In 1983 we were appointed to our first town – Listowel, Ontario. It was about 5000 people, had two stop lights, one hardware store, no Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s. It did however have about seven car dealerships and boasted to be “Car City”! It was for the most part a hub for agriculture and the nature of the town was conservative and laid back, though I am not sure that’s how they saw it.

My Dad gave me some wise advice. He told me that the person who was likely most influential in town was the editor of the paper. He was mostly right, as there were a handful of men who owned most of the properties and businesses in town and I think one or two of them had great sway, but I got his point. If the paper would side with us, much of the town would go along.

In late 2023, forty years later, I joined the PR team in Edmonton and one of the first people I talked to in this capacity was a journalist from the Edmonton Journal, our local paper. I feel pretty relaxed in front of a camera or microphone, less so over the phone, but I’m getting there. My point is, that this is not a realm of work I am really used to or have had great exposure to. But I’m doing my best.

It is however interesting, and I’m meeting people now who say, “hey I saw you on TV or I heard you on the radio”. So there we are!

Recently TSA opened a new facility in Calgary in the Forest Lawn section of the city. This is an area with high need and the building is huge.

As I was at the opening I wasn’t the official photographer, but I grabbed my phone and stood where I thought the best angle for recording would be – turns out it was a great location.