Well, we seem to be slipping into autumn and you know what that means? I will let you answer that question yourself because it means different things to different people.
Changing seasons are always a mixed blessing. For some, the moderating temperatures mean that they will change from their summer attire of shorts and flip-flops to long pants and sensible shoes.
We are also heading into a municipal election on Oct. 17 with nominations opening on Sept. 6 and closing on Sept. 19. So, the campaigning will be starting soon, assuming it hasn’t started already. The vote this year will all be done by drop-off or mail-in ballots. It remains to be seen whether this will increase or decrease what is usually a rather modest voter turnout. Personally, I think it will take away from the ceremonial, ritual, and social aspects of election day. Having to go out to the polls, regardless of the weather, made it feel like you were doing something important. Sticking something in the mail, not so much.
Soon people will be campaigning in earnest. If a candidate knocks on my door, I plan to ask them an important question: what is their position on jams and jellies, berry bushes and rhubarb patches? You may be asking yourself what that has to do with municipal politics or affairs. Good question, just read on.
Recently, I was strolling through Somba K’e Park at city hall and a bunch of the trees there were just laden with berries — hundreds of them on any given tree. The branches were bent down by the weight of them all. It really was quite a sight. I tried one and they were quite sour. I asked a few people what they were and most of them said “I don’t know,” while a few others said they were chokecherries. The berries have turned nearly black over time and are now falling to the ground. The chances are good that if you walk through the park occasionally you have stepped on a few of them and squished them into the ground.
So, why did the city decide to plant so many choke cherry trees? Why isn’t anyone harvesting the fruit? Apparently, they may taste sour, but they make good jams and jellies. It seems kind of odd, to go to the expense of buying fruits trees and then not using the fruit. Why is that? Why doesn’t the city advertise them and have special picking days when they are ripe?
Near the little log cabin, I came across a couple shrubs with little blue berries on them. I ate a few of them and they were rather good. I think they are haskaps, which is a berry shrub originally from Japan that is gaining popularity with some gardeners. I wonder who planted them?
Now with all the talk about growing things locally and food security for the North, these observations got me to thinking. Why not do more? Maybe the city should pass a bylaw that on city lands and around city facilities, let’s say 20 per cent of the arable land should be turned into farming and horticultural lands: berry patches, fruit trees and shrubs like Saskatoon and haskap berries. Plus, things that grow well in the North, such as rhubarb, cabbages and tomatoes.
Grow them on city land and then in the fall either the city or the public can harvest them. It would turn city land into much more productive land, and it would help feed our citizens. So, you see, it could really be an election issue.
During a rezoning debate, the city wanted to put hog farms and chicken coops in residential neighbourhoods. The idea was defeated but why not put them on city land around the various city-run facilities? Or what about doing a study to see if there is a use for all the heat coming out of the chimneys at city facilities? Or turning Jackfish Lake into a big fish pond since it is heated all winter by the diesel plant?
So how do the candidates feel about these issues? Make Yellowknife green again. The old-timers grew cabbages the size of basketballs and market gardens flourished around town. Why not encourage that again? Happy campaigning, all.