When my friend showed me the meme, I thought, “Wow, someone is sure mean spirited.” It’s the thing about anonymous memes: you can create what you like and submit it without anyone knowing it was you.
Some would say that is cowardly, but that’s OK. We, who sign our name to our work, aren’t.
The meme shows one woman having a meltdown while being comforted by another. The caption essentially read, “NANCY VAIL … after finding out someone wants to build a polytechnic on Tin Can Hill.”
My friend told me I should be proud, even if it wasn’t as I had become famous and because it meant that people were paying attention to the Tin Can Hill issue. It did indeed become a hot election issue.
As my contact noted, the meme was proof that the issue had become important to Yellowknife residents, which was the goal of the Tin Can Hill Conservatory when it plotted its way forward last spring. So I guess I’m flattered that someone commented even if it was unkind — I know that is a reflection on them.
Last January, when the building of a campus on the hill came to the forefront again at a city council meeting, a group of determined souls began meeting regularly. The goal was precisely to make this an election issue at the territorial level since most of the early work which led to an MOU being signed by the city was done behind closed doors with little or no public input.
It became clear early on that the territorial people leading the charge had not bothered to look at any alternative sites, zeroing in on the hill instead. It was to be someone’s legacy project, nothing more.
Boy, did this group of hill savers work hard.
The intention was never to oppose a polytechnic, that was not its concern. It was to ensure that the school was built in an area that would not be so destructive to this popular well-used recreation area. And they worked tirelessly setting up booths at trade fairs, Yellowknife Farmers Market and other community events to distribute posters and T-shirts. They truly became the voice for the hill.
The community support was overwhelming.
The issue of a polytechnic was rarely discussed at meetings except for some consideration of a site that would not require extensive reconfiguring of infrastructure, transportation, and housing.
The beauty of the issue, though, was it also led to discussions around the state of education in the NWT. It quickly became clear that with a graduation rate of well below 50 per cent in most communities and not much better in Yellowknife, the territorial government was putting the cart before the horse.
The issue also sparked debate about the kinds of programs we should offer and how we can better serve people in the communities.
Other discussions included providing student housing when we have so many residents who cannot find affordable housing or any housing at all. Would it be appropriate to build new student accommodations downtown with so many in need?
Further, how would building a campus on the hill contribute to a dying inner city? (Note: two more businesses downtown are slated to close soon.)
Last but not least, what is the message we are sending to young people when we bulldoze green space during this time of climate change? Is this a further demonstration of our willingness to destroy Mother Nature at a time when she needs protecting? What happened to recycle and reuse? Further, we are quick to throw away green space at the expense of other species, as was the case when the Chateau Nova bulldozed the breeding grounds of two endangered species in front of its hotel leaving an eye sore at the entrance to town for years.
If we want environmental catastrophes to stop, we must start treating the land with respect.
So yes, while the meme was in poor taste, I am flattered by the attention the hill garnered during the election and its ability to show how much some of us care. And we do care. I know that the group which has been working tirelessly on establishing park status and protection will continue to lobby and it will push on.
Join us for the good of the community, for the good of the young, for the good of the environment. We have become a voice to be reckoned with.
—Nancy Vail is a longtime Yellowknifer concerned with social justice.