The relentless noise of arterial road traffic, high-pitched motorbikes, booming car stereos and revving diesel trucks wake me up at night. Yet, the rhythmic rumbling of the train and its approaching and fading whistle soothe me to sleep. A survey about my complaints like the train whistle cessation survey conducted by the city would probably show similar results. Less than one third of the respondents would be bothered by what bothers me. A million plus is not being spent to address my complaints because we live in a community where people travel around day and night, ride motor bikes, listen to loud music, and drive huge trucks. They also depend on the goods brought to them by train. But a small group expects to be exempt from train noise and has been given over a million dollars to get what they want even though the train whistle will still blow at the discretion of the train’s engineer. Why are the wants of this group more important than the needs of others?
Can train whistles haunt anyone with endless, sleepless nights the way horrific memories haunt residential school survivors? I would like to believe that, if surveyed, a strong majority of people in our community would be bothered by the injustices suffered by aboriginals. Yet, The Healing Garden, which is a fraction of the cost of whistle cessation, is set aside because a couple of city councillors complained disrespectfully about the garden’s cost and location. Feeding this narrow-mindedness are letters of intolerance published both now and in the past by the Gazette with comments like: aboriginals aren’t the only people who’ve had bad things happen to them, we weren’t the ones who hurt them so we’re not to blame, residential schools aren’t our fault, and “it” happened decades ago so get over it. (Imagine telling Jews to get over the Holocaust.) The ones who complain the loudest refuse to acknowledge the atrocities committed against our Indigenous people and the consequences of those atrocities that remain today. By denying the past and its legacy of present day problems, those who are willfully ignorant perpetuate structural racism. For that they are to blame, they are at fault, and there will be no getting over it.
Why are we not grateful for the opportunity to show our desire for truth and reconciliation by fully funding The Healing Garden? This garden is not a place for aboriginals alone. It will be a place where all of us can learn to recognize and reject structural racism and move towards mutual understanding. The Healing Garden must be located in the place that is most purposeful and meaningful and it must be fully funded by the city, now.
Debbie Hopchin, St. Albert
