Winnipeg day 2

Hello Everyone,

There's a great saying about wars that amateurs think about tactics, professionals think about logistics. I'm not in a war zone, but the adage applies. There's a ton of coordination involved in moving people from northern communities to the city, setting up temporary shelters, and getting food and other supplies lined up.

Then you have to move and supply your support teams, people like us. Then you have to monitor a fluid situation where some people are being moved back to their communities and new ones are being evacuated, often on fairly short notice.

All that so say, being useful often means sitting around waiting to do something. It sucks for the person doing the waiting (me), but is very useful for the person who has to organize it all.

My morning was spent ferrying members of the previous team to the airport, then hanging out at a cavernous convention centre, where I briefly played soccer with some kids. There wasn't much that needed to be done, so when a call came in that they needed some people at a different location, me and another guy volunteered.

Turned out to be both a geographically and socially different location. The convention centre hosted members from a single community, organized by family. It was big, well organized and pretty chill. The new location was for those who have been removed from other emergency shelters. The people there all surffered with health issues. It was pretty clear that we were the band aid across the massive gaping wound of structural problems.

Everyone working at this new location, from social services to protective services, are really dedicated and work hard, but you can't solve intergenerational trauma with a cot and a box lunch. It's better than sleeping on the ground and going hungry, but the difference between what is needed and what we could offer is a chasm.

Mostly what I was doing was helping run a canteen. Just like a community hockey tournament, except the food was free and I was wearing a fluorescent vest on top of my fluorescent shirt and had a radio squawking at me occasionally.

I never felt unsafe, no one there means you harm, but I was reminded again that in a just world childcare and social workers would be millionaires and people who flash trade stocks would have to hold a bake sale to buy a new computer.

I'll be back there again today. It's good to be useful, the staff there need the help, and a band aid is better than no band aid.

Wes