To quote our former premier, Jim Prentice, ‘Math is Hard.’
Unfortunately thousands of Albertans are finding out how true that statement truly is, but perhaps not in the way Prentice meant it when he said it during the televised election debate.
Although, for some math truly is hard, as I am sure my physics 30 teacher could attest when marking my exams, but I digress.
Over the last few months thousands of Albertans have fallen victim to a combination of poor economic conditions, in large part due to low commodity prices and the low price of oil. For everyone who has lost their job, had their hours reduced, or pay frozen or reduced, there are thousands more living on pins and needles waiting for when the proverbial other shoe will drop.
Even if a person’s economic situation is sound that doesn’t mean they are not being affected by what is happening around them.
I don’t think there is a single Albertan who hasn’t been affected in some fashion in some form or another due to the economic downturn, whether they themselves have been impacted or a close friend or family member, even if it is just by the fact that people are having a tougher time making ends meet due to the low Canadian dollar and increasing grocery prices.
For the most part, my small immediate family has been relatively unaffected. My wife and myself are employed, and so is my brother. My parents, who also live in Alberta, are retired and like everyone else are having to deal with an increase in the cost of living, are still managing to keep their heads above water.
So why am I bringing this up? A good question, but as someone who works in the media it is hard not wait for the other shoe to drop.
It is a professional hazard and I find it a common trait for those, at least in the editorial side, to have.
That being said, I am sure the 90 reporters, editors and photographers, who worked for Postmedia were not expecting the mass layoffs that happened a little over a week ago.
I know when I worked for the then Sun Media there were always rumblings about layoffs and some of the smaller weekly papers being merged or eliminated, however, nothing the scale which we saw last week.
I am sure one of the most frustrating parts for those involved in the mass layoffs at Postmedia is that they were doing their jobs and doing them well and were the victims of circumstances beyond their control, just like the overwhelming majority of people who lost their jobs during the downturn.
My heart goes out everyone of you and in the immortal words of Red Green, “Remember I’m pulling for you and we’re all in this together.”
