The Times Chronicle team have moved into our new location at 8317 Main Street, and are settling in. I am so grateful to those who have reached out to say that they are happy to see us continue. My path to newspaper ownership was not a simple one.
When I bought my house in 2011, it wasn’t a wholly positive time for me and my family. My husband was struggling with addiction and there was violence. There was therapy, stints at AA, and halcyon periods of sobriety, but it never lasted.
I had a bag packed with cash and some vital documents, and after watching an episode of Oprah in which strategies were discussed, I told my kids where it was in case they had to escape without me. Financially I was tied to our business and it was controlled by him. The only thing in my name was my house in Osoyoos. I got a long term mortgage so that even if I worked a low paying job, I could afford to leave him.
When I left, things actually got worse for years. I came for Christmas with my kids in 2014 and I never went back. Their school was very supportive as they knew what was happening. He said that if I left, I would lose the house, the kids, and my life would be so terrible that I would regret leaving him even though my life was at risk.
I reached out to Desert Sun Counseling and there was a one year wait list. Once I got support from the Stop The Violence program, it was a lifeline. My employer at the time allowed me to adjust my schedule to meet with my therapist. This organization was there every week, and while they couldn’t solve everything, they helped me hold it together while I built my strength back. I started volunteering with SOS Mental Wellness Centre and CMHA.
I ran for municipal office in 2018, because I had management and governance in my background but I also experienced having nothing, and struggling to survive. I thought I could be of service and represent many of the women who shared their stories with me. Stories of physical abuse transitioning to financial abuse when they left.
I remember telling my counselor that I put my hat in the ring, and she laughed and said that wasn’t exactly the baby step she encouraged me to take but she knew I was going to be okay.
I took any job I could do well. My daughter struggled with several medical issues so I needed to stay in town and there wasn’t a lot available for employment back then. I worked part time and relief so I could get us both to SOWINS in Penticton for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy every week.
When I met with Bob Doull of Aberdeen Publishing (former owner of the Times Chronicle), he saw a publisher almost instantly. It was 2020 and I became passionate about the quality and scope of our newly merged newspaper.
I wasn’t planning on sharing my story this week but lately, it’s been a very difficult time, for me, for my clients, for the town, and for many I care about. I found myself crying in the shower. I do not cry often. I realized that I started crying in the shower back when we went through the dark times so I didn’t scare my kids. When the kids look to you to save them, you don’t want to scare them with your own fears. It made me wonder how many other mothers do the same.
Mothers with experiences similar to mine, who are trying to access help right now. A waiting list for someone in crisis is distressing. I was fortunate to have a place to bring my kids to safety. The day I was offered shelter in Vancouver, a woman came in with two broken legs and only the clothes she was wearing. I chose not to go underground. Not everyone has that choice.
Then I thought of the Empty Bowls Campaign of Desert Sun Counseling and how they are off to a slow start this year. Normally they place several half page ads, but this year they didn’t have the budget even though we offer registered charities a rate which translates to slightly below cost.
This newspaper is funded by advertisers. It is truly all of you who support us and enable us to report on, and reflect the two communities we live in. We are not self-funded, we do not have deep pockets carrying our expenses.
We all clearly understand and share the pain of continuously rising costs, a situation made all the more traumatic by the jump in local taxes, but I am moved to help the Empty Bowls Campaign by providing an extra incentive. If $5,000 is raised by next week, we will run their ad and try to reach more donors. It’s not much and I wish I could help every worthy cause, but maybe my story will help spread the word and it helps someone.
