Locals, newbies, and weekenders.

 

Locals, newbies, and weekenders.

Soon I will pass 25 years of involvement in the Crowsnest Pass. I was a weekender, later purchased a place and as soon as I could, moved here full time. The mountains are majestic, but the wonderful people attracted me the most. When I first arrived, half of the place was for sale, if not more. I remember ads selling homes for $16,000 and gigantic signs, “lots for sale” and “cheap acreages.” I walked into a store and was asked if I wanted to buy a business.

I have seen this trend in the city. A neighbourhood gets old and transforms. Inglewood, Calgary for example, used to be where all the CPR workers lived. The railway privatized its repair shop, and the area became poor. First, when the local industry moves or changes it seems as if it will kill part of the city but it doesn’t. Artists move in, builders get involved and the “last become first.” We saw it again when the armed forces left Calgary. Now their old area is beautiful.

That same trend happens with pretty tiny mountain towns. The economy changes and the worker’s old neighbourhoods go through a rebuilding phase. The old people always talk about the “good old days” often remembering the shiny highlights and forgetting the rest.

Now when I am witnessing a conflict brewing between “pro-mining” people and others, it worries me. Already the fight is extending to be between “weekenders” and “locals.” I saw a “local” crying and saying, all those people are moving here and changing “our” place, why don’t they go back where they came from. A hundred-plus years ago the people who lived here before mining and ranching felt the same. We named a mountain after them and moved them away.

Now the rage is around reopening coal mines. There is a popular story about the ranchers blocking the mines wanting to use the area for free grazing on public lands. It’s possible, but how many are we talking about? I see another popular story circling about the possible Selenium contamination of the water in the lower lands. The mining companies “guarantee” to block it but the question is for how long? Mines come and go but agriculture, (that also pollutes,) remains.

I need steel and also need food. My feeling is that we must work to have both. Mind you, there is research going on for ways to replace steel but it’s far from completion. Whose side should I support? Do I have to take sides? The most excitable people are pushing for all of us to take sides.

I asked some old people here about the good old days of mining. Stories emerged. A woman told me about the days when folks in Coleman had to stay indoors and couldn’t dry their laundry since it got black. Another told me that her dad, a miner, spent years waiting every day to hear a whistle to see if his labour was needed the next day, which often wasn’t. He had to work for a farmer in Beaver Mines for potatoes to feed the family. Miners died early and their widows and kids lived poorly. Another zeroed in on the great strikes, fights with coal barons, scabs, and police.

Some old-timers remember “good old days” but they were not miners. They had stores, theatres, medical clinics, barbershops, and other services. Apparently, mining companies lured people to mining towns with great promises and were not as great when it was time to pay. Similar stories are told by the farmers and ranchers about their history. I am a working man, so I will take the side of miners, ranchers, farmers, and those who serve them.

Since I was young, there were two competing stories that we all learned. One was that God created all that there is in a few days around six thousand years ago, and another was about evolution. Again, I like to not take sides. I simply wasn’t here. However, over my lifetime, the evolution story beat the creation story and churches lost attendance. Evolution based on competition took center stage and was declared as scientific truth. Recently the story began to change.

To my surprise, we realized we don’t live in a “dog eat dog” world. Some places in the world dropped the idea that the world belongs to the fittest who will survive and started a new social experiment. The “new” idea is that we do best when we exercise cooperation and bring the least of our brothers up. Sharing and caring seem to work better than winning. Perhaps it is simply the next step in our social evolution.

As the debate about what is more important, mining or farming heats up, some of us are veering in a new direction. It is possible to have both if we pay the price. There will be less profit from the mines if they don’t pollute so much water and food prices will rise if farmers will have to desalinate the water they use.

All humans need steel and all need food that grows with water. If people are not yet ready to pay higher prices for steel and food, soon they will. In the meantime, both prairie and mountain towns are finding ways to survive.

I see many new homes being built in the Pass and new businesses opening up. I asked the mayor if those are people moving in because of the mines and he said no. Those are people who want to move in and be a part of our community. I was delighted. Folks like me are retiring here and others are moving in since they can work from home.

Possibly we can take it easy, try one mine, reach a friendly hand to our neighbours, the ranchers and farmers and grow naturally. We discover new solutions for every problem every day. Possibly we could be a part of the solution.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.