‘ANNUS HORRIBILIS’

Say goodbye to painful 2018

Hey 2018, don’t let the door hit you on your way out.

Many Saskatchewan residents will feel a deep sense of relief when the calendar finally flips to 2019. I’m right there with them.

I’ve begun to think of it as the province’s “annus horribilis.”

Queen Elizabeth made this term famous in a year-end speech, after she lived through a fire at her beloved Windsor Castle and what she called “months of worldwide turmoil and uncertainty.”

(I will say the standard for what constitutes “worldwide turmoil and uncertainty” has changed substantially since 1992. I believe we may have hit a new high — or is it a low? — for such chaos.)

“1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure,” Elizabeth II said wryly, and with only the tiniest dash of humour.

Swap out 1992 with 2018, and the old girl’s quote captures my feelings about the last 12 months almost perfectly.

It started in January with the trial of Gerald Stanley. I’ve been a journalist for more than 20 years, and I have never seen a story release such anger and pain from so many quarters. The ruthless tone and content of the social media discourse altered my view of the world.

The stress of the trial and the verdict tore the province apart, and the fabric of our society remains tattered in many ways.

Then came April 6. That date will forever be remembered for the deadly crash between a semi truck and the team bus of the Humboldt Broncos. Sixteen souls were lost.

When I think of the families facing a holiday season and a new year without the people they love, there is no way to fix the searing pain. It won’t be affected by the passage of time or the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31.

Of course, the outpouring of donations and displays of support that came from all over the world after the crash was beautiful. The generosity and kindness shown in light of this enormous tragedy have also altered my view of the world, this time in a good way.

Unfortunately, it won’t really be possible to leave the painful events of 2018 completely behind this New Year’s Day.

The families, friends and associates of the people on the Broncos’ bus must face the criminal proceedings regarding the driver of the semi. They will be looking for justice. It is often a long and difficult road.

We also have a long journey ahead when it comes to reconciliation with Indigenous people in Saskatchewan. The ugliness of the discourse around the Stanley trial has been seared into many memories. I would say the path forward to equality is now longer and will be harder to map out due to the events of the last year.

Knowing what we faced in 2018, and what lies ahead in 2019, how should we respond? Strangely for me, who is far from a monarchist, I will turn again to the words of the tough woman currently wearing the crown.

“When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.”

We have living embodiments of that undefeatable attitude close to home in Ryan Straschnitzki and Jacob Wassermann. The Humboldt Broncos were both paralyzed in the crash, but they are already moving forward with life in an inspiring fashion. Just seven months after their injuries, they are learning to play sledge hockey. Straschnitzki has hopes of making the Olympic team.

“We’re going through the same thing right now and, if we have each other’s backs, I think one day we’ll get through it,” Straschnitzki said before he and Wasserman took to the ice together for the first time since the crash.

I like that: If we have each other’s backs, I think one day we’ll get through it.

This could be Saskatchewan’s motto for 2019. How fitting for a Humboldt Broncos player’s words to lead us forward.

Within the halls of the Starphoenix, we have been missing our esteemed columnist and arts editor Cam Fuller. I know our readers have been missing him as well since he went on leave at the end of August. He needs a transplant after an autoimmune disease attacked his liver.

Having Cam’s insights and ability to cut to the heart of a matter would have made the year more livable for the colleagues who eagerly await his return.

We are praying for his recovery. Persson is editor of the Starphoenix.