My random thoughts.
Amazing courage shown in Fort Mac5/11/2016
What has happened in Fort McMurray has been a devastating disaster, but there has also been examples of courage, triumph, and resilience.
For one thing — even though no one was killed during the evacuation out of town as fires were ravaging southern neighbourhoods in Alberta’s oil sands city — firefighters, emergency crews and police officers successfully got all 80,000-plus residents out of Fort McMurray safely. As hundreds upon hundreds of vehicles headed south on Highway 63 — the only road out of Fort McMurray — to escape “The Beast,” firefighters stayed in the city fighting flames as their own homes were gutted by the wildfire. From watching all of the dashcam and mobile phone footage that was posted on social media, it was like escaping from Hell. Mounties, who were not seen wearing masks to protect themselves from the heavy smoke, were busy and calmly directing residents out of town as drivers and their panic-stricken families frantically headed to the highway to escape the flames. It was a surreal scene.
As those cars were lined up on the highway — with caravans of vehicles stretching for tens of kilometres — volunteers, johnny-on-the-spots, concerned citizens headed north to help stranded motorists with food and fuel.
Once those Fort McMurray at emergency shelters — whether it was in Edmonton, Boyle, Lac la Biche, or as far south as Calgary — those communities and complete strangers opened their arms to help. When public pleas were made for disaster-relief donations, Canadians stepped up in a big way. All in all, every person who lives in Alberta — or anywhere across Canada — should be proud of what was accomplished here. There is a lot of work to be done and a lot of questions still need to be answered in terms of re-building and giving people their livelihoods back. However, in terms of successes, a lot can be learned about the bravery and courage in Fort McMurray. For example, social media strategists, media relations professionals, and communication experts can learn a lot from that community’s amazing fire chief, Darby Allen. During times of crisis, Allen and the team responsible for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s social media accounts kept Fort McMurray residents updated on the status of the fire. What was particularly amazing was the video posted to Twtter Tuesday night of Allen re-assuring residents that its fire department is looking after their homes and businesses. Here it is:
What I found particularly amazing was the fact that not only did he send good news to residents by saying crews “just about have this fire beat,” he also personally assured residents that it isn’t safe to come back to Fort McMurray just yet.
To the public, Allen talks like it came from the heart — and it really did. That is something organizations should pay extra attention to when it's faced with adversity or a crisis. Meanwhile, please continue to give to the Red Cross or find a way to volunteer to help those who have been displaced by the Fort McMurray wildfires.
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JEFF'S NOTE: The was posted on my Facebook page April 28, 2016 Earls, I have a beef with you and with this silly, twisted debate. Here's a reason why I buy local: I know where the beef comes from and I know it's high-quality to barbecue. When I go to a farmer's market or at my nearby butcher shop, I can actually talk to a rancher or my butcher can actually tell me what rancher or Hutterite colony his beef comes from. So for Earls to ship beef all the way from the U.S., that's just ridiculous. Even to say the U.S. company they are buying its beef from is “certified humane” is a slap in the face to every rancher who lives near an Earls — regardless of them having the certification or not. And, according to Earls, its decision comes on two years of research into beef, claiming it has tested 16 companies throughout North America to come to its conclusion. There is something wrong with that logic. For starters, treatment guidelines of farm livestock isn’t cut and dry in Canada. (UPDATE: It also isn’t cut and dry in the U.S. either.) With that said, I would be curious to know why Earls — or any other franchise restaurants like Boston Pizza, the Keg, or Milestones — chooses to source their beef from companies instead of local farmers and ranchers. At Earls, it employs a “protein buyer” who, as explained in this video, “sources and procures the most humanely-raised, cleanest proteins” that are available to the company. The question I have is why do that in the first place? Instead, if Earls — or any of the other previously mentioned eateries — wants to make a difference for its customers, how about making its franchise owners or restaurant chefs and managers source their own “humanely-raised proteins” from its nearby ranchers, farmers, growers, and butchers. They can learn a lot by meeting those hard-working food-producers at their nearby farms. I always try to avoid eating at franchise restaurants for this very reason — my food should be locally grown. I want to know where it comes from. However, this is something that gets lost in this ongoing debate on social media. Those who are passionate about Alberta beef are calling for an Earls boycott. I wouldn’t go that far. My thoughts for those who are reading this is this: the next time you dine at Olive Garden, the Canadian Brewhouse, Boston Pizza, or any other franchise restaurant or pub, ask the waitress where the food you are ordering is “sourced and procured.” You too might have a beef about the answer. I will be sad to see Rexall Place go5/3/2016 JEFF'S NOTE: This was posted on my Facebook page on April 6, 2016 — the regular season home game for the Edmonton Oilers. Since today is the last #Oilers game at Rexall Place, here is an awesome memory I had there, and of my grandfather, Walter Cummings...: As as SAIT journalism student, I was in the middle of a practicum at the Edmonton Journal and I was staying with my grandparents during that entire two-week stint. I was thrilled about it because I am a HUGE Oilers fan. It was a big deal for me as I spent my entire teenage years in Southern Alberta. Any way, my grandpa received a pair of tickets to a game during the 2000-2001 season, that included a trip to the dressing room after the game. He received the tickets from my uncle who picked them up from a charity silent auction. The Oilers lost to the Penguins that game by a score of 6-1, and they were miserable after, but I didn’t care. I saw the grey, smashed up door in the dressing room that was loaded with stickers representing every Oilers playoff win. I loved the way the room looked before they renovated it. I also got a chance to meet Doug Weight, George Laraque, Janne Niinimaa and others, even though they lost a tough game, they were happy to greet me. The next thing I remember was amazing and hilarious. As I was looking everywhere taking the surreal experience all in (as it lasted for about 25 minutes), I glanced at my grandpa who was lecturing assistant coach Ted Green on who he should have played on the powerplay. It was awesome. Green was a good sport, nodding his head up and down as if my grandpa was coaching him. Green was holding a pen in is right hand with a notepad in his left — it seemed as if he was going to take some notes. I think my grandpa stayed in that one spot the whole time we were there lecturing Green on the lack of offensive spark on the power-play. That memory, out of all the awesome concerts and games I saw in Rexall Place — that one sticks out the most. It will be sad to watch the game tonight — it will remind me about the fun I had with my Edmonton-sports-loving grandfather. R.I.P. Grandpa. Archives
February 2017
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Jeff Cummings
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