Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:05 Good morning, everybody. Thank you for tuning in. I really do appreciate it. My name is Elliot Pierre, the host of the Mac city morning show. And we're going to start this off the same way we do every day with a little bit of gratitude. I want to thank everybody at home who is watching this. I know you could be doing a million other things with your time. So the fact that you choose to spend with us means the world to me. It really does. So thank you very much on that note. Tanner hit him with the intro.
Speaker 1 00:00:35 Oh, she caught me. You're listening to the next <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:00:44 And we're back. All right. Now I'm really excited about the guests today. I know I say that a lot, but I do mean it every time I say it. Um, this gentleman has been in the community for many, many years in many different roles and, uh, we have kind of bumped in and out of each other in different places throughout my life. So I'm about to find out a lot more about things that maybe, I didn't know. So as per usual, though, I do not introduce, uh, my guests. I let them introduce themselves because they can do a much better job than I can. So, sir, thank you for being here. Can you tell people who you are, what you're all about
Speaker 2 00:01:18 Good morning. And, uh, I love the way you started with gratitude. I think it's a philosophy and a great way to take everyday life. Um, I've been in Fort McMurray for it's going to be 26 years. I started working at Suncor. I was there for about five years as a contractor. Then I went, uh, as I was there, I started going to school at piano college. I wanted to get some, uh, Canadian education, Canadian certifications. I had only just been in the country for a year. Uh, I was learning English, et cetera, et cetera. So, uh, went to, uh, did my five years at Suncor then left became a full-time student at Kiano. Right. And once I finished there, I went to the municipality and I started there as a computer technician. When I left in 2005 to do real estate, I was there. I was on network analyst there. Okay. Uh, so I had the fortune of, uh, you know, raising my family here and, uh, having the opportunity to, to grow immensely, uh, professionally, personally. So yeah, very grateful. But with this,
Speaker 0 00:02:35 And now you are still a real estate agent here in town. And so if people are trying to get in contact with you, what's the name? What's the number. How can people
Speaker 2 00:02:44 A very good question. Very easy to find me. Julio Flores. Um, Julio, I just don't call myself. I always say to people, I just don't look like Julio. So I always say Julio, uh, very easy to find on social media, online, Julio Flores. I have always been with the same company, Royal LePage. Okay. Uh, I love, uh, my company is a, is a Canadian company that has been here for almost 120 years started in, in, in Quebec city by a Missoula page. So, uh, yeah, always with the same company, we do a lot of work, uh, to all the country with the big foundation. Some people may know me for that because of the, uh, tracks and trips that I done out of the country. Right. Are wasting funds for our local shelter here.
Speaker 0 00:03:40 Yeah. So, so you mentioned something about your story, which I find super interesting. So you moved to Fort McMurray, you get a job out at site. And I think that's, um, what most people, um, try to achieve when they're coming here, may they be immigrants or people coming from different provinces, you get that site job. And then you're like, okay, I'm getting good money. We're done. And that's kind of where the story ends. They work at that site and they have great lives. You decided to go back to school, which is kind of different for most people's journey. Why did you decide to leave sites and then, uh, start to get reeducated?
Speaker 2 00:04:16 It was my intent to, to get, um, I have always believed in medication. I come from, um, a mother that had no education whatsoever, but always very insistent in, in education. So I just carried that inside me. It's just part of what I do. So, uh, I went to, I wanted to get some Canadian credentials. I have, uh, a degree in police sciences from Columbia was a police officer there. Okay. Yeah. That's, that's my background. There was a police officer. Then I went to Cambodia, was a peacekeeper with the United nations. And shortly after I came to Canada and I wanted to get my, my Canadian, uh, certification. So I started going to Kiano part-time right. Or grateful for Kiano that gave me that opportunity. Then came a point when I had to make a decision, whether I will not pursue my education or get out on and Beaver full-time his tune in role as a full-time student. So, um, you know, with the support of, uh, you know, my, my planning, my then lovely wife and all of that decided, okay. It was time to just get out and, uh, and, uh, be a full-time student. So I did, and I finished my, uh, my diploma in computer information system.
Speaker 0 00:05:42 That's right. Okay, man, I, uh, this is why I love doing this show. I got to find out so much about individuals that I would never know you were a police officer and a peacekeeper. Yes. Yes I was. Wow. That is something else. How, and you went to com Cambodia. I was in, yes. Okay. So tell me about that journey. What drew you to law enforcement and then transitioning into peacekeeping,
Speaker 2 00:06:08 Moving into keys, uh, peacekeeping walls. Um, um, I think that happened through the fact of that I was a police officer, right. Um, so there were, there was a mission to, uh, Cambodia with the United nations and they were recruiting, uh, officers. And, uh, there were two requirements, one not to have any, any disciplinary proceedings against you. Uh, number two, uh, to have some knowledge of English, uh, and I was way above everybody else because I could say yellow door table.
Speaker 0 00:06:46 Okay.
Speaker 2 00:06:48 So, uh, I ended up going to, to Cambodia in 92 because in Columbia was Lieutenant Dale. I, uh, I went aside as a deputy district commander for one of the, in one of the provinces there. Right on. So, uh, yeah. And, uh, initially was for three months, uh, transition time, three months short of this story is I ended up being there for 18 months. Um, it was, I was 24 and it was just an incredible experience, but at the end of the 18 months, uh, it was time for me. I had to say, I'm sorry. I cannot write in my broken English.
Speaker 0 00:07:30 Yeah. And your broken egg. Well, you could say yellow and door. Right. So after that, like what, and how did you hear about Fort McMurray? What brought you to this community out of all the places in the world from Columbia to all of your travels?
Speaker 2 00:07:45 Um, they are, I met my, uh, my wife in Colombia in Cambodia. Yes. We've met there yet, uh, to steal our local lawyer here in town. And, uh, and then, um, you know, it was truly a love that made me make that decision to, to move to Canada. I left my career there and I came to Canada in 94. Right. Yeah. Just to, uh, you know, was looking for what, to a new place I came to Toronto actually, uh, uh, uh, to visit. And, um, I really felt it was just the right place for me was our Saturday morning, June. And I took a walk to downtown with, uh, with, uh, with some people on, I was walking to downtown Toronto. I just felt an immense peace and calm for on, you know, I, it just, I said, um, I'm coming. I want to move here. At that point, we were planning to move to Columbia. I was about to go train with the FBI. Okay. And, uh, but we decided to move on. Uh, um, and the question was, so what will you do with your career, you know, with what you're doing? I said, well, I will start all over again. Right. And so, so we did nice. So we did. Yeah. So I wanted to go to, uh, I, I perhaps I went to take over the conversation, but no, this is
Speaker 0 00:09:21 Your conversation. That's why I'm listening
Speaker 2 00:09:24 To, I wanted to go to school right in Toronto, by that I brought my, uh, cope or a certificate of proficiency in English test five times. Okay. I fell five times. Then I applied to the Toronto police and, uh, I passed everything but English. Right, right.
Speaker 0 00:09:46 So it was
Speaker 2 00:09:47 Kind of in my, in my carbs. Right. You know, to, uh, to one of, uh, Christine's relative, uh, there was a connection, a potential opportunity for a job here. I was quite, quite desperate in Toronto. We had a little one at the time time. No, no real prospects of, of, uh, education or a job. So fade let's go. And we came to, to two format. I remember that day, like that's amazing yesterday saw almost 26 years later. And,
Speaker 0 00:10:22 Uh, and here I am, I'm so
Speaker 2 00:10:24 Happy and glad. And tenfold with Fort McMurray has been an incredible place.
Speaker 0 00:10:30 Elaborate on that in regards to you felt this overwhelming amount of calm and obviously like Toronto and then the country of Canada. And then you've decided to come to Fort McMurray, which could not be as opposite from Toronto, as you can imagine. So what about Fort McMurray has kept you in the community for, so
Speaker 2 00:10:46 How many years? Definitely the people, I think right from the get-go right from the get go, um, it was always this comforting feeling like I come from a city of 10 million people, boggled tan. Um, and we were about 35,000 people when I came here, but everyone had sank or wanted to ask me questions, wanted to know about me. People were curious about me. I don't think there was a whole lot of immigration happening, uh, at that point here to Fort McMurray. Right. So, um,
Speaker 0 00:11:25 It was just, just the love, just, just the love, just
Speaker 2 00:11:28 The good feeling in the community. Um, I wanted to go to school. Kiana was fantastic. I could start at night. And then I moved to, um, being a full-time dad. Then while I was there, I moved to Boulder to the municipality. It was just tremendous. And being at the municipality at one of the training sessions that they offered there are, you may remember that, uh, uh, P2P. Yes, I do remember that. Yeah. It was at one of those trainings, uh, earlier that, um, it was this very dynamic, uh, uh, instructor, lady that I was teaching a class and she asked the question, are you really doing what you want to do in your life? Okay. It was so, and then she got you on that one. I really took that. I really took that to, to, to harp. Right. And, uh, and even though I had spent so long to get my education and to find a job in the field and I was progressing, I was getting more tickets and I was progressing in my, in my computer yeah.
Speaker 2 00:12:40 Career. Right. That really stunned me. Um, uh, um, UN UN I started searching, just doing things on my curiosity led me into learning about a home equity lines of credit, and then, uh, uh, life insurance, universal insurance, all those things. And throughout that, I discovered that that was not quite for me, uh, you know, in the sense of the commitment that it meant to people to stay around them for ever, and, you know, follow their lives and make sure that, you know, th th their life insurance policies change accordingly to the changes in their lives, et cetera. I thought, I don't think I can do this properly, but that led me into learning about, uh, home equity lines of credits. Or then I started looking into that purchase a place in Calgary back then in 2005. And that led me to think, uh, maybe I could get a license and save myself some money for the lawyer's fees right on.
Speaker 2 00:13:49 And then it snowballed from there. Yeah. I got, I went and ordered my material while I was at the municipality. Yeah. And I prepared everyday, you know, we had two, two young kids, but, uh, I was able to just prepare while I was going to the municipality every morning, you know, five in the morning, weekends. And within about 10 weeks, I was done with my material. I was super fast. It takes, it may take longer. Right? Well, I was a bit of a gun-ho. I really enjoyed the material, reading it and just going through it and, uh, got my license. Next thing, I went to Royal LePage and I, I told the broadcasts, I said, I, I just passed my exam to become a, uh, a real estate agent. Um, I left there within half an hour and I realized that she had had so that meeting. So I went home and took the kids out for supper. And I said, guys, what do you think if I did this? Of course, I had them at Boston pizza.
Speaker 0 00:14:56 I was just going to ask, what do you remember? What restaurant you took them to? Okay. Mawson pizza, not Boston pizza.
Speaker 2 00:15:03 Uh, and I told them how I could do this. I could have more time to do this, or like this, this is what it will entail. Sort of, I didn't know exactly. Right. Of course my, my, my, my guys will, you know, all happy. And, you know, with the pizza, the, the ribs, I'm pretty sure, I think ribs, my son love ribs. They're waiting to die.
Speaker 0 00:15:24 They just said, great. Yeah, go ahead. Do it. That's awesome. I love it. I love that word
Speaker 2 00:15:28 To the municipality. And I put in my resignation.
Speaker 0 00:15:31 Here we go. And the rest is history. Yes, sir. Very cool. Okay. Well, we're at the part of the show where Tanner is going to ask you some questions. All right. We call this the Mac city minute. Okay. Tanner, you got your questions. Ready? My man. Yes, I do. All right, let's hear them.
Speaker 3 00:15:46 All right. Question number one for you. How is one way Fort McMurray is similar to where you grew up?
Speaker 2 00:15:56 That's a good question. How's formulary similar to Columbia, not so different. Uh, we have humans same way, but that, yeah, no, totally different, you know, weather infrastructure back then, um, language, uh, the time the sun came out and the time the sun went down, ah, I came here in the middle of the winter. So yeah, not, not really. I can't think of anything.
Speaker 0 00:16:31 Humans is the answer. We will have humans. Okay.
Speaker 3 00:16:35 Question number two. What is your favorite way to spend an afternoon in Fort McMurray
Speaker 2 00:16:42 On the Beachwood trails? A hundred percent anytime of the year called wet sunny, those trails, our trails in general, in Fort McMurray,
Speaker 3 00:16:57 Question number three, how has being a police officer in Colombia helped you with life in Fort McMurray?
Speaker 2 00:17:04 As life goes on, I realized more and more. That one thing that, that I got from being a police officer was that desire to serve that desire, to serve, to do things for the community that you live in, uh, to serve people, uh, to do, to be, to be a resource to people, uh, that comes, that comes from the police. I learned that very early on. Um, you have to, from the beginning, the philosophy was you have to become a community leader. You have to be this, you have to be all kinds of things in a community. I have not done even a small fraction of what it was intended to, to train us. But, uh, but, but yeah.
Speaker 3 00:17:53 Question number four, when you got to Canada, how was it different than you were expecting?
Speaker 2 00:18:02 I always thought it will be nice and beautiful. It was even nicer. Just, just that, that first day in, in, in Toronto, outside of the morning, I'll never forget it. I love, I love Toronto. I love Canada. I love being here. It's just, it just, it was just
Speaker 3 00:18:19 Great. And your last question, how does your prior careers help you as a real estate broker?
Speaker 2 00:18:28 My son used to say this, that everything is a compilation of, of, of knowledge. And he always saw me as, you know, just doing that. But he's the one that verbalize it for me that, you know, I think we just keep accumulating experiences and things. And sometimes even though we may say, what is this going to help me? I don't think we need to get an answer for that. I think we just need to appreciate that we got that experience because it's going to come up at some point. Those have been your five questions. Here we go. Tanner. Good questions. My bad. You never cease to amaze me with these questions.
Speaker 3 00:19:12 I try my best, man.
Speaker 2 00:19:14 Um, so you mentioned something within those five questions that I just want to build on a little bit. Um, I grew up here, um, as I think everybody knows. Um, I spent an insane amount of time of my childhood into birth, virtual trails, doing everything from running to tobogganing to you name it. What is your pastime into Birchwood trails? Are you a cross country? Skier you run, like, what are you doing in the trails? I run, I walk, I, uh, I take my bicycles there. Yeah. Uh, I cross country ski at some point. I've been meaning to take it on a game, but, uh, just mainly, mainly running, walking, biking. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. They're beautiful for that. Oh, they all pins skies. Uh, just yeah. The different sceneries. Yeah, the really beautiful, yeah, can't beat it. Okay. Well, on that note, 20 minutes, we're done it flies. So before I let you go today, uh, please most people are, and yourself included, they're humble. They don't like to talk about themselves and what they do, but at the end of the show, I like to give my guests an opportunity to plug their business and who they are. So one more time, please tell the people at home who you are, what you do and how they can get in contact with you.
Speaker 2 00:20:28 Uh, I, um, Julio Flores a citizen of this community. I believe it is my professional approach that, uh, working in real estate, I always want to sell a community, a home, not just bricks and mortar, uh, in terms of promoting and selling. I think you always have to sell a community. Number one, if you're trying to sell, um, my approach is always preparation, preparation, preparation. I had been blessed with the career that I finally landed with is the longest career that done. And I've done a few different things. And, uh, and I asked that I can do it till at least 75 because I have so much fun with it and I get to meet people and enjoy people like all of these.
Speaker 0 00:21:30 That's awesome. It's awesome. Great. Okay. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. Thank you. So on that note, we came to the end, but, uh, before we sign off, I want to say thank you. Uh, you brought a nice gift for me today, some hand sanitizer. So, um, I know myself in town and I love when people bring us little gifts and little trinkets. So gifts are the best. Thank you very much for bringing this. I do appreciate it. And thank you more for taking the time and coming to chat with us today. I hope to have you back again and again, cause we didn't even scratch the surface of who you are and all the different questions that I had for you.
Speaker 2 00:22:01 My pleasure. It is, uh, uh, uh, yeah, with my 2 million. Thank you very much for, for thinking of me.
Speaker 0 00:22:08 There we go. All right. Well Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and uh, the rest of the world. Cause I know we are getting some views outside of, uh, Alberta and Canada. Thank you very much. Once again, for tuning in, from the bottom of my heart, I really do appreciate it. And we'll see you tomorrow. Peace.
Speaker 4 00:22:24 <inaudible> talk about quenching your ugly thirst.
