“Shut down the tar sands!” Those were the words on a bumper sticker I placed on my computer last fall during a semester at UVic. The everyday struggle was getting tough and I needed family support, which happened to be in Fort McMurray. I got a one-way flight in the dead of winter.
Imagine the change from beautiful sunny Victoria to the grey evil tar sands of Alberta. At first it was hard, but soon I was on a mission and couldn’t wait to argue tooth and nail about oil with my uncle, an engineer for Shell. My opinion did not change during that year-long experience; it was excavated. I barely knew anything.
A summer job as a research assistant with Environment Canada fell in my lap and I discovered we would be collaborating with a major oil sands company. I felt like an undercover investigator, both mesmerized and appalled by those giant smoke stacks. I had remorse towards all the poor souls taken by that sweet-smelling McMoney.
But, after time, I was forced to admit that Fort Mac is home to exceptional, brilliant people who work hard and do what is right for their families and communities. They value the safety and well-being of their employees, and care immensely about the environment. I learned the cold hard truth that the world today depends on crude oil, and some of us chose to face this reality by doing something about it.
When I came to Victoria I was excited to share my newfound knowledge but was greeted with scoffs and accusations about my accepting oil money like all the other rednecks. I couldn’t help but recollect that I was receiving the same government money many Victorians enjoy. Do we really know where that money comes from?
Honestly, after moving here from the prairies I expected to find a place notorious for open minds, and was disappointed to find hipster snobs. But now I see that view was wrong, too. Perceptions can and should always change, if we let them.
It’s clear we need to protect the diminished resources left in Canada and get off fossil fuels, but when we continue to blame and separate “us” from “them” this only pushes us backwards.
For many, a life spent in academia is not an option. Although Fubar II was an epic movie, watching it doesn’t give you an opinion. Keeping an open mind is difficult, like the reality check that moving from BC to Alberta and back provides. But it’s the only way to grow.
We can all learn that for every finger you point, you always have three pointing back.
Great article!!