Sometimes I wonder what goes through people minds. 

Sometimes I wonder what goes through people minds. 

As you know, I’m not a huge social media person. Facebook, in my opinion, is a cesspool of negativity.  I’m not on any of the public forums that denigrate people under the pretence of community engagement. I live in blissful ignorance of what people are saying on those sites. 

Occasionally, however, someone sends me a post and I can’t help but wonder what rock some people live under. 

The newest one I was sent was by a group called the Protect Alberta’s Rockies and Headwaters. I tried to look up the garbage they spew on their site about the Crowsnest Pass and the people who make up this valley to only see that they blocked me. Now, I’m intrigued. Why would a public group block a person who owns a newspaper in the valley they often disparage? My only guess is that they don’t want the people of the Crowsnest Pass to read the garbage they say about them. I have one word for this group and its commentators, you are all COWARDS. 

Just for some background. The group is irate that Northback (formerly Riversdale) is donating $75,000 to the Livingstone Range School Division to feed students that face food insecurity. 

This amount will be donated annually and is not a one-time donation as some believe it to be.

I asked for some screenshots of what this group said, and these are a few of the comments.

“This is Northback trying to buy their way into getting support of the people living in the Crowsnest Pass”. 

Northback is “bribing the UCP at a time when the Oldman is nearly dry is disgusting”.

“Feeding your children, before you poison them”.

“Some humans are very cruel and greedy. All about the mighty dollar, no matter who or what it destroys”.

“This is absolutely Northback trying to buy their way into getting the support of the people living in the Crowsnest Pass. Anyone who would think it’s anything other than that are sadly delusional.”

There are many but I thought I’d just send you a few.

First, many of these people don’t understand that the money goes to every school in the division, not just the Crowsnest Pass. 

Second, they obviously don’t understand that food insecurity for children in this division is real. Kids go hungry and my guess is with the increased cost of housing, food, and utilities that many are only getting one meal a day!

I wonder if any of these commentators have donated anything to the division to feed the students. It’s easy for them to virtue signal on their computers in their warm homes all built with steel made from coal.

Perhaps if we had a coal mine in the valley, people from all over the school division could get jobs in the mine. Jobs that pay a living wage. They wouldn’t have to hope that their kids get a meal at school when their own cupboards are bare. 

This is the hypocrisy of this group. Let me fill you in on a fact. Someone in Northback realized that kids were going hungry. They saw a need and filled that need by donating to a food program. It wasn’t to get points with the provincial government, it was to feed students. 

The commentators on this group have obviously not missed a meal or they wouldn’t be sitting on their high horses disparaging such a noble deed.

Perhaps these commentators, and the locals who are spouting off on it as well, could use their spare time on social media to help fundraise for the impoverished in our community, but wait that requires some work on their part!

So, thank you Northback! Thank you for feeding some of the kids in our school division. I hope you get your permit and I hope you employ hundreds of people, allowing them to make a liveable wage, then perhaps you won’t have to donated to feed kids because their families can!