I've Never Seen So Much Respect for Canada
Pizza shop owner gives Sam 50% off, compares Convoy to other national capital events.
Part 1: Locked in My Shop, Going Crazy
Sam refers to himself and others protesting in Ottawa as society's "outcasts." They "weren't there to cause harm,” he says, “but to prevent further harm. We wanted to be a help, not a hindrance."
Many Ottawa residents were sympathetic. In fact, he calls them a "security blanket.” In his words, “The people that carried us through the quieter days, mid-week, were the locals. We couldn't have stayed there without them."
But not everyone was friendly. Toward the end, Sam hosted a mechanics' meeting:
I go into a pizza shop and I order, I think it was eight large pizzas. I'm dressed in my coveralls, being super humble, super polite. Standing back, minding my own business. And the owner's chatting, asking me questions. I say I'm one of the mechanics, that we're fixing these trucks, making sure everybody can get home again.
And this guy comes out from the back and starts chirping me out. 'You guys are menaces to our town, da, da, da.'
And the owner's like, 'You, get back in the f**king corner and fold boxes.' He gave me 50% off the ticket, all the pop I could carry, thanked me. I told him I was really sorry for the mess and the commotion.
He says, 'If you've been in Ottawa during Canada Day, there's literally people peeing and pooping everywhere. They're puking on your front lawn, the garbage is disgusting.' He says, 'I've lived here for 45 years, I've never seen so much respect for Canada.'
Sam pauses, "Those were the moments. When you were feeling skeptical about why you were there or what you were doing, and then somebody like that gave you the power to carry on."
Reassuring the folks back home was a constant challenge, he remembers:
Every morning I'd get woke up by one of my family. 'They're coming for you now, they're going to sonic boom you.' So I'd take my phone and I'd Facebook live and I'd go outside.
'Good morning, everybody. It's Sam here from the Library of Archives. A beautiful sunny morning here.' And I'd just completely deflate the situation on the home front. Because my family was definitely being misled by the media. That was my biggest battle, cooling down the people that weren't actually there.
It was dirty pool, all the way around. We weren't getting a fair shake.
To this day, when Sam's working on someone's car and the radio's tuned to CBC, "it messes with me," he says. On one occasion, he witnessed what he believes to be a case of thoroughly fake news reporting:
I'd just finished fixing a truck. I'm doing a livestream, and am reading viewer comments. Somebody chimed in, 'What's with that guy?' Sandie Rinaldo, from CTV, was doing a live 10 o'clock briefing.
I walk over, and I'm looking at this guy the camera crew is recording. He was all masked up, and he had an earpiece in. Brand spanking new boots, a fancy-dancy watch, and he had a red and black Husky tool bag over his shoulder. He's a huge guy and he's saying things like, 'We will not be held prisoner in our own town.'
And instantly, everybody watching on my live, is like: He's such a fed, he's a f**king cop.'
I got right up in there, and then these little old ladies were putting their flags in front of me, and pushing me around. They were all wearing their Covid masks.
At the time, there were herds of police officers on the street corners. I'm like, 'Guys, that's the most pathetic display I have ever witnessed.'
A few weeks after he was back in Nova Scotia, Sam posted a photo on Facebook of his trailer, covered in messages, with the brief remark: "I'll never be the same person." He's not sure what would have happened had he not gone to Ottawa. For one thing, it was there that he found the first meaningful relief from the health issues he'd developed post vaccination:
I met a ring bearing Member of Parliament and his wife, and told them my story. He's like, 'I've got a medical background. 10,000 IUs of vitamin D daily, fish oil, iodine. A bunch of this, a bunch of that.' He brought me this ultrasonic wand, which I brought home with me. You work it right across your abdomen. I mean, the care and consideration he gave me there, and how much better I feel now.
Toward the end of the protest, when rumours were flying about the government jamming cell phones, Sam says the same MP’s wife "showed up at my trailer with 18 Motorola handheld walkie talkies. On her dime. And I went and gave 'em to every one of the mechanics, and some block captains. She provided us with a means of communication. Anybody that reached out in that month, you'll never forget them and what they did."
next installment: Much Rejoicing
We have allies everywhere.