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fii , p o /t ` THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday. July 19, 1991 Everyone out west hates Ontario' n a pioneer-style bar in A lberta, people wearing Stetsons and cowboy boats are at tables nursing their drinks and concerns. D iscu ssio n is ab o u t Ja p a n e se and American foreign investment that in some cases creates jobs but in other eyes is a threat that fuels racism . B alancing e n v iro n m e n ta l co n cern s against job creation. The looming problem o f restoring native lands to people who want to be called "Indians." The Siksika Nation (formerly the Blackfoot Nation) which operate a resort and mall and boast a council chambers with pop-up computers, all in the face o f a 75% unemploy ment rate. The West Edmonton Mall, a billion dollar facility faced o ff against Swan Hills a town of 1,500 where there is no unemployment thanks to its major employer Chem Security, a burner of "special" or toxic waste. Or there's a real life ghost town being renovated into a pio neer village in the fall-out o f the trans Canada railway construction. O ne o f the folks in S te tso n s is K evin O 'Connor, an O akville resident, fam ily man, Menasco Aerospace employee and a trustee for the Halton Roman Catholic School Board. The b a r scene w as one o f m any g lim p ses o f Canadiana witnessed by O 'Connor and 14 others during a 12-day trek through western Canada as participants in the Govemor-General's Canadian Study Conference. O nce every fo u r y e a rs, th e G o v ern o rGeneral's study conference "hits the road." Its 225 participants are split into 15 groups, all of which tour a different area o f Canada and then report back to the governor-general on the con cerns o f grassroots Canadians. O'Connor set off on the adventure last month and after spending three days at a Vancouver conference - where the group heard an address from C anadian astro n a u t M arc G arn eau O 'Connor set off for A lberta with a group of people that included union representatives to white collar executives, a nurse, a female miner, a firm separatist and academics from Ontario, Quebec and eastern Canada. I Oakville school trustee's glimpse of Canada proves to be an eye-opener going to replace it," observed O 'Connor, one of the few elected officials who was on the trip. O 'Connor also said that while people are sim ilar in many respects, he learned one thing, that they have a deep sense of being tied to places, where they were bom, grew up or lived. `T h e issues aren't really that different. It's jobs versus the environment," said O 'Connor, advocating a balance between the two. From the historical perspective, O 'Connor said, "They are as much a distinctive society as Quebec. As a group they believe they've devel oped separate and apart from eastern and central Canada. They are their own unique province, they d o n 't like to be called the w est or the prairies." O 'Connor said Canmore, a town just outside of Banff was much like Oakville is to Toronto, where people work and even shop outside of the area yet depend on the local tax dollars to pro vide residential services. R A C IS T A T T IT U D E S A shock received by O'Connor was the racist attitude of many people toward the Japanese who while they make up only a small percentage of the tourist population, are blamed for driving prices up and are the target o f those displeased with foreign investment. So too was the Indian o r "native" culture more prevalent in Alberta than here in Ontario. And the entrepreneurial spirit was alive and w ell, said O 'C o n n o r, d escrib in g it as more vibrant than even here in Ontario but hampered by government policy. "T here's the feeling that the government is holding back the entrepreneurial spirit with its decisions and while in the cast there's that hand out mentality, even in Ontario o f 'W hat's the government going to do?' There, they'd like to get the government out of the way. They believe in getting on with the job and getting the work done," said O'Connor. So too is the west, a younger developing area than Ontario that O 'Connor describes as still hav ing much more o f the pioneer spirit, learning from the struggles and faux pas of eastern and central Canada. "They have much more space and they're learning from mistakes done elsewhere," said O 'Connor, adding, "Environmental issues are dealt with upfront." It look four and a half years for a forestry operation. And with most electric pow er supplied by coal, O 'Connor said Albertans haven't gotten into the nuclear power debate, and will no doubt Oakville separate school trustee Kevin O'Connor tips the brow of his newly acquired Stetson after return again learn by Ontario's decision. ing from a fact-finding junket to w estern Canada as part of the Governor General's Canadian Study "The native land claim issue is one that came Conference. O'Connor said neither Ontario, nor the GST is popular with Albertans. (Photo by Peter McCusker) up over and over again and it's something that's Free trade was not well liked in Alberta but "People hated elected officials of any kind going to have to be addressed." said O'Connor. that also depended on its effects on a community. and in particular the provincial governm ent. Now with all the experiences behind him and The GST wasn't well-liked since it's the only tax People are tired o f the political process. They're that appears on the sales receipt in Alberta. not happy with it but they don't know what's a 250-slide show to illustrate his trek. O'Connor said he's willing to share his experience with local community groups. 'A L B E R T A B O U N D ' Their theme song became "Alberta Bound", their motto, ROT meaning respect, openness and tolerance and their team name, Alberta Bounders. And for 12 days, O 'Connor grappled with the dynamics o f differences within his own travel group as well as the differences in lifestyles he saw in Alberta. So what did they find? And what did they report back? "Four days into the trip I found that everyone hated O ntario," said O 'C onnor explaining the mainstay industries so hard fought for in Alberta, gas/oil production, forestry, meat packing, all can be found here within an hour's drive. "There are three million people in the entire province (A lberta)," said O 'Connor, adding a drive through the Greater Toronto Area would cover as many people. Story by ANGELA BLACKBURN Scholarship A scholarship fund has been established in memory Glen Milboume, o f Oakville, who was killed in a car crash near Kingston last week. M ilboum e's family has been instrumental in setting up the Queen's University scholarship fund. The 21-year-old who had graduated from Queen's in May was the fourth generation metallurgist in his family. "His grandfather and great grandfather were in the iron foundry business in British Columbia. His father is a metallurgist and has worked for Stelco for a number of years. To be fourth generation any © 1991 CW « *** morn of Oakville metallurgist thing in th ifco u n try is sometffTngT said one of M ilb o u rn e's m etallurgy professors, Dr. Doug Boyd. M ilboum e was to have entered the M aster's program in metallurgical engineering at Queen's in September. He was killed in a single vehicle car crash just outside o f Kingston early last Thursday morning when his car swerved into the oncoming lanes for an unknow n reason and struck a tree, said a spokesman for the Kingston OPP. "He was a bright student, enthusiastic, outgoing and he had a sparkling personality. He challenged his professors which is something all students should do but most don't," said Boyd. A ccording to the professor, M ilboum e had numerous friends at the Kingston university, was active in rowing and had an interest in music. Boyd said the youth had been involved in a folk music band that had performed several times on campus. A ccording to Alan B entley o f the A lum ni Affairs office at Queen's, it was Milboume's sister Mercedes Johnston who first approached the uni versity with the idea o f a scholarship. The first award is expected to be given to a fourth year met allurgy student next spring. Bentley said it's hoped the scholarship will be an annual award in the range of $ 5 0 0 to $1,000, how ever the amount will depend on donations although several donations have already been made, he added. Anyone wishing to contribute to the fund may send donations in care of Dr. Carolyn Hanson, head of the Metallurgical Engineering Department, 2 2 7 Nicol H all, Q ueen's U niversity, K ingston K7L 3N6. MAINPRA6 _. a o e e p ^ f . s m s m m t x . m > P O T l£ £ E l t 9SSHW* WILL HAVE U P V' v C i iT A T S P AD m 0 uee 7 you S a in g to w&saga e a \b iD £ *e y ro i! up the, stderfalks.