Gone Series: Slap in Our Collective Face

OPINION

"Windsorites Embrace Fort McMurray"
- Carolyn Thompson

Gone Series in the Windsor Star I'm not sure why The Windsor Star is running a huge advertising campaign about the great life you can have if you leave Windsor.  Why would they go out of their way to track down people who left this city, to create this sort of series to be published in a newspaper (and online) and subscribed to by people still living in Windsor. What's their motivation? Are they looking for the best interest of the future of Windsorites or twisting the knife a little bit deeper in our wounds? Who is Carolyn Thompson? She is a self described Canadian data and visual journalist.   Is she from Windsor?  All I know of her is whatever I glean from the words she writes in stories I've read.  Although her work appears in many publications including the Windsor Star,  her heart is not in Windsor and with this "Gone" series, she seems to have gone out of her way to pour salt in our collective wounds.

 It's puzzling that Windsor Star would allow this series in their paper.  A series that belittles our community, discourages our youth from pursuing their dreams locally and encourages mass immigration to Fort McMurray.  In looking over Carolyn Thompsons writings, I noticed glowing reports about Fort McMurray as reflected in her articles,  "Recreation in Fort McMurray", "Camp Life in Fort McMurray",  and  "Shopping in Fort McMurray". 

As a writer, I'm sure she is effective otherwise she would not be getting paid for her efforts.   My qualm is with the series itself.    Instead of using it to hurt the feelings of the remaining Windsorites and our efforts to move forward, it could have been published in Fort McMurray as a series for that region - a promotional tool to boost the egos of people in the region.  Maybe call it #FortMcMurraysNewWorkforce  

Incidentally, there is a video on the Gone series page that is sponsored by WFCU - WINDSOR FMILY CREDIT UNION.  I'm not sure if they are aware they are paying to advertise on a video that is encouraging people to leave our region and take their money with them.

Windsor Family Credit Union
- Advertising an article encouraging people to move out of Windsor.

The Gone Series:  December 27

GONE: ‘I GET REALLY ANGRY WHENEVER I THINK ABOUT IT’

#WindsorGone: Your stories GONE: ‘BEGGARS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS’ GONE: ‘WHAT YOU’RE GIVING UP IN WINDSOR IS LIVING PAYCHEQUE TO PAYCHEQUE’ GONE: ‘WE HAVE A DREAM AND WE WANTED TO TAKE THE SHOT’
I'm a Windsorite that is proud of my community and the hard work going into pulling it through to a better future.  For myself, I would never subscribe to Windsor Star in paper form or online if this is the way they let their writers treat this community.  Everyone else can decide for themselves if they want to support a company that hires people who subscribe to the idea that we are a failed community.