We had a windstorm on the weekend which knocked out power and traffic lights in some areas. I haven't been out and about in a storm like that before and it was stressful. The winds hit up to 100 km/hr. What I didn't realize is that the same windstorm that swept through here, also hit Canadian Forces Base Wainwright where training with live ammunition was taking place.
Apparently there often grass fires at Wainwright because of the live ammunition, and there was a grass fire on Saturday but it was far enough away to not warrant any additional precautions, or shut down training. Except the wind shifted and hit 100 km/hr and in less than a minute, the training area was engulfed in flames. There seems to be some unanswered questions about explosions, but there was a massive fire for sure.
Four military personnel lost their lives and another 39 were injured, 19 are in critical condition. I have a hard time with stuff like this with fires, mass casualties, families forever changed, grief I suppose. The most horrible part was the wingnuts who thought it was a conspiracy coming two days before the referendum here. That somehow the Prime Minister was to blame. WTF!
I have no fucks left for whack jobs who blame everybody else for what's going wrong in their lives. The UCP likes to blame Ottawa and immigrants when it is in fact their mismanagement of resources and our province. They seem fine with fanning the flames of racism and do nothing to stop it because it serves their purpose. It's disgusting, but that is not a strong enough word for what I think. The UCP seems fine with burning this province to the ground to advance their own agenda.
I hope the referendum goes well today and the UCP and Danielle Smith are told in no uncertain terms to leave our province alone and shut the fuck up.
I have to admit, when I read there was going to be profanities, I couldn't wait to read this, ha. Best wishes on the referendum. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI could have added way more profanity to it, but restrained myself:)
DeleteSuch a terrible tragedy. My fingers are crossed the same way!
ReplyDeleteIt was horrendous and random. I have never seen a storm come up like that out of nowhere, it just hit, and hard.
DeleteI hope the voting goes well and we get rid of the UCP. I wish it was a provincial election instead of a referendum. I'm so tired of the lies and the corruption.
Wouldn't that be an amazing election result? Thanks for explaining what happened in that incident at the base. The stories I read said there had been a fire/explosion but there were no details on what happened. It is astounding how quickly people resort to conspiratorial thinking these days -- as if everything is a back-room plot. (When in reality our political leaders are way too inept to cook up so many plots!)
ReplyDeleteIt's not an election sadly, just a referendum that is costing fives times what an election would cost. It's utter bullshit.
DeleteHoping for the best on the vote. Alberta is dealing with some real lulus in office.
ReplyDeleteYes we are, as are you:) Lulus is such a nice way of saying fucking assholes.
DeleteI surely wish you weren't going through this. Bad enough America's falling apart. How in hell do we keep electing these people? May this vote change things for the better.
ReplyDeleteI did not vote for this, no surprise there. The UCP that was elected basically lied about what they were planning on doing. Fuuuuuuuuucccccccckkkkkkkkk!
DeleteYes, wasn't that Wainwright accident horrible? I feel so bad for all the soldiers killed and injured (burn injuries, yikes, the worst) and for their families. And I feel the same way as you about the Referendum and the UCP. My fingers are crossed too!
ReplyDeleteThose poor soldiers, they must have been engulfed in flames before they even knew what happened. A nightmare scenario.
DeleteFingers crossed and waving the middle finger at Danielle Smith too:)
I heard a figure of 70% against proceeding further with any move to separation. That was rather awful about the fire. It must have happened incredibly quickly.
ReplyDeleteYou were just about right, 75% don't want to separate, just a really noisy, whiny 25% do. The fire was already burning but it travelled a kilometre in about 45 seconds. The wind was ferocious.
DeleteI had heard there was a fire, but I didn’t know the horrific details. Fingers crossed about the elections, both yours and ours.
ReplyDeleteOur referendum went well, just wasted $143 million on it. I hope your election goes well.
DeleteWhat an utter tragedy! I had heard about it but didn't know these horrible details. I'm sick at heart over the many losses. When will you know the results of the referendum?
ReplyDeleteWe heard this morning, no separation, which is good. 75% voted no.
DeleteThe first "reports" from the military base talked about hundreds of casualties. I'm glad that figure was a lot lower - but I don't suppose that helps anyone who lost loved ones or who have been injured!! Prayers for all of them!
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful it wasn't hundreds either. Nineteen are still in critical condition though, poor soldiers and their families. It's devastating.
DeleteI also saw this morning that there was an overwhelming vote against.
ReplyDeleteThe overwhelming no vote has not stopped them of course.
DeleteI get a Canada newsletter from the NYTimes. I was reading it this morning and noticed that the vote for holding a referendum on independence was resoundingly defeated. Hopefully in your next provincial election, your premier will be gone too.
ReplyDeleteThe party can get rid of a premier at any time. There is a leadership review next month and it may not go well for her.
DeleteOver here I did see on a discussion board that I am on that the referendum was defeated but "they will keep pushing" - but nothing on that terrible tragedy. How awful.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how awful the fire was, or how quickly it spread. The wind changed direction and the speed picked up to 100 km/hr. It was on them in less than a minute.
DeleteThe vote has not deterred the separatists. Facts don't bother some people.
The situation at Wainwright is heartbreaking. I do wonder at people who immediately think that the government has something to with it, as a distraction noodle perhaps. It is more telling about them than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI was thrilled to see the vote went so stronly in favour of not holding a binding referendum. The premier apparently has indicated tonight that she won't be holding another event. However, I am sad to hear that many of the questions aren't as clear cut and may go, in my mind at least, the wrong way.
The premier has a leadership review next month and may lose her job. The other referendum questions, I don't know what will happen but the results make me feel sick.
DeleteYou wrote this on Monday. Today (Wednesday) it is absolutely clear that the United Conservative Party were given a resounding beating. Three cheers for ordinary Albertan voters who saw through the divisive, right wing bullshit. I don't know entirely what has gone on in Alberta since the UCP were formed in 2017 but clearly they deserved to be trounced. They carry the odour of fascism.
ReplyDeleteThey do carry that odour, they reek of it. The amount of government overreach since they came to power has been awful.
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