Thursday - Fredericton - New Brunswick is 3 for 3!

I had to remind myself in the title of the day of the week and the city...because I did it again tonight and called the wonderful city of Fredericton by the name of the other wonderful city of Saint John!

But that did not in anyway dissuade the great group who came on Thursday night for engaging in a really nice way.  We had a lot of questions after my presentation.  Lots of practical questions about the refugee process, how can the LGBT community help, what are the issues facing refugees with children, what about previously married LGBT people?

I am trying to capture as many of the questions in the "Journal" that I ask people to write in during the meetings.  And in the coming weeks and months I am going to be finding out more detailed and substantive answers and posting them here on the blog.  (I had hoped to be able to do that now, but realistically, the basic logistics of getting into a city, meeting people, and posting blog information is totally consuming.)  So -- keep watching the blog into the future.  It will continue to grow and expand with the network I am tapping into.

Thanks again to Rob Frenette at Bullying Canada (http://www.bullyingcanada.ca/ ) who organized the meeting tonight and got an amazing donation from the Crowne Plaza (again!) for the meeting room.  (I think that I am very close to declaring Crowne Plaza an honourary North Star Triangle patron based on the New Brunswick generosity!). 

Also many thanks to Francis here in Fredericton.  He single-handedly got the wheels in motion that saw the North Star Triangle Project have 3 amazing meetings on three successive nights in New Brunswick. 

One of my goals on this tour was to visit places in Canada I have never had the opportunity to visit yet in my life.  I must say that New Brunswick not only exceeded my expectations, I am surprised that more Canadians haven't discovered its beauty and history.  Go New Brunswick tourism go!

So, some pictures.....

 Great group of people came out for Fredericton!

 The Fredericton group shot -- I love this part of the meeting!

 Presenting the North Star Triangle Project

 Another nice circle of discussion:  

people care about refugees you know.

 Crowne Plaza -- official NSTP helper. 

Loved being in this grand old hotel.  Amazing staircase!

 I noticed not one or two but many many cats in Fredericton

just out and about.

This is special -- because he looks just like my Malcolm (for Michael)

 Another day -- another bus ride!

I love Canadian towns with great names...and

Oromocto reminds me a little of Vulcan, Alberta

For those keeping track of my bus stations...

this is Saint John.

I will blog more about one of the other principles

of the NSTP -- doing a national tour as inexpensively

as possible.  Obviously staying at hostels helps.

This is Fredericton -- and although minimalist it is

very comfortable (yes!) and welcoming.

The hostel used to be a monastery....