As a child I idolized my father. I believed every word he uttered was true and worth listening to. I also believed that his opinion was the only one that counted.

My father was an Italian immigrant who came to Canada in 1951 under a Canadian government sponsorship program.  He travelled across the country working in the bush of northern Ontario and ending up in Alberta working the sugar beet farms.

He came to Fernie when he heard there was a mill here and was promptly hired by James White, owner and mayor for nearly twenty years.  He never forgot about his birth country but he developed a passion for Fernie that lasted until his death just three years ago.

As I got older I came to understand that although my dad was highly intelligent and clever his opinion wasn’t gospel.  I came to understand that there are many ways of doing things and that each way has merit. I came to understand that truth is relative to the beholder but most of all I learned to be honest and to work hard.  This is something that my dad instilled in his children.

Dad worked two sometimes three jobs at a time.  He worked at his day job at the mill, worked evenings and weekends doing carpentry and plumbing and heating until he earned his diplomas and went to work doing that fulltime. He expected his four children to work equally as hard.  In summer we worked in the large field where he kept a huge garden.  While schoolmates rode by waving to us we were weeding or helping to harvest the bountiful array of vegetables. Other times my sister and I would be found sawing wood logs, chopping and piling them in the basement for the winter months.  The cold days of winter found us straitening the barrels of bent nails that my dad had acquired from somewhere or else turning the stone wheel in the water that dad used to sharpen saws.  By the time I was 15 I was working at a paid job first as a waitress and then working weekends and evenings at the local telephone office.

I became a councillor because of a question my dad asked me ten years ago.  I was sitting on a chair next to him and he turned to me and said,” I hear there is a bottling plant coming to town, what are you going to do about it?

One of the reasons dad love Fernie so much was because of its great spring water. He felt that letting a company draw from the Fernie water source wasn’t good for the residents and he expected me to do something about it.

I had finished reading a book called “Blue Gold” by Maude Barlow that spoke in depth about what corporations had done to water sources in many countries of the world.

The book emphasized that under NAFTA once a town lets one bottling company in, it can’t refuse others and then there is no recourse to stop the companies from drawing the water dry. After researching a great deal more me and  a friend Sherry Earl went out and within two weeks had a petition signed with twelve hundred names saying they didn’t want a bottling plant to hook into the Fernie water source.  Several presentations to city council followed and somehow the issue went away.  But I didn’t, with much encouraging by friends and acquaintances I let my name stand for the next council election. That was nine years ago.  During this time I have done my best to represent everyone in the town. I believe that each person that takes time to call me or email me with a concern deserves my attention. I have written stories highlighting important issues such as missed home support visits that resulted in a change to scheduling by Interior Health, I have helped to organize demonstrations in support of health care, I have initiated windrow clearing for seniors and people with disabilities, initiated the decorative flower baskets for downtown, initiated societies to keep local TV programming on the Shaw channel, fundraised enough money to rehabilitate and save the oil derrick site, fundraised and was lead person for the Miners Walk honouring mining and miners, I have worked with Fernie Family Housing to bring affordable housing and turn Tom Uphill Home into a residence for seniors and people with disabilities, helped to lobby and was successful in getting a dialysis unit for the Elk Valley, have served and still am a member on many boards and societies and committees such as the Kids Club, Historical Society, Official Community Plan, Quality of Life as well as a sorority and church group.  I volunteer at fundraisers, host a volunteer television program, and write for several publications.  I am active in many aspects of my community.  I, like my dad am passionate for Fernie.  Someone paid me the greatest compliment recently, he said “Everyone knows that there are many people who love Fernie but no one loves Fernie more than Mary.”

Perhaps there are those who love this town more than me, I am not the one to judge  but Mother Teresa once said that “It’s not how much you do but how much Love you put into it that counts.”

What I can tell you for sure is that I have always put all love possible into everything I have done for my town.  Wanting the position of Mayor is only an extension of that. I am confident enough to say that I KNOW THAT I CAN PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP TO HELP FERNIE GROW TO PROVIDE THAT IMPORTANT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NEEDED FOR GROWTH.

Please do come out and vote on November 19, voting is such a great privilege, please come and exercise that privilege. Regardless of your choice please come and vote.

Mary Giuliano

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