Clearing a New Path podcast and newsletter are aimed at building a more united, feminist, anti-oppressive rural (so-called) Canada.
Please share the newsletter with some rural friends, family or folks interested in rural Canadian issues.
In this newsletter:
How can I stand with you? On vulnerability, authenticity and humility
NEW podcast episode - Anamani (Mani) Chakrabarty - Economist, researcher, founder (ASBB Economics and Research) and rural entrepreneur
Sault Ste Marie council recruits members for new Anti-Hate Advisory Committee
Why are we blaming international students for the housing crisis?
Improving the rural workforce: small town stories and takeaways
Rural news roundup
How can I stand with you? On vulnerability, authenticity and humility
I’m not a perfect ally. In fact, I genuinely hesitate to call myself an ally because allyship is on-going and it’s not someone like me, with white settler colonial roots and racism in my DNA, that calls myself an ally, it’s the folks who see my actions and efforts who call me that.
Then I know I’m on the right track.
I mess up regularly. I am awkward, use harmful language, let my still-lingering biases show and prove myself to be foolish over and over.
That never stops. It shrinks but I will always represent oppression to some folks.
This week I needed to seek the advice and counsel of women of colour I trust in my network. I trust them to call me in, and I trust them to take my vulnerability from where it comes from, a true willingness to learn and to accept with humility how I’ve caused harm or might cause harm with my words or actions.
The question I was asking was, “How do I stand up FOR you,” in a certain situation. How do I use the white privilege I have for good, to shift power? Each answer had nuances and came from each person’s lived experiences and from the circles in which they move through the world. The answers were not cut and dry, nor were they, in some cases, at all the same.
But what I learned about myself, is that the question itself showed my own bias. I am not above or below anyone else, we are all the same. We each bring gifts to the circle. We are all valued. We all belong.
My question insinuated my power over, my inherent bias as a white woman of privilege, a white saviour complex, if you will. A better way to ask may have been, “How can I stand beside you?” or “How can I support you and your work?”
By the same token, I’m also exposing my own judgement for those who may just be starting an allyship journey, quietly learning, healing and growing. That’s not fair.
If we are to heal together, then I need to model empathy for everyone, including myself.
What is the most loving way I can call someone in, without embarrassing them and help us all grow together as a community, as humans growing together in our humanness but also as infinitely connected beings?
How do we hold space for each other’s unique lenses from which we view the world?
These are the questions I’m fumbling through, shedding old ways of thinking and being, while modelling how to be vulnerable.
I don’t have all the answers. I never will, not on my own. Working on problems together is the goal and being uncomfortable and having uncomfortable conversations along the way, feeling foolish and awkward and uncertain are all par for the course.
I’m accepting of all of that, as my human self fumbles along and grows.
I’m truly grateful for the patience and mentorship of others.
NEW Podcast episode - Agamani (Mani) Chakrabarty - ASBB Economics and Research
Mani Chakrabarty grew up in Yellowknife, NWT, where she found her desire to make a social impact through looking at world problems with a community-oriented lens.
She has a business degree and a master's degree in Economics from the University of Alberta and a master's in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Mani's work experience spans both the public and private sectors. She was an economist with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and, most recently, a Senior Consultant with Deloitte.
Mani is pleased to call Yarmouth, NS her current home.
Takeaways
Humanizing economics is essential for understanding the socioeconomic factors that shape individuals' lives and for collaboratively solving systematic issues.
Rural communities have the potential for growth and offer unique strengths, such as strong community support and a conducive environment for creativity and innovation.
Challenges faced by rural communities include the need for affordable housing, improved infrastructure, and diverse employment opportunities.
Addressing systemic issues and social stigma in rural communities requires curiosity, understanding, and building trust.
Contentment and community-oriented values are important for the well-being and sustainability of rural communities.
Sault Ste Marie council recruits members for new Anti-Hate Advisory Committee
City council in Sault Ste Marie is now recruiting for new committee members, including its new Anti-Hate Advisory committee. Many rural councils have attempted to implement similar committees but the wording of this one seems to have some teeth.
Here is the original motion:
9.3 Anti-Hate Advisory Committee Mover Councillor A. Caputo Seconder Councillor C. Gardi
Whereas an Anti-Hate Advisory Committee would raise awareness and organize education on hate and action on anti-hate in Sault Ste. Marie;
and Whereas being an active participant in anti-hate education and activities is necessary to being a true ally and welcoming community;
and Whereas instances related to diversity, discrimination, hate and extremism, racial equity, anti-Black racism, racism against Indigenous peoples, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-semitism, and the lived experiences of persons of colour need to be recognized and addressed in order for us to continue on the path of being a welcoming and progressive community;
and Whereas implementing an anti-hate advisory committee would complement existing structures and further show our commitment to ensuring equitable engagement as well as continuing to welcome and embrace diverse groups.
Now Therefore Be It Resolved that staff initiate discussions with diverse groups and report back to Council with recommendations on the creation of an Anti-Hate Committee, the structure for said committee, and the potential outcomes from the work of said committee.”
“The idea for the new committee came from Councilor Angela Caputo after a protest at a drag storytime event(opens in a new tab) last January.
Caputo said she has seen the growth in instances of hate towards groups based on race, gender, and religion and her hope is that this committee can find solutions to lessen the number of these cases.”
Why are we blaming international students for the housing crisis?
Rural communities have housing issues, no question and they are not the same as our urban counterparts. Of course, there’s a complexity to each’s issues.
But the government seems to be blaming the blanket issue of not enough housing on the influx of international students studying in Canada. Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that as part of the cap, there will be a 35 per cent reduction in new study visas in 2024. The cap is expected to result in 3,64,000 new approved permits in 2024. Nearly 5,60,000 such visas were issued in 2023
From the Government of Canada news release:
“International students enrich our communities and are a critical part of Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric. In recent years, the integrity of the international student system has been threatened. Some institutions have significantly increased their intakes to drive revenues, and more students have been arriving in Canada without the proper supports they need to succeed. Rapid increases in the number of international students arriving in Canada also puts pressure on housing, health care and other services.”
Could the housing problem actually be rooted in investors buying up all the properties?
“Ontario Has Seen Investors Buy 1 in 3 New Homes
Zooming out, investors own an even higher share of Ontario real estate than Toronto has seen. Investors owned 21.6% of total housing stock in 2020 and 34.7% of homes built after 2016. Once again, 1 in 5 homes in Ontario are investor-owned, but they managed to scoop 1 in 3 new homes. Investor owners are a disproportionately large share of new homeownership.
Small towns in Ontario lead when it comes to investor owned housing stock. Wasaga Beach (32.3% of homes), Collingwood (31.4%), and Hawkesbury (30.5%) managed to top the list for the greatest share. New construction ownership for the first two cities is consistent with historical trends. Hawkesbury is an outlier, with 60% of its recent construction going to investors.”
Freelance Journalist Rachel Gilmore explains it really well in her video report:
Improving the rural workforce: small town stories and takeaways (from Small Biz Survival - article by Becky McCray of Save Your.Town)
Although this is from an American perspective, many of the takeaways are valuable for Canadian rural communities.
Takeaways for improving rural workforce:
Bring together students, employers and multiple levels of education
Build and document employee skills with micro-credentials
Use apprenticeships to build skills, increase awareness of local job options
Stitch together multiple programs to build your own workforce
To add a new program in the public schools, hire dedicated program staff (at least part time)
These were from the Teeny Tiny Town Summit held in Woodward, Oklahoma, a panel of local people addressed rural workforce challenges and what actions they were taking to address them.
*Teeny Tiny Summits are held in Ontario by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
Rural news roundup - January 25, 2023
International
Meet Punjab’s Drone Didis – rural women set for career as drone pilots
National
New Canada Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot 2024 Updates
British Columbia
BC's 2024 Homeowner Grant applications are now open
Alberta
Water, wildfire shape up as main 2024 issues for Alberta municipalities
Alberta Emergency departments closed for 38,000 hours in 2023
Rural homelessness projects in Alberta get $4 M from feds
Saskatchewan
Expanded 5G coverage coming for rural west-central Saskatchewan
Private addictions treatment and recovery centre opening in rural Sask.
Manitoba
Training facility opens in Neepawa, helps address nursing shortage in rural Manitoba
Licence stripped from Manitoba doctor convicted of sexually assaulting female patients
Ontario
Ontario’s smaller towns and cities wants New Deals, too. Can the Tories keep saying no?
Ford says Northern Ontario mines will help create economic boom
Looking at health, infrastructure and downloading at ROMA (Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference)
Ontario municipalities push for frank talk with Ford government on who pays for what
Quebec
New Brunswick
Man releases book on growing up gay in New Brunswick
'We don’t take it lightly': N.B. town hikes property taxes over 10 per cent
Nova Scotia
Study: Majority of Nova Scotia’s pediatric trauma deaths are males in rural areas
UTM sociologist spotlights perceptions of street safety in rural and urban Halifax
PEI
Inquiry into P.E.I. councillor’s sign conduct to be held
Island 'mushroom nerds' selling locally prepared at-home grow kits
Newfoundland and Labrador
N.L. halts first ride-share permit within days, cites 'new information' about owner
Territories (Northwest, Nunvut, Yukon)
NWT Coroner confirms fatalities in plane crash near Fort Smith
NWT says it’s returning to former immigration strategy
Akeeagok builds on the foundations of the Nunavut dream
Wastewater testing to target high tuberculosis rates in Canada's Far North
Yukon seed library distributing more seed packages than ever
Recommendations
Podcasts
Imagine Canada 2080 - (This is a partnership with The Walrus and the first episode has yet to be released but I have high hopes for this podcast!)
What will Canada be like in 2080? We're asking people to look generations ahead. In this podcast, we'll hear future-focused ideas—research, possibilities and ambitions that could steer Canada forward.
Books
Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want by Ruha Benjamin (I am just starting to listen to this book on Hoopla)
“This book is an education. Wide-ranging and provocative, soaring yet grounded, Viral Justice reveals how racism poisons our bodies, communities, and institutions, but the book also chronicles inspired movements seeking repair and justice. The work of a beautiful mind and spirit, it moves fast—mixing memoir with social analysis and community engagement—and left me challenged and hopeful and stirred.” —Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
*If you’d like a topic covered, or you’d like to facilitate a conversation utilizing the Clearing a New Path podcast platform, please connect with me by hitting reply or by emailing shauna@radarmedia.co
Your feedback is always welcome.