The Political Animal
The dread of another political discussion weighed heavily on me that night. It was the night of the Harperman Sing-a-long in Kingston, Ontario. It was September 17, 2015.
It’s federal election season again in Canada. It’s the time when adversaries from the past re-emerge to rehash grievances from yesteryear in efforts to rekindle, and spark interest in issues not yet laid to rest.
It’s during these times, when a fresh journalist such as myself, is forced to endure the platitudes of its political combatants in an effort to record and document their ambiguous messages. The message, while dramatic in its delivery is dwarfed only by the stern gestures, and verbal finger pointing.
“These issues don’t close unless the community closes them,” says Daniel Beals NDP candidate for MP in Kingston and the Islands.
The issue in question dates back in February 2008, the conservative government under Stephen Harper decided to close all six prison farms throughout Canada.
On a stormy winter’s eve, approximately thirty three years prior to that fateful announcement in 2008, the prison farm’s most recognizable advocate took his first breaths. His name is Stormy, not for his angry or ill-tempered disposition, but for the frightfully frigid night in which he was brought kicking and hee-hawing into this world.
Although photographed many times prior, it was the incident at the Kingston Frontenac Institution in August 2010 that’s led to Stormy’s celebrity like status.
It was on Sunday, August 8th, 2010 when the trucks came to the Frontenac Institution in Kingston Ontario. They were there for the cattle. The cattle were to be removed from the facility and sold at auction, under police escort if necessary. Stormy, along with some two hundred other protestors gathered together and formed a blockade, preventing the cattle trucks from entering the Frontenac facility. After hours of negotiations, the protestors appeared to yield allowing the trucks to enter. However, once the trucks entered the facility the protestors once again formed their blockade preventing the trucks from leaving. The next morning, the trucks with their cattle cargo now backed by a much heavier police presence passed through the blockade at the expense of fifteen more protestors being arrested. Over the two day protest and blockade, twenty four protestors were arrested or detained.
“Stormy was taken by the police and they were going to take him to the humane society, I’m his owner, and I happened to get arrested that day too.” “Someone rescued him before he got to the humane society,” says Jeff Peters.
I arrived early at Kingston’s City Hall. The Harperman Sing-a-long would be held in behind City Hall, in Springers Market Square. The sing-a-long would kick off after a previously scheduled, “Take Back the Night” event. A worthy news event in its own right, but without the political drama the masses have come to demand.
I began to slowly canvass the crowd, looking for someone different, someone who might have an interesting story to share. I spotted an older woman sitting on a bench she appeared content but slightly out of place. She didn’t seem to ooze the same zest for political rallies that most of the participants milling about displayed. I asked her anyways, “what do you think of the event thus far?” She shrugged her shoulders and said she wasn’t interested. She then said while gesturing over her right shoulder, “there’s a donkey over there wearing a sign”. I was thrilled, finally something political that could peak my interest.
Sandwiched between two large signs, the one side reading “Harper’s P.M.O. ‘ASS’istant” and the other side saying “Danger Due to Harper” was Stormy, the battle hardened veteran of the fight to save the prison farms.
“I purchased Stormy from a drover named Ralph. Its Stormy’s job is to protect the baby animals on the farm from Coyotes.” “That’s his official job,” says Jeff
Stormy’s home is a two hundred acre farm in Inverary, a small town about twenty kilometers north of Kingston. Whilst on the farm, and not politicking, Stormy spends the majority of his time tending to the cows, thirty five of which were purchased at auction, after being removed from the Kingston Frontenac Institution.
“They’re going to go back to prison where they belong” says Jeff confidently, referring to the thirty five institutionalized cattle.
Having two careers can be tough, even for the best of us, and Stormy is no exception. On one hand, Stormy lives the life of a farm hand tending to animals and keeping them safe. On the other, he’s a political animal, stubborn to the bone and hell bent on doing what he can. With these pressures, even a forty year old donkey such as Stormy can feel a little overwhelmed at times.
“To unwind, he breaks out to go see his girlfriend,” say Sian Lloyd a long-time friend of the Peters’ household. “One time when the Peters’ had left, we were watching the farm for them. We had to lock Stormy up because he kept on breaking out. He would try to find his girlfriend at another field and we didn’t want that to happen because he kept running on the roads.”
Perhaps when it comes to escaping, Stormy picked up a thing or two on the prison farm.
The twenty four arrests at the Frontenac Institution thrust the prison farm issue into the spotlight gaining mainstream media attention. Later that same month, in August 2010, the CBC decided they wanted Stormy, and they wanted to interview him in their Ottawa studios.
“He had to go up to the second floor in the CBC building in Ottawa. He went all the way down the hall with plush carpets and all. I was so worried he was going to take a dump. But he got interviewed.” says Jeff.
And without incident.
While in Ottawa, Jeff and Stormy paid a visit to Parliament Hill. At one point during their visit, Stormy broke free from Jeff’s grasp and headed straight for some of that lush green parliament hill grass. The RCMP caught Stormy, and ordered Jeff and Stormy off the Hill. At that moment, almost on cue, some members of parliament came outside to see what all the commotion was about. The members of parliament, recognizing the opportunity for a good photo op, ended up posing for photos with Stormy, much to the chagrin of the RCMP officers.
Jeff predicts in about a year from now, after the prison farm program has been restored, Stormy and the rest of the farm supporters will celebrate with a big party. Stormy will then return to the prison farm and retire, ending two long and illustrious careers as a political farm animal.
But in the meantime, Stormy, Jeff and Sian, will do their part to keep the closure of the prison farms in the news, and hopefully on the lips of the politicians.
