They said that?

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/12/2022 (628 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This has been a punishing year for Canadians, even without an official pandemic to tamp down our spirits, as the cost of everything has climbed higher this past year: gas, Hydro, food, renovation materials, you name it. If those who run the world could find a way to monetize and tax the air we breathe, no doubt they would likely do so.

As such, you may not be inclined to look back on 2022 with any particular fondness, though some of our readers likely had a good year. I would suggest you have another look and remember the year that was through Part I of our Quotes of the Year editorial below, for there was so much more to the 2022 news cycle that is worth remembering — both the bad and the good.

Here’s wishing all of you a wonderful 2023!

» Matt Goerzen, editor

“We’re hundreds of paramedics short rurally. It’s a terrible circle. Our workforce with our paramedics has been far too small for years anyways. We’ve been talking about that for years and we would get dismissed.”

— Bob Moroz, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals in January.

“This virus is running throughout our community and it’s up to Manitobans to look after themselves. We must all learn to live with this virus; there must be a balance.”

— Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson in early January.

“We want to make sure that the government and public health are looking at every avenue possible to manage the pandemic. The easiest thing to do is give the illusion of action by shutting everything down, having a curfew, closing all the businesses down. But that hasn’t accomplished much over the last two years except cost businesses their equity and their cash.”

— Former Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Barry Cooper, Jan. 13.

“I’m sorry I said anything to you that day. I didn’t mean to do it. I should have just walked away. I’m glad you’re alive.”

— Crown attorney Grant Hughes reading a statement from Savannah Catagas, 22, who pleaded guilty on Jan. 6 to an assault charge stemming from a group attack on Kevin Taylor that took place at the Kristopher Campbell Memorial Skate Plaza on Sept. 3, 2020.

“We had to make the heart-wrenching decision to have to close it. I have cried many tears over the last few days—our hearts are in this and it has definitely been challenging, but we will move forward and face those challenges and get through with the support of the Westman community.”

— YWCA executive director Heather Symbalisty on what was the pending closure of Meredith Place in May.

“We spent one night and one day outside the airport without eating anything and without going to the toilet, with four children. It was really difficult. There were thousands of people in that area, and also there were Taliban who were beating [people], who were firing everything. We put our lives at risk.”

— A member of a newcomer family in January who recounted their escape from Taliban rule in Afghanistan and their journey to Canada and ultimately Brandon.

“This is like an army. We’re a peaceful army, mind you, but this is a show of force to say that we will not tolerate these mandates any longer. This is over. These restrictions are unreasonable and they need to end the mandates effective immediately.”

— ‘Freedom convoy’ promoter Benita Pedersen, over the phone to a Sun reporter on Jan. 24, a day before the convoy rolled through Brandon.

“For me, it’s not about the [COVID-19] shot. It’s about the freedom and choices we get to make. I do have the vaccine, but I would have loved to have done it on my own choice, not to be forced [to keep] my job.”

— Killarney resident Ann Foote, who watched the freedom convoy pass through Brandon on Jan. 25.

“I thought it would be a little bit of a closer vote. Over 60 per cent voted to dump O’Toole, and I thought there would have been more people in the party or at least within the caucus who would’ve said ‘we might not like him and we might not agree with everything he does, but now is really not the time to be dumping our leader.’”

— Brandon University political science Prof. Kelly Saunders, after Candice Bergen was named interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, replacing Erin O’Toole on Feb. 2.

“I have to call out the fact that Premier Stefanson went to great pains to refuse to say the obvious thing that needs to be said by a leader at this time; it is time for the convoy to go home.”

— NDP Leader Wab Kinew following a press conference by Stefanson who announced the pending expiration of mask mandates and vaccine passports on Feb. 11.

“I want to be very clear: the scope of these measures will be time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address.”

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on Feb. 14, the day he invoked the Emergencies Act to end “illegal blockades.”

“You just have to pick the time. There’s not a magic number, but I do feel that it is good for any organization, any community to have an orderly turnover of people … I don’t want to stay too long, look like I’m running out of gas, have people starting to get unhappy with me. I don’t believe I’m at that state.”

— Former Brandon mayor Rick Chrest, in announcing on Feb. 18 that he would not seek a third term.

“I went to work [Thursday] morning thinking I could do it and not think about what was going on back in Ukraine, but I couldn’t. I went to school and everyone started to ask ‘how are you and how are things going?’ and tears were just going down myself.”

— École New Era teacher Olga Boika fearing for the safety of her parents and brother who lived in northern Ukraine, in the wake of the Russian invasion of that country.

“I have always hoped that coming forward and telling my story would empower other victims of revenge porn to do the same. The court’s decision provides an important road map for other victims of revenge porn to seek vindication and compensation. I am proud to have played a part in establishing this legal precedent.”

— Brittany Roque, who sued Terry Lynn Peters for sharing Roque’s intimate images with the Brandon Police Service without her consent. Both Peters and the City of Brandon, which was listed as a third party in the lawsuit, were found severally liable in March for general damages of $45,000 and Peters liable for aggravated damages of $15,000.

“I’m self-employed, so it really affects me. It’s a real kick. I don’t understand why the little guy has to pay for everybody else. I don’t have any other employees. It’s just me and I’m doing what I can.”

— Steinbach resident Jerry Goertzen filling up gas in Brandon last March, after prices began to soar in the wake of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Before I get to the member’s question, I just want to say that sometimes we need to remember to take time to celebrate our kids. And last night, it was a proud mom moment for me, it was a proud parent moment for both my husband and I when we were at a hockey rink in Selkirk when Tommy and his hockey team were playing the St. Paul’s Crusaders and they defeated the Manitoba Warriors to become the Manitoba provincial high school hockey champions.”

— Stefanson after being asked by Kinew about the death of Krystall Mousseau in Brandon who was being prepared for transport to an Ontario hospital during a surge in COVID-19 cases.

“We’ve always kinda been in that flux of ‘are we the largest town in the province or the second major city. The reality is, we are the second major city in this province. We do need to step up and make sure that we’re addressing large urban issues and representing our region.”

— Coun. Jeff Fawcett (Assiniboine) during an April interview with the Sun in which he announced his intention to run for mayor of Brandon.

“It’s sad. There’s a lot of history. A lot of people have been baptized, married, buried — it’s been sort of a stalwart part of the religious community of Brandon for a long, long time.”

— Bill Myers, chairman of the leadership team at Brandon’s Central United Church, which held its final service on April 24.

“At this point, any moisture is needed just because the drought has been so long in the making, so it’s going to take a long time to make up for all of that precipitation.”

— Terri Lang, meteorologist of environment and climate change for the Prairie region of Environment Canada, Jan. 18

“I don’t know how much longer we can hold on. We’re at the brink of spilling over the bank.”

— Jim Doppler, chief administrative officer for the Town of Minnedosa, during May flooding of the town.

Coun. Shawn Berry (Linden Lanes): “I don’t think honestly, your worship, I’m any further ahead than I was eight months ago. We still haven’t gotten a piece of information that we asked for last July, and that was the RFP for the repairs. We’ve had a presentation on it, and that’s all we’ve had. Where is it?”

Mayor Chrest: “We did have a special meeting recently … if you … were you at that meeting? March 22.”

Berry: “I think I was. March 22?”

Chrest: “Yeah.”

Berry: “I may not have been. Right off the top of my head.”

Chrest: “Yeah, so I’m thinking that you might have missed a step here.”

— A conversation between Chrest and Berry during a regular council meeting that touched off a series of stories and editorials over “information meetings” being held behind closed doors by mayor and council without public notice. The situation eventually became an issue during the municipal election.

“The fact that they’re holding these sessions, there are no minutes, it’s not in-camera and they’re meeting with staff, they’re meeting about substantive issues — clearly, I’m not a legal scholar — but it violates, I think, both the spirit and probably actually the legislation itself doing so.”

— University of Winnipeg political science Prof. Aaron Moore on the informal meetings being held by Brandon City Council.

“I would venture to say that any of those sessions we have, we could put them public, but my God, how bored do people want to get?”

— Then-mayoral candidate Fawcett, in response to criticism of city hall’s informal meetings.

“To our student athletes: we are sorry, unreservedly, for what you endured while participating in our athletics program and since. We are sorry that harm was caused to you. We are also sorry for any of our public statements that have in any way called your integrity into question. To that end, we say unequivocally that we believe our athletes and we will aim to do better.”

— A statement of apology by Brandon University on April 27 over the mishandling of complaints made by a group of female students after two investigations confirmed their allegations of misconduct against a university soccer coach.

“Do you not care about people with allergies? Schools will ban peanuts for people with allergies, why can’t we do the same for people allergic to bee stings?”

— Brandon resident Barb Strutt during a public hearing on an urban beekeeping project at Brandon University.

“I feel really privileged to express my feelings with others in the world, but I tell my students music is a superpower and you have that power to create change and go beyond the music experience and become a life transformative. Hopefully, that is a positive experience to motivate and promote action.”

— Brandon University music Prof. Megumi Masaki, after receiving notice of an Order of Manitoba investiture in May.

“They [developers] wouldn’t even come to the table because they felt it was a total waste of their time.”

— Emeka Egeson, executive director of the Brandon Downtown Development Corporation, in May, talking about previous attempts to sell the former site of the Strand Theatre along Princess Avenue at market value. The city had just decided to sell the property for $1, and implement a tax increment program for the land as well.

“The search for Jordan is over. He is home. Not how we want, but we can find peace in knowing he’s no longer lost out there and the healing process can begin. Thank you for your love and support through this very difficult time.”

— Jeff Ross after the remains of his brother Jordan Ross were discovered after a weeks-long search.

•••

Part II of our Quotes of the Year will appear in Monday’s e-edition.