By Stacey Lolacher
What does Canada Day mean to you? Is it simply a day off… kind of like ‘today’s reason to drink’? In the briefest of terms, to me July 1st is a day of pride and reflection.
It’s a day of pride! No matter what you take away from this brief post, know that I love Canada passionately – for this is true. We have so much beauty, so much prosperity as a whole. Don’t think that I didn’t toast my country with a pint tonight… I did! I’m one of the luckiest people of in the world because I get to wake up in Canada; and I’m certainly very privileged.
However, July 1st is also a day of reflection. Canada has a repugnant, violent, and often invisible history. Canada was not founded by noble pioneers that lived off the land in the face of all odds. Nor was it a mosaic of culture or a project of multiculturalism that succeeded. Canada was founded on the violent misappropriation of Indigenous land. It was founded on the backs of those people that still experience marginalization and poverty to this day.
Do I toast my country on the eve of its birthday? Sure. Do I remember that I only have as much privilege as I do because of colonialism, both historic and contemporary? You better believe it.
By Greg Hluska
First Nations youth commit suicide at five to eight times the Canadian rate. The suicide rate for Inuit youth is six times as high as in the rest of the country.
By Stacey Lolacher
You know, I could have made this my top 100 wishlist, lol! I love living in downtown Regina, but there are a few things that I really hope for…
1.) A pedestrian crossing light at the corner of 14th and Albert St. Crossing at this corner is not dissimilar to taking your life in your hands. Numerous complaints have been made, but I think this is one of those situations like the reconstruction of ’suicide pass’ in B.C. – Regina will have to host the Olympics before this one is fixed!!
2.) A Piano/Blues/Jazz club. I’m going to have to side with Greg on this one. How on earth do we have a lack of this type of establishment?? Am I alone on this one? It’s a tragedy!! I implore someone reading this to take the plunge and open one up… I would put your kids through college!
3.) A decent hardware store!! Really, now, lol… how does Downtown Regina not have a decent hardware store? And what if, like myself, you don’t have a car? Where is the nearest decent store to serve your needs?
4.) A band on all trees – and hopefully it would make a difference! Have you ever walked the gauntlet? I’m talking about those thoroughly annoying tree worms that come every summer. And you never notice them until you’ve already walked into a whole web of them… nasty! It’s always right when I’m so enjoying the trees too… how ironic!
5.) For the City to stop using the term “Downtown Revitalization Project”. I was living in Downtown Regina when this project started, and I’m still living downtown. This would be a worthwhile project if it ever produced something other than more parking lots and condos. The jig is up!! Stop trying to mislead us!
By Greg Hluska
High school graduation rates for First Nations youth are half the Canadian rate.
By Greg Hluska
I was reading about Saskatchewan politics last night when I came across a list of resolutions that the Saskatchewan Party passed at its 2008 conference. While this entire document is worth reading, one particular resolution put a big smile on my face.
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Saskatchewan Party will undertake an analysis of alternatives to banning the use of plastic grocery bags.
Let’s ignore this sentence’s logical/grammatical shortcomings and focus on the meaning it conveys. While it is definitely non-committal, the Saskatchewan Party vowed to research some alternatives to plastic bags!! Frankly, I applaud them for this.
I see them every time I walk around downtown Regina – dirty, discarded plastic bags litter our entire city. And the problem is not only municipal, it is global. Millions of bags end up in the environment every year – it takes hundreds of years for them to break down. They wreak havoc while they are breaking down – they harm wildlife, poison our water supply and litter our streets.
So kudos to our ruling party for looking into alternatives to plastic. The time has come to ban plastic bags across our province and research is the logical first step. I cannot wait to see this research transformed into legislation.
By Greg Hluska
Aboriginal children are drastically over-represented in the child welfare system
By Stacey Lolacher
I read a post made by Greg a little while ago, and really wanted to add my two cents worth! I’ve lived in downtown Regina for almost a decade now, and this list was definitely a tough one. I invite all those that have favourite places in Regina to make a post and tell us all a little about your favourite places… here are mine:
1.) Walking around the Cathedral area on a warm evening. Some of the houses are amazing, and the neighbourhood has a laid-back beauty and artistic quality that renders it unique. A very close second is walking around the one-way streets on 14th and 15th Ave., or College Ave. Breathtaking.
2.) The Farmers Market on Scarth St. Downtown, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The best local fresh fruit and veggies merge with local jewelry, crafts, art, and baking. There’s even something there for your pet! The man playing the fiddle off to the side is like the cherry on the proverbial sundae. Read more »
By Greg Hluska
Over the last few weeks, I have tried to write something of an introduction to web site marketing. I tried to teach you how a search engine ‘thinks’, showed you the basic tools you can use to drive search traffic to your site, and wrote an article on some tools you can use to research various keywords.
Today, I am going to write about a topic that will especially interest people who have just started a web site. The sandbox refers to a probationary period that all new sites must go through with major search engines. I am writing about it because it is a topic that very few new webmasters know about it, despite the fact that it should play a huge role in how they plan and administer their web sites. Read more »
By Greg Hluska
Among First Nations children, 43 per cent lack basic dental care.
By Greg Hluska
One Aboriginal child in eight is disabled, double the rate of all children in Canada.