For anyone thinking that I had dropped off the face of the Earth last fall, let me assure you that I haven’t. Back in late October, I spent a week in the Rockyview General Hospital here in Calgary, being admitted to the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) for treatment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. While there I was referred to their 4-week Mental Health Day Hospital Program which I completed earlier this month and I am happy to say that I am a great deal better for the experience.
I’m also happy to say that I have started writing again and that I am working on putting together a series of stories about it, from the 59 hours I spent in emergency, to the help that the amazing staff on the CSU was able to provide me, and finally about the day hospital program.
My gratitude and appreciation also go out to the staff of the Rockyview General Hospital, in particular, those in the ER, as well as those incredible teams working in the CSU and the Mental Health Day Hospital Program, and the rest of the Department of Psychiatry in particular Dr. Pamela Weatherbee and Dr. Roy Turner.
But first……
I’ll be posting a nine-part series called “Seven Days in Ottawa”, in which I will tell of being in the nation’s capital during those historic days in February of 2022. Watch for the stories as they come out between now and February 18th.
Reaching out for help.
If you live in Canada and find yourself in the midst of a mental health crisis or are feeling like hurting yourself, please go to the nearest emergency room or call 988 right away.
I submitted this story to a few media outlets for consideration as a guest essay and much to my disappointment, but not my surprise, I received no response and the reason can be summed up in four words: nobody gives a shit. I probably would have been more surprised if I had actually received a response quite frankly, so I will just publish this myself like I figured would happen anyway.
I was recently contacted by a friend of mine in Kabul, whom I will refer to as Abdullah. I first met him two years ago when he reached out to me looking for help getting out of the country, but by then it was already too late, the last flight out was already gone, and the Taliban had taken control of the airport. He is a member of one of the many groups that the Taliban were hunting down and continue hunting to this very day, so his life was at imminent risk. That risk may have diminished slightly since then, but it nonetheless remains, and so he must do everything he can to keep a low profile and off the Taliban’s radar.
Unfortunately, Abdullah would one day find himself in the totally wrong place at the completely wrong time, and as a result, he found himself being placed under arrest for suspicion of armed robbery. His story made me remember that even in dictatorships, there are still those crimes that aren’t in breach of humanitarian laws. Murders, rapes, robberies, and assaults will continue to happen no matter what regime is in power. The things that motivate these crimes are the same whether in a democratic system or under the repressive thumb of totalitarianism. We tend to forget this however when we hear of the many atrocities being committed by such regimes, as though the only people who are being sought are the opponents of those regimes, who are typically made political prisoners or are summarily dispatched.
For instance, most people have heard of the Gehaime Stat Polizei, better known as the Gestapo, who were the Nazi’s feared secret police while they were in power. The Gestapo didn’t investigate things like murder or robbery though, this job was left to the Kriminalpolizei or the Kripo as they were colloquially known. These were the law enforcement officers, whose background and training were such that they were at least professionals.
The same cannot be said in present-day Afghanistan, which should be no surprise to anybody. Every day law enforcement is now done by members of the Taliban, and as they have demonstrated many times in the past, they will take on any task no matter how little knowledge or experience they have. This has of course proven detrimental to them at times, usually resulting in seemingly unanticipated and fatal results for those involved, yet they continue to plow along without regard for processes or consequences. These things only go to further demonstrate what appears to be a complete and substantial lack of intellectual capacity among the Talibs. These are not the hallmarks of a competent criminal investigator.
Afghan Taliban’s Deputy Head of Interior Ministry Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali speaks at a news conference about the new Afghan police uniform, in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 8, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara
Instead, the men in the black turbans rely on what they know best to solve such criminal activity, and that is through simple brutality. Abdullah was making a delivery nearby to a location where a gang of armed robbers was about to be set upon by members of the Taliban. He would go on to tell me “Sir there (sic) local criminology is not too much active but their intelligence are very active” and that they didn’t appear to be any ranks saying that “all of them are bosses. Nobody reports to or receives orders from anyone.”
Once he was taken into custody, his jailers began their “investigation” by beating the living crap out of Abdullah. He sent me a photo of his badly bruised and swollen face, the broken nose being more obvious than the fractured orbit he also received. The beatings continued until the next day when they decided to introduce repeated electric shocks. He says they attached something to his arm and that he was subsequently “shocked very bad from my head to my toes and burning my body.” He went on to tell me that those shocks took away the other pains that he was feeling in his body.
A Taliban police officer breaks a paving stone on a colleague in a show of strength in Kandahar CREDIT: Shutterstock
For 70 hours he had to endure this as well as the fear of possibly being exposed as a wanted person through his biometrics. Fortunately, this didn’t happen, and it was his boss vouching for him and providing video evidence of his employment that finally got him released. He was bruised and battered, and covered with electrical burns, but he was alive, though definitely in need of some medical intervention which I can only pray he manages to find. I can only surmise that Abdullah isn’t alone and that there are countless others who have suffered the same fate as him, or worse.
Two years ago, I promised him that I would do everything that I could to get him the hell out of there, and I remain committed to that promise. I also promised him and a few others who are still trapped in Afghanistan that I would not forget about them and that I would tell their stories to the world, and I will continue to do so until they no longer live in fear for their lives.
This was one of those stories.
Dedicated to those around the world who vowed to keep their promise and didn’t forget those who were left behind in Afghanistan. You’re all heroes each and every one.
Last month I wrote about a fundraiser that was put together to help Canadian Forces veteran Kelley McLeod and his wife Jeannette after they were faced with thousands of dollars in unforeseen renovation expenses and left unable to live in their home.
This particular fundraiser has ended, the proceeds of which went towards covering half of the cost of a new roof, and so they got half of the roof done which was able to address the leakage issue.
The interior remains stripped down to the studs however and there is still a considerable amount of work left to be done before the house is back to being in a condition for it to be occupied. They have received estimates to complete the work and the final cost for them will be in the range of around $50,000.
How this happened.
Kelley and Jeannette bought their house in Napanee, Ontario last year. They purchased the house “as is” knowing they would have to put on a new roof the following year. They were also planning on doing some renovations around the house that would make life a little bit easier for Kelley given his physical infirmities.
A few months ago Jeannette read an article online in which she found out that there could be asbestos in plaster, and as they were planning on doing work to the ceilings they thought it best to have a test done for asbestos. Unfortunately, the tests showed the presence of asbestos, and they were then told that it was also more than likely that there would be asbestos in the drywall compound that was used on the walls.
They were told that pretty much the only course of action available to them was to remediate the asbestos by having all the walls and ceilings removed down to the studs, which cost them several thousand dollars.
At that point, it was discovered that the electrical panel and the wiring were no longer up to code and wouldn’t pass an inspection, making it necessary for them to have it replaced at a considerable cost ($25,000).
Incidentally, although they didn’t get a house inspection prior to buying it, multiple contractors have told them that a standard inspection would not have found any of the issues currently plaguing them.
They needed to take out a loan in order to pay for the asbestos remediation, and they are now at their maximum Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) meaning that they couldn’t borrow bus fare now if they needed it.
A heartbreaking loss.
As if things weren’t bad enough, Kelley’s best friend and source of comfort, Sadie, passed last week only days after they discovered she had an autoimmune disease that affected her blood cells. Now bereft and heartbroken, Kelley and Jeannette are really struggling right now.
Working on a plan.
Right now there are some efforts being made on multiple fronts in an effort to see Kelley and Jeannette through this and to ensure they have a place to live again as soon as possible. Once there is a clearer picture as to where things are at, fundraising activities will resume if they are necessary.
At the moment they are in need of some privacy so that they can deal with what has been an exceptionally stressful time for them, brought about by a cascading series of events beyond their control, and wish to thank those who have expressed their support during this difficult period.
They would also like to extend their thanks to VETS Canada and the Kingston Legion for all their help.
I will be posting updates as they become available.
I have been blessed in that I am able to occasionally escape the cacophony of the city to spend a little time in the more sedate surroundings of a small town about fifty miles to the south of me. With a population of less than fifteen thousand, High River has roughly twice the population of my home community in the city, Canyon Meadows, though a mere fraction of the 1.3 million people who now call Calgary home.
High River
The settlement that would later be known as High River was initially a North West Mounted Police outpost called “Fort Spitzee”, after the Blackfoot name for the Highwood River, Ispitsi. It was established at the halfway point between Calgary and Fort MacLeod, in an area that was bristling with bootleggers and other miscreants.
Headstones reveal how the town evolved over time.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, memorial monuments were more reflective of social status than those from the modern day. Obelisks and ornate pillars of granite or marble mark some of the resting places of some of the earliest families to establish themselves in the community, while others are as humble as simply being nothing but a rock with a name carved into it.
On closer examination, these headstones also provide a glimpse into the evolution of modern medicine from the same period of time to the present day. One of the first things that becomes obvious is that childhood mortality rates were definitely higher in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Compared to the modern era, there are significantly more graves of infants and young children. It’s heartwrenching to look at the small headstones, some adorned with lambs, which mark the resting places of newborns. Others are buried in family plots with their parents or other siblings, ranging in age from newborn to mid-teens.
There are also a number of young women, who were predominantly wives in their late teens to late twenties who died in childbirth. Likely as not these women either suffered from blood loss due to hemorrhaging or died from extreme hypertension brought about due to preeclampsia, a condition that was almost always fatal for the mother and sometimes for the baby. Today’s modern techniques in Obstetrics make such fatalities a rarity, making for far fewer young widowers.
Hidden plot.
Well hidden from view, this plot has a gate and is surrounded by shrubbery.
The Field of Honour.
The final resting place for those local boys who served their country, with some killed in various conflicts and others who lived well into their retirements.
The seventh annual Veteran’s Mefloquine Conference is taking place over the weekend of September 23rd & 24th, 2023, in Kingston, Ontario. It will be hosted this year by Canadian Airborne Regiment veteran and advocate extraordinaire Stephen Beardwood, who is one of the founding members of Veteran’s House Charity.
The woman at the heart of the Mefloquine Veteran’s Conference, Marj Matchee, will be speaking alongside a number of other advocates, veterans, and professionals over the two-day event, with a workshop on Saturday the 23rd and the rally taking place on Sunday the 24th.
Those wanting to learn more about chronic quinoline encephalopathy, also known as quinism, and how it can mimic or share the same symptoms as PTSD should attend. For those unable to do so, a live stream of events over the weekend is being planned.
So enjoy these last few weeks of summer, and we hope to see you in the early days of autumn.
Everyone who registers for the Canadian Walk For Veterans will receive a 2023 Challenge Coin produced by Canadian veteran-owned Sharkz Coins based in Esquimalt BC. This years image depicts the iconic picture from the Second World War “Wait for Me, Daddy” taken by Claude P. Dettloff on October 1, 1940 of the British Columbia Regiment marching down Eighth Street at the Columbia Street intersection, New Westminster BC. On the back of the coin is the inscription “Heroes of the Homefront.”
Canadian Walk for Veterans Facebook Page
The 2023 Canadian Walk for Veterans is now just six weeks away, taking place over the weekend of September 23rd & 24th in a dozen locations across the country as well as virtually.
Since participating in my very first Walk for Veterans in Edmonton back in 2019, I have looked forward to the first week of August for the unveiling of the challenge coin on the Canadian Walk For Veterans Facebook page. I had a bit of a moment when I first looked at this year’s challenge coin, which was produced by veteran-owned Sharkz Coins of Esquimalt, British Columbia, because my grandfather appears on it.
Wait For Me Daddy.
Wait for Me Daddy by: Claude Dettloff
No, my grandfather isn’t the daddy in question. That man is Jack Bernard and the boy running after him is his son Warren, who was known as Whitey. My grandfather, Rifleman Joe Bodner, is immediately behind Jack Bernard.
Heroes of the Homefront.
When a member serves in the military, the entire family serves as well. Families play a critical role in enhancing the well-being of military personnel and Veterans, particularly those with service-related health conditions. Important as they are to the well-being of military members and Veterans, the families face challenges too. Constant awareness of the potential dangers faced by their serving parent, spouse, or child, caring for members or Veterans with service-related conditions, geographic moves and transitioning out of military life all present challenges and require sacrifices by members of military families. The 2023 Canadian Walk For Veterans pays tribute to these “Heroes of the Homefront”.
canadianwalkforveterans.com
At the time he took the shot with his camera that day, Claude Dettloff didn’t realize that the picture would later become one of history’s iconic photographs when it made the cover of Life magazine. The picture would also be used during bond drives and young Warren would become something of a celebrity as he toured the country helping to raise money for the war effort.
Military Family Resource Centres (MFRC).
Military Family Resource Centres are essentially the heart of their military communities and their goal is to build strong, resilient individuals, families and communities. Dedicated staff are frontline service providers, responsible for connecting military families to a wide range of programs and services. They understand the military lifestyle and are there to help find answers to the questions that come up as a result of military life. Dealing with difficult situations can often feel overwhelming and intimidating for the family members of those serving and whether they need advice on navigating family relationships, have questions about what to expect during military life or are seeking counseling services, the compassionate professionals at Military Family Resource Centres are there to support them in a safe environment.
This year, net proceeds from the 2023 Canadian Walk For Veterans will go toward supporting the valuable work of Military Family Resource Centers that are situated in regions where in-person events are held. However, three years of COVID-19 has taken a toll on many military, veteran and first responder organizations that rely on fundraising to continue their work of providing support through rehabilitation services and helping develop the tools needed to cope. Therefore, a portion of this year’s net proceeds will also go to those organizations that form a team and hold a Canadian Walk For Veterans event in their respective towns. Additional funds raised through national sponsorship and “virtual” registrations will be distributed to all recipient organizations on a prorated basis.
The 2023 Walk for Veterans will take place in a dozen locations across Canada.
Courtenay, B.C.
White Rock, B.C.
Surrey, B.C.
Abbotsford, B.C.
Kamloops, B.C.
Calgary, AB
Wetaskiwin, AB
Saskatoon, SK
Prince Albert, SK
Kingston, ON
Philipsburg, PQ
Halifax, N.S.
Just click on the link for the city you will be walking in on the Canadian Walk for Veterans website.
You can also register to do the walk virtually wherever you are in Canada or around the world.
Registration fees.
General Admission (ages 13+): $25
Families of 4 or 5 – Parents with kids aged 13-18: $80
Cadets(Serving): $10
Issuing a challenge.
Once again I will be joined by one of my local cousins for this year’s walk along the scenic South Glenmore Park Pathway in Calgary, where last year we saw Murray Marshall whose son Steven was killed in Afghanistan on October 30th, 2009.
I would like to issue a challenge to all of my cousins wherever they are (B.C. for the most part), to sign up and participate. My kin in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland will have a few places to choose from but they can also do the walk virtually wherever they may be. This is another great opportunity for you to do something for your communities and also get a keepsake memento of this moment in family history.
Not long after I started writing here, I began using Google Translate to expand my reach to other countries. What hadn’t occurred to me at the time was the fact that Facebook could automatically translate my posts into any language, so it wasn’t necessary for me to go through the time and effort of translating them myself.
I did however find Google Translate to be most helpful when I was using Messenger, and it was there that I really began to learn the intricacies of the app. For instance, for the best results, it is best to use more formal language as opposed to using slang, colloquialisms, and contractions (ie. we’re vs we are). Using everyday language could result in a garbled, unreadable message being sent, leaving the reader laughing uproariously and wondering what the hell you’re trying to even say (Yes, it happened to me a few times).
It’s also best to get input from a native speaker of the language you are translating into so that you will know whether or not what you are writing makes any sense. Using input and corrections from some of my friends in Afghanistan, I was able to greatly improve my skills when translating from English, going from confusing gibberish to perfect Pashto in very little time using Google Translate.
My hovercraft is full of eels.
The Message Game.
For some reason, the Message Game popped into my head yesterday. You’ve probably played it at some point with a group of your friends standing in line, as someone whispers a message into the ear of the first person, who then turns to whisper the message to the next person in line and so on until the end. The goal is to have the message received at the very end be the exact same as the one that started at the beginning. It can be almost comical sometimes with beginning and ending messages that don’t resemble each other in the least.
I thought I would try the game with a bit of a twist. I would begin with the message “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog” in English, then progress through a number of languages on a variety of translation apps to see what the results would be.
The apps.
I downloaded these apps to my Android device:
Google Translate
Microsoft Translator
All Languages Translator
Talking Translator
Language Translator
The languages.
The phrase will be translated sequentially from one language to the next, starting with English, then French, Punjabi, etc. down the list until finishing back at English again. The languages used and their order of sequence is:
English
French
Punjabi
Filipino (Tagalog)
Pashto
Russian
Spanish
Japanese
Hungarian
Urdu
English
Google Translate.
This has been my go-to and pretty much the only language translation app I use. Aside from ease of use it also has perhaps the largest selection of languages available for translation. I use it on my laptop and my Android device, though the ads in Android are a bit of a drag now. There are no ads on the Windows version.
End result: The quick brown fox jumped on the slow dog. (The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog).
Microsoft Translator.
It was my first time using this app and will be my last. Seems easy enough to use but somewhere along the way the translation goes all to hell. I tried this three times and chose the results that appeared on two of them.
Blech.
End result: WTF??
But it also translates Klingon!!
It was also the only app out of the five with this feature. Frankly, they would have been better off ditching the Klingon and focusing on fixing its deficiencies in order to put out a decent product.
All Languages Translator.
This one could be my second choice as it’s very friendly and has some good features, unfortunately, I find it to be deficient in the number of languages available to translate. For instance I was unable to translate into Pashto.
End result: The quick brown fox jumped on the slow dog. (The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.)
Talking Translator.
Friendly enough but the screen layout doesn’t work for me. It was clearly designed so that both people can see the screen at the same time standing across from each other. This app is also lacking languages and also cannot translate Pashto.
End result: A quick brown fox jumped over a slow dog. (The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.)
Language Translator.
Not enough languages (again no Pashto) and awkward to use. Not a fan.
End result: A quick brown fox jumped over a slow dog. (The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.)
Share your experiences.
If you have any stories of conversations lost in translation, any tips to share, or have a favourite language translation app send me an email or message and tell me about it.
Kelley McLeod was a medic in the Canadian Forces who was attached to the Airborne Regiment for deployments to Somalia and Rwanda in the 1990s. He was released due to service-related injuries which he continues to suffer with to this day.
Last year he and his wife Jeannette bought a house in Napanee, Ontario, which would bring them closer to the medical services Kelley needs, and also nearer to family. They were anticipating making some renovations, which they had budgeted for and were going to begin this summer.
Unbeknownst to either at the time was the fact that there was asbestos in the drywall, the house being built in the early 70s. They were unaware of this as it had not been disclosed when they bought the house, finding out when Kelley thought it best to test for asbestos prior to beginning renos as his mom died from mesothelioma, which is lung cancer caused by asbestos.
They got a loan to cover the $40,000 that it would cost to have the asbestos cleaned up, leaving them at the absolute maximum debt servicing ratio meaning that they now couldn’t get a loan for cab fare if they needed it. Unfortunately, their anticipated renovation costs have risen by about $20,000 as a result of having to have more work done than they had planned on.
Veteran’s Affairs wasn’t able to provide any kind of assistance to them as this was not on VACs list of approved emergencies. VETS Canada is paying for a motel room for Kelley, Jeannette, and their two dogs to stay in while the work is being done, and some friends of theirs have started a GoFundMe campaign to help them get the money they need to get their house back to being liveable again.
They have raised about $5,000 so far but things have stalled a bit, so I’m helping them to get the word out within the veterans community here in Canada. Our brother and sister need our help desperately right now, so if you are able to help them out financially or by donating some of your time it would be so very greatly appreciated. E-transfers are also being accepted.
Kelley has always been the one who has been there to help his veteran brothers and sisters in need and it is beyond difficult for Kelley to be asking for help, which is why friends of theirs organized the GoFundMe. I’m hoping that our community will rally together to help him in his time of greatest need.
I ventured into the city centre a couple times last week, and I thought that I would share a few of the things I thought about afterwards.
A trip downtown.
About 10 years ago I let my driver’s license expire without renewing it seeing as I hadn’t driven in years I figured why bother, it wasn’t like I was about to start again all of a sudden. It was too damn expensive and frankly, I wasn’t crazy about sharing the roads with the many fools that seem to be on them now anyway. If I need to get anywhere there’s public transit, taxicabs, or the ride-sharing option with Uber, though I primarily use the transit system. I’ve done so for the majority of my life actually, so I have had the opportunity to see the many changes that have happened in this city over the years both good and bad, though over the last decade or so most of the changes have been for the bad.
It got to the point that I no longer went downtown on transit or otherwise unless I absolutely needed to. Transit-related problems aside, the downtown core is simply not that safe of a place to be anymore, at least that is how I perceive things to be. Over the last two or three years the number of reports in the news about seemingly random attacks on people in the core has become routine. Sadly there have been fatalities, usually involving either edged weapons or brutal assaults.
Dr. Gondek’s happy LRT ride.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek takes a ride on the 7th Avenue LRT line in Calgary on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The Mayor, a communications team, City Hall security, a number of Transit, and Calgary Police officers joined the four-block excursion on the LRT line to show improvements in safety. Jim Wells/Postmedia
Last month Calgary Mayor Dr. Jyoti Gondek (or is it Dr. Mayor Gondek?) took to the transit system, travelling an entire four city blocks while surrounded by several members of the press and some large members of the Calgary Police Service and transit security. She was on her way to hold a press conference two stops up from city hall, where she would go on to laud the efforts made by herself and the rest of her city council colleagues to spend more money on police and security to clean up those problematic safety concerns that are being aired by many transit riders. If she wanted to see the realities of the C-Train (C for Crime, Crazy, etc.) then she ought to go incognito and ride the length of both lines at a variety of times a day. I can guarantee you it would be a definite eye-opener for her, just like I can also guarantee you that she’d never do it in the first place. As we learned (or not) with our last mayor, academics make absolutely lousy city administrators, seeming to verify the saying that “those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.”
Another zombie at a train station.
A man slumped over in a bus shelter at the Heritage transit station.
You can see them at many LRT stations outside of the core among other locations throughout many Calgary communities now, these wretched, motionless, zombie-like individuals hunched over after smoking heroin that has been laced with fentanyl. Some stand doubled over for several minutes, unmoving, while others collapse on benches or the ground. Some will overdose, requiring emergency intervention from a naloxone injection, while others may need multiple shots of the opioid agonist to get them breathing again.
I saw just such a man on the platform of Heritage LRT Station this week, sitting hunched over and motionless like so many others who have just smoked crystal meth that has been laced with fentanyl. I continued walking by him and stood about 40 feet up the platform from where he sat. A train going south came into the station, and as the passengers began to make their way to the station, I noticed a guy who was standing near the man on the bench move over to him and grab onto him. The man on the bench was starting to slump over and was not looking in a good way at all. He was a young First Nations man with dark skin, so when I was able to see that his lips were turning blue I knew the guy was in bad shape. His pulse was racing but his breathing was very shallow, and he wasn’t initially responding when I began to pinch the back of his arm to try to get a pain response from him.
After getting no initial response I went over to the emergency call box to get some assistance, then went back to help the other guy lay the man on the ground in the recovery position. A couple minutes later a Transit Security van pulled up and as two officers walked up the platform towards us my train downtown was arriving. I made sure he was breathing before I got in the middle car, sitting by myself at the far end of the car. I was starting to think that I should probably start carrying a naloxone kit in my backpack, in much the same way that many other people in Calgary and elsewhere had started doing. I stopped off at the pharmacy on the way home and picked one up, and remembered a conversation that I had with my brother only a couple of weeks before he died. He told me that he had overdosed only a few days before and that it took three doses of naloxone to bring him around again. There are three doses in a kit.
Yahoo indeed.
If the weather is hot in Calgary with severe afternoon thunderstorms that produce damaging hail that can only mean one thing, it’s time for the Stampede, and as the C-Train made its way toward downtown it passed by the Grounds which had come to life with the midway once again being set up and the various rides assembled. If you had your eyes closed and missed seeing the Stampede grounds it would become rather obvious upon arriving downtown that it was that time of year again.
In just about every retail business and along a good part of Stephen Avenue, ubiquitous hay bales assist in the transformation from the modern day to the old west, or at least that’s the idea anyway. For ten days at the beginning of every July office workers and other professionals can shed their business attire and replace it with a western ensemble that includes jeans, a button-down western shirt, and cowboy boots which are also known colloquially as “shit kickers” in these here parts.
Free pancake breakfasts will be popping up all over the city, where people will stand in line for 45 minutes to get a half-raw pancake with a piece of rubbery bacon cooked in the middle of it. The number of people attending these events provides one with some insight into the lengths that some will go to in order to get something for free, even if it’s a subpar meal.
Stampede Barbee (real name Floozie McBoozehound).
Being a lifelong Calgarian I had my fill of the Stampede a long time ago, having ridden the rides, seen the shows, and paid the premium prices to drink in a beer garden. I’m not really much of a crowd person either and they are estimating that 1.5 million people will be entering the gates this year, so that alone is enough for me to eschew attending. If you are going to enjoy the festivities do so responsibly, as Stampede also brings with it an increase in syphilis infections and alcohol-related visits to the emergency room.
Scourge of the summer streets.
No, I don’t mean the meth addicts. I’m referring instead to the e-scooters that are clogging downtown walking areas and are part of the City of Calgary’s “Shared Micromobility Program” which also includes e-bicycles.
Data from other North America cities have demonstrated a wide range of benefits of shared micromobility programs including:
Filling in the gap for the vital first/last mile by encouraging people to walk, cycle and take public transit more often.
Saving time on short trips.
Providing access to various transportation options for all demographics.
Improving people’s physical health by providing transportation options that encourage citizens to be more physically active.
Their arguments extolling the benefits of the program are specious at best, and as I see it this is nothing more than another weapon the city is using in its war against cars. I’m sure that part of the thinking that went into this was to get these bikes and scooters zooming along in the bike lanes in order to create some traffic on them, or at least the illusion of it anyway.
I’m curious to know how many EMS responses and emergency room visits have been attributable to the program since its inception and will have to look into this further at a later date.
We have bike lanes why again?
As I look up and down the nearly empty (and grossly under-utilized) bike lanes throughout downtown, I can almost hear the pro-bike-lane set account for the lack of traffic by saying that I must have walked by at a particularly slow point during a particularly slow day. Mid-morning, after rush hour, on a mid-week day, in the first week of July might tend to be quieter than usual downtown, but I’ve seen the traffic on a variety of days, at different times, in all four seasons. All I can say is that it really doesn’t look much different from this picture anytime.
Driving into the core from any direction during the morning rush hour could prove to be difficult enough before the bike lanes were introduced, but afterward, it just added to the stress. The same number of vehicles would be driving in every day, only now they would have even fewer lanes to use which only made things more difficult. One of the theories being put forth in support of bike lanes was that they would encourage more people to bike to work, leading to fewer vehicles entering the core. Didn’t quite work out the way they were hoping it would.
Your tax dollars hardly at work.
This sign has been at the corner of 5th Street and 10th Avenue SW for some time now, only the last time I saw it a matter of months ago it wasn’t broken. I could never figure out how they came up with the number of cyclists that it claimed to report and frankly, I treated any information with a great deal of suspicion. To me, it was nothing more than propaganda from the municipal mind trust to justify their politicization of social engineering, and in all likelihood came with a hefty price tag.
What? The City of Calgary wasting millions of dollars due to poor planning, an incompetent lack of research, and absolutely no common sense?
The million-dollar toilet.
To be honest I haven’t been to Tompkins Park in some time so I don’t know if this thing is still there or not. Likely as not the total costs have now risen to over $1 Million since the time I wrote this article.
Legal counsel for a homeless Calgary man who admitted to smashing 70 glass panels on the Peace Bridge says he would have no way to pay the city the restitution it sought. (File)
In July 2022 a 58-year-old homeless man vandalized the Peace Bridge, damaging eighty percent of the glass panels on the bridge with a hammer, a piece of rebar, and bricks, causing $1 Million in damage. Because the culprit is indigent there is no chance of recovering any of this from his future earnings or through the sale of assets, therefore the city will be eating the whole thing.
Frankly, I think it ought to be covered by the idiots who decided to hire an incompetent architect to build what according to Druh Farrell was “a turning point in how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive urban beauty and the fact that we deserve beauty in our city.”
The Advocate-Equalizer 