Trevor Wright

Photo by Trent Allen

Q: Hello Trevor, thanks for chatting with us today. Can you tell us a little about yourself? A: I have lived in The Pas for about three years now. I came from Yellowknife, NWT, October 2013, following my high school graduation. The reason for moving here was mostly about the cost of living up north. Yellowknife is a great place but very expensive, and it also had to do with having a lot of family here in The Pas and OCN. I initially laughed that people would say this is "The North," being from Yellowknife and having moved south. As for my background I like to think I am a "'mixed' but entirely Canadian": Cree, Inuit and European ancestry. Before joining the Opasquia Times as a full-time staff reporter I worked at Extra Foods stocking shelves for about a year. Q: You currently work as a reporter at the Opasquia Times. Can you tell us a bit about that? A: I have been with the Opasquia Times full-time for about a year, but before that I was freelancing with them for about another year. My experience with the paper has been mostly, if not entirely, positive. As a reporter, I find out new things about this community and the region every week. There have been many things I have learned about such as the land and all the people who live here, and the staff here are awesome. There are expectations, sure, but as long as you get your work done on time and be a generally good person, there is no problem that can't be solved. Q: Our community is currently feeling many economic and social pressures. What are some of things you see as necessary for us to keep our communities going? A: I see this community going forward anyway, there will always be internal and external pressures in life, people may leave but this community will still be here and there will always be something to look forward to, be it positive or negative. Life goes on and there will be always be a reason to keep going, be it doom and gloom or a new prosperous future, and contrary to what our mayor said on CBC, this is not a "death blow", that is just hyperbole. Q: What are some of the strengths that you feel our communities offer? A: Unlike many other smaller communities, this one has something that others don’t have: a direct connection with each other. There is more than just a bridge connecting The Pas, Kelsey and OCN - there is a shared history with our First Nations. Often times many of us forget about that in our day-to-day lives, and in my limited time living here I haven’t forgotten, that with our shared history is a shared connection. We’re all in this together, and considering how I quickly integrated into this community, I can safely say there is plenty of room for outsiders to come in be it from Canada or elsewhere. Q: Thanks a lot for taking time to speak; did you have any final words for readers? A: I'd like to thank the Opasquia Times for hiring me, and the community as a whole for their openness and acceptance. While there will be economic hardships, there is still a future for our communities. Northern Manitoba is truly a unique place as is Canada itself with lots of space for us to grow. You can connect with Trevor on his facebook page, Opasquia Times facebook, and Opasquia Times Instagram.