Jennifer Hamilton's commentary (Gazette, Feb. 14) on the tragic death of Colton Boushie is heartening. It suggests youth will have a better relationship with First Nations people than some of my generation.
I am a third generation Alberta farmer who learned to appreciate some of the Métis families who were St. Albert pioneers.
My late wife's grandfather homesteaded near Beaumont in 1885. The son of a jeweller, he owed his survival during his first winter in Canada to the help he was given by his neighbours, the Papaschase Indians. Descendants of those neighbours now live in Edmonton. Their land was taken from them.
We who live in Alberta sometimes appreciate the fertility of the countryside. We fail to appreciate that those who lived off the land for thousands of years were good stewards of mother earth.
Hoping not to detract from the above, I would like to also affirm Mayor Cathy Heron's statement (Gazette, Feb. 14), "In a very short time, food could be just as valuable as oil and gas. There is a huge economic advantage to preserving that land."
Bill Bocock, Sturgeon County
