Driving late into the night, we arrived in Sault Ste. Marie and were greeted with open arms. Citizens in town showed their support by beeping horns as they drove past; two individuals were even bold enough to follow the clock to the Bush Plane Museum where we made our first stop to take some pictures. When Matt and Andrew saw the clock, they said, “We had to come check it out.” After signing the petition, they told us where the “hot spots” in town would be the following day so we could be as effective as possible during our short stay.

We started the following day in the “Soo” with high hopes of attracting some media attention, and went off on our way to seek out local papers, television and radio stations. En route, we stopped by local “hot spots”, showing off the clock and garnering much attention. Although it was a long weekend, we found a small crew at the local CTV office. We then presented them with our story, and they told us — contingent upon approval — they would be glad to interview us. Anxiously we awaited the phone call. Sure enough, the call came first thing in the morning and we scheduled an interview for shortly thereafter. Success! The interview went well and, despite the cold weather (it had snowed the day before!), we were successful and made the 6 o’clock news, spreading the campaign message through Northern Ontario.

From the “Soo” the clock traveled north, around beautiful Lake Superior. Although not a very populated drive, we took every opportunity to stop and take pictures of the clock in towns along the way, turning heads at every stop. We then hit Thunder Bay where we met a journalist from The Chronicle Journal at the Terry Fox Lookout. After giving an interview and gathering more signatures for the petition, we headed into town to gain further local support before heading to Winnipeg.

Onward to Winnipeg, and, as the clock arrived, we weren’t expecting all the excitement it would generate with local media. First thing in the morning we were greeted in the parking lot by local radio CJOB. After a brief interview, we hurried off to meet our Winnipeg street team. Once we settled at Portage & Main, more media arrived. We weren’t even out of the truck and CTV Winnipeg was already filming! Shortly thereafter, City TV, Winnipeg Sun, and CBC radio showed up all very interested in the story of the National Unemployment Clock. With the media frenzy, our street team stayed focused and was very busy — not to mention effective — in getting support for the petition. As the day progressed, we ran into some prairie rain and moved to The Forks on advice from our local street team. We continued to gain support at our new location. We were well on our way and gaining momentum as passersby asked questions and connected with the cause. Thanks to our street team effort and local media support, Winnipeg was a big hit for the campaign.

As for now, the clock is currently in Brandon, as we set our sights on the West Coast.
Next stop: Regina. Look for us on Friday, May 22, at Scarth Street Mall from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.