Years ago, and I mean years ago, I had a friend who mentored a journalism student, I’ll tell you what journalism school, because it’s embarrassing.
We went out for dinner one night and she clung to each and every word, she and two other scholars as he reveled in her and two other scholars, with stories about the intelligent old days. Suddenly, she said, “You’re making this up. “”
“What am I?” he said.
“You’re making this up. There’s no position in the world called Flin Flon. Or Moose Jaw. “
After recovering from surprise; shock, — this young woman was in college, don’t forget – explained that they were cities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Next time I saw her, I gave her an Atlas. “Ask about Canada, ” I said. If you need to write about this country for newspapers or be a manufacturer at The National (almost every one and every journalism student I’ve talked to recently need jobs at The National), it might be a smart concept to know the geography of the site. “
Unfortunately, she’s not the only one. Canadians generally don’t know their country, I can say it without a doubt. It starts with politicians who fly everywhere, pass through here, there and all over Canada, but despise things to the fullest. I assure you, a railway engineer, a bus driving force from all over the country or a long-distance truck driver will know more about the country. than a cabinet minister.
And ordinary Canadians, I hate that phrase; What is “ordinary” in someone?- they are not better. It’s often not their fault. When I was young and went on vacation, my father had two weeks off and we headed to Nova Scotia because he was a kid there and he still had family. It was only when I started in the paper, business and I was twenty years old when I arrived in western Ontario.
Yes, Canadians would probably know where Ottawa, Fredericton, Edmonton are, and, yes, Flin Flon, but that doesn’t mean they know anything about those places.
But the word “every cloud has a ray of hope” may be more true than when it was implemented in the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is it, you say? Is there anything to say about COVID-19?
Well, yes. Kind of.
The other day, I spoke to a friend of mine, Roxane Barry, who works in the car business. Once we dropped the case, I asked him how he was dealing with the pandemic.
“I went on vacation, ” he said, laughing. My spouse and I boarded Air Canada and flew to Calgary, rented a caravan and explored Alberta. It’s wonderful. The caravan had been disinfected and this was our house. We feel very comfortable and safe.
“And, Norris, there was no one at the airport; it was empty. But those who were there wore masks. There were other people cleaning everything over and over again. They took our temperature several times. The aircraft is the same, very clean. “
“I can honestly tell you that I felt safer at the airport and on the plane than when I passed out shopping. “
But then Roxane, who is a product communications planner for Nissan Canada, has become serious. “Usually, when I have a vacation, I move from house to France. I’m so glad I couldn’t this time. At COVID-19, you can’t leave the country, so we had to stop by somewhere in Canada and I’m so grateful that it happened that way, I would never have learned the beautiful country we have if I hadn’t stayed. “
I appreciated what she said about the motorhome, I wrote a month ago that the way to spend the holidays this summer would be in a motorhome and more and more people have chosen this route, and she and her spouse enjoyed it.
“It’s so glorious to park the trailer and walk the trails,” he said. “The Rocky Mountains are beautiful and when you walk, as we did, you feel so close to nature. We saw a bear; he didn’t pay any attention to us, because he ate his berries. The park keeper told us that if we saw a bear prevent, slowly walk away, which we did.
“Every now and then we realize how beautiful the planet is and we really want to take care of it. I feel privileged to have what we have in Canada.
It took a pandemic for this woman and her spouse to realize the wonders of a province other than hers and she was so excited that I was excited and I’m already thinking about my next road trip.
You?
Norris McDonald is a retired Toronto Star editor who continues to write for Wheels under contract and reviews weekend car racing every Monday at roues. ca
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