What’s the Big Idea?
Dear Brentwoodians,
While businesses and families across our neighbourhood and city continue to measure the full (and ongoing) impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our lives and lives’ work, I have been interested to see the number of “Big Ideas” being proposed from various corners. The pandemic, as well as unrest about the treatment of minorities; concerns about international trade and human rights; and the ever-present threat posed by climate change, have led many to question the status quo. What if many of our basic assumptions about our society, the economy, and the global order are simply there because “this is the way things have always been done”?
Big Ideas which are gaining currency include rethinking some of the jobs we ask our police to do. Many of the tragic situations that have been highlighted in recent weeks have been the result of our society’s failure to adequately address mental illness; instead of offering treatment, we send armed police officers who may have limited training for and understanding of the situations they are walking into. Not long ago, proposing to reduce police budgets to provide better-tailored mental health interventions would have been seen as a radical idea, but big cities across the continent are now rapidly moving in that direction.
Other Big Ideas include various forms of “Green New Deal”, shorthand for jumpstarting the economy through major government investment in clean energy infrastructure and retraining of unemployed workers from the beleaguered oil and gas sector.
Big Ideas don’t necessarily have to be national or international in scope: the closure of half of Memorial Drive in Sunnyside to make space for walkers, runners, and cyclists to safely enjoy the Bow River pathway is a Big Idea; many businesses in Brentwood and across Calgary are finding that “necessity is the mother of invention”, and coming up with their own Big Ideas to tackle the new realities of doing business.
Do you have any big ideas? I am curious to know what readers are doing to adapt to, cope with, or even take advantage of the changing situation. Have you launched a major decluttering of your home? Begun a new hobby or DIY project? Launched a new business or re-oriented your existing one? Let me know!
Brentwood Cares
The Brentwood community continues to help neighbours – near or far – through the “Brentwood Cares” initiative. Volunteers are cutting grass, delivering food, and looking after people who for whatever reason need an extra helping hand right now. If you know someone, within our community or elsewhere, who needs help – or if you can offer time and energy, please see the notice in this issue and get in touch!
Photo Contest
The Bugle is looking for Brentwood’s best amateur photographers to provide cover images each month. If you have a great snap of our neighbourhood saved on your phone or posted on your social media feed, send it in for a chance to be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue! Photos must be 300 DPI or higher (i.e. from a newer model phone or good digital camera), 6.3 x 8.2 inches minimum size, and portrait orientation. If submitting pictures of minors, please make sure that you have direct, express permission to submit the picture from a parent or guardian. Send your photos, or any questions, to [email protected].
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Jucker
Editor, Brentwood Bugle
