Friday, July 7, 2017 3 Brooklin Town Crier BTC Essay Contest Grand Prize Winner Unapologetically Canadian By Ashley Breedon A Brooklin resident for the last five years, Ashley grew up in all corners of Durham Region. She started her career in the legal sector before realizing the need for more creativity in her life, later graduating from Durham College with an advanced di- ploma in public relations. Currently working in digital marketing, she's a writer, designer, photographer, and pretty much any other title you'd find in a marketing department. On the side, she loves reading and writing, hiking with her husband and dog, and synchronized skating with Whitby Ice Fyre. If there's one thing Canadians are known for, it's being polite. We say 'excuse me' when someone's in the way, we let it slide when others cut in line, and we say 'thank you' for things we're not thankful for. Heck, I've even heard people apologize to inanimate objects they bumped into. But here's the thing: Canada isn't sorry. We're not sorry for being a bunch of smarty pants. I'm not sure if you know, but we're kind of a big deal. When it comes to using our noggins, we know how to put them to good use. Where would the world be without snowmobiles, Nanaimo bars, Trivial Pursuit, paint rollers, the Wonderbra, walkie-talkies…The list goes on! All compliments of a little Canuck ingenuity. This shouldn't come as a surprise either. Year after year, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reports Canada tops the list as the most educated country in the world. What a bunch of brainiacs! But we also use our smarts to make the world a better place. We've made some incredibly important contributions, such as the discovery of insulin to treat diabetes, which won a Nobel Prize (so fancy!), and more recently, the successful development of the Ebola vaccine at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. Discoveries like these are no small feat, and will go on to save countless lives and help prevent future pain and suffering. Go us! We're not sorry for being a bunch of do-gooders. Canadian DNA is unique in the sense that we seem naturally wired to help others. From the humanitarian work we do throughout the world to the good that happens right here in our own backyard, we're always putting others first. We're extremely privileged to live the way we do. And even though we're fortunate that most of us will never fully understand what it's like to live in places where devastation and desperation are at an all-time high, we understand what it means to be human. In 2015, we gave close to $6 billion in humanitarian assistance to some of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, helping provide basic life-saving necessities, Ashley Breedon (centre) accepts a cheque for $150 as grand prize winner in the BTC Essay contest. Presenting it to her are BAM Lions Club director Liz Mitchell and Vice President Jim McGrorey. Ashley also won gift certificates of $30 from Copper Branch and $25 from Michael Kellys restaurants. (continued on page 5)