Editor:
To Mayor Borrowman and the town of Canmore:
My name is Nicole Toutant and I am from Prince Albert, Sask.
I was travelling with some family for a house boating trip on Shuswap Lake on June 19. We had decided to leave after work on Wednesday, drive through Calgary and stay in Canmore for the night and travel the rest of the way on Thursday morning.
Obviously that did not go exactly as planned. We approached Canmore at approximately 1:15 a.m. and were stopped by a line of traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway (mostly semis at this point). We attempted to take an exit into town, but as this was blocked off we turned back onto the highway and sat in line for a while.
We had no idea at this point why everyone was stopped, but we assumed there was an accident up ahead. After about 15 minutes we noticed the water in the ditch visibly rising. My husband got out of the vehicle to have a look almost at the same time a town worker drove up the exit onto the highway in a town vehicle.
My husband spoke with the man for a minute and he told us to please follow him and he would get us into the townsite and to our hotel. Again, we were just thinking this was a small roadblock that wouldn’t last long, but it was late and we were tired and we sure did appreciate him leaving his post to do that for us. Little did we know what could have happened.
That was the first encounter we had with one of your citizens in the three days we were “stuck” in Canmore, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last and it most definitely was exactly how we were to be treated by everyone we came across.
To think that these people were in danger of losing their homes, or businesses, or at the very least knew someone who was, yet took the time to make sure we were taken care of and had everything we needed just boggles my mind!
We were very fortunate that the hotel we had booked at stayed nice and dry and never once lost power. Part of the group we were travelling with weren’t as lucky, however, were on the second floor of their hotel so it definitely wasn’t that bad for them either. The staff at both hotels were so amazing and caring. They never panicked and did a very good job of keeping us just oblivious enough to what was happening that we never felt alarmed or in any danger of any kind.
If we hadn’t had access to the TV we probably wouldn’t have known just how bad it was out there. So we would like to send a special thank you to the staff at the Mountain View Inn and the Ramada for taking care of us.
Apart from the hotel staff, your citizens in general were amazing. We met people who invited us in for a meal or just to use their kitchen... complete strangers inviting us in to their homes. Unbelievable to me.
Everywhere we went people were concerned for us and inquired about our needs. In the midst of all of the chaos.
We were able to leave Saturday night as they opened up the eastbound lane of the TCH to westbound traffic wanting to go towards Calgary. As we left, I have never felt so guilty in my life. I wanted to go and see my house and my cats and my mom, and yet I felt such a strong pull to stay and try to do something, anything.
We never did get our vacation. But what we did get is so much more valuable. We got a lesson in human compassion and caring and understanding from people in the most trying of times.
I actually wish more people could have been “stuck” with us so they could have experienced what we did. The six of us who were there can all not wait to come back one day and see the progress and the rebuilding and just spend some time in your beautiful town in different circumstances.
We hope you all will keep the smile on your faces and the warmness in your heart, as we will whenever we think of all of you.
Nicole Toutant,
Prince Albert, Sask.
