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NEWS
THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2019
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CANADA DAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 97/16 STAFF
Canada Day In The Park is always on the same day. The nation celebrates Canada’s birthday on July 1 and that is always when the city’s premier park comes alive with music and cultural. “It is a community festival. It is free of charge and family oriented. We will have the fireworks again this year, fired off from Connaught Hill so you can see it all around the city,” said longtime organizer Marlies Greulich, executive director of the Multicultural Heritage Society. As always, the event is themed on Canada’s national personality – multiculturalism – from ancient First Nations to grassroots subcultures, from international influences rooted all over the world to the homegrown intermingled ethnoblends of tomorrow. “It is always a celebration of culture, a celebration of everyone, because Canada has that diversity that we all get to share and draw strength from,” said Greulich. One of the strongest draws for this kaleidoscopic event is the food. From perogies to souvlakies, bannock to samosas, Canada Day In The Park is a culinary uniting of the nations. “We have a new sushi vendor this year, a new group from the Philippines coming in this year, and all the usual array of international foods, and of course the stage is loaded with all the entertainers, all the activities for little ones to be entertained.” A special performance is slated for the mainstage this year. Director-choreographer Judy Russell is bringing her cast for a sneak peek at the upcoming production of Beauty & The Beast.
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A large friendship circle dances in front of the stage while the Khastan Dummers perform as part of Canada Day celebrations in 2018 at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. The opening ceremonies happen at noon with the next seven hours full of entertainment, information and food. (Reminder, no alcohol or pets in the park.) The fireworks show goes boom at 11 p.m.
Reflections on a Legislative Session
I took the opportunity to introduce a Private Members Bill during this sitting of the Legislature. It builds on the work I have done with Heart and Stroke. The bill is called the “Defibrillator Public Access Act” and would increase public access to life saving Automated External Defibrillators or AEDs. Sadly the government chose not to call the bill and that means that technically it “dies” on the order paper. I can assure you I will be re-introducing it during the fall session. It has received a great deal of public support both in the province and beyond. The bill takes a comprehensive approach and could literally mean the difference between life and death for someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. I also took the opportunity whenever possible to celebrate and recognize great people and achievements with two minute statements and introductions. For example it was a lot of fun to celebrate the
Shirley Bond MLA Prince George-Valemount
accomplishments of our Prince George Spruce Kings on their historic playoff run, including some challenges to MLA colleagues and even the Premier. Of course there were budget debates, the estimates process, question period, committee meetings, the list goes on. I look forward to sharing more about those in the days ahead. While the work in the Legislature has ended for the session, an MLAs work is not done. Now that we don’t have to make the weekly trip to Victoria we can focus on the important day to day work in our local constituencies. I look forward to full days and weeks, meeting with constituents, participating in local and regional events and continuing the hard work that my constituents expect and deserve from their MLA.
Office: 1350 Fifth Avenue, Prince George, B.C. Phone: (250) 612-4181 Toll Free: 1(866) 612-7333 Shirley.Bond.MLA@leg.bc.ca • www.ShirleyBondMLA.bc.ca /ShirleyBondForBC •
help you get assigned to something.” Anyone able to join the Canada Day volunteer crew is asked to contact Greulich at 250-563-8525 or mhs.pg@shawcable.com.
REJOICE! END OF SCHOOL IS NEAR! I
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The spring Legislative session in Victoria has just ended. It was a busy session with many critical issues being debated. As I reflect on the work that was undertaken there are a few things that stand out for me.
“We are looking for volunteers,” Greulich said. “We need parking guards, security people, people to hand out flags and pins, hand out souveniers and programs, so please contact us and we will
@ShirleyBond R0011699986
t’s June. We are nearing the end of it all: lunches, Pro-D days, permission forms, agendas, random asks for money in strange amounts (who has $7 just lying around?), presentations, library books, homework, auditions, talent shows, Christmas concerts, 400 Scholastic order forms to recycle while feeling guilty that you missed the deadline again, 8,000 other fundraising forms to recycle that you don’t feel guilty about turfing at all, Pokemon trading fights, meetings with teachers, reports cards – I mean, “Communications of Learning,”– tired days, sad days, happy days, playdates, dance recitals, guitar lessons, birthday parties and more. The end of ten months of constant, unrelenting “things” that you have to do, or remember, (or don’t) is approaching and I am filled with joy. Having young children in school is not exactly the easiest thing to manage with working parents. Before we had kids, life felt busy, but fun. We could decide to go out or stay home or have a leisurely day off as we liked. On my days off, I used to tackle various house projects or organize something or learn a craft. Or sometimes, we would just take the dog for a walk and then have a nap after ordering in food. Now I find myself looking forward to getting a little bit sick (not a lot, just a tiny man-cold) just so I can take it easy and rest.
HOME AGAIN MEGAN KUKLIS
I love my life. I love my husband, my kids and my family and friends here. June is just a bit much and it feels like a wave that is about to break and drown us all in art projects and journals. By June, we have run out of interesting lunch ideas and have taken to cook dinners for the sole purpose of having leftovers to throw in their lunches. The curriculum has been taught, assessments are complete and the final weeks are an assortment of necessary movie days, sports days, presentations and general non-academic silliness – plus a Pro-D day or two thrown in for fun. We are all tired. The parents, the kids and especially the teachers. Maybe if one of us did not work full time, June would feel more manageable but perhaps, like housework, stress and exhaustion expand to fill the time available. But we can see the light approaching and the lazy summer days seems close at hand. I do wonder, is it a light at the end of the tunnel or an oncoming train?