Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 We're ready to go. Count me in good morning, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. You've tuned into the Mac city morning show. I'm your host, Elliot Pierre. And we're going to start the show off the same way we start every show off with a moment of gratitude. I know you could be doing a million other things with your time. So the fact that you're spending with us truly does mean the world to me on that note, Tanner hit him with the intro.
Speaker 1 00:00:24 Oh, she caught me. You're listening to the next <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:00:34 All right. And we're back. Okay. We have a very, very fun guests here today. I'm excited. Um, as you guys know, I do not introduce my guests. I let them do that by themselves, but I will give you a little bit of a spoiler. Um, our guest today is running for mayor. So on that note, uh, can you please introduce yourself and tell everybody who you are?
Speaker 2 00:00:52 Thanks. Thanks for having me this morning. I've been watching the Mac city morning show and listening to it, um, and finding out so much about our communities. Awesome. I'm Verna Murphy. And as you mentioned, I'm currently running for the seats for, for mayor for the entire region of the municipality of wood Buffalo. Um, I'm a mom of three and foster mom of several others that still call me mom and a wife to Tim for the last 26 years.
Speaker 0 00:01:23 Right on. Okay. There you go. That's a, that's a big story that you have there. Okay. So before we get into talking about like you running from air and like potentially like what your, your thought process is on, where for where it should go. The first thing I'd like to get to know about you, um, for the people at home is kind of like who you are, where you're from, why you came to form with Maureen. Like, why are you still here? Like, why, why have you decided after all these years to call it home? So let's get a little bit of background on you.
Speaker 2 00:01:48 So I'm originally from Cape Breton, a small village called Mabu Harbor, which, you know, I grew up there. My dad was a fisherman and my mom worked once we got old enough, she went back to work at the local distillery. That actually makes the only single malt scotch in north America. Oh yeah. So it's a really beautiful spot that I grew up in. And, uh, we moved here 15 years ago. Okay. Um, we actually were a family that my husband initially had made the move out and, um, the local paper mill was going through like a lockout. Right. And a lot of us were moving at the same time. And so it took a while for our home to sell back there. So initially Tim was out, um, almost a year before us. So he's been here about 16 years, and then we followed, uh, the next year. And we were a family that once we got here, we, you know, you hear so many people say, you know, they had a three-year plan or a five-year plan. And once we moved here, we knew that this was home. And, you know, we, we still don't really ever plan to, to move back to the east coast. You hopefully we'll have some grandchildren in farming Murray eventually, but not too soon.
Speaker 0 00:03:06 Okay, cool. So when you got to Fort McMurray, um, I know you didn't just jump right into politics right away. Um, what did you do when you first arrived here?
Speaker 2 00:03:15 Well, actually first, a couple of months that I was working here, I took a job, the quickest job I could get, and I actually worked at the registry office. Okay. And, uh, I, it was the downtown location and I was there. It didn't last a whole lot, like long time as in ever probably seven months. And, uh, you know, just wasn't a fit for me and the very, very last customer that I ever served. I had let him in before the Christmas break, um, after the doors were locked and he said, so you're, you're leaving this job. Are you going to site? And I said, no. I said, I don't know what I want to do yet. And he said, well, you're in Fort McMurry. Now, if you could do anything in the world, like, what would you do? And I would say, you know, obviously, right.
Speaker 2 00:04:04 Like, and he said, oh, are you a writer? And I said, yeah, I, I worked for newspapers and magazines on the east coast. And he kind of started laughing and introduced himself. And it was Tim O'Rourke. Oh, no way. Yeah. And he was the publisher of the forming Mary today paper at the time. And, uh, it took me a couple of days to work up my nerve to actually send him some of my work. And he called me into his office and hired me, like, I think it was December 28th of that, that, you know, a week or two after Christmas. So yeah. So I, yeah, Tim was a great mentor to me and, uh, taught me a lot, but my, my most experience and, uh, the thing that I did the most informing Marie was right about every issue and, and write about the region for six, almost 16 years, because I had actually started writing about forming Marie before I even moved here. Oh, wow.
Speaker 0 00:05:01 That's amazing. What a cool story. You never know. No, you don't like the last customer doors are locked, you know what come in and like, it changes the trajectory of your life completely. Wow. That is cool. Years later,
Speaker 2 00:05:15 I got, um, the media award of the year. Um, and Tim was there and he since passed away from cancer and he was there that night and I get up on stage and I told that little story. And, uh, you know, when you talk about fate, yeah. That man was a real inspiration to me, such a community minded spirits that, you know, just did so much work for forming Mary and he taught me so much.
Speaker 0 00:05:45 That's awesome. That's awesome. Now there's one thing that you mentioned, uh, when you're doing your introduction, um, that you have a pretty large family, but you've had a number of foster children as well. Yeah. I'm about that for most people that, um, decide like I'm going to bring in these children. Um, tell, can you go a little bit in detail about like, how you got into that and why you continue to
Speaker 2 00:06:08 Partner? It's kind of a running joke in our house because, um, when I was writing for the forming Mary today, newspaper, I went and I wrote a story about the SPCA had too many dogs and they needed people to come and adopt the dogs. So then I landed home with the dog and then, you know, I had written about, you know, the great need and there still is a great need for foster parents in our region. And we became foster parents. And, you know, I, then I wrote about, you know, the foster kids that were still in the system and they could be adopted. So then we adopted that's right. And so my husband now says, you know, if you're going to write about anything, you should, you should just run the, run the story,
Speaker 0 00:06:54 No doubt. So awesome
Speaker 2 00:06:56 At the time. Um, and still continuing. Yeah. A lot of our children in the region are, are sent at a Friedgen because we don't have enough foster parents. Right. And it was, it was, and it's still a concern of mine because, you know, unfortunately when these children are taken out of their homes, there's usually some type of trauma or neglect or, you know, just there might, there's so many different situations. And so, but they still love their mom and dad and their siblings. And when they get sent to Calgary or red deer, um, not only are they being removed from their home, but they're being removed from their friends, their teachers, you know, everything that they really know. Um, so that's why, you know, we got involved and then we adopted Shaylene she's 12 now. Um, and she was born on Friday night and came home with us on Saturday morning.
Speaker 2 00:07:54 And, you know, I did palliative care before I came to forming Marie as well. Okay. And I find that in both those, um, fields, a lot of people will say, well, why did you get involved with that? It's so hard. And I always had the experience that, you know, if you don't get involved, you know, who's, who will step up. And we always had, um, the love and the ability to do those kinds of things. And in some ways that's what kind of drew me into politics as well. The last couple of years, um, I was really tired of just writing about subjects and I can remember, um, about eight years ago, another counselor at the time had kind of challenged me and said, you know, you're writing about these things. And if you, if you want to make a change in some of the things that you're writing about and feeling frustrated about why don't you put your name forward for council. Right. And so I did and I lost.
Speaker 0 00:08:55 Okay. Okay. And
Speaker 2 00:08:57 Then, uh, I, I took that loss as a lesson and I really spent the next two years working even harder in the community. And I got more involved with the boards and, you know, I, I served with different local social profits through, on their boards. Um, attended every single council meeting and was still covering the council meetings at the times as a journalist. And, uh, just started taking other courses and, you know, just trying to gather as much knowledge about the region, but also about municipal government and how it works. Right. And ran again last time and was successful and was able to get onto council.
Speaker 0 00:09:40 There you go. Oh, so you've been on council now for some of the hardest times it's like in regards to, we've had a lot of adversity over the last few years for sure to say the
Speaker 2 00:09:49 Least it's, it's been, um, again, a learning experience. Um, I got elected, not that long after the fire. Right. And, um, we were still in our own rebuilds. We actually didn't finish until last February just before COVID hit. And we had the flood of course last year. Um, so, you know, and again, I was writing about all of the issues and covering the council meetings, like right after the fire. Right. And, um, it's been, you know, it's been a lot of challenges the last couple of years, and there's still so much work. You know, I still talk to people that are rebuilding since the fire. And so, you know, we still have lots of work to do in the region to, to get through our recovery from, from that, and then the flood, but also from COVID, you know, we've, we've been hit, heard the last number of years in forming Marie from the downturn in the economy as well. So lots of work to do doubt.
Speaker 0 00:10:56 So from counselor now to a run for mayor, why did you decide to make that?
Speaker 2 00:11:02 Yeah. Um, I always have been a person that, you know, I've incorporated all my life lessons into everything I do a number of years ago, I had a bone marrow transplant and, you know, had lost all my hair and, you know, all, all of that experience definitely made me stronger. And my husband had been hit by a drunk driver. Um, and you know, we've had a lot of personal challenges, right. Um, but in the last four years being on council, I've really realized, um, a few things about myself and one is that I really had the skillset to be a good leader and, you know, a good communicator. And, uh, I take great pride in the fact that I've been able to work people that, um, have challenged me and then have taught me lots. And I really feel that given all my experience from being through those hard things, the last number of years of just living in forming Marie, but also my personal experience that I'm just ready. Yeah. I'm ready to step into that role. I'm ready to build a strong team of whoever is elected. Um, I've already been reaching out to all of the candidates who are running, you know, I've had even with, um, those that are running against me for the mayor position, I've had some conversations with them as well. So I do take great pride in the fact that I'm always a team, a team player. I am, I do not bring my own ego or agenda to the table and I I'm maybe too
Speaker 0 00:12:45 Much for hard worker at times. Okay. I have to find some
Speaker 2 00:12:48 Balance there sometimes, but, um, you know, I've, I've worked on every board that I could in the last few years, so that I've been able to gain knowledge about, you know, not just all the different topics and forming Marie, right. But you know, all the different issues that are not just in the, within the city, but also in the rural areas.
Speaker 0 00:13:07 Okay, cool. There we go. All right. Now we are, we've come to the part of the show called the Mac city minute. This is Tanner segment. I never know what he's going to ask. So a Tanner hit with the Mac city minute,
Speaker 3 00:13:21 Uh, question number one. What is your favorite place in Fort McMurray to enjoy a day?
Speaker 2 00:13:28 Oh, that's an easy one. It's definitely on the Sinai or any of the rivers. Clearwater Athabaska, um, grew up on the east coast. So, uh, if I can get out for a day of floating or a day on a boat with friends and family here, it's the best way to spend the day.
Speaker 3 00:13:48 Question number two. What is something about Fort McMurry that makes you want to run for council?
Speaker 2 00:13:55 Um, right now I just see that we're really at a crossroads and, you know, we're, I think that industry is going to be spending some money in the next few years for some capital projects. I think it's important that mayor and council support those initiatives so that, you know, we see some more growth in the region. Um, so it's really about continuing that work that I've been doing the last number of years, but also building and, uh, repairing some relationships with the province and with industry so that, you know, eventually when those grandkids of mine come, you know, it's gonna be an even better place to be living. And it's really about community and bringing back, you know, I find a lot of people say that farming, Murray's not what it used to be. Um, and I'd like to bring that sense of community back and that pride in community that's, you know, people long for like, yeah, lots of community events and just that sense of togetherness that I think we had it right after the fire, but then COVID and everything has played a factor along with the economy. And so I'm ready for the work.
Speaker 3 00:15:09 Cool question. Number three, as in your time as a writer, what was the most obscure article you had ever read? Oh, good question.
Speaker 2 00:15:20 Um, oh, wow. So I had the opportunity as a, as a writer here to cover so many different topics that I actually, you know, I've spoken and, and given lectures and everything right across the world. Now
Speaker 0 00:15:40 I probably the most
Speaker 2 00:15:43 Obscure one though, was that I did a series of articles about the health issues, um, in our rural areas. And I got invited to go talk to, um, a symposium in, um, Australia. Oh, wow. Or the United nations. Oh, wow. Yeah. And I didn't go because my kids were really young at the time. And it was just like the week before Christmas, that year that the symposium was happening, it was like December 17th. Right. Um, so that was probably the most obscure one, but I've written articles about everything from arranged marriages in Fort MacMurray that had been published in the papers in India, um, to fly in, fly out articles that have been published in journals and stuff in Australia and New Zealand. Oh,
Speaker 0 00:16:31 Wow. Yeah. Very cool. Yeah. That's pretty cool. I've yeah, those things done. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:16:37 Question number four. What is one thing that the community of Fort McMurry has that you can't find anywhere else?
Speaker 2 00:16:48 Oh, well the people of course, right. Um, we have such amazing people that live here that have had so many different experiences in their life before they came to Fort McMurray. And so I've learned so much about different cultures and all the diversity and, you know, but also just that again, that community that you can put out a call for anything in Fort St. Marie. And by the end of the day, it's usually done. And, you know, even though I grew up on the east coast where everybody pitches in, I've never experienced it at the same level at, in any other community than forming Marie.
Speaker 3 00:17:30 And your final question, what is one Fort McMurray gem you think our audience should pay attention to? That's a tough one. Again.
Speaker 2 00:17:45 I think again, our waterways are often overlooked. Um, a lot of people have been discovering them the last few years. Um, but I really think that, you know, people could be using them more the first day that I ever went floating. Um, down, like when we came in down below streak, is there on the Snyder. We were actually bumping into people like there's people out on their paddle boards and kayaks and you know, but I'd like to see some more developments along the waterfront for sure. Safely developed, you know, with mitigation in mind. But, um, that in the trails we have some beautiful trails and forming Murray that people still don't know about. So, you know, I, I think I've kind of taken up that, um, promotion from, from counselor Meyer as well. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:18:36 And those have been here. Five questions.
Speaker 0 00:18:39 There you go. 10 are killing me with questions as per usual, bro. Thank you. No problem. Yeah, no, the trail systems are amazing. Same with the water. I know like myself, um, I have a kayak and you just literally, I don't know anywhere else in the world where you can like drive from your house down to the Sinai. We're talking 10 minutes, tops go kayaking. Like it's, you don't have to drive far to do it. Yeah. And it's
Speaker 2 00:19:01 The same with, uh, OHVs the off-highway vehicles and side by sides. Like those are all things that, you know, are really, you know, fairly easy cheap infrastructure to put in that is going to improve the quality of life for the residents here. And especially after COVID, everybody's looking for that. Can I relax with my family? How can we get outside and enjoy, you know, the warm weather while it's, while it's here. And then, you know, in the winter, same thing, those groom trails and stuff like this, no drifters, and those guys do an amazing job of, of keeping those trails up and same with the term again, uh, ski club, same thing. Just amazing.
Speaker 0 00:19:45 All right. Well Verna, that's it. That's uh, that's 20 minutes. So, uh, thank you very much for coming. I really do appreciate it. No problem. I tell everybody this, I don't feel overly special about it, but please take me up on the offer. Please come back as many times as you want to. Um, this is a platform that, uh, as you continue your run from air, you can come back and chat about what's new and what's happening. Um, and at any point in time, if you just want to come and BS with myself and Tanner,
Speaker 2 00:20:11 We'd love to have you back. Great. So,
Speaker 0 00:20:14 Uh, it's at the end of the show though. So now this is your opportunity to do a shameless shout-out or a plug. I'm pretty sure I know what you're going to plug obviously, but, uh, the, the mic is all yours.
Speaker 2 00:20:24 Thanks. And thanks again for having me. I love that while watching your show, I've been learning about the residents that live here. So I appreciate that. Uh, my shameless plug of course, is, you know, I really hope that people will support me in the upcoming election. Um, I would never intentionally, you know, bring shame to the region in that role. I would work tremendously hard. You know, I really do just want the opportunity to show Fort MacMurray that an average everyday mom that has, you know, my team is really, you know, my husband is my campaign manager. You know, my kids are helping out door knocking and signs and all those kinds of things, and really my best friends that, you know, really don't even, you know, have interest in politics per se, but they believe in me or my team. And, uh, I really hope that I can serve Fort McMurry the same way that I've been doing the last four years for the next four years.
Speaker 0 00:21:26 There we go. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you. All right. On that note for McMurry wood, Buffalo and the rest of the world, that's been another episode of the Mac city morning show. Thank you very much for tuning in from the bottom of my heart. I really do appreciate it. Hopefully you're having a great day and we'll see you tomorrow. Peace.
