THE WELLNESS WATER STORY OF ALISON ROWE
as told to and written by Beverley Viljakainen

Alison Rowe has lived in the rural south-western town of Walkerton, Ontario for ten years with her husband, Phil Holmes. They have two daughters, nine-and-a-half year old Emily and six-year-old Clare. Although Alison admits to enjoying life in the big city from whence she came, she thinks Walkerton has been a much better place in which to raise their children.

Their home is very close to where the E. coli contamination entered the Walkerton water system and only two families on their street didn’t get sick from the water. In their own case, Alison attributes this to the reverse osmosis filtering system they’ve used on their tap water for the past decade. However, she also knows that, over the years, they’ve been exposed to Walkerton’s water when they’ve been out and about and at the children’s day care before they began attending their elementary education in the French Immersion programme in Hanover.

Phil hasn’t been as fortunate as Alison and his children. He has lived in Walkerton for twenty-five years and has been unwell, off and on, for much of that time. Now, looking back, there’s a nagging uncertainty about the role the town’s water may have played in all of this. The fact that there can be no clear-cut answer is unsettling to say the least. Since coming to Walkerton herself, Alison had often noticed that the children in the area were sick more than what is considered to be the norm. She was not alone in her concern. One of the town’s medical doctors, alarmed by the number and types of illnesses he was seeing in his practice, invited a gastrointestinologist to Walkerton. Based on his observations, the visiting specialist said that he was very much saddened by the high incidence of illness among the town’s children. While hindsight might suggest that the water was responsible, it does seem the better part of wisdom to carry on, strengthen and maintain your resources and work towards improving the overall health of the community. Thus thinks Alison . . . at least on her better days!

Although Alison comes from a family of medical doctors, her family relies primarily on naturopathic and chiropractic care when their health is less than optimal. She also has a passion for good food and loves to cook. She teaches cooking at her Viewfield Cookery School in the area and is a member of the local food co-op that brings in organic food from the Ontario Federation of Food Cooperatives. As well as enjoying wholesome, well-balanced meals on a regular basis, Alison and her family frequently spend time outdoors cycling, canoeing and picnicking on the nearby Saugeen River. From a health and wellness perspective, then, one might be forgiven for thinking that their life style may have something to do with their resistance to unfriendly bacteria that we human beings have had to contend with since the beginning of time.

Being a person who tries to keep the bigger picture always in mind, Alison recognises that somehow or other she has to find the balance in the water contamination issue and its aftermath. On the one hand, she describes herself as somewhat cynical and even angry at the denial so evident in the town. “People just want things to return to normal, whatever that is, and don’t seem to realise that we need to pay more attention to our environment,” she says. You would think, she continues, that the residents of post E. coli Walkerton, who were without running water for six months less than two years ago, would think twice before spraying their lawns, given that these toxic chemicals have been proven to find their way into the water supply, but no. They are spraying as usual. Alison is also discouraged by the fact that 800 people turned out for David Suzuki’s visit to Walkerton and only eight people are presently involved in the Walkerton Healthy Community Initiative, formerly known as Greening Walkerton Initiative.

On the other hand, Alison readily and somewhat wryly acknowledges that had Walkerton’s contaminated water not made the news, she would never have met such forward thinking people as David Suzuki, Elizabeth May, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club, an environmental watchdog, and Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians. Alison is very clear about wanting to be a meaningful part of what these people are talking about and doing, i.e., individuals working with other individuals, doing what they think can lead to positive change. The irony of such positive chance encounters is definitely not missed on Alison in spite of the negative circumstances.

She was particularly inspired and helped by Elizabeth May’s visit to the town. Discouraged by the low attendance at the talk, Alison expressed her frustration. In reply, Elizabeth referred to what she calls “the big disconnect” and how denial is a strong protective instinct in people who would find more extroverted reactions like anger and cynicism too difficult to handle. Ergo, the wish to “return to normal”, denial and all. Elizabeth also suggested that, rather than be angry with such people, they celebrate the fact that, for now, there are eight like-minded souls ready and willing to make a difference, somehow, some day.

Alison is also very grateful to have come to know the more remarkable women in her town as well as others from away who are helping to heighten the necessary awareness and define more clearly what can be done by ordinary people. Another truly inspiring outcome for Alison is to have experienced the very practical outpouring of generosity from people who had never heard of Walkerton before May 2002. She mentioned, among others, the Quebec company who brought the town a truckload of acidophilus, friendly bacteria that increases our ability to deal with the less friendly and more dangerous varieties. Then along came Dr. Cass Ingram from the U.S. and the kind people who brought him to Walkerton with his oil of oregano, a product that Alison’s family didn’t hesitate to use preventatively during the critical ten-day incubation period in May 2000. She still recalls her disgust with a Globe and Mail article that as much as likened Dr. Ingram to the proverbial snake oil salesman without bothering to consider the proven merits of the remedy.

She also remembers being moved to tears by the Banner of Tears put together and presented to the people of Walkerton by women from far and wide—yards and yards and yards of fabric bearing messages of empathy and encouragement. And then there’s the beautiful heritage garden in front of the county building, organized jointly by local people along with others from the Stratford and area communities. This garden, with its variety of lovely flowerbeds and walkways, is just a few blocks from where Alison and her family live. There is a beautiful stone fountain, into which Canada’s Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson, and others poured water from other communities at the garden’s opening last year. This Alison describes as an incredible gift to Walkerton.

All of which helps Alison put things into perspective when she hears yet another helicopter lifting off from the Walkerton hospital, still a very stressful experience two years after it began. She and some of her friends who drank the water and didn’t get sick recently wondered whether “survivors’ guilt” might not underlie their bouts of fatigue, depression and grinding anxiety for the health of their family and friends. Certainly, it doesn’t feel very good to be thought “odd” or “idealistic” because they are asking questions and seeking answers by those who would prefer to continue on as though nothing had happened. Going against the norm to make changes that you know are right but may never happen isn’t at all comfortable. But when you know that the health care system deals only with illness and that many levels of government are abdicating their responsibility, you look for other ways to ensure people’s health and well-being. In the process, Alison and her friends must deal with feelings of powerlessness, anger, shock, loss of trust; and the stark realisation that people are much more vulnerable than even they had thought. They also know that politicians take their lead from the people and if the people won’t lead, the politicians won’t follow. And so they sojourn on!

Alison thinks the clinic established to conduct a health study in Walkerton is a positive initiative but questions its scope. While some of the medical community are falling prey to the “everything is just fine in our town now” syndrome, other health care officials and practitioners fear what they call silent symptoms and anticipate neurological problems, kidney disease and diabetes to surface among the town’s residence in future. But, surely, the question remains: is anyone in the health care system interested in knowing why people do not succumb to the same bacterial stressors that others do and are they willing and able to share this information with those whose health they claim to be responsible for?

We can all be exceedingly thankful that there are people like Alison Rowe in our local communities. It also behooves the rest of us not to let them carry the load. Although there’s a lot of work to be done and the challenges cannot be denied, working with others can also be very rewarding in terms of the friendships to be made, what we can learn, and the fun to be had. It’s what community is all about! While Alison describes her background as corporate conservative and finds herself “a bit old” to be jumping on the environmental bandwagon, she is out there doing it, too. Putting aside her cynicism and the seriousness of the situation for a moment, she lightens up considerably as she relates plans for yet another canoe trip and gourmet picnic, this time with new Walkerton water friends from away who she would not likely have met had she not been involved with the Healthy Community Initiative. In the meantime, with her usual good grace and energy enough, she’s willing to allow much of her life to be consumed with preparations for Walkerton’s second annual Environmental Fair in June that extends into an evening at Stonyground to launch the Walkerton Water Stories Project into the community and beyond. On behalf of so many, I thank you, Alison, for your determination and your spirit!

May 12, 2002
Walkerton, Ontario


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