- by Melissa Kanmacher

This article came to me on a cobblestone side street in a bustling fishing village, founded in 1534.

I fell in love with the place and its overall sense of well-being. The standard of living just seems to have hit the right balance.

One transplanted shopkeeper from Spain said that the island was a place of culture, not commerce and peace.

In this place, I learned from their museum that they sheltered German POW’s with humanity.

I embraced the kick-back attitude this assumingly Catholic settlement made when it built colourful Holy Spirit houses beside the grand, monolithic Cathedral-like RC Churches. The Azorean’s parade and party in the street to celebrate life in reverence to the 3rd shadier guy in the holy Trinity.

The effervescent tour guide told us gleefully that, “they have a street party every month of the year, and feast on good food, wine, and sunshine.”

It is an island of pastoral patchwork fields of happy cows, nestled in on shaggy black shores of the Atlantic.

I am drinking coffee on a crowded street marvelling at the people and the traffic navigating between the 2 street patios sitting kitty corner to each other, thinking about Arran-Elderslie council’s majority vote decision that it is in everyone’s best interest to forgo the patio(s) in downtown Paisley this summer.

The other thing I noticed while sampling the patios was the lovely discourse around me. The patios were full of people sitting in the sun, chatting.

Men, women, children, multi-generational… Small gatherings of delightful, animated conversation.

All folks seemed to know each other and greeted each other, like regulars. Regulars, people that belong.

   That is what an outdoor patio can do for a village. A common place where everyone is welcome.

I get that not everyone will agree with this picture.

I didn’t agree with the whole picture in this idyllic place either. The smell of smoke on the patios was not one I missed when public smoking rules changed in Ontario 5 short years ago.

However, I did carry home the idea that places to sit in the sun and drink good coffee and chat with your family, friends or neighbours seemed like a good idea to give a go…

My thoughts on patios, morphed into thoughts on colonialism.

After listening to the pitches for council at 3 town hall community meetings, almost 4 years ago, I recall how often I heard, "Vote for me. I grew up here. And so did my partner…"

I found myself trying to find my ancestral ties to the place I made a home and raised my family.

For some, one of the highest ranked qualifiers for a seat on council was a connection to the land.

That is odd to me because if you dig back far enough, all of us have connections to adventurous ancestors that crossed the ocean to build a new way forward.

A European model granted itself absolute title by virtue of “discovery.” Once European government defined the land as legally empty, they plunked down their flag and declared a new way of living on this land we call home.

The conquerors/survivalists failed to pay attention to the type of governance already in place. The Euro Canadian approach – domination and control of the land - was in stark contrast to the interdependent view that already existed before the explorers docked their ships. They were less concerned with their relationship with earth, water, and air and the need for respect of the land, and the stewardship of the resources.

The European system of governance was carried over with those open-minded or maybe desperate travellers and implemented as communities grew.

Government seats were given to the brave leaders that cleared the land and staked their claims.

Another great moment on my last adventure occurred while I was standing on a cliff staring into the vastness of the ocean realizing what a tiny, insignificant speck of salt I truly am…

As the world evolves and changes, whether we like it or not, we must adapt.

Who would have thought that our last two years would have looked like they did?

When the whole world suddenly pauses and the whales in the ocean are swimming with glee and the sky is cleared of pollution and yet so many people, just like us, are suffering loss and isolation, we need to pause and glean some lessons.

        Listening to people with whom you don’t agree. Finding a way to relate to another person’s humanity.

There are so many ways of living and being in this world, surely, we can be curious and courteous enough to learn about how others live and maybe give a new way a try?

That in no way means, I must adopt your way of life, or agree with you or….

But I can put aside my own perspective and fears to pause to listen.

Today, our communities look far different than when our forefathers (who we know were accompanied by the unnamed foremothers) arrived. The big wide world and our small communities are less homologous.

    Municipal governance is a civic institution. It needs to truly reflect the people it represents.

Tolerance is an acquired skill. It is a muscle that will stretch and grow with practise. We need to make sure that our civic institutions take that into account and give us an opportunity to gain experience.

If you are surrounded by similarly minded people, there is no reason to think that you will hear challenging ideas.

As we navigate forward in this post pandemic world, we will need new ideas, perspectives, and lived experiences to help us recover and build a new way of being.

Diversity at the council table leads to more innovative, legitimate, and democratic governance.

Anyone want to meet for a coffee outside, on the street to discuss patios, colonialism, or municipal governance?

Find me a sunny day and a patio, I am in.