A Toast to the Mennonites of Southern Alberta

Some of my best friends down here in the South have names like Banman, Thiessen, Unger, Dyck, and Dueck. (I like the rest of you, but I've run out of space.) Not only are they my friends, but they are my students, my mechanics, my shopkeepers, and my employees.

Okay, okay, scratch the last link: They don't work for me, but they all certainly work for someone else.

Can you imagine where the communities of Bow Island, Burdett, and Grassy Lake would be without this welcomed infusion of Mennonite families? (Note: I said "infusion," not "intrusion.") Take their numbers out of every type of school, houses (as renters and buyers), the workplace, the farms, to say nothing of their contribution to the southern economy as consumers, and I suggest to you one word: toast. Toast, as in "the economy of southern Alberta would be toast if we didn't have our friends from Mexico and Belize moving in and settling down."

One of the many hats I wear is that of supervisor of students who study and learn at home. Homeschooling is a growing option for hundreds of families throughout Alberta, and many of the Mexican-Mennonites have caught this vision. My wife (also a certified teacher) and I make calls – in the home and on the phone – on a cyclic basis throughout the year. We are continually impressed with the diligence of these people as they teach their kids

Farther afield, in places like Vauxhall, Two Hills, Cleardale, and La Crete - just for starters – there are significant settlements of Mennonites. In these far-flung places, we have the influence of the Neufelds, Peters, Reimers, and Enns of the world. Some have been here for a generation or two, others are just coming in now.

And not just moving in: They are developing businesses, paying taxes, and getting involved.

As a wannabe history buff, I looked into the migration of these people. Their roots are Western Europe (Germany and Holland), and their convictions have taken them from there to Prussia to Russia to southern Manitoba, then further south to parts of Mexico and South America. Spare me if I have over-simplified their odyssey. (It took me three books to regurgitate this information for you in 33 words!)

My basic point is this (and it's always simple - but not simplistic): These people have proven and will prove to be our economy's lifeline. As I stated previously, they fill many roles here in southern economy; I cannot be definite about the northern one, but I assume the towns I mentioned before are enjoying the same blessing of these families.

Two examples come to mind: schools and farms, two backbone institutions I would say. How many schools have a high percentage of Mennonites, as well as special German classes? Can you spell M-O-S-T? And check out who are the hired men on many farm these days. Again, the word starts with M and ends in S, and it's not M-O-S-E-S.

There are many days I sincerely wish my name was Craig Hamm or Craig Froese. And I wish I spoke Low German. The closest I can get to Low German is to get on my knees and say, "Nein."

Some of them talk and dress and eat differently than we do; so what? I know lots of Chinese and East Indians who do the same. I have no problem with such superficial differences; just don't make me use chopsticks or wear a turban. (Excuse me, but did I just stereotype? Thought so.) These differences are part of the – what was that word last week? - mosaic that makes this country so rich.

So, in the spirit of an extended Canada Day, to each and every one of anyone of you with a Mennonite heritage – a rich one, at that – I'm glad you're here. Tell your relatives in Mexico and Belize that there's plenty of space and work to go around. Consumers, by the way, create more consumers, and consumers drive the economy.

Tell them Fast. But don't tell them it's Friesen up here. Honest, I'm not Thiessen.