Dear editor
Well, the Cakewalk Chronicles in the Feb. 28 edition of The Journal obviously hit two nerves with me.
RE: “The Cost of the Wellness Slogan”
I was one of the community volunteers on our branding committee. We were required to detach ourselves from our environment and think outside the box. To produce an idea for a brand that was something our community already possessed, was unique, marketable and something we could expand upon. Not an easy task.
After literally hours of volunteer time spent attending meetings, having conversations with locals and non-locals and sitting in on consultations, a few common comments were revealed: Clean air, no hustle-bustle, no noise, good weather, numerous physical activities and an atmosphere of no stress. And, finally, the comment that stood out the most: “Are you aware of what you have here?” Clearly, to our committee, this translated into wellness.
As we all know, nothing comes without a price. While $64,000 may sound expensive, the huge effort by the volunteer committee kept the cost well under what most other towns and cities pay.
If we as a community wish to move forward we need to promote Ashcroft as someplace unique. A place people will want to visit and possibly move to. To do this we need our residents to believe in Ashcroft and help accentuate and promote what we naturally have here. In order for change to happen you need a vision and the willingness to work towards it. This involves stepping up to help not sitting back and criticizing.
p.s. Remember that Winthrop, Washington was once a town like Ashcroft. Through the perseverance of one woman and her committee it has blossomed into what it is today.
Re: “Adios Mexico”
I wonder Ms. Darlington-MacDonald when you last visited Mexico? Did you have first-hand knowledge to write your column or did you just regurgitate the one-sided, sensationalist stories that the newspapers love to print?
You must certainly know that gang related incidents and crime don’t just happen in Mexico. Are you aware that Ontario has a higher per capita crime rate than Mexico? Do you know that when you vacation in Jamaica the resorts will strongly advise you not to leave the resort on your own and the resorts in the Dominican Republic often issue similar warnings.
I suspect that in the western provinces of Canada more reporting on incidents occurring in Mexico are written than any other vacation destination due to the fact that it is geographically closer and also one of the most visited vacation places by our populace.
My husband and I have travelled to many areas of Mexico over the past 16 years and have never felt unsafe there. We have never witnessed anything criminally-related nor been asked to remain in the resorts for our safety. Many Canadians vacation or live in Mexico for weeks and often months during our winter season. They use public transportation, taxis and venture all around on foot. Do you think they would live and vacation there if they felt unsafe?
When travelling anywhere, one must exercise common sense and use good judgement. If you would hesitate to venture out in a city after dark, go into questionable areas, or involve yourself in unsafe activities, it matters little if you are in a domestic or foreign country. True, there have been isolated incidences of people being harmed while in Mexico, but our part of the country is no different. Incidents like the recent reporting of a Vancouver man who was stabbed while minding his own business while drinking coffee in a shop in Vancouver comes to mind.
The media love sensationalism. They print what sells papers. It is generally one-sided reporting and does not include all the facts; so, before believing everything that is printed in the papers one must always ask “what is the other side of the story?” Is what they are printing believable or are we just hungry for the stuff that sells the papers?”
An interesting comment from some of the Mexicans we have made friends with is “why would we want to travel to Vancouver or Canada when people get murdered there?” Seems they get the same kind of reporting that we do.
Andrea Walker
Ashcroft