Postscript (February 2026)
For the backstory on my comments below, you should first read “Just because I could . . . a thing called ‘Power’.”
In May 2025, a town hall meeting was called in protest to the sudden ban of all boats on the lake. The Park Superintendent who made that fateful decision was brave enough to enter the ‘den of lions’ and suffer the harsh verbal treatment awaiting her. As she was leaving that meeting, where indeed she had been ‘shredded’ by most of the comments, I had opportunity to speak with her. Two things stand out from our five-minute conversation on the street:
1- During the meeting, the Park Superintendent had tried to make a distinction between “I personally made the decision” and “I made a personal decision.” She was hoping to assure the people that she was representing Parks Canada in her leadership role and not simply exercising personal bias. We agreed that the nuanced difference did not appear to resonate with the crowd. They were taking it very personally and giving feedback accordingly.
2- In saying goodby, I shook her hand and asked that she take care of herself. I don’t know why those words came out. It just seemed like a human thing to do given what she had just been through. She said she would try. A short while later we heard that she was on stress leave and was transferred to another National Park.
The ‘boat issue’ pretty much consumed all the coffee talk at the lake that summer. In reflecting on the whole experience of those weeks, I could not decide whose ‘side’ I was on. It is difficult to separate roles, especially those with power, from personhood.