Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 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 episode with the 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.
Speaker 1 00:00:19 Oh, she caught me loves you're listening to the next anymore.
Speaker 0 00:00:29 And we're back. Okay. We got another fun guest today. Cause I don't know who this individual is. I met her for two seconds at thick wood barbershop at a charity event, they were doing so big shout out to Allie and the boys at thick wood barbershop next to the black horse for not only making me look awesome every day, but for making this connection happen. Um, as you guys know, I don't introduce my guests because they can do a better job than I. So on that note, can you please tell everybody who you are and what you're about?
Speaker 3 00:00:56 And Jen I'm with big brothers, big sisters.
Speaker 0 00:00:59 There we go. Now, Jen, you're new to the organization.
Speaker 3 00:01:01 I am, it's been about a month, month and a half.
Speaker 0 00:01:06 So tell me how this all started.
Speaker 3 00:01:07 So, um, about two years ago, I actually applied with big brothers. Big sisters was super excited, had an interview, went green one for the second round of interviews, found out I was pregnant. I was like, you know what, not the time to switch jobs. I was super excited for the position, but just not the right time. So I saw Vanessa who's our ed post. That there's a new position. So I sent her an email really quickly. I'm like, Vanessa, I'm looking, this is a perfect opportunity for me. Um, yeah, so she emailed me back and it was about a month of back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. They were like, um, Sam said they were moving. They were in the middle of packing stuff up. Yeah. And then she got back to me and I went in for, or no, we did an online interview. And then I found out that week I got the position.
Speaker 0 00:01:59 Congratulations. That's huge. So what is the role that you were hired for and has it evolved since you?
Speaker 3 00:02:06 Yeah, so I was hired for administrative assistant, um, went into the role and I took on the 21st annual rubber duck race.
Speaker 0 00:02:16 So right now,
Speaker 3 00:02:18 Yeah. So right now I'm I started, I started in the position and then within the week I think I started applying for permits, figuring out, okay, how do I put together a sponsorship package who I contact? How do I order tickets, raffle tickets, right. Rubber ducks. And then I've been doing the marketing and videos and going into different businesses and doing my little pitch. And so it's been, it's been a lot of fun. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:02:43 Yeah. Very cool. It's my favorite thing to see it. I don't know how many years they've been doing it. It's relatively new. I want to eat first.
Speaker 3 00:02:51 This is a 21st annual rubber duck race. So 21 years, what
Speaker 0 00:02:57 Have they been doing it the same way where they just dump it out of a huge truck and it goes down.
Speaker 3 00:03:03 Yeah. As far as I know, um, that's for sure what they've been doing the last couple of years.
Speaker 0 00:03:08 Yeah. I've never seen it prior to that's the only way I've been viewing it 21 years. I'm mortified because I'm born and raised here.
Speaker 3 00:03:18 I was also born and raised here and
Speaker 0 00:03:22 10 or we got another one drum roll. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:03:26 I also for so long had no idea that they did this event.
Speaker 0 00:03:31 Okay. Well listen, now that you're on the case, making videos and posting it more people know about.
Speaker 3 00:03:37 Yeah. Well that's my thing. I think I've been into probably 300 businesses in the last two weeks of just going and giving them a, my sponsorship package and doing a pitch. And so many people have said, we had no idea. This was even a thing here. Right. So I'm like, you know what? The more, um, awareness I can raise, the more money we can raise more children and we can help in the community.
Speaker 0 00:04:01 Yeah, that's right. Okay. Born and raised here in Fort Macquarie. Not going to age, age, you, I'm not going to throw it out there, but I am going to ask, what high school did you go to
Speaker 3 00:04:11 When, till Westerland. Oh,
Speaker 0 00:04:13 You made two enemies today. Ouch. <inaudible> wow. All right. How did you like Westwood?
Speaker 3 00:04:24 I actually loved it. It's very academic, um,
Speaker 0 00:04:29 Huge
Speaker 3 00:04:30 In the academics that, I mean, I loved it and I still love the teachers. Um, I still, I have most of them on Facebook too, right? Yeah. They're, they're really amazing. It's a huge fight in my household too. Cause my boyfriend wants to father mark always a big fight thing. Right. Always trying to start fights all accurate, accurate
Speaker 0 00:04:54 Comp ends them though, right? Yeah. That's right. Competence. That's where Tanner went to high school. He's not to be messed with. Okay. So you went to a Westwood. What junior high did you go to that?
Speaker 3 00:05:11 So, um, deacons fueled, nice holding
Speaker 0 00:05:15 And field school yet the French immersion program.
Speaker 3 00:05:18 I wasn't, I had to take French and it was like 30 minutes a day. I think it was. But um, I went originally. I went to St. Anne's. Oh yeah.
Speaker 0 00:05:28 We can be friends again.
Speaker 3 00:05:30 And then in grade five or no grade four, I switched over. So it was kinda too late to start. I know some people say it's super easy once you start going, but no, no,
Speaker 0 00:05:40 No, no. Picking up a different languages is a nightmare. Not happening. My mom tried it with me. Failed miserably, miserably. Yeah. I went to, uh, St Anne's as well. And then I had to go to sister Mary Phillips for a little bit. Cause it opened in the area and I went back to St. Louis, but yeah, it was a nice school. All my buddies went to Dixville. Yeah. They were horrible at basketball back in the day. Hopefully they're a little bit better now. So born and raised Fort McMurry. Um, what's keeping you here.
Speaker 3 00:06:11 Um, my whole family's here. Um, my dad owned well McLeod equipment growing up and then my brother now has got Brignull and Mac tools and um, we're all just we're here. My step-mom's the director for habitat for humanity. So I can't see myself ever leaving. Right. I've got roots here on my daughter here now. Yeah. Hold your daughter. She's two. And I told her, yeah,
Speaker 0 00:06:40 She started to do things now. No terrible twos. That's right. She started to move around and get into she's getting into mischief is the word
Speaker 3 00:06:50 She's getting into something.
Speaker 0 00:06:52 I love it. I have a six-year-old and a he's getting really cool. Like he's always been really cool, but I find every, every time I'm like when he was two, when he was three, when he was four, you're like, oh, they're getting so good. And he just keeps getting better and better. He's like wine every like every year he just gets better. But two, I did enjoy when he was two, because I embraced the mischief.
Speaker 3 00:07:16 Yeah. Maybe that's what
Speaker 0 00:07:17 I have to be. Just got to embrace it. Yeah. And then we, uh, we didn't let him watch any television until he was two. So he had no screen time period. Like no iPad, no phone, no television. It was tough on me as like, it was, it was a hard two years, but then he started like, we let him start watching Sesame street and stuff. And then he just like, was full-blown right. He was just like awesome patrol Sesame
Speaker 3 00:07:43 Street.
Speaker 0 00:07:44 The wiggles. Yeah. And so yeah, it was, I just remember too fondly because I got to start watching, although it was kids, television, I got to start watching TV again, which I was very excited about. Yeah. So in your role with the big brothers, big sisters, um, what's coming up outside, like the talk about the duck race and things that are happening.
Speaker 3 00:08:06 So super exciting. So you know what a lot of people don't know what the rubber duck races, maybe we'll start there. Basically it's a 50 foot man-made river. Um, we got all of the supplies from burn coal. There is a couple of volunteers. We need strong volunteers this year to come help us lay the bricks down. Um, a, a truck, a dump truck will come. We'll put, let's say we sell 2000 rubber duck, rubber ducks. We'll put 2000 ducks into the back of the truck. The fire department will come fill that truck up and then we'll count it. Let's say three, they dump it. And a couple of us will be at the end of the race, trying to catch the first deck. We'll say the first three, right? The first three ducks. So the first prize this year is around trip anywhere west shit flies for too. So I'm super excited. And if I don't sell 2000 tickets, let's say only sell a thousand tickets. You have a one in a thousand chance, or if you purchase more ducks, that's a higher chance. Right. So yeah, I'm super excited. And then we had a bunch of grades, um, companies donate stuff for gift baskets for second and third prizes. So yeah, I'm super excited. I'm
Speaker 0 00:09:20 Going to be fun.
Speaker 3 00:09:22 So this is going to be on labor day, which is September 6th, 11 to two. We're actually going to be in the same location as rib Fest.
Speaker 0 00:09:31 Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:09:32 Yeah. So, um, be in the same location, we'll both be there. Our race races, the race starts at about one and it's pretty quick, right. It doesn't take very long for those drugs to come show.
Speaker 0 00:09:43 It's like a bullet. Yeah. Okay. Very cool. I like it.
Speaker 3 00:09:49 All right. That's the big thing right now. I'm still looking to sell community tickets. We also do a corporate race. Okay. So basically any business can purchase a duck. It's 250 bucks. I put their name on a logo, have the event. We can do fun videos, that kind of thing. So,
Speaker 0 00:10:07 Okay. So if some, if somebody wants to buy a duck, maybe an individual or a company, how did they get in contact with you?
Speaker 3 00:10:13 They can email me at events, WB at big brothers, big sisters.ca it's all. It's also all over our Facebook page, um, on our Instagram, Twitter, that kind of thing.
Speaker 0 00:10:25 Okay. All right. Well, this is a natural segue in regards to, we have a segment called the Mac city minute. Tanner is going to ask you some questions. I don't know what he's going to ask. You wish you nothing, but the best Tanner hit her with the Mac city minute.
Speaker 4 00:10:38 Uh, Alrighty. Question. Number one. What was one draw for you to work for the organization you do?
Speaker 3 00:10:45 Um, growing up, I had friends who had big brothers, big sisters, and I used to tag along all the time and it was so much fun and I loved back then. You don't realize the great impact that they leave on your life. Right. Whereas now thinking back to it and it's like, you know what we had, um, go-karts here growing up and every let's say, I think it was every Sunday or Saturday that big sister would pick both of us up and we'd go do like go-karts for the day. And it's something that, you know, you might not always get to do. It's expensive. It's not something that, yeah. Right. But it's um, yeah, it's definitely a big thing. It's just the impact that they make on the community.
Speaker 4 00:11:28 Question. Number two. How has having a child helped you work with big brothers? Big sisters?
Speaker 3 00:11:36 Um, yeah. So having a child, it makes work harder. It doesn't ever make it easier. Right? It's still, you're leaving your child every day. Um, the only thing though is that I know Brooklyn home at
Speaker 4 00:11:53 The end of the day and she's with me, she's happy. She's in a, you know, a great environment. And the fact that sometimes children don't come from environments that do foster that relationship, or sometimes they do, but mom and dad are busy or they're working and just that extra friendship and that extra relationship really would help someone. Right. There you go. Question number three. What was your favorite place to go eat when you were in high school?
Speaker 3 00:12:25 Um, we wash across to make res all the time when Mick raise was, is where a slicker, um, is now we always wash your grass. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:12:34 Okay.
Speaker 4 00:12:35 Question number four. What is your favorite part of your new job?
Speaker 3 00:12:40 Um, the event for sure. Going out and talking to people in the community and getting to know people. It's definitely been my favorite part so far. Cool.
Speaker 4 00:12:49 And your final question, what is one event you remember going to inform McMurray growing up here?
Speaker 3 00:12:55 Um, Reba McEntire and came up. Um, she was with a couple of other singers. This was years ago, years and years and years ago. And she's my favorite singer will be forever. My favorite event.
Speaker 4 00:13:08 Those have been your five questions. When did Reba
Speaker 0 00:13:10 Come up?
Speaker 3 00:13:11 Riva would have been, I think I was 13 or 14 forever ago. It was in Mac island before shell place was there.
Speaker 0 00:13:18 Wow. Wow. A long time ago. Oh, okay. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:13:24 Wow. He came
Speaker 0 00:13:24 Up. He was,
Speaker 3 00:13:26 Yeah, she was, she was so good. Her show
Speaker 4 00:13:29 Was great too. Yes.
Speaker 0 00:13:31 Yeah. Who didn't like Reba can do no wrong. I know. Listen. Well, back in the day, I'm not a country. Western lover I've as I get older, I have more appreciation for it. But when I was younger, no thank you. But Reba just knocks it out of the park. She transcends the genre. She's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Now, um, we are asking your partner in crime. This she's gonna come and film the episode next, but she blew all of our minds with something that she said that will, we will definitely be brought up on her episode again. But, uh, let's talk about donors for a second. So you're born and raised Fort McMurray. There's no way you haven't deemed one of these things. Of course. What's your go-to jam.
Speaker 3 00:14:17 PKS corner. Stone errors in town. Wow. And you know what? You walk in there and I don't go there very often at all. They know who I am. I go in, they know who I am and it's just a very, um, they're just, it's always the same guys working and they're so sweet. So kind. And they're like joking with you as they're making their don't air
Speaker 0 00:14:38 The best. Wow. That's a new shout out. Nobody's ever showed it out PKS before. It's pretty like pretty standard here. Joma is cosmos. So I like, I like the mix up at PKS
Speaker 3 00:14:50 Is for sure by far.
Speaker 0 00:14:51 Okay. They listen, I, they make great food. Yeah. I'm not putting them in the number one spot, but their donor is very good. Very good PKS. Wow. Have you ever went there? I
Speaker 4 00:15:04 Have. I have tried all pizza places. Really?
Speaker 0 00:15:07 That's a bold statement.
Speaker 4 00:15:10 I eat a lot of pizza. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:15:12 You've tried a, I don't even know what it's called anymore. The one in Dixon sealed. I don't know what it's called. I have
Speaker 3 00:15:20 Hughes pizza downtown.
Speaker 4 00:15:22 He was P's pizza is the number one. Best pizza in town. It is just extremely difficult to pin down when
Speaker 0 00:15:31 That's right. Yeah. Which I think is part of the fun. Yeah. You, you're not guaranteed. Who's pizza.
Speaker 4 00:15:38 It's like our fancy New York restaurant that just opens when it wants for things. And he goes, this is it. And then he just disappears. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:15:46 I hope that we here at the Mac city morning show create something like Hugh has created in regards to like, it's a story. Anytime you say Hughes is just like, oh God, who knows when it's open. When it, what it is. It's awesome. Yeah. We got to something. We got to be known for something Tanner.
Speaker 4 00:16:02 And even, uh, he doesn't even get the rankings though, because it's like, everybody always battles who they think they are. And then somebody goes, what about Hughes? And everybody goes, oh yeah. Well Hughes, obviously we're talking about what we're ordering.
Speaker 0 00:16:14 That's right. That's exactly it. I haven't, I haven't had a try Houston ever. Cause every time I go, it's close. Although he's got an arcade. I don't know if you've been like prior to COVID.
Speaker 3 00:16:25 So it was there when I was in high school
Speaker 0 00:16:28 And I, after swim class, when there was swim class, I would take my little guy and he was always open every Saturday afternoon for a slice of pizza and some video games. So that's when you can guarantee he was open prior to COVID COVID might've messed some stuff up. All right. So, uh, I think that's it. How are we doing for time? Do I have more time? I got more questions. Yeah. You got a couple minutes. Okay. Sweet. All right. So after you finished high school here in Fort McMurray, was there any post-secondary education? Um,
Speaker 3 00:17:00 I later on for sure. I, uh, worked at Boston pizza for a bit, worked at shoppers. Go home.
Speaker 0 00:17:07 How I know you look familiar. It's trying ups or shoppers.
Speaker 3 00:17:13 There you go.
Speaker 0 00:17:13 Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:17:15 Yeah. I worked at shoppers downtown. Got robbed. Um, robbed. Yeah, that was fun. I was hungry.
Speaker 0 00:17:24 Wow. Is it, can we talk about that or is
Speaker 3 00:17:27 It for sure? No, I was 18, I think at the time. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:17:30 So we talk in knife, gunpoint. So he told
Speaker 3 00:17:34 Me he was going to shoot me. I never actually saw a gun,
Speaker 0 00:17:37 But you don't need to.
Speaker 3 00:17:38 Right. I thought he was joking. Um, he came up, he seemed like a really nice guy, right? Not someone that like, you would automatically be like, great. Um, he just, he smiled at me and I smiled back and he was like, give me all your money. And I kind of laughed like ha ha funny. Um, and then he was like, no, give me all your money. And I'm like, well, I can't open my tail without you purchasing something. I'm not a supervisor. I can't just open it. He was like, I will shoot you. Do you want to die? Give me your money. So I figured it out. I scan something and pretending like he was paying cash so I could get the tail open the cash. He took all of the, um, the scratch tickets and then he left. So I'm by myself as maybe 9 45 at night.
Speaker 3 00:18:28 I'm by myself at the front. I don't know what to do. I go on the radio and I start like trying to page security, knowing we don't have security. So people start coming up spreading to the front. And um, the merchandiser goes, she calls nine 11 and runs after him. He's maybe like she was maybe in her twenties at that time, a small girl. So she searched chasing him and the cops were telling her, you go back, go back, go back, go back, come back anyways. They didn't find him that name. They ended up finding him. Um, the next day he tried to go to Nova Scotia. He tried to jump on a flight. So backtrack, I later found out he went to, um, he went to, he got laid off that day. Went to the casinos, blew all of his money, jumped in the cab, took the cab to seven 11, but saw there was cops in the parking lot. So we told the cab to keep going. The cab saw that they saw that shopper's was open. So we told the cab, okay, turn into shoppers, turned in, the guy jumps out and doesn't pay for the cab. So the cops were already called <inaudible> at that point. Well, they must've just missed him by like a couple of minutes kind of thing. But yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 0 00:19:45 Nothing. Yeah. Right.
Speaker 3 00:19:48 There was pictures all over of him, obviously from our security cameras.
Speaker 0 00:19:52 Right.
Speaker 3 00:19:53 So yeah, it was just,
Speaker 0 00:19:56 That's why he didn't last 24 hours and he got busted. Elliot would have never done that. No, no, no. Listen. I like, I haven't committed any major felonies. However, I watch a lot of like heist shows. And so if I was to do any criminal activity, I'd like to think I would do it a lot better than that, but I'll never be able to put my criminal mastermind to good use. Um, it's one of my biggest fears in life is going to jail. So I'm not interested. I'll stick on the narrow, the straight and narrow path. Well, I'm glad I had enough time to ask you another question. That was awesome. Okay. But I know now I'm out of time. We probably went over that's okay. But everybody has a shameless plug or a shout out that they can give at the end of the show. So we're at the end. So this is your time to shine. That's
Speaker 3 00:20:48 All you perfect. Um, we just want to say thank you again. I think with barbershop and, um, the meat shop for everything you did for us on Friday, we appreciate it so much and to everyone else. Um, we had the event September 6th, the 21st annual rubber duck race. And we cannot wait to see everyone there.
Speaker 0 00:21:05 Go great. Shout-out all right. Well Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. That's been another episode of the Mac city morning show. Thank you so much for tuning in. It really does mean the world to me. Hopefully you're having a great day and we'll see you tomorrow. Peace.
