EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE SOCIETY OF NOTARIES PUBLIC OF BC
www.wildmanphotography.com
John Mayr
Caring about Community
W
ith summer turning to autumn, and given the quadrennial cycle of election years, it’s time to start considering the inevitability of the municipal elections. Now before you quickly turn the page, I beg just another moment of your time. As you will see, this missive is not about a race here or a race there. Nor will it take issue with political persuasion. In comparison to others, our country is sparsely populated. We need only embark on a crosscountry journey to truly appreciate the scenic beauty and space that is Canada. While the scenery may be iconic, the thread that holds the fabric together is the communities. The Oxford English Dictionary defines community as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” Those characteristics may be identifiable and of the sort in which community members take a particular pride. We would be hard pressed to find a Canadian travelling abroad who, when asked, didn’t proudly proclaim he or she was from Canada. That pride of community extends to the various cities, towns, and provinces. Many Canadians willingly acknowledge they are “from away.” Volume 27 Number 3 Fall 2018
Today, community extends far beyond geographical location. Technologies have expanded the opportunities and connected likeminded individuals as never before.
An adage suggests people deserve the politicians they elect. There is no lack of issues—really important ones—that elected politicians need to address.
For me, I’ll admit the online and connected communities lack what I can best describe as a warmth or a human connection. It is for that reason I suggest that as good, interesting, and connected a social media platform may become, it will never replace the sense of community from a personal interaction.
Those issues change based on community dynamics. What may be of critical importance to urban communities—density and housing affordability for instance, are not issues for consideration in many remote aboriginal communities dealing with the realities of extended boil-water advisories and access to safe housing.
An adage suggests people deserve the politicians they elect. There is no lack of issues— really important ones— that elected politicians need to address. Over the next weeks, various candidates from various parties will attempt to reach out and make that personal connection. They will undertake to make that connection using both regular and social media and I suspect many will use the tried-and-true, old-fashioned, door-knocking campaigning approach. That multifaceted method seeks to connect with the various generations of voters with the intent of encouraging people to vote. The Scrivener | www.notaries.bc.ca/scrivener
According to CivicInfoBC, the average voter turnout for the 2014 municipal election was 22.23 percent. I am surprised by that number. I hope you are, too. The determination of the issues that matter to our communities is being decided, on average, by a stunning minority of the electorate. While voting takes only a few minutes, I suspect the challenge is sorting through the rhetorical chaff of an election campaign to determine which candidates hold views that deserve a vote. As community members, if we don’t owe it to ourselves, don’t we owe to others to take the time to learn? It’s a measure of Canadian success that as individuals we care about the success of not only our communities but those in the communities around us. s TABLE OF CONTENTS
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