Rally at the Ottawa Mosque

I have just walked home from The Ottawa Mosque with a full heart and stomach too. I didn't plan to eat at the demonstration. None of us did. In the last few days the word went out around the Champlain Park neighbourhood; Wouldn't it be nice, if people who lived near the Ottawa Mosque came out and simply stood quietly around the Mosque, as a sign of solidarity. The idea was to be there, to greet worshippers as they arrived at noon for Friday prayers.

And so a bunch of us gathered there, in the sunshine. It was quiet at first but then we all got talking to the people around us. Gradually the Muslims arrived. Some walked by quietly, perhaps taken aback by our presence. And then they started greeting us. A middle aged man walked all along the line shaking hands with each of us, thanking us for coming. It brought tears to my eyes. So many men and women came along the line: some smiling, some shaking our hands, some quiet and some saying "Thank you, thank you for coming, thank you for being here."  One woman was shaking hands without gloves. We said,"You'll get cold hands." and she replied, "That's okay. This is Canada." Another woman, after shaking many hands declared, "See. My hands are warm now!"
All we were doing was standing there but it obviously meant a lot to the people entering the Mosque. At one point a representative from the Mosque spoke to us, thanking us for coming and letting us know that we are always welcome to visit the mosque, that it was our place too.

And then the food started. We were surprised when two women came along passing out trays of cookies. Then it was a tray of dates. "Good", I thought. "This will tide me over til I get home for lunch." Little did I know that this was just the beginning. More women appeared with trays of pita bread, sandwiches  and more sweets. Next came a man pouring tiny cups of Turkish coffee.

And so our quiet dignified rally turned into a street party. There we were, neighbours greeting each other, meeting new people, exchanging food and handshakes with our Muslim hosts. Down the line I overheard someone say, "We should do this every Friday." People remarked that they have never been so well fed at a protest march before. "These people set the bar very high." another remarked.

After a while, from inside the Mosque, the loudspeaker played the sermon. We heard words of love, gratitude, tolerance and peace. So, are these the people I'm supposed to be afraid of? Really? These people who have welcomed me, joked with me, hugged and fed me? It's not them that I'm afraid of.

Thank you to everyone involved in today's gathering. It was a heart-warming event.

Ottawa Women's March

It's a week since women all over the world took part in marches. I wrote about the day in a piece which was posted on the Ottawa Citizen site yesterday. The turnout in Ottawa, as in other cities, was way more than anticipated. It seemed that people, of all ages, sexes and backgrounds were grateful to have some sort of manner in which to display their frustration, worry and anger over the recent U.S. election. It's hard to summarize their many reasons for marching. The mood was surprisingly upbeat as marchers enjoyed the large, spontaneous gathering and creative signs. Last week at my local community centre a neighbour came over and proudly whipped out her iPad to show me her photos of the Ottawa March. She's in her eighties. Here's a photo of my favourite sign from that day.

Streep's Golden Globe speech said it all

     

The Ottawa March ended at The Bronson Centre, site of my former high school.

Thank You Obama Family

Yes, I know...I'm a corny, sentimental person. Here is my humble offering, on inauguration day. It's the contents of a letter I sent to the Obama family last month.

 Dec 10, 2016

Dear Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha

As your time in the White House comes to an end I would like to thank you for your service over the past eight years. You may think that unusual, coming from a Canadian. Perhaps it can be explained by something that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre, said many years ago: “ Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant…. one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”

I’m a 63-year-old grandmother who has been interested in politics since high school - mostly Canadian, but also yours. I’ll never forget my grade 10 year. It was 1968, with the gigantic losses of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. When I first child was born, my doctor told me he was going home to dig a bomb shelter in his backyard. That was November 4, 1980  - the day of Reagan’s election. We care what happens in your country.

Malia and Sasha, thank you for sharing your parents with all of us. Eight years is a long time to live in such a public environment. I hope that you have enjoyed lots of special perks while there. Michelle, thank you so much for all your hard work and tremendous example as a dedicated parent, champion of many worthwhile causes and public speaker . Your quote “When they go low, we go high” will live forever. I was fortunate to watch much of the Democratic National Convention last summer. Your speech and many of those speeches restored my faith in the goodness of the American people. You and your family are a class act.

President Obama, if only your time as president and Justin Trudeau’s time as Prime Minister had overlapped a bit longer. I think both of our countries might have benefitted from your relationship. I will never forget your inauguration and the joy and hope of that time. No, it didn’t all work out, but thank you for all that you have done and all that you tried to do. You have worked diligently and shown leadership in many areas like healthcare and environmental protection.

I’ve always enjoyed your speeches, both long and short. Your thoughtful, insightful calm manner is reassuring and inspiring. Your sense of humor has also been appreciated. In times of disaster and tragedy you’ve demonstrated great empathy to those who are suffering. You will be missed.

Many Canadians are great admirers of yours. Thanks for visiting Canada and speaking on Parliament Hill. You and your family are always welcome here. I wish you all a wonderful future as you embark on this next chapter of your family’s journey.

 With gratitude and admiration,

Mary Ellen Kot

#beccatoldmeto

(Updated on February 1st)

It has taken me a long time to get on the twitter bandwagon. Finally, I have taken the plunge and it's all because of a teenager in Riverview N.B. named Becca Schofield. This remarkable person, who has terminal brain cancer, has put a surprising item on her bucket list. She is asking people to perform acts of kindness in her honour and then post it to social media using #beccatoldmeto. I was so moved when I saw her story on January 14th. Watch it here on CTV .

The next morning at our church, in the children's homily, they were asked, "How will people know that you have Jesus in your heart? " Again the challenge, the lesson, to treat people with kindness and generosity.

It was a lovely coincidence. On the way home from church, in the car, we listened to an item called The Kindest Cut on CBC's The Sunday Edition. It's about a group called the Street Thug Barbers who give free haircuts to street people in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Again, it was inspiring to hear their story. I found this trio of kindness messages, in less than a day, to be a soothing way to start this historic (inauguration) week.

I like to think that I try to treat my family and friends with kindness, but how well do I treat the strangers who I encounter? If it makes a difference to Becca Schofield, if her knowing that some of us are thinking of her and being inspired by her, if that gives her joy, then let's do it. This world needs all the kindness it can get.

Keep Calm and Carry On

At last, I'm back. So many things to think and write about, especially this week. The inauguration is uppermost in so many minds, along with the fear of what may come. However, my mood started off better today, thanks to an interview I heard with Canada's outgoing U.S. ambassador, Bruce Heyman. He and all politically appointed ambassadors were forced to resign by inauguration day. Now you would think he would sound angry, bitter or fearful. Not this guy. His attitude was reminiscent of Obama's. He was calm, thoughtful and diplomatic. He did not stoop to criticism or negative language. He tried to reassure the listeners.

If he can behave in such a manner, then it's a good reminder for me to try and focus on the positives. We're hearing way more from the other direction. I am so grateful to have heard Obama's farewell address. It was a privilege for all of us to have the opportunity to listen to such an orator. My award for feistiness, wit and intelligence goes to Meryl Streep. Her  speech at The Golden Globes was truly inspirational. On with the struggle!

Merry Christmas,Happy Holidays,Happy?New Year !

Well, it's crunch time - a week from today it will be boxing day. The big meal will be over and the presents will be unwrapped. We have nothing on the agenda for that day. Here's hoping we'll be lounging around in our pjs, watching tv, eating leftovers, napping or reading new books.

In the meantime I am trying to feel the Christmas spirit as I continually scan, add and delete items from my various to do lists. We are blessed with the joys and challenges of many family members. A good friend pronounced yesterday that I am not just part of the sandwich generation; I am a club sandwich.

It's not just the pressure of Christmas tasks that is contributing to my less than joyful mood. It's the never ending coverage of the impending Trump presidency. With every new appointment, the future seems bleaker. If you really want to feel frightened, have a look at Trump and nuclear fears, which aired on CBC's The National last week. Then there is the daily news from Aleppo, Syria. How can such a tragedy be possible? How can the whole world be watching this ongoing slaughter? I can't do anything about that situation but all of us can be as kind and giving as possible to those new refugees that we may encounter or hear about. Hopefully I will carve out a bit more time to contribute to the local English language drop-in classes in the new year.

How to get through this period? All I can think of is to focus on any positives. This morning our local CBC radio show, Ottawa Morning aired a little segment about a bus driver who dresses up as Santa Claus and puts Christmas lights on his bus every day. Yes, I suppose you could say that some people might be offended, but it certainly put a smile on my face, just hearing about it.

So I am going to try to focus on the positives, the good people, the kind acts. This morning, Norah's friend Sarah came to her house to babysit, at 8 am. She not only dragged herself out of bed and across town to be there, she also brought coffee for the tired parents! Just hearing about that made my day!

There really are so many good people all around us. This week, and in the new year, I'm going to try to  focus and celebrate their kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. Wishing you peace and happiness....

P.S. As if I needed confirmation of the goodness in people....
Last night The National ran this piece about a woman in B.C. who has started a Facebook group called Helping Our Northern Neighbours. Her name is Jennifer Gwilliam and what she has accomplished is truly amazing. Through her efforts, there are now many groups of people in southern Canada who are sending food, clothing and other supplies to people in northern Canada. It's only eight minutes long. If you have time, watch it all the way through for the surprise near the end.

The sin of bottled water

As the year draws to a close I will post this piece that I wrote a couple of months ago. It's still relevant, always relevant. It's about one of my pet peeves - bottled water.

Water, Water Everywhere ?

Remember water fountains? They’re becoming as scarce as phone booths. I recently visited The Rideau Centre, which has almost completed a 360 million dollar renovation and expansion project. I became tired, thirsty and cranky when I couldn’t find a water fountain.  That’s because there are no water fountains in the entire mall. This is not an isolated occurrence. It’s a calculated move. Some university buildings in Ontario and B.C. are encountering similar situations, as companies like Coca Cola and PepsiCo obtain contracts to provide all beverages sold on campus. How much control has been given to these companies when people lose access to water fountains?

Another giant in the beverage business is Nestle. For months now they have been waging a David and Goliath battle - the township of Centre Wellington (in southwestern Ontario) against Nestle Waters Canada, a subsidiary of the Swiss based multinational Nestle S.A. 

Why should Ottawa residents care about water fights in southwestern Ontario? It’s because the province has stepped into this discussion and wants your opinion. It could be our water sites that are affected next.

Nestle already has two water sites in the Guelph/Wellington area; at Aberfoyle and Erin. They are allowed to extract 4.7 million litres a day there. However, that’s not enough for Nestle, the company that brings you San Pellegrino, Montclair, Perrier, Smarties and Delissio Pizza, among other products. No, this summer they outbid Centre Wellington for the rights to a third aquifer at Middlebrook, near Elora. Centre Wellington wanted to buy the aquifer so they could supply drinking water to their growing population.

After months of campaigning by environmental groups, the Ontario government has opened the door to possible changes in the water selling business. On October 17th, Keith Leslie of The Canadian Press reported that “the Ontario government posted a proposed regulation for public comment that would impose a moratorium until 2019 on water taking permits for new or expanded operations that take groundwater to bottle and sell. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change will also stop issuing permits for pump tests that determine the quality and quantity of water available for bottling until the province completes a review of its regulations.” Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray, stated that “This really deals with the issue of water being withdrawn from aquifers and groundwater that isn’t returned and we just came through a summer of significant water stress.”

The absurdity of a town not being able to buy and use its own natural resource has galvanized attention from many quarters.  CBC comedians Gavin Crawford and Rick Mercer have joined the fray. On the September 30^th edition of Because News, comedian Crawford sang his version of the old Coca Cola ad, I’d Like to teach the World to Sing:

“I’d like to buy your H2O,

for my own company

And sell you plastic bottles of

What you once got for free.”

That pretty well sums it up. Millions of consumers have been convinced to pay for something they can get for free. It’s practically free for Nestle as well. In his October 11^th rant Rick Mercer pointed out that Ontario sells water at the rate of $3.71 per million litres.  Bottled water companies, golf clubs, municipalities and construction companies are currently allowed to take 1.4 trillion litres of surface and ground water every day!

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/784324675686

Not only do we have the issue of taking water that should belong to local residents. We also have the waste of energy used in the manufacture and recycling of plastic bottles. At the end of the day the majority of bottles end up in landfill. In the Bottlegate episode of TVO’s Water Brothers series, hosts Alex and Tyler Mifflin pointed out that Toronto recycling facilities receive 700 000 plastic water bottles every day. Toronto landfills are deluged with 65 million water bottles every year!

Clearly our water situation is out of hand. The Ontario government’s recent decision,  to study the whole process is a baby step in the right direction. Premier Kathleen Wynne said she wants to hear from Ontarians as the government overhauls the water taking permit program. Let her know what you think.