Sunday September 29 2013

Sunday September 29 2013

Feeling close to normal.  Nice to have a slow weekend to regain my bearings and catch up on things.  Have also been able to spend some time properly digesting my conversation with Bertie (Mrs. Snow).

Here’s what she told me.

Jason is Bertie’s son.  He grew up in Midden Harbour and even took the ferry to high school like everyone else.  But unlike most of the other young people in the town, Jason didn’t go to work in the mill after graduation.  Of course, with his family owning the mill and a lot of the rest of The Harbour, Jason wouldn’t have been pulling two-by-fours on the green chain or driving a loader, he would have started in management.  Everyone expected that to happen, but Jason had other ideas.

His going away to university was expected.  People thought he’d get a business degree or maybe forestry management, then come back and gradually take over the mill and other properties.  Didn’t happen quite like that because John Snow, his father, was diagnosed with cancer when Jason was in his late 20s.  The result was that Jason had to take over some of the business quicker than expected.  The key word here is “some.”  Unbeknownst to almost everyone, John had over the years involved Bertie in their company’s affairs much more than anyone knew. 

As John’s role diminished, the visibility of Bertie’s role grew.  So when John finally passed, it was his wife and not his son who took over as CEO.  This came as a shock more to no one than Jason who thought he had been groomed for the post.  The result was some difficult times for the family and those who depended on them as Jason challenged his mother’s control.  Not that he ever did it formally with lawyers and such, but there was an obvious resentment that underlay day-to-day operations. 

Finally, about 15 years ago, when Jason came to accept that he would never displace his mother before she was ready to go—he started calling her Elizabeth behind her back.  A reference to the Queen and her refusal to pass along the crown to her son Charles.  Jason’s went back to the city with a large seed cheque from his family’s business.  He used the money and his business education to build a successful property management company.

But according to Bertie, he wants to come back. 

Since learning of his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Jason has been coming home more frequently.  It would be nice to think it a generous gesture by a prodigal son, and it would be unkind not to give him the benefit of the doubt.  Nonetheless, he obviously has more on his mind than comforting his mother.  What Bertie told me is that Jason wants her to give him control of the real estate arm of Snow Industries.  He has talked to her about the possibility of developing some of the company owned land in Midden Harbour;  possibly a hotel and maybe some condos.  She’s not thrilled with the idea, and has told him so.  But as she said to me the other day, “At this point, with my capacities slipping away, it’s only a matter of time before I am no longer competent, and he will have control. I’ve tried to talk to him about the intrinsic value of keeping the community as it is, in preserving a way of life and a generations’ long set of relationships.  It seems, though, that he will not be dissuaded.  I  fear for the village and people.  I fear for the ways in which the changes he wants to make will impact their lives.”

I fear too.