I realize that the “thanksgiving theme” is now long past due. Of course, my truancy on this particular submission is well blamed on the incredible fall that we were having. I hope the readership will still indulge me, as this space, which often echoes the dreary tones of our times, could do with some lighter colors. Afterall, the Creed tells us that man was made for happiness, which is found in his ultimate purpose. So, let the teleological suspension of the punctual ensue.
First and foremost, I am deeply thankful for our particular part of the country, this plateau with its confluence, topography, and varied biomes. While the rest of our poor world goes to hell in a handbasket, we have a window seat facing some of the Almighty’s best handiwork. Our autumn has been spectacular, besting summer I’d argue as the bugs are long gone and the warm days are actually bearable. If this is a permanent change to our climate, I fully welcome it.
The weather also gave my family a chance to get started on a small plot we purchased in Shelley. In lieu of debt slavery to any bank, my wife and I simply surrendered our savings directly to the owner for the price we settled upon. With luck, ingenuity, and grace from above, we’ll be living in an older mobile home down by the river (and the rail line) no later than summer 2023. This will give us much needed room to frolic with our firstborn we are currently expecting.
Second, I am thankful for the end of municipal elections. The signs were obscuring the view (see above) and the promises seemed dubious from just about every character. I had no dog in this fight, save for the tired trope that we need wards in our city: anyone who disagrees with that statement is welcome to prove me wrong, but only when using an outline of our city’s boundaries superimposed over Calgary or Edmonton, all while preferably speaking au francais.
Still, I wish the best of luck to both the returned and the newly elected councillors as well as trustees. My charge to them is simple: the institutions which you now pilot are captured from within and besieged from without by every possible combination of chicanery. Your only hope is to place the blame squarely where it belongs, and then mercilessly bombard that sad excuse for “moral high ground” held by your enemies until they capitulate. About 48 months of it should do.
Third, I am thankful to all the tenants over the centuries whose resistance to arbitrary acts by landlords have yielded renters their rights. As I witness a family member struggle with an eviction after 12 years of faithful tenancy, questions arise: why is a dispute so hard to file; why are properties that were built and bought for long term rental allowed to be put up for sale as “single family dwellings;” and why can landlords use rentals as collateral, which puts renters at risk?
Thankfully, the Residential Tenancy Branch is so powerful and arbitrary, even veteran landlords would rather negotiate than face its scrutiny. While that discussion goes on, let it be said that those who oppose more regulation for landlords and their property must explain how our society is to square rising costs, necessary housing, and the dignity of tenants with the rules on the books already. Because as far as I understand it, we’ve simply legalized farming people.
Fourth, I am thankful that the tide has turned with regards to the pandemic as well as the vaccine and mandates thereof. Healthcare officers and oligarchs who unabashedly supported the narrative of these last 30 months are walking back their claims, all while investigations begin in various jurisdictions regarding their possible motives at the time.
As the weather finally becomes frosty and the days become darker, it is easy to let the seasonal affective disorder come before its time. But that spirit of gratefulness should not part from us too quickly. Finally, I wish all of you an early happy All Souls and All Saints Day.
Nathan Giede is a Prince George writer.
