The road less travelled

by Jenny Arcand

My name is Jenny Arcand and I have been a volunteer firefighter in North Grenville for three years. When I was first asked to write an article about my experience as a woman in the fire service I wasn’t sure what I was going to write. I was trying to think of how my experience has been any different from the guys. Well, to be honest I don’t think it has been any different. My experience has been nothing but positive. It’s the best team I’ve ever been a part of. I’ve always played team sports my whole life and I think that has helped me to succeed in the fire service. I’m a team player and as a firefighter you have to be. It doesn’t matter who you are, this job is going to have its challenges. It’s just the nature of it. You need to have the work ethic to work through those challenges and improve. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and that’s why we work as a team. Your gender doesn’t matter it’s all about what you bring to the table. Can you do the job? For me I prefer hands on physical work rather than working at a desk or in an office. I’ve always been that way. My full time job is a reinforcing ironworker and before that I was a forest fire fighter. All of my jobs have been in male dominant fields and never have I had any challenges due to being a girl. I wanted to become a volunteer firefighter because I love the challenge, the adrenaline rush and pushing myself to the next level. I love learning new skills and in firefighting you never stop learning. There is always more to know, more to improve on and you can always be better. I also like that firefighting gives me the opportunity to make a difference in my community. Being able to help people in need is rewarding. The camaraderie of the fire service is something I’m grateful be a part of. As a team we have each other’s backs, on and off the job and that is something that I’m thankful for. If I were to give advice to young women wanting to become a firefighter, it would be to learn to take constructive criticism. Don’t let it discourage you. Let it motivate you, learn from it and improve yourself. You don’t need to be the strongest person with the most skills. You can learn those things. The most important thing is your attitude, it needs to be a good one along with your work ethic. Those things go a long way. Put in the work. Don’t give up and you’ll get there eventually.

by Nancy Peckford

My maternal grandmother was a remarkable woman. Born into an impoverished fishing family on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, she had seen her fair share of hunger.

Very occasionally, she would tell us about times when her family had absolutely nothing to eat, sometimes for days. Despite living in a close knit community, they would endure that hunger in silence, out of shame.

It wouldn’t take long, however, for a neighbour to notice and my grandmother described the relief they felt as kids with the delivery of baked bread, some beans and cod fish from families who were not much better off.

At the age of 12, my grandmother realized that she would need to leave school and, ultimately, her village to have a brighter future. She began working as a full-time domestic servant for another family nearby. Despite her long hours and very hard work, she was treated horribly.

So, after a few months, she bravely made the decision to travel to a neighboring village up the coast and find work there. She proved her worth to a different family who treated her better.

Before long, my grandmother made her way to larger communities, leaving NFLD in her late teens to work as a full-time domestic servant in Sydney NS, Halifax and, ultimately, Toronto where she was employed by a Jewish family who adored her. She travelled long distances and cared for other people’s children’s while being almost completely illiterate.

I wish I could say that the story ended there, but it doesn’t. My grandmother had crossed paths with a charismatic Newfoundlander and member of the navy who was helping stop German Uboats in the North Atlantic. After he was discharged owing to an injury, my grandmother left her life in Toronto, got married and relocated to Port Aux Basques,

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I was disappointed in the latest article penned on the KPS site which made residents who are not happy appear to be selfish whiners resistant to change. Not true. We are all well aware of and not unsympathetic to the housing crisis and we are aware of the provincial government’s pressure to build. We are supportive of a housing unit going on that site. And although the council has done positive things, this is not an ‘A’ in research for them. What we are asking is that a traffic study during high traffic flow be done and that the current 3-story height restriction remain in place. The council does not seem to have a town plan in place and supports any contractor, any structure, any location. In fact they have no concerns

NFLD to start a family at the end of WWII. But all was not well. Her husband, my grandfather, was deeply troubled, and became an increasingly volatile alcoholic as a husband and father.

Despite this, with my grandmother’s considerable support, they were running a successful general Store while raising their growing family, ultimately having 12 kids. My grandfather was very well regarded as a generous and kind businessman in the community - but behind the walls of their home, he was hostile, erratic, and violent.

On a couple of occasions, my grandmother temporarily relocated her large family to get away from the chaos and aggression. Ultimately, however, she returned fearing that she would have no capacity to support her family in the long term, or maybe she thought he would change once and for all.

My grandmother was incredibly resilient and instilled the values of hard work, education, and supporting one another. The darkness of their home life was not something she talked about a lot. Like her early experiences of hunger, the abuse was rarely acknowledged.

Once her kids left home, multiple valiant attempts were made to get my grandmother to leave her husband. One of my uncles repeatedly offered to build her a house of her own. But perhaps out of pride, fear of not being able to support herself, or something else entirely, she could not do it.

My grandfather passed away a few years before my grandmother did. Many of us were relieved that my grandmother would finally have a few years of peace. In a quiet moment after the funeral, my grandmother turned to me and said something that shocked me, “All those years I wasted waiting for someone to change who never did.” Her face was filled with sadness, and then she carried on.

Many people think that women who don’t leave abusive relationships are weak. Nothing could be further from the truth. My grandmother was such a strong woman - and persisted and persevered in very difficult circumstances. She had to stay very vigilant in order to protect her kids from my grandfather, and instill in them a sense of worth no matter his behaviour.

As my grandmother, she made the best moose stew, grew a beautiful garden, played a mean hand of cards, loved arguing about politics, and insisted we all get an education. But she carried an enormous amount of grief. When I think about International Women’s Day, I think of women like my grandmother. It’s not so much a happy day for me, but a day to reflect on what all women need to truly thrive.

We have come a long way, but there are still many who suffer in silence in abusive relationships. In North Grenville, there are safe ways to explore options where your confidentiality and privacy will be respected, and where you will not be judged or shamed but, instead, supported and equipped to make informed decisions.

Research demonstrates that women (or anyone) living in an abusive situation can experience a kind of PTSD that is nearly debilitating. The effects of the abuse can linger for generations, but so can taking a positive step to find a way out.

In our community, it is possible to confidentially and slowly explore a new way forward that offers safety, and a better future.

Shortly after moving to Ottawa from Newfoundland, I had the chance to briefly work with women who had left abusive situations. They were in their 30s, 40s and 50s, sometimes older. They had in the midst of some of their darkest moments, found a way to make a call, finally tell a friend, or ask for help as a first step to a different life. It wasn’t easy by any stretch, but once they began down the road, they were unstoppable. Here are some folks that are eager to help if you are living with violence:

Victim Services (North Grenville Community Coordinator) Sherri Pellerin – sherri@ vslg.ca / 343-264-2676 / www.Vslg.ca

Assaulted Women’s Helpline (Ontario) 1-866-863-0511 / www. awhl.org

Interval House

1-800-267-4409 / www. lgih.ca

Naomi House 613-774-2838 / https://naomiscentre.ca

Melissa Ottenhof marketing@ngtimes.ca

about quality or aesthetics. This should not be considered a Reuben Cresc area concern as this will set a precedence for all of Kemptville. Do we want to lose the small town qualities that are so beckoning retirees and families looking for exactly what we have?

Ruth Hawkins

Peavey Industries opens applications for 2023 Community Agriculture grant for innovative projects

submitted by Peavey Industries LP

Peavey Industries LP is proud to announce that applications are now being accepted for its 2023 Community Agriculture Grant. First launched in 2013, the grant has already awarded $800,000 in support to community groups across Canada through various agriculturally-based initiatives. The grant aims to fund innovative communitybuilding and agriculturally focused projects that will help strengthen local areas, towns, or cities.

The Community Agriculture Grant awards up to $100,000 annually to registered non-profit organizations or groups of individuals who have identified a need and developed a strategy to achieve their vision. The grant supports projects such as community gardens and green spaces, agricultural programs, recreational spaces, and rural enhancements.

"Each of us has a community, and most of us have ideas about how our community can be helped to be stronger and better," said Doug Anderson, CEO of Peavey Industries LP. "The Peavey Industries Community Agricultural Grant exists to nourish the entrepreneurial spirit of the people and organizations within our communities with a focus on agriculture. We have been proudly serving

Canadian communities since 1966, and most of these communities have a long, rich agricultural heritage. The Peavey Industries Community Agricultural Grant is one more way that we can connect with the land and help realize tangible benefits for all."

Jest Sidloski, Vice President of Marketing at Peavey Industries LP, stated, "The grant is open to community groups across Canada, from food security to ag societies, community spaces, conservation learning programs, youth in agriculture, indigenous programs, and more.

Applicants must operate within 350km of a Peavey Mart location and must demonstrate a clear understand- ing of how their project will positively impact their community. We encourage your group to apply.’ Applications for the 2023 Community Agriculture Grant are now open and will close on May 31, 2023. Winners will be announced in August 2023, and the grant funds will be distributed in September 2023. Peavey Industries is proud to support Canadian communities and help bring their innovative agricultural projects to life. For more information on the Community Agriculture Grant and how to apply, please visit our website at peaveymart.com.