Human Interest
My home& native land BY Ishmael N Daro
S
ome people fall in love immediately. For others, it’s a gradual progress until one day they wake up and realize they are head-over-heals. My love affair with Canada was the latter. I was born in Afghanistan and my family moved to Canada when I was eight years old. At the time, I had no idea about the country I was moving to and I could barely speak English. The only thing I knew was that my adopted country was somehow going to be a better place for me to grow up in, and when we sang “O Canada” in school, it was merely a song to me. It wasn’t until years later when I became more aware of the benefits of being Canadian that the anthem started to have meaning for me. Now I do consider Canada my “home and native land” in more ways than simple geography. My first shock was how easily I was adapting to life in Canada. I made friends when I entered school and no other children seemed to judge me for being from a different place. Far from it, many were actu-
ally excited to meet people with different backgrounds. We often hear about Canada being a multi-cultural place but I have experienced it firsthand and I would not be the same person I am today if not for Canada’s openness as a society. It is a sign of strength that a country as big and diverse as Canada manages to go on. At the root of that is a willingness to listen to one another, share ideas and respect our differences. As I look at the many problems my birth country is dealing with, I realize now more than ever that only mutual respect can lead to peace and prosperity. When I took my oath of citizenship in 2000, I was part of a couple hundred recent immigrants gathered in a theatre together. Two Mounties were present handing out little Canadian flag pins. Today I still wear such a pin on my jacket. We sang “O Canada” and spoke the words of the citizenship oath together, vowing to observe the laws of the land and fulfill our duties as citizens.
CHOICE
Everyone interprets their duties as citizens differently. For me, it goes beyond paying taxes and voting. We are also responsible for looking after one another and making sure that justice and equality are available to all. We may disagree with each other but that doesn’t mean we can’t work through differences. As a nation, we are almost unique in our ability to bridge differences and live in harmony. It took me many years to realize just how privileged we are as Canadians. But when I think of all the different places of the world, I know Canada is the only country for me. It’s not just because the prairie skies are beautiful (which they are) or that our health care is the best (which it is). In the end, Canada’s greatness comes from Canadians themselves. It takes constant work to make a country great and the work never stops, but we can handle any challenge life throws our way when we stand together and proudly sing that most magical of anthems: “O Canada.”
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Section A • July 2009 • w w w . t h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d e x p r e s s . c o m
Commuter Challenge results Saskatoon residents reduce motor vehicle trips by more than 19,000 Kms
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he 2009 Commuter Challenge took place during Canadian Environment Week from May 31 to June 6 and the official results are in. This year’s Commuter Challenge saw participation from over 44,000 Canadians who avoided driving nearly 3.1 million kilometres and saved a grand total of 643,841 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In Saskatoon, the Commuter Challenge was organized and hosted by Road Map 2020. This national program, which takes place annually, aims to increase awareness of the benefits of sustainable transportation by encouraging Canadians to walk, cycle, take transit, carpool, or telework instead of driving to work alone. A total of 277 residents participated in the challenge, reducing their single-occupant motor vehicle trips by 19,272 kilometres. Instead of burning fuel, participants burned nearly 245,000 calories and reduced GHG emissions by 3,569 kilograms. “The Commuter Challenge brings awareness to the alternative modes of transportation that are available in Saskatoon,” said Dave Palibroda, chair of Road Map 2020. “We are very excited about the results and the level of involvement from the business community. Road Map 2020 will continue to encourage workplaces to support their employees’ sustainable commuting choices throughout the year and of course we hope to make the 2010 Commuter Challenge even more successful.”
With more than 9,000 participants, Calgary took top honours in the national Commuter Challenge competition. Saskatoon placed fourth out of 17 communities in the population category of 100,000 to 249,999 residents. Road Map 2020 organized a local competition between Saskatoon workplaces competing for the highest percentage participation rate. The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council, Globe Printers, AECOM Saskatoon, and Cameco each won their respective competition categories which were based on total number of employees at the workplace. About Road Map 2020 Road Map 2020 was founded in 2004 by the Meewasin Valley Authority, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society, and the City of Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee. As a nonprofit organization, Road Map 2020 is dedicated to fostering sustainability in Saskatoon by building community awareness of the environmental, social and economic benefits of sustainable practices. To learn more about the Commuter Challenge visit commuterchallenge.ca. For more information about Road Map 2020 visit roadmap2020.ca.