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2001 Conference Wrap Up From Bokyat to Eastern Ontario Presented by Keynote Speaker Ann Medina
I was about 2/3rds of the way through ... and then a little after 9 I got a call from a friend in Washington telling me to turn on the television. Needless to say....I stopped...and forgot about my unfinished remarks....and hours later WHEN I finally went back to it that I knew IMMEDIATELY that I would be starting over. So much of what I had written no longer REALLY MATTERED. Just as...if I may be so bold, many of the issues and concerns that YOU had worried about no longer REALLY MATTERED. I am known to have a kind of Mantra...an attitude really... that evolved after some fairly risky times in Beirut in the early 80's. I came back changed... and things I had thought were important just sort of faded. Bad Hair day...It doesn't matter! Running late for an appointment...it doesn't matter! Even getting fired from anchoring CBC News....truly I said to myself 'It doesn't matter!' - and, I might add, it didn't! Well - we've now also been changed. And so I had to begin to think again about what DID matter for this morning's session. And it took a while... Each day the context changed and shifted....so I WAITED to write. And finally...early this week...I sat down again. ....still nervous, however, that the world could tilt AGAIN at any moment. Ironically...some of what I had to say is perhaps MORE relevant today AFTER those indescribable events - but the one thing that I had not known AND the one thing, I firmly believe that WILL NOT CHANGE no matter what new events may occur...is the fact that we have witnessed precisely what it means to be a STRONG COMMUNITY. If EVER there was an example - it must be New York. And if I were to choose TODAY what theme would be appropriate for a conference such as this - the theme the organizers chose seems prescient in its relevance...BUILDING A STRONG COMMUNITY.
New Yorkers FOUND its strong community. They may not have known they had a 'community...but they sure discovered it. They worked TOGETHER - to save lives, to comfort, to rebuild confidence, to re-construct their lives in this frightening and threatening new context. And note - I included Businesses... Companies would provide office space for their competitors An insurance company ruled 'accidental death' rather than terrorism in order to give a BIGGER settlement to some of the insured workers killed! (When have you ever heard of THAT happening?!!) When companies were devastated financially, they were still donatinhg valuable equipment and resources to help kick-start NY's stalled financial systems. They all had the SAME PRIORITIES....in the long-term to help the injured - the families of the injured - the families of the dead - and to help the city residents. It was to help EVERYONE. THAT would be the measure of success. And they weren't to be "HELD" accountable to anyone...they "WERE" ACCOUNTABLE".... to themselves. And we see it may not all be perfect, but it is working rather remarkably. Now it's quite obvious that this Strong Community found itself when faced with a disaster - and although WE too face it in some ways....the urgency, the devastation, the deaths aren't comparable. But the challenge is how to learn from New York...what lessons that might lead us TOO - to build a stronger community in our very different context. Although ironically...before that 9 o'clock call I was ready to argue that there was no SINGLE model of what works to achieve a strong community...New York has...to a great extent...now persuaded me otherwise. The question is what parts of the model can apply to us NOW - here in Canada and Ontario. Which brings me to YOU ... and to the point that perhaps more than anyone ... YOU hold the key. What transformed New York began on the ground...locally...and I think it was important to see that OF ALL THE OFFICIALS who got and deserved unequivocal praise...Mayor Juliani was singled out. He provided a focus...and a leadership ON THE GROUND. But his leadership was working WITH all the various constituent groups... whether they be city workers - business leaders - or volunteers. He was not ordering/legislating/regulating.....it was not and COULD NOT be the kind of top-down system we're used to. It was "together". Now you know and I know all was almost certainly NOT as smooth as it seemed to those of us observing from afar. UNDOUBTEDLY, there were conflicts of jurisdictions, disagreements on strategies and priorities, screw-ups, mis-communications. But those managing and organizing the operations knew...THEY DIDN'T MATTER. Who got credit? It didn't matter! Who botched up. So long as it was fixed..It didn't matter. And although initially there was some finger pointing regarding the lack of adequate intelligence and underpaid air-security personnel...all in all...there was VERY LITTLE blame being doled out...BECAUSE? It didn't matter! Boy are there some lessons to be learned there! But there's also the flip side of the New York experience....what of the citizen...the New Yorker..or, as we like to say..the New YORKER. Now before September 11...I was very very intimidated to be coming here to speak to you. (And since that date...even MORE so!). I am not a municipal ANYTHING other than garbage- dispenser, paper-sorter, firetruck-caller, water-consumer, and, of course, TAX-PAYER. I have read about your problems of deficits and providing all the downloaded services in the framework of amalgamation . I've gotten angry about the way YOU sometimes deal with YOUR problems...sometimes at your equivalent in Toronto...more often at the Province...(and that's not necessarily a political statement!)... ...but all this is to say, I don't have to figure out your budget cuts or infrastructure demands..or find ways to attract new businesses. That's YOUR job.... SO how absurd for anyone to think that I may have something to say to you that could be of value.....(AND, of course, maybe you'll decide I don't!) But RIGHT THERE is the reason perhaps why I was invited. I AM an 'outsider'. But I have been invited in. YOU have taken the step of building that community by including me...but what does that mean for ME - the citizen? And I look again to New York. The people of the city didn't see the problems as ones that the GOVERNMENT should be solving. They didn't wait for the Mayor to tell them what to do - they began by themselves. So perhaps the lesson for ME....and for all the other me's of Ontario is for us to stop thinking of all the problems being YOUR problems to sort out - leaving us with only the after-effects. It's got to be a 2-way street. Where we assume some responsibility too, NOT because you're doing a poor job...but because it's OUR job too! Where municipalities not only work with the larger local community ...but AS IMPORTANT...that community actively gets involved. And, of course, what that means is...when things go wrong...Hey. It's not JUST that YOU screwed up...it's that WE screwed up! Wow. That's a lot of change....right? And probably right now many of you are saying...'Right Ann' 'Sure'. I can just see it when groups start complaining about higher residential tax rates....and I tell them...well, YOU were part of the problem too!. Suuuuure Ann. And, of course, your skepticism is well founded. You could be laughed at NOW. But we're not talking here about 'Running a local government' - anymore than we're talking about where Mayor Juliani is going to get the money to pay for all the reconstruction and how he's going to work to help a devastated economy re-build. We're talking about building STRONGER COMMUNITIES. And...I think experience will show....that if you FIRST built the strong 'community'....THEN 'Running of the Government' changes and, yes...you MIGHT find that groups will complain less because they will feel part of...and BE part of the whole process. FIRST...find the community. THEN see how that alters our whole conception of 'how government works. And I think that's what the organizers were thinking about when they laid down the theme...though little did they know how absolutely RELEVANT it would be today. Now you've seen the title... the title of the speech I never finished that is.... (((Actually my original idea was 'From Bokyat to Belleville' because I liked the illiteration, but the organizers rightfully felt it would sound as if I was going to single out one Eastern Ontario community...(but at least I wasn't going to call it 'From Timbuctou to Toronto'!!!))) But the title did still refer to Bokyat...and it's a story that I think will still resonate today. Years ago when I worked at The Journal, my boss at the time...Mark Starowicz...said 'Get Medina as FAAAAAR away from me as possible'. So they sent me to Timbouctou. Literally.
Now, I didn't know exactly where Timbouctou was either...but it's in Mali...somewhere in Africa. The story we were covering was the desert...and whether it could be stopped. Herds were dying in the drought..river beds disappearing. I can only hope to God that wasn't a glimpse at what we might someday experience! Well..one day we were at this little village outside of Timbouctou...called Bokyat. It was a Tuareg...or nomad's...village...but their animals had all died and they were close to starvation themselves. Well - this tiny community accomplished a miracle. They had this marvelous 'Sheik'...literally right out of Lawrence of Arabia. And with the help of his leadership - that village had dug (mostly with their BARE hands!!!) an inverted pyramid the size of a foot-ball field DOWN. Waaaay DOWN to the water table. They were being helped by an aid organization...Medecin Sans Frontiers...but all that it did was send a man to check on progress once a week...and the only resource it was given was a sackful of seeds! That's all. SEEDS. And that was because this nomadic people who typically would wander with their herds...they were settling and planting crops for the first time on their lives. (And we think OUR world has changed!) They all were involved...women, children, old people...and they were patiently being led by their Sheik. When we arrived...the first green shoots had started to come up, and I can tell you...that WAS a miracle. A community. A leader. A partnership with the villagers. A common goal. And RESULTS. Now I mentioned in the blurb that I would also be discussing a little bit about the Business model that cities...indeed hospitals, universities, colleges, school boards...regional authorities..that we're all being "encouraged" may be too kind a word! to adopt. Well...I think we all recognize now...the answer is yes...AND a resounding NO!! Not if we want to ALSO build stronger communities.
Of course we need an economic base. It was interesting to hear President Bush on Monday comment that he was glad to see that US businesses were being concerned with more than profit and loss. But of course...they should be concerned with profit and loss and they NEED to be....but the 'business model' was not what was needed then. When ANOTHER goal is required...namely the safety and welfare of a WHOLE community ...businesses can play a role and make sacrifices like other groups - but they are then putting aside their business hats so to speak....and being something else. I can GUARANTEE you - if there had been some major electrical fire destroying the infrastructure of the NY Stock Exchange...you never would have discovered the kind of community NY did, and the Exchange would never have opened less than a week later!! IT would have been strictly for 'business reasons' - not for the community as a WHOLE...and the same miracles would not have taken place. Now let me tell you another story. My Grandfather was a federal judge in the states and at one point he presided over one of the longest trials ever held. Tempers flared...threats were made...it was nasty and took a lot out of my grandfather to keep the courtroom. Well..one day...during the summer...things were getting a bit noisy. And it was hot. This was before airconditioned...and NY summers could be murderous. At one point...one of the defendant's began to stand up and rant...and at that point...my grandfather hammered his gavel...called for a recess...and asked the various counsel (and I think there were something like 14!) to step into his chambers. They marched in...but my grandfather wasn't there yet. After about 5 minutes...he came in and sat down. "Gentlemen, he said. (And they were all gentlemen in those days). I don't know about you but I'm a baseball fan and the Yankees are playing the Dodgers at Ebbets field this afternoon...and evidently we can all get seats. So I'm calling a recess and you and the jurors and the court clerks...we're all going to the ballgame. And he did it! Arch enemies filing onto a bus..then sitting side by side .... cheering one team or another. Imagine it! And I know the details to that story because I still have the cover of the NY Times the next day with Gramp and some of the lawyers sitting right behind the dug-out. Well...I probably needn't add that the chaos in the courtroom after that...for a while at least...calmed down considerably. One more story and then I'll stop for a while. I covered the mid-east for sometime...and of course as we still know everynight...the adversity between the Israelis and the Palestinians is historic, often lethal, and very very difficult to mediate (although we DO have some hopes this week). Well, a friend of mine happened to be the main negotiator for the Israelis in Oslo. His name is Uri Savir....and his Palestinian counterpart was Abbu Allah. They argued and negotiated in a house for weeks and weeks and weeks with an ambassador acting as a kind of facilitator. Well...one day things were not going very well. Negotiations seemed stalemated..certainly not very productive for any kind of agreement. So..like my grandfather...the Ambassador came in and called for a recess. They would all take an afternoon break. Now it JUST HAPPENED that his daughter and grandchild a few hours later paid a visit to the home. And both sides with their respective aides were all there. A child. A small child came into their midst....and Uri thought of his children back in Israel and Abu Allah thought of his children back in the occupied territories...and they both ooo-ed and aah-ed and laughed at the antics of the child. Later that evening...they took a walk together and talked of each of their children and how it was for them...that the 2 men MUST arrive at an agreement. And, of course, they finally did...an agreement that, for a while worked....although these days we see it fading in each tragic day of bloodshed. Now...why all these stories? We're not JUST talking about 'feeling good' here. We're talking about real life-and-death peace negotiations ...and the survival of families in the face of famine and drought and bombs. It IS the real world folks. But, too often we focus on our DIFFERENCES ....we are AGAINST this or FOR that. We forget about what we share...or if we do, we limit it to IDEAS and positions - as in labor negotiations where parties go through the issues they can AGREE to FIRST. But often - there are OTHER factors to share...be they values, likes or dislikes...and they can become valuable building blocks in a process of working together.THEN we're in a better position (and frame of mind!) to tackle our differences. THAT's really what a 'community' is all about, isn't it? And I think you know that. Having or creating a sense of community can accomplish the miracles of Bokyat...or the near-impossible agreement of an Oslo...OR the kind of courage that New York has shown in dealing with its horrors. Obvious? Of course. But sometimes we need to remind ourselves of its importance. We hear hourly how the events of September 11th have forever changed us. And I think as the days and weeks continue we'll be hit with more examples of how radical those changes will be. There are the obvious one of boarding planes and feeling afraid. There are the increasingly evident ones of economic hardships AND instability as government revenues fall...and hard-earned nest-eggs disappear....and jobs become more precious. But there are also the more subtle ones. Our world is now, in a sense, a thousand Walkerton's where governments and the community will never operate as they did in the past. There are challenges and ENORMOUS problems...but the biggest change may be the NEW OPPORTUNITIES. A lot of 'old ways of doing things' went down with the destruction of the World Trade Center. It's no longer the case that the nations of the world have to ARGUE for a 'war against terrorism'. It's been demonstrated. We all know it! And we shouldn't have to argue now that we have to build strong communities . We've seen it work! And we all know it now. Now...it's just a question of actually making it happen. There is NO PLACE for anyone to say...'Hey! I wasn't responsible'.... that was YOUR job or YOUR job. With the very tough times ahead the levels of government HAVE to co-operate the way we saw in NY. And we have to ask AGAIN and AGAIN...what MATTERS and what 'DOESN'T really matter' (Read a week old paper...so much didn't matter) One FINAL note. Most of what I've been saying is obviously colored by my experience living in Toronto...rather than here in any of your communities. And I know that HERE...you have done a LOT of what I've been talking about. And I know that partially because last night I got a bit of an education. And that's because I declined the gracious invitation of the organizers to spend the night at a hotel...and, instead, stayed with friends out on Country Road #2 in Lansdowne. And my hosts have lived there for generation, I might add...they actually live in the same house the host's grandfather bought back in 1904. Well...I heard stories about the kinds of things the Fair Boards do. I heard about the Ice Storm and how that brought together a lot of communities. And, of course, I heard about the differences between rural communities and the cities. So many of you know of...and have probably helped build strong communities. But not enough of us have. We need more Sheiks More business people thinking outside the profit and loss equations More ordinary people talking of OUR challenges
....and who knows...maybe more trips to a baseball game. Am I naive? Of course. Have my comments been overly 'general'. Yes. But it's funny how simple stories...OR horrific images will creep into one's consciousness...subtly but definitively.... and just when you least expect it. And the next time you're sitting at a City Council meeting arguing about how you're going to pay for new hospital wing or how you're going to be able to work with the 'OTHER' City you've been ordered to amalgamate with....maybe...just maybe...you'll ask yourself...WHAT MATTERS. And maybe you'll invite in a few outsiders like myself...to help.
Think Red River But we've neglected the community part of the equation for too long. It's a new world of Fear...but also of new possibilities. Now is the time they have to be grabbed on to. That's YOUR job....AND mine! We heard municipalities blame the province? Does that matter today? Or the province blame the federal government? Does that matter today? World of the possible
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Early on the morning of September 11th, I was outside in my garden...with my little laptop continuing to work on my remarks for today.
