By Roy L Hales
The Quadra Island Farmers Market reopened on July 3rd, after an 18 month closure due to COVID, and the busiest table appears to have been writing letters to Premier Horgan in defence of old growth forests.
Would you like to write a letter?
Self proclaimed ‘rabble rouser’ Geraldine Kenny had an idea. In addition to the usual form letters, she brought four clip boards, paper and pens. As people passed her table, she asked if they would like to write a letter to Horgan.
“And they all said yes!” said a very excited Kenny.
It turns out ‘they’ were young people; “Older people, even Quadra residents” were not as interested.
“All the young people grabbed at the chance to write a letter. Many of them said, ‘Oh I always wanted to write a letter but never got round to it,” said Kenny. “Most of these were young women, in the company of their friends, so there were three or four together. I had four clipboards and they were scribbling away: sitting in the grass; crouched by the table; kneeling at the table; standing up.”
There was no hesitation when Kenny asked if they wanted to read their letters out.
“When one letter was read out, we all clapped and applauded, and the next one read out her letter. It was so empowering and I am going to say beautiful.”
The Quadra Island Farmers Market wasn’t as busy as in pre-COVID times. Instead of “up to 50 tables,” the organizers allowed 20. There was a “comfortable flow-through of visitors,” channeled in a clockwise direction.
At the end of the four hour market, there were 50 letters for Premier Horgan.
Some of the letters people wrote to Premier Horgan. Photo by Rod Burns.