When we built a new house in Saskatoon seven years ago, we xeriscaped the yard thinking it would be ecologically wise given previous years of drought. To our astonishment, a six-foot-wide river of water flowed through our yard every time it rained that first spring. And thanks to irrigating neighbours uphill, the back part of […] Read more
Stories by Cam Harder
Helping rural youth return home should be top priority
CBC is not the only one who has a voter opinion compass for the upcoming federal election. I do too. It’s my hair stylists’, if I dare apply the word “style” to my fringe on top. While chatting with several young hairdressers in the last couple of years I found most are from rural communities, […] Read more
Faith in the oilpatch might involve ‘marriage counselling’
Valentine’s Day this year reminded me of the many weddings I performed as a parish pastor in Alberta. While all the ceremonies were successful (every couple came out wedded), in a few sad cases the marriage didn’t last more than a few days or weeks. In each case it was due to problems with in-laws. […] Read more
History must not repeat efforts to get people off the land
Oddly, I’m enjoying the winter. Not the cold of course; I get a shiver of envy just thinking of those 1900-era full-body wool long-johns with the flap in the back. (Don’t tell my wife.) But I do enjoy the rest from yard-work. Last summer was an unending fight with weeds and excess water. Sadly, the […] Read more
Even if the end is near, we have resources for new beginning
“THE END IS NEAR!” shouted a sandwich sign worn by a grizzled old guy at Jasper and 101st. Growing up in Edmonton, I often passed him on the way to my accordion lessons. His message always struck me as hopeful; I assumed it applied to my accordion lessons. Oddly, it may be a hopeful message […] Read more
Disillusioned with Big Business, Big Health, Big Religion
I’m not a fan of really big things, unless it’s Roughrider scores, the Rockies or those giant oddities erected by tourist-hungry prairie towns. My last shreds of confidence in Big Business were torn away when AIG’s crash destabilized the entire world economy and BP’s negligence poisoned the Gulf of Mexico. Big Justice has troubled me […] Read more
Floods no laughing matter; communities will see us through
In 1964, Bill Cosby produced an album with a comedy sketch in which Noah is sawing away in his basement when a voice out of nowhere tells him to build an ark.I thought it was hilarious: Noah can’t believe it’s God talking to him; then he’s worried about the neighbour’s reaction to this monstrosity going […] Read more
Slavery, or human trafficking, never abolished except in law
I had a chilling experience last week while visiting the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. The museum documents the harrowing though often heroic stories of slaves escaping across the Ohio River to southern Ontario. Pursued by slave hunters, people like Harriet Tubman hid them in underground storage rooms and carried them north in false-bottomed […] Read more
New blood can infuse communities with new ideas
I enjoyed the Olympic curling because I got to hear and not just see the players. Not that I can understand the non-English players, but a fair bit of curling talk doesn’t need translation. When the Danish women’s skip yelled over the roar of that raucous Canadian crowd “Skynd dig!!” (Scoon die) we all knew […] Read more
Rural churches have unheralded treasures – The Moral Economy
I KNOW a church where Sunday attendance averages almost 100 percent. Its members take their faith seriously. They wrestle with scriptures and try to apply them to the trials and trivia of everyday life in their community. They worship and pray together regularly. They look after their sick, comfort each other in grief and stress. […] Read more
