While writing Wires Crossed, I interviewed JK Irving several times. I refer to them as interviews, but they were really conservations. We talked about things which reveal much about this man who had a strong social conscience and a strong environmental ethic.

Any obituaries and eulogies of JK, who died last Friday, emphasize his billions and the 17,000+ people who worked in his enterprises. In our talks he did not even mention those achievements, rather, we started talking about his first summer job working in a lumber camp far up New Brunswick’s St. John River. His father, KC Irving wanted to toughen him up by learning about the woods industry from top to bottom. 

It was tough work, and on a lunch break, JK relaxed and went to sleep, missing the call back to work. The crew boss let it be known to JK’s father, KC Irving what had happened. Both KC and the young JK were embarrassed at this state-of-affairs. KC told his son to get back on the job and see the summer through, and that was that. That stick-to-it-ness of the lumber camp experience stuck with JK for the rest of his life.

Trivia buffs, or people of a certain age may recall the plea from police headquarters searching for two hapless and wayward New York City cops, Toody and Muldoon.

In New Brunswick where just 79 per cent of people have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, the call to Car 54 is a comparable one, yielding similarly frustrating results. The situation here is getting worse. Just seven years ago the percentage of New Brunswickers with a doctor was 93 per cent.

New Brunswick is also falling behind the rest of the country. Nationally, 86 per cent of Canadians had a family doctor or a nurse practitioner in 2024. That is seven points better than the percentage for this province.

These statistics are drawn or derived from a massive telephone survey of 55,000 people conducted by the New Brunswick Health Council. The size of the sample is a good indication of the accuracy of the survey.

He had a long face. In fact, his own mother described him as “more interesting than handsome.”

Born in Saint John, N.B., Donald Sutherland was a great actor and a great Canadian. He walked proudly carrying the Olympic flag with the likes of Bobby Orr and Anne Murray at the 2010 opening ceremonies in Vancouver.

He received numerous honours, including the Order of Canada, but he never received so much as an individual Academy Award nomination despite a career encompassing 140 feature films. He was finally presented with an Honorary Oscar in 2017.

He did not like the “movie star” image sought by many actors. Instead, he accepted interesting and “quirky” roles.

Despite his extraordinary acting achievements, he explained why he would never take on a job as a film director, saying:  “I work from the inside out.” 

The other day, my wife and I looked out a window from our rural home and were pleased to see a doe white-tailed deer and her tiny fawn in the field below us. It seems late this year, but this was our first sighting of a charmingly speckled fawn, and its strict and watchful, momma.
 
Deer are a mixed blessing in this part of Southern New Brunswick. There are so many of them that they have come to be viewed as pests. Some unwise folks in the area feed the deer and this gives rise to many issues. Yet, it is still touching to see the first fawn of spring.

Recently, I was dropping off some student artwork at Lawrence Station elementary school in Charlotte County. No sooner had I arrived at the back door of the school, when about 25 small kids burst out the door, running to the playground to claim the best spot on the swing set and slide.  This was another great spring event. The young teacher explained proudly that she has kindergarten, and grades one and two students in her combined class.

The blood of Canadians, no matter what their origin, has been stirred by the prospect of a Canadian team winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in 31 years. People across the country are buzzing now that the Edmonton Oilers have their ticket to the final playoff series for The Cup.

What is the origin of this excitement and unifying spirit surrounding our National Sport? The answer goes back a long way to outdoor fun on the ponds, lakes, and backyard rinks of Canada. Yes, climate change has warmed our weather somewhat lately, but the roots of what great goalie Ken Dryden called The Game, are strong and deep.

As the winner of the Stanley Cup of pond hockey, back in the day, this writer can vouch for the fact that nothing brings this country together like our National Sport. Players in the pond hockey finals, imitating their NHL favorite player with their jersey number on their back, checking opposing players into the nearest snowbank, or making a spectacular save in their turn as goalie, defending with a baseball mitt, and perhaps guarding the goal with a broom held between two winter boots as goal posts.