by Cathy Hird
Do you know how to find out if someone is truly a Canadian? Stomp on their toe and wait for them to say "Sorry." Only a Canadian apologizes when someone else bumps into them.
After three years in Ghana, my daughter absorbed their use of "Sorry." When I mention something that did not go right, she says, "Sorry." This is not a personal apology, but rather an expression of lament, her sense that it is regrettable that this happened.
"Sorry" is a helpful word in our relationships. When we hurt someone by what we say or do, it helps if we apologize. We do have to act on our regret after saying "Sorry" but acknowledging the hurt is important.
Sometimes when someone says they are sorry, we are not sure how deeply they mean what they say. It seems that they just want to hurry past the difficult moment. They know that we are upset, but they don't actually think what they did was wrong. They do not understand our reaction. Perhaps they have done the same thing before, and we expect they will do it again. At times like these, we do not think they really are sorry.
When Denise Freeman and her partner Edward Marchewka take their long-haired dachshund Winston out for his daily constitutional, the trip does double duty. The pair have made it their practice to pick up trash as they walk through their west-side neighbourhood, making every day an Earth Day.
Two of Canada's most prestigious authors and historians will be visiting Owen Sound June 6 on the invitation of the M'Wikwedong Native Cultural Resource Centre. The event is part of the program called Wasa Nabin, an Ojibway word meaning "to look forward".
The theme of the day will be "We are all Treaty People". While the details of the presentations of Maracle and Saul are still in discussion, their recent work suggests a powerful day of challenged assumptions.
Two of Canada's most prestigious authors and historians will be visiting Owen Sound June 6 on the invitation of the M'Wikwedong Native Cultural Resource Centre. The event is part of the program called Wasa Nabin, an Ojibway word meaning "to look forward".
The theme of the day will be "We are all Treaty People". While the details of the presentations of Maracle and Saul are still in discussion, their recent work suggests a powerful day of challenged assumptions.
Feedback from 47 local community conversations will be presented as part of a national research project, A 1000 Conversations to Shape our Future. Grey Bruce was selected to be a rural site for the research project in collaboration with Tamarack an Institute for Community Engagement, The aim of the project is to raise the profile of community within Grey Bruce and allow us to gain insight into the policies and programs that will fuel a social movement for change.
Local community conversations were held from June – December 2014, as over 400 people came together to talk about community and share their experiences. As well as interested individuals, representatives from various sectors representing not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, faith communities, senior groups, citizen groups, youth and arts and culture took part.
The input reflects a genuine passion for building healthy communities across Grey Bruce with several themes emerging. People have shared that they want "vibrant communities... that encourage young families to move here... growth and prosperity... things to do for all ages... jobs... transportation systems... affordable homes." Participants have also said they enjoy Grey Bruce because it "is a safe place to live... beautiful environment... retention of the rural lifestyle... cooperate and accept people."
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