Her Majesty the Queen of the Sidewalk

I weep for the world that was. The land of opportunity, milk and honey. When the liquor store was open past 6 and flour was in large supply. Yet, I yield; I shelter myself and protect the common person for I am part of something bigger–an idea of a common good. Not more deserving than another but equal in my pursuit of a healthy Canada once again.

Thus nightly, my partner and myself walk, for it is a freedom to be shared. To bask in the beauty of the cracked and uneven sidewalks of our fair city and partake in the democratic distribution of our roads.

Alas not every man feels the same. Be warned! Entitlement walks these very paths…

Must we make way for the joggers? Has it been foretold that they shall inherit the sidewalk? I do not believe I read that in Genesis! I stand, forever in disbelief that after months of squeezing up against bushes and cars, the royalty sashaying towards me continues to walk 2 by 2. The unbelievable site that when we step off the sidewalk and unto the road, we are received by opposite traffic flow taking up even more space. The inconceivability of 6 feet apart.

Perhaps it is my English roots. Ontario may be stuck in its Elizabethan ways in that we strive to follow a respectable line on the sidewalk. It is perhaps Voltaire who has inspired the vibrant French freedom fighters to take what they believe is theirs! Alas I stand but in the gutter, metaphorically, and physically; rolling out the red carpet for those whose parent’s never taught them how to share. Perhaps the Parisian lifestyle of mashing cars and people together, bumper-to-bumper, belt buckle­­­­­–to–belt buckle has created this unawareness of space, in a time where everyone’s very health so depends on it.

I ask you now my fellow Montrealers, and my fellow Canadians that you do not let tyranny go unchecked. Let us be but the modern guillotine for the sidewalk aristocracy. We must stand like the Magna Carta, a wall of civil unity against the oppression of the entitled.

It is a noble pursuit to protect the places we share. We shall not be walked over in this fight.

As Canadians it is in our deepest interest to be kind. Our kindness is known throughout the world. Now is not the time for that sentiment. Find your anger; let it fuel you to cry out for everyone to hear…“Sorry, would you mind just giving us a touch of space?” as your war call shakes the very foundations of our society!

As Winston Churchill said, “If your going through Hell, keep going…just on your side of the sidewalk.”

Stay Vigilant. Stay Safe

Evan