I had a rough night, and for some reason did not sleep.

I have no idea why….it was; head hit the pillow, my mind was going a mile a minute…

I had a run planned for this morning, but had to bail, just no sleep, a headache, just wasn’t going to happen…tomorrow…maybe later today……

What was I thinking about….my home town, Edmonton.

I grew up there……Edmonton’s my childhood home.

Yes I have lived in Jasper, Vancouver (well actually New Westminster, Vancouver, Richmond, Steveston)…Kamloops and now in St Albert, which is really Edmonton, but well, we like to think that border between us and that big big city makes a difference.

What was I thinking about?

The crap I keep hearing about, well, here…..from people that live here…if you watched the local news, read the local newspaper…this is a crappy city full of homeless people…it’s so much more.

There are two things Edmonton has going for us….and neither is the Edmonton Oilers..

Education. Our schools, our universities are world famous, and are our major employeers, students from around the planet come here. the research is world famous and attracks those students https://www.ualberta.ca/alberta-diabetes/about/edmonton-procotol.html Things like the Edmonton coming out of our University of Alberta isn’t unusual, it normal.

The reasearch taking place at the U of A is amazing, and second to none. Cancer, Breast Cancer…solutions, treatments…when I run the annual Run for the Cure, that’s that cash going to work.

We never talk about that, we never promote, and we have too many people that live here speak awfully about. I remember picking up a copy of the New Yorker Magazine years ago, and the front page, there was the Edmonton Protocal….but if you asked 10 here people about that research, those 10 people would have no idea what you were talking about……we should be chearing these people on and promoting everything done there..it’s a jewel.

A great example of the dead heads here, a young man named Ben Stelter. and the Ben Stelter Foundation

Ben was a superfan, and brought a lot of life to every Oiler’s game….his life, life, while living with brain cancer was an inspiration….the foundation was created in his name…but ask 10 Oiler fans where that money donated goes and what it does, you’ll get a blank look….

but take a look at this an try not to cry

The research going on at the U of A into finding new treatments and possibly cures for things like breast cancer is what that school is known for. Atheltic science, and just science in general….it’s a gem….

Our government keeps talking about cutting support, and forcing the University to cut facility and facility, editorial writers keep calling the U of A the home of too many liberal thinkers…dah, so?

We also have a 2nd University, Grant MacEwan…right on Downtown Edmonton

We have NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology)….

And we have Concordia College amongest others

and the U of A has a French language campus as well…which I think is nothing but awesome

Medical facilities!…..This city is a major hub, with the medical professionals to match. Beyond basic healthcare, government supported healthcare, we also have the insitutions that focus on children with the Stollery Hospital for Sick Children, the Cross Cancer Insitite…..and that’s just the start…Yes In Canada we are blessed with a country where we don’t go to a doctor to a hospital with our bank card ready to swipe……no matter the size of your bank account, we receive health care. But again the people in this city keep talking disparagingly about our health care workers, our doctors; during COVID it was awful. Where those healthcare workers in other countries were thanked, people here blamed those workers for COVID.

While I do love the west coast….a lot

And Jasper was great too

Wasn’t a fan of Kamloops….I tried to make it work, but other than it was just a 2 hour drive away from Vancouver…the less said better, but I did get to do this

Edmonton, this area isn’t bad really…I’ve been able to do lots and lots of stuff….run, bike, race, write, and raise 3 great kids…..so all good…

I’ve run pretty much every race this city has…spend a lot of time in the most beautiful river valley ever….

.yeah it’s not Vancouver’s Stanley Park

but you can walk, run and bike forever…here In St Albert, I’m a few pedel strokes away from being out and riding in the country…..actually anything that I want is either a short walk, bike, or drive away…I can go weeks without having to use my car….the transit system isn’t that great, but it’s there too.

So, Edmonton…..way too many Edmontonians spend way too much time trashing this place…..but yeah, I live here..and it ain’t so bad….and there’s a lot to cheer…not just hockey