The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

There was a time when being a doctor, nurse, fire fighter, EMS operator, police was nothing more than a person with a hell of a career ahead of them. Good money, respect and kudos to them all. Something has changed and continues to mindfully change for us all. You know how you come to appreciate something or someone when you most need it, or when it or they cannot be found?

In the past, precious few of us hoped to need their assistance, but now we all need a helping hand, don’t we? The clouds of smoke remind us of the fire fighters and emergency workers across the nation battling forest fires, floods and other environmental disasters that climate change has thrown at us. Thousands have been forced from their homes seeking shelter where they can find it, whether in strangers’ homes or community centres. The fires rage continually, and 2023 will certainly be remembered by us all as “The Big Burn”.

If you are in need of medical attention, and a trip to the hospital is at hand, the heroes whom we played bang the pan are still there available to us all, just their numbers are way down indeed. Waiting times in hospitals remain very high, while our healthcare professionals make every effort to assist us with the staff and equipment at hand. Many regional emergency centres close for days or a week because there simply is no way to properly assist patients. Staffing will continue to be a problem, as private healthcare centres open snatching experienced nurses from our hospitals with higher pay.

Whether these workers are nurses, emergency or EMS operators, airline pilots, border guards, paramedics or healthcare professionals we have come to support them as they have always supported our communities. The people who maintain our electrical grids that heat and cool us during what’s going to be a hot summer. Is every job becoming essential? Perhaps essential to someone indeed. For a moment consider all the services you are dependent upon, and the many people whose work maintains your livelihoods, homes, schools and basic existence. Teachers should be essential workers, teaching, molding and preparing our little ones for a generational futuristic challenge.

The working man and woman, your neighbour, friend, family member perhaps are all essential to our community and societies betterment. That a child can look at a cop, fire fighter or nurse and see a hero before them, someone who has invested their lives in the betterment of their community is a pivotal moment, something to celebrate. Celebrate the people who make your nation as wonderful as it is, as liveable as it can be. Raise a glass to the Hero’s you know, those in protective gear, medical scrubs, or those with a smile on their face each day you return to your school room or office. Perhaps if you look real hard, you’ll notice they don’t need caps, super strength or special abilities to be your life savers, protectors and friends.

STEVEN KASZAB

Bradford, Ontario

June 18, 2023.