey or "special Chinese tea" when we went for Chinese food.Bing Mah who owned Bing's furniture.Japanese Mr. Seto who owned Seto's Studios. Mrs. Parmar from Pakistan who taught grade 4.

The native kids certainly weren't as exotic as the Hamiltons. Mr. Hamilton, the story went, was an American working on the Alaska Highway who fell in love with a local lady. Herbie Hamilton was in my grade. Phyllis Mounce was my age too. She was adopted. They were our token African Canadians.  Everyone wanted to be their friends to prove they didn't care about skin colour. We were so proud that we did not discriminate against Herbie and Phyllis and the Mahs and Mr. Seto. In the heat of the civil rights movement, we white Dawson Creek kids knew we weren't like our U.S. neighbours who were the kind of racists we saw in the photos of riots and protest marches in Life Magazine.

We studied cultures and customs of people all over the world, but we never talked about our native classmates as having a unique way of life or their own spiritual beliefs. We knew their ancestors were here before our ancestors but we didn't wonder much about how they lived. They were just like us, weren't they? Except in Dawson Creek in the 1960s, we didn't go to their houses and they didn't come to ours. We were just kids. We didn't wonder why they were poor and we were middle class. We didn't wonder why by junior high their numbers dwindled. Or that by high  school, there was just one. Lorna Laboucan, whatever happened to you? 

I'm not a kid anymore. The things I never thought about back then haunt me now. 

Like if you packed your X-Box

Our Evacuation Timeline: May 14 and 15 2011. Pieced together from dated text messages, Facebook posts and time stamped photos.

May 14

5:15     Nicola leaves for Athabasca with daughter, Elizabeth and disabled elderly mother Janet to attend a ballet performance put on by her cousin, Kerry. As they were leaving, Len says to keep an ear to the radio as there were wildfire reports.  They listened to local radio and CBC news until 6:30 but no fire reports

6:45    When they arrived Athabasca, they receive a text from Len saying highway from Mitsue closed due to fire.

8:15    Len phones Nicola to tell them that the fire situation is very bad.  Nicola checks CBC and CTV web news via iphone but no reports

8:57    Nicola receives a Facebook message from friend, Ellen Criss who reports that the highway at Mitsue turnoff is closed and they are stuck on the road there

9:00    Nicola receives a text from Hart asking where the rabbit cage is. 

9:45    Nicola calls home: Len tells her that he has been photographing the Mitsue fire which was moving quickly towards town.  Kerry contacted RCMP officer at dance the recital Highway is closed, possible access through Wabasca, no guarantee.  No internet reporting

10:30   Nicola checks into a hotel.  No TV or internet report of fire. AMA reports road open.  Local state of emergency declared for the town of Slave Lake.

11:39  Nicola receives a Facebook message via Blackberry from Ellen Criss who reports the highway has been opened back to Slave Lake

1:00  Hart and Len drive around town where the wind has died and smoke fills the air. Bulldozers are widening firebreak along Highway 88 beside town.

May 15

9:00 a.m.  Nicola finds no internet reports, AMA reports road closed. CTV runs short story on TV. She receives FB confirmation from Cindy Harmata that they got through on the road last night.

9:52    Residents southeast of town are on 2 hour evacuation notice and residents of Popular Estates east of town have been evacuated. 

10:18  Nicola leaves for Slave Lake.  Local radio news not reporting the fire. View from highway shows spot fires throughout Mitsue area, nothing huge

12:00    Nicola arrives home

2:30    Town website states “Town of Slave Lake not under evacuation notice.” 

2:45    Evacuation for entire South Shore has been ordered reported on local radio. All residents must register at Northern Lakes College.

3:00    Lake FM reports Roland Michener is temporary evacuation site.  Go over to see if help is needed. Friend Ross MacDonald is there.  Wait around

3:30    Neighbour Randy Ross, government employee in charge of evacuation, arrives to say no one is needed at school

4:15    Nicola goes to mall to buy dog food and beer, returns home. Power goes off during trip home.

4:20    Power goes back on.  Nicola and Len drive to edge of community trail near 14th ave and Highway 88 to see fire progress.  Thick smoke and flames can be seen.  Speculate that the angle of wind appears to be more to the south to miss our neighbourhood

4:40    Return home.  Hart and Elizabeth are packing personal items and checking internet, primarily slavelake.ca.  Widewater and Wagner have been evacuated. Lake FM broadcasts there is no evacuation notice in effect

Power goes out and then comes back on. 

5:10    Update on slavelake.ca states there is no evacuation notice and that highway 88 and highway 2 east and west are closed

Power goes out.  We try to get internet updates on CBC and CTV and slavelake.ca –no news

5:30    Len takes photos of the contents of the house

5:35    Go out and speak to neighbours who are packing vehicles and looking towards the fire. Lady across the street has been told to report to work to the hospital. 

5:40    Len’s photos reveal a fireball in the sky just east of the town. Randy Ross returns home frantic about the location of his daughter. We ask him what to do, he says the latest word is evacuate to college and wait. Randy Ross says the emergency plan is to “stand and defend.” 

Lester Perrott, a former forester drives by.  He’s been evacuated from Widewater and does not know where to go.  We tell him he is supposed to go to the college.  We ask him what to do.  He takes one look back at the approaching fire and says “Go.” Former student Cody drives by and tells us 13th street is on fire. Neighbour returns from hospital, yells at Cody, he hops in with the neighbours truck and they drive off

5:54    Phone Jordan on cell in Edmonton to tell her to get on slavelake.ca and provide us with an evacuation route.

5:57    Jordan calls back to say latest update is 5:10 on slavelake.ca –telling people highway 88 and highway 2 west is closed, highway 2 east is open, and there is no evacuation notice

We get both kids, their boxes of treasures, a change of clothes, Jordan's grad dress needed for upcoming event, Janet, two dogs and the rabbit in the van, leaving the other vehicle behind. We drive down 5th ave toward TAGS. Get to corner of 5th and 10th street-cops are directing us south,

6:03    Elizabeth sends Jordan text “We found cops. We’re leaving.” Still no evacuation notice on slavelake.ca

6:14   We exit town by driving up an embankment at the end of 14 ave, along the community trails to highway 88 and then highway 2 heading west

6:15   On highway, Elizabeth texts Jordan to tell her we are out

6:09   Jordan is with her friend Krista from Slave Lake who’s frantic about her parents who are still in their house waiting to be notified about the evacuation.  Jordan sends us a text to say Krista was calling Glen and Sheila to tell them to leave from the NE.

6:15   Hart's Facebook status “Like if you packed your x-box”

6:26   We arrive at former Noralta Lodge parking lot.

7:45   Robin Lee Vance says the highway south is opening

8:00    People start driving back towards Slave Lake.  Move at walking pace. 

8:30    See our neighbourhood which is along the highway.  Neighbours are standing along the spillway  See our house which is one block from the spillway,  2 or 3 blocks away from the fire. Len, Elizabeth and Hart return to house for items. 

8:45    Elizabeth and Len take the other car and drive out via community trails. No police or security people present.  Fire could be seen behind playground.  A lot of explosions can be heard from houses a couple of blocks to the south. On community trails were two young firefighters hosing down spot fires in the trees on the east side of town. 

            

10:09  Mandatory evacuation notice is announced

Red Cross and other Agencies

Some people have been asking me about the Red Cross.

The Red Cross does a great job dealing with emergencies, getting emergency response volunteers on the ground, getting emergency services in place immediately, and registering evacuees so everyone is accounted for. They are quite frankly amazing at that. The Red Cross is a registered Canadian charitable organization and as such must be regularly audited. It receives high ratings from organizations that rate charities in terms of efficiency and transparency.

The money people donate to the Red Cross is earmarked for the initiative they donate to. So in Slave Lake, more than 5.5 million was collected in donations and it all went to the community. The same will happen for Fort McMurray. 55 million has been donated so far and that amount will be tripled as the provincial government and federal government are providing matching sums.

So why do people complain about the Red Cross?

First, although they apparently spend just over 17% of their budget in administration, they certain seem to spend a lot of money on staff and volunteers.

The second problem and the one that evokes the most anger is the way the Red Cross distributes direct aid. There is apparently some kind of formula but it's unclear what that formula is. And that direct aid to individuals and families does not continue after the initial crisis as far as I know.

Take a look at the Slave Lake example. In the first year following the Slave Lake fires there was:


· $770,000 in direct aid for food, clothes, household goods, occupational supplies, rent, utilities, mortgage payments, damage deposits and so on

· $2 million for community development projects (see list below)

· $400,000 for rent and improvements for Slave Lake interim library

· $529,000 for staff and volunteers

· $229,000 for Red Cross Slave Lake office and facility

· $815,000 for transportation and housing of aid workers

· $800,000 to support ongoing recovery operations of the Red Cross in Slave Lake

If you consider that more than 700 families lost their homes, this translates to an average of just over $1000 per family in direct aid and more than 1.5 million in staff and office costs.

Rumours circulate that if you had insurance, you did not get Red Cross financial aid. Or if you earned over a certain amount, you were disqualified from receiving assistance. Could evacuees who did not lose their homes get assistance? I do not not know the answer. I asked but I did not receive a reply other than "visit our website."

Community projects


The following worthy causes received Red Cross funding.


· Healthy Snack Program Providing a free snack to all children
· Family Fun Night Free activities for families
· Student Hot Lunch- Koinonia Christian School
· Tuesday's Lunch Program Providing lunch to junior & high school students.
· Breakfast Program Grades 7-12 Purchasing new equipment to upgrade.
· Art with a Heart Transportation of art donations
· Ukrainian Society Replacing costumes lost in the fire
· Youth Drop-in Programs at Field House
· Lakeside Nursery Replacing lost equipment and repairs
· Wolves Hockey Replacing destroyed hockey equipment that was lost in the fire.
· Slave Lake Scouts Replacing lost equipment, and to waiving fees
· Slave Lake Boys and Girls Club Delivering after school programs
· Slave Lake Boxing Club Helping to cover equipment replacement
· Slave Lake Friendship Centre Helping cover the cost of renovations to the facility
· Slave Lake Legion Helping cover the cost of renovations to the facility
· Slave Lake Catholic Church Helping cover the cost of repairing the flooring
· Slave Lake Elks Lodge Helping cover the cost of repairs to the lodge’s roof
· Gilwood Golf Course Supporting community meeting place
· Multi-Recreation Centre Enhancements to the centre
· New Daycare facility
· Mental Health Initiative
· Youth Leadership & Resiliency Program
· Community Kitchen

http://www.redcross.ca/in-your-community/alberta/alberta-major-disaster-responses/northern-alberta-wildfires-response

What about direct aid?

As it did for Slave Lake, the Alberta government provides emergency funding to all registered evacuees. While you need to be registered with the Red Cross to get your money, the money comes from provincial tax dollars. Not the Red Cross.

Handing out cash brings a whole world of other problems. What criteria is used to decide who gets it? What proof of need is required? Who polices it?

Food banks and Friendship Centres are the only other organizations I know that give direct aid, but just in the form of food as far as I know. These all have some degree of oversight and administrative costs and they all do good work.I don't believe any of them hand out cash. If anyone knows otherwise, please comment.

The Rotary collected donations for Slave Lake that went into many excellent local projects. All of it. No middle man. The Rotary has set up a charitable fund for Fort Mac and all money donated will go to programmes there based on established needs. But it will not go to individuals.

Summary

• If you really want to help individuals, act locally. See what is happening in your own town. Are there evacuees there? Your local Friendship Center or food bank is where I would start. 
• If there is a cause you are keen on, do some research and donate there. Schools, libraries, museums, animal shelters, performing arts organizations, women's shelters, hospital auxiliaries- they will all need a helping hand. Even if their facility is standing, they will have lost volunteers, person-hours, and local fundraising potential. 
• If you want to donate to 100% locally managed projects with no admin costs, consider the Rotary. 
• If you want your money to go a long way through matching grants, if you want to donate to a large organization with a long history of donating to disaster relief and community programming, the Red Cross is a viable option. But I think it's time for them to be more transparent about how these donations are allocated. 

Hey Mom

Hey Mom.

Remember when you used to make fun of the neighbour lady who said getting a dishwasher changed her life because now she could vacuum twice a day?

Remember how you used to say "Housework is for people who can't think of better things to do?"

Remember how you used to host all those big parties and Dad would disappear into the basement for three hours doing who knows what and we used to scramble around cleaning up and then you would say "One of you go outside and come back in and tell me what is the first thing you notice?" And whatever we would see is the thing you made us clean up next?

Remember that year I was away at school and I came home in March and you hadn't taken down the Christmas tree yet?

Remember how when I moved away and I would come home on weekends the first thing I did was clean out all the old food from the fridge that you and Dad never got around to eating?

Remember that time just after I got married and I was supposed to make chinese for dinner and you couldn't find the wok? Remember how mad I was? Because how can you lose a wok?

If you were still here, even if dementia hadn't taken you, I bet you would remember none of those things. Or maybe if I reminded you, you would get that distant look, and shrug and laugh and remind me you had better things to do than housework.

Just thought you would like to know that I just found some chickpeas in the back of the fridge that have been there since December. Along with the dip I made for my big Christmas party. And I haven't vacuumed in a month. And the first thing you would notice coming in my front door is the dirty floor or maybe the pile of books/minutes/notes on the piano or the pile of shopping bags I keep forgetting to take to the car. And I didn't move the box with the Christmas tree in it out to the garage until the day Elizabeth came home for Easter. I only moved it because I knew she would roll her eyes at me. And I honestly have no idea where my wok is. Maybe the laundry room like everything else I can't find.

Just thought you would like to know.  

Happy Mother's Day.