Scott Drew

Q- What in your life experience has made working on JVCLT attractive to you?

 

“As a child, when asked what I wanted to be, my first answer was Hero. I was encouraged to fine tune to something more culturally specific, so I chose Millionaire (1960’s dollars). I started cheating at Monopoly and soon none of my three younger sisters wanted to play with me. I blame the fact that they already had secure housing.

 

Later, I worked in a sawmill, wore steel-toes in a factory, and rubber boots on an Irish trawler. After marriage, I started a small seasonal window-cleaning business in Markham. It ran happily for decades until my retirement last year. Most Winters I practiced portraiture, playing with gleanings from college. Most Summers I got out on the land and under the sky, canoeing and camping. Listening. My kids have grown well. Now I’m a senior citizen with a humble income.  

 

For decades I’ve watched financialization of housing and the social tensions of steadily, and now massively, increasing wealth disparity.  A sick cultural tilt away from community wellbeing over my lifetime.  The JVCLT wants to facilitate humble, beautiful homes, in community. An upstream intervention to avoid or alleviate many downstream social tensions. It’s an attractive place to leverage my energy.  

I’ve felt alienated living within colonial culture, on the spoils of violence and trickery against Indigenous nations. I believe the JVCLT seeks to reacknowledge connections undermined by that ongoing cultural genocide. To First Nations, land, place, and one another.  To all beings, born and to come. This is an opportunity for me to connect back to a fuller, fairer reality. To be a better ancestor.”

 

Q- Which of your skills and talents align with this work?

 

“I hope that my practice with non-violent communication and community-building might add ease, that my practice with words and paint might add value. I feel I’m slowly gaining new skills as we go, to try to fit the needs of the project.”

 

Q- How does this work fulfill your own needs?

 

“I need to feel that my existence contributes to well-being. This work gives me meaning, and sometimes, hope.

 

I’ve spent decades working alone, by choice. To grow personally, I want to learn how to better collaborate, communicate, and align with others. This group is well intentioned, smart, and kind.  An ideal place for me to learn.”  

 

Q- What do you envision?

​

“Humble habitations that both enliven and soothe. Tended with care. Mostly green and growing. The double-ding of a tram, smell of baking... laughter. Community rooted over generations. Kids in trees.”