the cassandra pages

A Walk in the (City) Woods

There's a place in the northeast part of the island of Montreal where a stream has been allowed to stay in its natural state. It's surrounded by woods, and a path runs along the top edge, but there is also a path that leads down into a rather deep gorge where the stream flows.

We had never been there, and visited on Saturday afternoon. Hardly anyone else was in the park. As natural places go, it's not extraordinarily beautiful -- what's remarkable is that it exists at all. Elsewhere on the island the natural waterways have all disappeared -- been diverted underground, covered, paved over, built up. I've never gone on an urban walk that visits some of these areas, but I'm sure remnants and signs of the former environment are still there, and a few people know all about them.

We were glad to have made the trip to find it. The stream seemed to be in fairly clean condition, and the aspen-filled woods were light and lovely, giving us a respite from urban life before emerging again into the northern suburban neighborhood bordering the park.

A Somber July 1

Though I'm a relatively new Canadian, I am a North American of New England settler/colonial stock, and therefore share in the shame of what was done to the indigenous population of this continent. There is no way I can celebrate Canada Day, in light of the discovery of the graves of nearly 1,000 children who died at residential schools -- and there will certainly be many more. I urge all of us to spend at least some time this day in reflection and sorrow about the tragedy that took place on this soil, and consideration of what can be done to make reparation.

 

In addition, the indigenous people have warned repeatedly about the damage being done to the natural world, and have never abandoned their sense of stewardship. Do we need any more proof than the temperatures and wildfires in western Canada, or the recent tornadoes and violent weather here in Quebec? This is a time of reckoning on so many fronts, and we can either bury our heads in the sand, or demand genuine action by our governments, and work individually for change.