Around the World with Bradley: Canada: Around Athabasca

Robert loves the van. The van has controls in the back for the heater. Robert continually adjusts the controls.

Drive up the highway. Flat wide. Many pickup trucks. Buildings solid, square with flat concrete roofs.

No gardens No leaves on trees. Snow melts and reveals dead brown grass, slush and dirt.

The snow without wind is quiet. Clear blue sky. The snow covers and suppresses everything. Blankets the life out of the landscape. The light from the buildings fight back. Lights indicate people and heat.

 

Afternoon drive to Athabasca School. Take off our shoes and boots when entering the building.

Beautiful open planned spacious building. Music room with stained glass windows.

Sign: This room is free of peanuts and peanut products.

Sign: Due to allergies hair spare; perfume is not to be worn in these buildings.

Pam: Lack of testosterone at school. No male teachers.

 

We go to a sport shop to sharpen our skates.

Sport shop: Rows of hockey sticks. Skates, ice hockey uniforms, ice fishing lures. An auger for drilling holes in ice, ice shoes, bait, hunting apparel, no guns, rod for ice fishing.

Around Athabasca you can hunt for white-tailed deer, moose and elk. No caribou . No long horned sheep.  A licence to hunt a long horned sheep will last a year and cost $100,000.

George: You can buy a license to hunt deer. To hunt a moose your name goes into a raffle. The winners win a license to hunt a moose. Can also hunt ducks.

Trading Post Shop: Heads of deer. Horses foot door knockers. Animal skins. Leather jackets. Boots from pelts.

 

Café for morning tea. Cinnamon rolls and cinnamon muffins.

I receive a tea pot full of hot water. I pour it into my cup and then see a dry tea bag sitting on my saucer. Waitress knows I not Canadian.

 

Ice skating at an outdoor ice skating rink. At Colenton. Wooden pine fence. Open air. Large spacious. We can watch other skaters. Local kids. Expert. Racing and comparing skidding stops. The air is brisk. I shuffle around.

 

In Athabasca a lot of the locals seem to be staring at us. Somehow we are dressed differently, behave differently or they know everybody in this small town. And don’t recognize us.

 

We meet Brad. A friend. A young farmer. Full time. All full time farmers have inherited the family farm. No new young farmers coming into the business.

Brad: Its tough because we don’t get the subsides and help they get in the USA. No protection for us. We are left to ourselves.

George: There are the Boards which distort the market in Canada. Milk, cranberries.

Brad is relaxed. Slow talking. Whole life lived on a farm. Farms with his father. Getting into beef. More money.

 

Go to Athabasca to look for arts and crafts. Can’t find any or any interest. Native Friendship Centre  gets thousands a year in grants. Not interested in promoting art and craft.

Friends of Pam: Loss of services. Loss of jobs in agriculture. All the children leave Athabasca.

Pam: At a funeral the local MP (a token Indian) turned up in sneakers and windcheater. Lack of respect. Declining standards.

 

Go with George and Pam to university lunch room. Salad, pancakes, waffles with strawberries in a syrup to be eaten with the main course. Eggs, bacon and sausages.