SaskBoy And BCer Smacktalkin'

As a transplanted "ex-Saskatchewanian", I don't know whether to laugh or cry at BCer's "shots"... I'll say this: As a place to live, Sask. was GREAT. I have a lot of good friends there, and there was nothing quite like my memories of small town Sask. Christmases. The Riders are effectively "Canada's Team" (Go Riders!). Great place to be FROM.

Now Saskboy: Lol... You're asking for trouble there Saskboy... Vancouver has err... a "few" points better than the flatland... Scenery being the main one. Lack of giant, helicopter-sized mosquitoes, and blackflys. For Sask, being indistinguishable from most of Alberta is a bit of a curse too... especially when you have similar politics... lol...

Life out here - from what I've experienced - doesn't seem to revolve around dog-eared copies of "Guns and Ammo", "Renegade RVer", and "Animal Husbandry for Dummies"...

My average Spring/Summer day off in Vancouver, so far, has consisted of: Waking up to a great cappuccino, walking to Granville Island for some freshly baked muffins, picking up some fresh veggies and organic meats for dinner, strolling along the seawall, taking in a late leisurely lunch by the beach, before hitting some local mountains for a little nature photography.

My typical Sask Spring/Summer day: Douse myself in DEET, and sprint to my car. Crank up the AC to sooth the bites from the mosquitoes that don't seem to mind DEET. Get to ball-park (everyone plays "slo-pitch" out there). Cry that we can't bat first - and get relagated to the field. Swat mosquitoes for 1/2 inning. Run to car for AC, or huddle close to nearest smoker (smoke repels mosquitoes). Decide to call the game due to mosquito "delay". Go home and watch a rental movie in my cool "root cellar", along with the pickled beets. It's either that, or join the local "popular kids" shooting at highway signs, or playing "who wants to be a meth junkie?" at some high school party...

Honestly though - and I say this without joking - people in Metro Vancouver tend to be more conscious of their environment, about recycling, about people's rights, about animal rights, about the rest of the world (they seem to have more of an interest in the world beyond Vancouver, or BC - probably mainly to do with the number of people here FROM around the world). This is not to say this doesn't exist in Sask. There are a LOT of "balanced" "moderate", and quite outspoken folks in Saskatchewan. A lot of them were friends and associates. While the province may be returning Conservatives of the "crazy" variety to Ottawa, there really is a strong social consciousness that prevades thought. Upwards of 1/2 the population is actually "progressive", but vote splitting between Liberals and NDP/Green often lead to Cons winning in the cities. Provincial politics better displays the urban/rural split in Sask. Basically (but not unequivocally), the more educated, more worldly, and more "plugged in" denizens of the cities are the more progressive ones. The rural populations tend to be more conservative in their approach - wanting to keep "the old ways", and longing for "the old times".

Being a citizen of the West, I can speak highly of all 3 "Western Provinces" (although decidedly less so of Alberta)... Living in Alberta for 7 years certainly didn't change my opinion of that very dry Province (yeah, Calgary Grit - I'm calling you out... and YOU, DaveBerta)... May as well make this a 3 province flame-war... Speaking of Flames... that Johnny-come-lately nothing of a hockey team (who just lost in Chicago). How can your team be the Flames (didn't change after leaving Atlanta), but your jersey has a horse head, and a freakin' DOG for a mascot?

Calgary often speaks about Banff and their location in the "Foothills"... Foothills is right. One still has to drive hours to get to the mountains... They love their oil industry... the same industry that's drying out the Bow River and killing the Bow Glacier. Their idea of "communist" voters is Calgary South (a Conservative stronghold for millenia), or the West part of the Wildrose constituency (which includes Canmore/Banff).

Calgary doesn't have freeways. They have one "trail" that passes from North to South, and STILL has stoplights. I guess, if your city sucks so much you want to stop "visitors". Most Calgarians think Tim Horton's is "gourmet" coffee. Most Calgarians think a pickup truck is a "sub-compact". Calgary is about the only city I know that could elect a public drunk as mayor, then make him a national conservative icon. Calgary elected Stephen Harper... and took him from Toronto (who wouldn't have him). Calgary's Stampeder Cheerleaders are called the "Outriders". They should be called the "outliers" - ever see a picture? In Vancouver I can go downtown and grab dinner 24 hrs - at an award-winning restaurant... In Calgary, you don't go downtown... but there's always MacDonalds (til 3am, on MacLeod Trail South). Calgary is the only city I know that has a "Heritage Park" Wild West Village, where people dress like the 1800s, and ride horses... that isn't really necessary, since all Calgarians dress like the 1800s (and think it is too). Calgary is the number one destination for "boot-cut Wranglers". Calgary was jealous of Toronto, so they built a tower... only a few hundred feet shorter... (they can't even compete right). When any other party would have won an overwhelming majority after the "sponsorship scandal", Calgary's Reform-a-Tory Party barely won a minority. When they couldn't win outright, they decided to use that old West poker trick - cheating. Oh, the weather in Calgary: just take the worst weather in Sask and BC, rub it together, and voila! Snow in August, hail every month, and the "best" part of the year is when you get a Chinook in February, so it isn't always -20C. The best part of Calgary is the airport - particularly the "departures" area.

Alberta (especially Calgary) is so full of Big Oil hot air, you can't even ride the C-Train without almost gagging from the wannabe oil-tycoons criticizing anyone and everyone who isn't "Calgary". Toronto bashing is their all-time fave. I actually went out and BOUGHT a Toronto Maple Leafs hat JUST to piss off Calgarians. In 7 years of living there, there wasn't a meeting, public event, or party that I attended that wasn't laden with derrogatory comments about Toronto or Vancouver. Talk about a "Napoleon Complex". Sometimes when something is a little "lacking", you compensate by attacking others...

Calgarians often talk about how "great" and "changing" their city is (I hear this a lot from my Liberal Calgarian friends). Sure... it may slowly be changing - but, so is the rest of Canada. If Calgary really is to change, we need to change the things that make it the hate crime capital of Canada. Things like that need to be changed (and that involves an aweful lot of education), before people there will even begin to start voting more moderately.

CalgaryGrit... Daveberta? Defend yourselves... (this should be fun)...

VICTORY FUND