We left off on our way to Kelowna, traveling down through the mountains, and driving along the shore of beautiful Kalamalka Lake to finally arrive at our destination. We were looking forward to our time here as the city of Kelowna is right on the beaches of Okanagan Lake, and so was the clock location. With the breeze blowing and the sun shining, we addressed locals in the park and interviewed with media, which distracted us from the 34 degree weather. This location brought us even more success than we thought due to our television interview airing with their sister station in Vancouver! What a day, and with the clock and our sun block still going strong, we continued south.

Driving down through the Okanagan is an experience to be had; with local vineyards and desert-like mountains and scenery, the drive surely is something to remember. The next stop was Penticton, where we met for a brief interview with local media and carried on towards Oliver. This was a busy day as we had four interviews in four towns! We then ended our day in Osoyoos, and soaked up as much of the Okanagan as possible before resting up for the next day’s drive. As we carried on west into the mountains, we stopped in Princeton, Hope, and Chilliwack, where we received much local attention and had three more interviews. All three towns had their own feel, and although briefly visited, were very helpful in keeping the momentum of the campaign.

Finally, Vancouver! What a busy exciting day in downtown Vancouver – before the truck even rolled into location we had media waiting for us. Two cameras were already rolling as we parked the truck, with people from the press circling around snapping pictures. It was like we rolled onto some sort of red carpet! We had great support that day from our local street team and media – we ended up with a total of 10 interviews. Wow! With all the buzz and excitement, we petitioned very successfully and appreciated the support of local TWU members. Vancouver was a success and the campaign gained almost 1,000 signatures, not counting the many more acquired with the media’s help. We broke the story in Vancouver and continued to suburbs to spread the word.

The following day was spent in Burnaby and Surrey. With overwhelming TWU support we petitioned by the TELUS building in Burnaby where the President of the TWU himself, George Doubt, showed up to get in on the action. We petitioned hard in Burnaby and moved to Surrey for the afternoon, and parked the clock by the central train station. With tons of foot traffic there we received tons of support; so much so that we even received a volunteer named Qays who took it upon himself to direct people to the petition and needless to say we appreciated the help. Thanks, Qays!

Onward west, and with our success in Vancouver we were pumped to get all the way to the west coast. We took the ferry over to Nanaimo, where we petitioned in a local park, and received two interviews with local papers. Vancouver Island is nothing short of breathtaking, as we witnessed firsthand traveling down to Victoria. The next day we made our way to a local fair, and after some sweet talking with the local police we were allowed past the barricade to an excellent location at the end of a giant parade right beside “The Tea Party” (aka fair). We handed out hundreds of balloons to passing children, and felt pretty good seeing all those smiles in the midst of such a somber campaign.

After the Victoria we headed up to Port Alberni, where we stayed briefly and made the front page of a local newspaper. We didn’t stay long, as were excited to get all the way west and were headed towards Tofino. We finally got there, and could finally say “We made it.” We had traveled thousands of kilometers across this beautiful country to get to the West Coast, and we got there, the most westerly position on our trip. We were flooded with emotion and pride as we looked back on all of our successes over the past six weeks. We did it. We sent the message loud and clear, and Canada heard us. And although the “National Unemployment Clock’s” journey is over, the message will live on: Keep Jobs in Canada.

With Winnipeg in the rearview mirror the National Unemployment Clock began its journey west, navigating through the Prairies to it’s first stop in Brandon. While the visit in Brandon Manitoba was short, the clock turned many heads as we drove through town. The media was also very responsive as we interviewed with local television and newspapers of which were very hospitable and curious about the campaign. As we drove through town there was certain “easy going” charm, and as it was beautiful day made it even that much harder to carry on across the province.

The drive through the prairies was beautiful as the weather was sunny and the view was endless. With a couple pit stops for gas we soon arrived in Regina, and were excited to create an impression in yet another city. We soon met with our local street team who were very helpful in petitioning for our cause in downtown Regina. As we gained support, we hear a thunderous roar and saw one of Canada’s own “Snowbirds” fly low over the city with a blue smoke trail as if to say “spring was finally here”. Regina left an impact on us and I hope we did the same.

After a successful stay in Regina we continued towards Calgary, and of course making time to briefly visit Moose Jaw and Swift Current. Before we knew it we saw the lights of Calgary and were eager to rest up as we knew the following day was going to be a busy one.

We drove down to our central location in the “Mount Royal Village” where we were greeted by several members of the TWU, including the VP John Carpenter. Soon a frenzy of activity was buzzing around the truck as TWU members gained support by petitioning, and local media began interviewing. With all the action and attention the clock was receiving, we knew our cause was well received and held our heads high. We ended our first day in Calgary by collecting a few more pages of petition signatures on Kensington road, which was filled with great shops and restaurants. We happened to be standing on the street next to a cool pub called the Yardhouse, which had an open front allow the patrons to engage with our team. After asking a few questions everyone started circulating our petition leaving us with a great finish to an amazing day. As soon as we wrapped up we headed straight into the pub to treat ourselves to an amazing steak sandwich.

Driving the National Unemployment Clock reveals a common appreciation that all Canadians have towards keeping jobs in our nation. Whether we are in the financial district on Front St. in downtown Toronto or we’re grabbing coffee at a local hangout in North Bay, people constantly approach us and offer their support. In some ways it really is too bad we couldn’t spend enough time to connect with more people in each area we visit, but we are on a tight schedule to drive all the way to the left coast in a little over four weeks.

Our last day in Toronto was interesting. We were in Dundas Square in the early afternoon and we noticed a police buildup as they anticipated another march by the Tamils who were occupying nearby Queens Park. We had several interesting conversations with several of the Toronto Police as they showed a keen interest in what we were up to. Several took buttons and wished us luck on the rest of our trip.

Toronto is full of all kinds of interesting people. One wonderful woman spent a good 10 minutes speaking to me about the negative effects offshoring has had in the Canadian bank where she works. She signed our petition, but declined to give us her point of view on camera as she is four years from retirement and fears she may lose her job for speaking out. At the conclusion of our talk, she grabbed my hand and said a little prayer to bless our campaign. It was really inspiring.

Another gentleman who was recently laid off told me his wife works in a call centre and is fearing for her job. They are struggling to make ends meet as it is, and their sole source of family income may be at risk, as the company they work for is downsizing in Canada while they continue to increase their international operations. This passionate individual was so dedicated to our cause that he offered to come out and volunteer with us. Had we not been leaving the next day, we definitely would’ve taken him up on this.

Of course we couldn’t get outside of Toronto without a mishap. One of our street team members accidentally broke the key to the back gate of our truck off in the door. We then called the locksmith only to find out that the custom Unicel back on our truck has a non-standard lock that they couldn’t open. After spending a couple of hours phoning every locksmith in Toronto (all of whom were unable to help us due to the Unicel lock), we were finally referred to an independent mobile locksmith, Max, who might be able to help us. When we called Max he listened to our situation and simply said that he was sure he could find a way to help us. The problem was he was in the hospital and would be a couple of hours.

We then proceeded to wait for what turned out to be more like 4-5 hours. Max finally arrived in his van and he mastered a new key on his first try after simply looking at the two broken pieces of our old key. Max explained to us that he was sorry he was late, but his wife had just experienced complications after returning home from the hospital with their new baby boy. We were floored that Max had taken time out of his schedule to help us, and we’re forever grateful. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family, Max. Thank you!

Finally, we get on the road and head to our next stop: Scarborough, Ontario. There we meet several members of the Telecommunications Workers Union and show them the National Unemployment Clock. They proceed to take several petition forms, bumper stickers, and buttons to share with their team. It was great to see them and get their support.

We then proceeded to Barrie. While in Barrie we met with KC Colby, who did a great piece on the truck for A Channel of CTV (atv.ca). KC was a big fan of what we were doing and he explained that the rough job market is affecting media too. It was cool to watch him write his script and then tape the piece so quickly. One thing this trip has done is open my eyes to how hard the media need to work to get their stories and meet deadlines. Especially now with reduced staff and less resources available to assist them.

Next stop: Muskoka. We stayed at a family cottage on Lake Joseph near Bracebridge. I’m sure all the neighbours were wondering what the heck was going on when a glowing LED clock mounted on a truck rolled into their tranquil community. The stop allowed for a much-needed rest and some time to properly clean and detail the truck after several days of hard, non-stop work in Montreal and Toronto.

We continued the next day on our Northern Ontario leg of the journey. Our first stop after Muskoka was North Bay, where we met with the North Bay Nugget and posed for a photo in front of a local coffee shop. From there we went on to Sudbury, where we received several honks and thumbs up from people as we toured around. We visited the Big Nickel and also had a chance to stop by KICX Hot New Country to ask people to come down for a visit or sign our petition at www.keepjobsincanada.ca. We also requested Sweet Thing by Keith Urban — who coincidentally we’d met at Much Music a few days earlier.

After doing some petition signing outside of the radio show for a while, we enjoyed a great meal and then headed out on the road to Sault Ste. Marie.

We rolled into town late Thursday night and got settled in our Old Montreal home base. First thing Friday morning, we headed up to the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Denis, where we were greeted by two local TWU/STT representatives and two members of our street team. Straight out of the gate, Lou Lou and Laura were firing, and we received a very warm welcome from the locals. People had lots to say, and were very passionate about the cause. Around 11 a.m., the third and fourth members of our street team arrived, and by this stage we were making record breaking progress with the petition signing. Not only were our street team members working hard, but they were hugely enthusiastic about the campaign and really believed in making a change.

Shortly after noon, some folks from the CBC showed up to get some shots of the truck, and to interview TWU/STT’s Diane Pepin. They were working on a story about unemployment in Canada, and very interested to hear about the information pertaining to Canadian corporations sending Canadian jobs offshore and the Keep Jobs in Canada/Sauvons Nos Emplois campaign.

Towards the end of Friday, we start to experience some technical difficulties with our led counter and in a matter of seconds it is switched off and unable to power up. We head straight for Canadian Tire’s Auto Department, only to find out that the electronics/wiring guy has left for the weekend. Without much time, we default to Plan B, which is to purchase a generator to power the counter whilst our vehicle is stationary. We find what looks like a nice compact and quiet generator and take it out to the parking lot to test. No dice: it is about a quiet as a 747, and this is definitely not going to fly as a solution. Plan C? Yes, it was McGuyver time, and so back into Canadian Tire we marched for some supplies. With some fuses, wiring, snips, a marine battery, power inverter, jumper cables, zip ties, and of course some good ol’ duct tape, we were back on the way to the hotel. A little Google and a few phone calls later and we have a decent grasp of the task at hand, so it’s time to pop the hood and go for it. Success! and it’s only 2 a.m. 5 1/2 hours of tinkering has provided us with not just one, but two solutions. Finally, we rest easy.

Day Two we meet down at the Sun Life building with our all-star street team and some TWU Montreal members. It’s a tad quiet and so we move up to Sainte-Catherine to greet the Saturday morning crowds. Another media call has us divert our path, and the truck finds its way over to the CTV offices for some more camera time. On return to Sainte-Catherine, we find a nice little spot to park and the street team goes to work on the block. Passers by share stories with us about how they have been directly affected, and we offer them a little piece of hope that perhaps we can implement change if we get the support we need. Weather isn’t great, but spirits are high, and we manage to put in another solid day of awareness building and petition signing. And the counter is still working! In celebration of a successful two days, despite all the obstacles, we order a ridiculously large plate of smoked meat from the world famous Schwartz’s deli on Saint-Laurent.

Day Three, and it’s time to say goodbye to Montreal, but not before we hit another road block. This time, our computer, that holds the algorithm and stats that power our counter is offline, or rather dead. This time we head for the Source, where we are fortunate enough to find out that our charger is toast, but our computer is alive and well. We replace the charger and grab a few other spare parts, and we are back up and running. Toronto here we come.

Merci beaucoup Montreal!

The National Unemployment Clock made an appearance at the TELUS Annual General Meeting this morning, held at the National Gallery in Ottawa. The team was handing out brochures and discussing the issue of offshoring Canadian jobs and the subsequent unemployment rate caused by corporations seeking more profitable employment practices in developing countries. Even a handful of TELUS employees attending the AGM signed our petition to change the legislation allowing this to happen.

Only two days into our month-long campaign, our petition already has close to 600 signatures and we are turning heads and raising awareness on every street we drive down. Look for the clock tomorrow on the corners of Rue Saint-Catherine & Rue Saint-Denis, downtown Montreal, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Come down and show your support, sign our petition, and tell us how the current unemployment crisis is affecting you.