Excerpt
Victims are easy to deal with. But I can see down into
the future that the ultimate victim will be the entire society. Unless it
comes to terms with all of this, we will all be immersed in a nightmare.
The descendants of those who did this will become the victims. We will
become a place that is poisoned by it all. I see no effort being made to
acknowledge it, to understand it, and to deal with it. It’s not a matter of
compensation and money – although I guarantee you that’s where it’s
going. There will be all kinds of commissions set up, endless bureaucracy,
vast sums of money, most of which will be swallowed by the bureaucracy
and it will only make the situation worse. The only redress is to not do
these things today.”
Ken became involved in many of the camp activities. He organized film
nights for the workers. When a group of new men arrived, who spoke
only Portuguese, Ken became a useful interpreter and when W.A.C. Bennett,
the Premier of the province announced a visit to inspect the site, the
camp manager tapped Ken for the role of tour guide.
He drove him over the site in the old Dodge Fargo and as they talked,
they forged the beginning of a long and cordial relationship. Bennett was
so taken with Ken’s insights, he encouraged him to join his party. Ken,
however, demurred. He had no political ambitions.
Winter came and with it the first snowfall. Unlike the fluffy white
flakes Ken had always imagined, this snow was hard and crystalline and
squeaked underfoot. Ken bought warm clothing in town and relished the
biting touch of cold wind on his face.
With the advent of winter, he made the acquaintance of a Métis man
who lived on the opposite side of the Peace River. He was renowned for
his dog sled team and for the method he used to obtain his dogs. When
one of his bitches came into heat he put her outside. The alpha wolf of the
local pack would mate with her and the result was a litter of wolf hybrid
pups that were strong and potentially dangerous. Patrick said that if those
dogs ever got loose they would form a pack – the most dangerous pack of
all – animals acclimatized to man.
Ken barely heard Patrick’s concerns over the dogs – he had heard the
word “wolf” and his attention was arrested. Wolves?
“Sure,” Patrick said. “There are lots of wolves here.”
“I haven’t seen a wolf,” Ken said.
Patrick laughed. “You know you guys over there in Europe read way
too much “Little Red Riding Hood”. All those stories about wolves are
nonsense.”
As the temperature dipped lower and lower the Peace River froze, and
Patrick explained that the wolf pack travelled on the ice, passing by the
camp at least three times a month. Ken began to frequent the river and
watch for them.
Libros Libertad 