As a child, I loved British Columbia. My parents would take me a few times to the wonderful lakes of the Shuswap, the desert-like region of Kamloops and to Vancouver, Canada’s gateway to the Pacific Ocean.
The slogan, “Beautiful British Columbia” is not misleading: this is a very beautiful province that not many other places can keep up with. So, I was very excited about joining the 100 Mile Free Press - even though I never had once actually been to 100 Mile House - let alone the Cariboo region.
I had lived in Alberta for essentially the entirety of my life - specifically in the city of Calgary, and my alma mater Mount Royal University. The university taught me the necessary skills required for me to thrive at the 100 Mile Free Press and I picked a Political Science minor because it was a personal interest of mine. I actually, during my free time, have done research into the many scandals of the BC NDP of the 1990s, such as Bingogate.
Upon moving here, I’ve already found many differences between Calgary and 100 Mile House. First, Calgary’s population is around 1,336,000 according to the census. Meanwhile, in 100 Mile House, the population is 1,980, which is an almost complete polar opposite between both. This is significant - in 100 Mile House, I found that people were more likely to know each other. For example, my landlord suggested to me that I should be using a local second hand furniture store for furnishings.
I also found that the people are more likely to help each other. My landlord gave me his truck to transport furnishings - which was not easy in blowing snow and cold temperatures. The aforementioned furniture store helped me with transporting furnishings by supplying me with the rope I needed to get the bed mattress on the truck. I also appreciate the help of my paper in helping me secure a place to rent for myself - my colleagues were good at finding rent opportunities and the community rallied around me in finding rent. To those who called me to offer rent, thank you.
But besides the human connection, there are also several other factors I am noticing. The internet is different: there are fewer options here compared to Calgary, and the best option for might be utilizing Elon Musk’s Starlink. In a world of interconnectivity, this is likely going to end up being a problem for rural communities - they might not get as many opportunities as urban folks, and not to mention, that in any emergency, it is likely that respondents are likely going to end up having to resort to old methods. Rural communities need better options for internet access.
With all of those differences, I am excited to start this next chapter of my life. I am a new journalist with the 100 Mile Free Press. I believe this job is essential: in the functioning of a democracy, the populace votes. However, a population that is misled blatantly by misinformation or flat-out propaganda can end up with dire consequences. If they are armed with the truth, they will likely end up choosing people who will best serve their interests.
Therefore, I look forward to outright telling the truth to people.