Missing

This one has been photoshopped to make it suitable for print, so it seems grainier than the original file.


Had to set the ISO to max, kill the flash and take 50 shots in the hope of getting one where the camera shake didn't blurry it beyond use.

Came out nice. But it's a strange thing to be proud of.

It's at a candlelight vigil for Hilary Bonnell. At the time of this writing, she's been missing for around three weeks. Went to a party on one of the local first nations (she's native, but lives in Miramichi), then never was seen again. Last anyone saw of her was a surveillance video from, like 7 am the next day, walking along the highway past a convenience store at the entrance to the reserve.

All this time, everyone on that reserve is swearing sideways they think she's alive. Cops too. But the area has been searched over and over again, and extended beyond it. She could be anywhere now.

By a conjunction of the fates, three of us had to cover this over three days. One on the Thursday, when we went down first. Then he had the day off, so another of us went Friday. Finally, I was on that weekend, so I went down, heard of the vigil, then went down again in the evenings to grab a shot. We needed something the dailies didn't have, and it's an image of hope and waiting, rather than a shot of Hilary's tearful parents and stepfather at a press conference, begging her supposed kidnapper to return her.

Had to talk to the parents. Took awhile before we were let near, and mostly I listened. It's messed up. Her mum's total wreck. They're basically living in a holiday trailer by the fisheries building on the reserve where the search is being coordinated from, just so they can be as close as possible.

At the vigil that evening I was there, amidst the firelight and honour songs and prayers in English, French and Mi'kmaq, I could see the mum, rocking back and forth and holding herself. I can't imagine what she must have been going through. Still is.

Hope they find the girl, one way or another.

The joys of rural reporting

Observe:

The gentleman below is Leon Bremner. He owns several tractor dealerships. Yes. Tractor dealerships.

This pic was taken at the grand opening of his newest one, on Route 11 a stone's throw away from the city limits. It was, of course, a big deal in a rural county like this.

I happen to like this one. But as I stood there, in a rare hot day, snapping shots of this man and his tractor, his shiny new mechanized conveyance, I came to a realization.

I was covering the opening of a tractor store. On a saturday. And it was a big deal.

Truly ... I am in exile.

That's all I have to say about that. Moving right along...

Another dispatch from the twilight zone

So last week, premier Shawn Graham skipped out on some high profile events in Freddy that evening to go to Sunny Corner, a small local service district just upriver of the city, to hand out some funds to one of the local legions.

Said he wanted to honour the legion, given his background with them when he was younger and involved in sport. More like he wanted to avoid someone in the capital, but hey, the veterans were grateful.

So I'm waiting outside for Graham to emerge ... when public safety minister John Foran comes up to me.

You have to understand: The honourable Mr. Foran is a very large man. He's past six feet. And, without being too uncharitable, he's also a bit on the big side.

So he looms over me, peers down at me with a big, boyish grin on his face and says, with the enthusiasm of an eager child, "Hey dan-YELL...me and the premier are going to an abattoir after. Wanna come?"

Sweet jesus, it was like I'd stepped into a scene from some Mafia movie.

So I followed their cars, got to the slaughterhouse, but one of the workers' brothers was hospitalised that day, so they only stayed long enough for me to grab the shot.

Left to right is premier Shawn Graham, local MLA and public safety minister John Foran and Earl Sutherland, the owner of what is possibly the only slaughterhouse in the Miramichi.

I felt awful about the pic ... Foran looks like he's thinking about eating the damned thing. But it was the best art we had that day, so onto A1 it went.

Some of the comments were awesome, though.

Still...it stands as the weirdest assignment in recent memory.