Latest / Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam / A Coffee with Karen Principe, Ward Councillor for the City of Edmonton

Transcript

A Coffee with Karen Principe, Ward Councillor for the City of Edmonton · Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam

• 0:13
  Well, good morning, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the ABA Coffee In The Park.
• 0:18
  My name is Cam Milliken, and I'm here with my co-host extraordinaire, Jennifer Herrick, the Executive Director of the Acheson Business Association.
• 0:27
  Hi, Jennifer.
• 0:28
  Good morning, Cam.
• 0:29
  How are you on this, once again, snowy day?
• 0:31
  It is a very cold day, but it's Alberta, so it's okay.
• 0:35
  It's all right.
• 0:36
  We're used to it.
• 0:36
  Yeah, we're used to it.
• 0:37
  Got my sweater on, and I'm happy about that.
• 0:40
  We are coming to you live, well, not live for you, but live for us right at this moment at the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson.
• 0:51
  That's right.
• 0:52
  So if you have never been to the Wall Coffee Roasters, now is the time, right before Christmas, we're doing this.
• 0:57
  Do you realize that, well, when people hear this, it won't be, but today is seven days away from Christmas Eve.
• 1:04
  I know.
• 1:04
  Isn't that wild?
• 1:05
  It is a little...
• 1:06
  I think when are we dropping this, next week?
• 1:09
  No, maybe in the New Year?
• 1:10
  I don't know.
• 1:11
  But anyway, it's right before Christmas when we're doing it.
• 1:13
  So it's hard to believe.
• 1:14
  It is.
• 1:14
  So incredible.
• 1:15
  So if you haven't done your finished Christmas shopping, come on over to The Wall Coffee Roasters because he's got some awesome coffee and maybe a gift card.
• 1:24
  Get one of them gift cards for Uncle George.
• 1:26
  Put about 200 bucks on it.
• 1:27
  And so Uncle George can buy coffee for all of you for the rest of the year.
• 1:31
  That's right.
• 1:32
  Yeah, it's going to be awesome.
• 1:33
  Jennifer, tell us about some important people.
• 1:35
  Well, we want to thank our gold corporate sponsors, which include the Myshak group of companies, Genics and Parkland County.
• 1:41
  Thank you to these individual businesses for all that they've done for the Acheson Business Association in 2024.
• 1:48
  Right on.
• 1:48
  Without them, we could not do what we do.
• 1:51
  That's right.
• 1:51
  I'm so excited today.
• 1:53
  This is awesome.
• 1:54
  We have a fantastic guest today.
• 1:57
  We've never had a city councillor on our program.
• 2:01
  We haven't.
• 2:02
  OK, we just may.
• 2:03
  No, we haven't.
• 2:04
  But we want to clarify, this is not a conversation about politics.
• 2:08
  No, that's not.
• 2:09
  But I'm just stating the title.
• 2:11
  That's all I'm stating.
• 2:12
  I understand.
• 2:13
  We don't do politics, but I'm just stating.
• 2:15
  This is pretty cool.
• 2:16
  It is.
• 2:17
  So it is my absolute pleasure today to introduce Karen Principe, who was a ward councillor with the City of Edmonton.
• 2:26
  And if the name sounds familiar, she is the better...
• 2:32
  Half...
• 2:33
  .
• 2:33
  smarter.
• 2:33
  Can I say smarter?
• 2:34
  Sorry, Gene.
• 2:36
  Spouse of Gene Principe.
• 2:37
  That's right.
• 2:38
  She is.
• 2:39
  Karen, welcome.
• 2:39
  Welcome, Karen.
• 2:40
  Thank you very much.
• 2:41
  You were way up on the list.
• 2:43
  We want your husband one day.
• 2:45
  But he was down.
• 2:46
  We wanted you before we wanted your husband.
• 2:49
  And that's the honest to God truth, isn't it?
• 2:50
  It is.
• 2:51
  We're telling the truth.
• 2:51
  We are.
• 2:52
  So we're very excited that you're here today.
• 2:53
  I'm so happy to be here.
• 2:55
  Thank you for inviting me.
• 2:56
  Yeah.
• 2:56
  So the only...
• 2:57
  The very first thing we need you to do is to pronounce the name of the ward that you are councillor in Edmonton.
• 3:03
  Oh, I'm happy to do that.
• 3:05
  I'm happy and proud to represent people living in the ward Tastawiyiniwak.
• 3:09
  Tastawiyiniwak.
• 3:12
  And share with us, where is that ward?
• 3:15
  What does that represent?
• 3:16
  Yes, that's in north Edmonton.
• 3:18
  So basically city boundary to Yellowhead, in the middle, 97th Street to 66th Street, also including the Castledowns metro area.
• 3:27
  Okay, right on.
• 3:29
  Awesome.
• 3:29
  Okay, Tastawiyiniwak.
• 3:31
  Tastawiyiniwak.
• 3:32
  Yeah, okay.
• 3:33
  So yeah, for those of us who grew up in Edmonton that are a little bit older, I don't know if I'm allowed to ask this question.
• 3:39
  What actual ward was that?
• 3:40
  Ward number?
• 3:41
  Ward number three.
• 3:42
  Ward number three.
• 3:43
  Okay, good.
• 3:43
  So for those of you who coined, ward number three, and now it's Tastawiyiniwak.
• 3:49
  Tastawiyiniwak.
• 3:50
  Yeah, good.
• 3:50
  There you go.
• 3:51
  So we're to all the people in Tastawiyiniwak.
• 3:54
  There, you got it.
• 3:55
  Anyway, good to have you here.
• 3:56
  Yes.
• 3:56
  So Karen, tell us a little about yourself.
• 4:00
  Where did you grow up?
• 4:01
  Are you a born and bred Edmontonian, or are you a transplant?
• 4:05
  I am a transplant.
• 4:07
  I was born and raised in Winnipeg.
• 4:10
  Come on.
• 4:11
  Yes.
• 4:11
  Yeah.
• 4:12
  My husband, Gene, though, is a North Edmonton boy.
• 4:16
  He was born and raised in North Edmonton.
• 4:19
  Okay, so here's the million dollar question.
• 4:21
  Born and raised in Winnipeg, husband works broadcast for the Oilers.
• 4:28
  Are you a Jets or an Oilers fan?
• 4:32
  Oh, this is tough.
• 4:34
  I'm an Oilers fan now.
• 4:37
  Okay.
• 4:39
  No problem.
• 4:39
  I was a Jets fan at one time.
• 4:42
  You know, that was the way my dad and I bonded.
• 4:46
  And then you converted.
• 4:47
  Yeah.
• 4:47
  Yeah.
• 4:48
  That's okay.
• 4:49
  You know, how can you not being in immersed in this?
• 4:52
  True enough.
• 4:53
  It's a culture.
• 4:54
  Yeah.
• 4:54
  It is in Edmonton, isn't it?
• 4:55
  Yeah.
• 4:56
  It has been forever.
• 4:57
  Yeah.
• 4:57
  I think in all the Prairie provinces, hockey is a culture.
• 5:00
  It is.
• 5:01
  Yeah.
• 5:01
  It really is.
• 5:02
  So you grew up in Winnipeg.
• 5:03
  What did your parents do?
• 5:05
  My dad, he was a truck driver.
• 5:08
  He worked in the mines.
• 5:11
  He did everything.
• 5:13
  My mom, she was a sewer.
• 5:15
  She sewed draperies and cleaning.
• 5:18
  Yeah.
• 5:19
  Any kind of work they could find.
• 5:22
  Cool.
• 5:22
  And how long did you live in Winnipeg?
• 5:26
  Until I got married.
• 5:27
  Oh, so you're okay.
• 5:29
  Okay.
• 5:29
  So Gene's from Edmonton.
• 5:31
  Right.
• 5:31
  You're from Winnipeg.
• 5:32
  Right.
• 5:33
  How did that happen?
• 5:34
  So Gene was working in Winnipeg as a sportscaster for CKND.
• 5:42
  And at the time, I was working as a dental assistant.
• 5:45
  And on the weekends, for fun, I had a job working as a DJ in a lovely restaurant lounge.
• 5:53
  Really?
• 5:55
  As a DJ.
• 5:57
  See, these are the stories that come out of this podcast.
• 6:00
  Absolutely.
• 6:01
  I mean, yeah, that's fast.
• 6:02
  Well, that's incredible.
• 6:04
  Grapes Pier 7, Grapes Pier 7 in Winnipeg.
• 6:07
  Really?
• 6:08
  So I don't mean to put you on the spot.
• 6:10
  What years were that?
• 6:11
  What was the era?
• 6:12
  What was the music era?
• 6:14
  Oh, that was in the early 90s.
• 6:15
  The 90s?
• 6:15
  Okay.
• 6:16
  Early 90s, yeah.
• 6:17
  Wow.
• 6:17
  Do you do any DJing?
• 6:20
  No.
• 6:21
  I did that just for fun.
• 6:22
  Just for fun?
• 6:23
  Okay.
• 6:23
  When anybody is looking for their Christmas party, looking for a DJ, call the councillor and maybe she'll do a guest appearance or something.
• 6:32
  Oh, yeah.
• 6:33
  I think Gene used to be a DJ too.
• 6:35
  Well, that I could see.
• 6:37
  I could see a little bit of that.
• 6:38
  Yeah.
• 6:38
  So we'd be happy to do that.
• 6:41
  That's fantastic.
• 6:42
  All right.
• 6:43
  So you met in Winnipeg.
• 6:44
  Right.
• 6:45
  Yes.
• 6:45
  So I was working as a DJ.
• 6:50
  Did Gene come request a song?
• 6:51
  Was it true love?
• 6:54
  He did come try to pick me up.
• 6:57
  Oh, that's fantastic.
• 6:59
  And I very politely declined.
• 7:02
  Oh, playing hard to get for you.
• 7:03
  Well, no, not necessarily.
• 7:06
  She's like, I just...
• 7:07
  She was living her life.
• 7:09
  She already had stardom.
• 7:10
  Yeah.
• 7:11
  No, no, it was just...
• 7:15
  Yeah, just something I made a practice of not doing.
• 7:19
  Right.
• 7:19
  That's right.
• 7:20
  Fratenizing with the peonies.
• 7:21
  Because I was working.
• 7:23
  And six months after that, I met him in Manitoba.
• 7:28
  They have things called socials.
• 7:30
  Okay.
• 7:30
  It's like what they used to have here, hall parties.
• 7:33
  They used to have here.
• 7:34
  In Manitoba, they have socials.
• 7:36
  Okay.
• 7:37
  So Gene and I happened to be at the same social.
• 7:40
  Right.
• 7:41
  And he came up to me.
• 7:42
  It was six months later and said, Oh, hi, do you remember me?
• 7:46
  And I said, no, I don't.
• 7:50
  Sorry, I don't.
• 7:53
  And then we ended up sitting and talking the whole night.
• 7:57
  We just talked and talked and talked all night long.
• 7:59
  And it was lovely.
• 8:01
  And he said, well, I struck out once, I'll try again.
• 8:04
  Good for him.
• 8:05
  He didn't give up.
• 8:06
  Yeah, he did not give up.
• 8:09
  So yeah, we started dating then.
• 8:11
  And after four years, we got married.
• 8:14
  And that was, we got married in 1997.
• 8:17
  So what is that?
• 8:18
  27 years?
• 8:19
  Fantastic.
• 8:20
  And so how long did you both stay in Manitoba then before you moved to Edmonton?
• 8:26
  He actually got a job working in Toronto.
• 8:30
  Oh, Toronto.
• 8:31
  Okay.
• 8:32
  Okay.
• 8:32
  So he had moved to Toronto, then we got married, and then I moved to Toronto.
• 8:38
  Okay.
• 8:39
  And then...
• 8:39
  Were you happy about that?
• 8:40
  Was Toronto okay for you?
• 8:41
  Yeah, it was good.
• 8:42
  Yeah.
• 8:43
  Yeah, it was a good experience.
• 8:45
  Yeah.
• 8:45
  For some people, Toronto is like, yeah, you know, but yeah.
• 8:49
  Yeah, we enjoyed it while we were there.
• 8:52
  And then when we started our family, and he got the job offer to come back to Edmonton, to work here, you know, his hometown.
• 9:03
  Yes.
• 9:04
  And we had just started our family.
• 9:06
  I was just pregnant, and it was just the perfect time to come back to Edmonton.
• 9:10
  So you must have been pretty excited about that.
• 9:11
  Yeah.
• 9:12
  Yeah.
• 9:12
  Okay.
• 9:12
  So tell us a little bit about your family.
• 9:14
  You have how many children?
• 9:16
  Three kids.
• 9:17
  Three kids.
• 9:17
  Yes.
• 9:18
  They're 21, 23, and 25.
• 9:20
  Oh, okay.
• 9:21
  And boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, girl, girl, boy.
• 9:26
  Boy, girl, boy.
• 9:28
  Boy, girl, boy.
• 9:29
  Yeah.
• 9:30
  And are they all in Edmonton still?
• 9:32
  They're all at home.
• 9:33
  Okay.
• 9:33
  They all live at home.
• 9:34
  Okay.
• 9:35
  Yeah.
• 9:35
  Yeah.
• 9:35
  And they're all in university.
• 9:37
  Oh, wow.
• 9:38
  That's fantastic.
• 9:39
  So it's lovely.
• 9:40
  Yeah.
• 9:40
  Okay.
• 9:40
  So Winnipeg, Toronto, Edmonton.
• 9:44
  Correct.
• 9:44
  Good journey.
• 9:45
  Great journey.
• 9:46
  Yeah.
• 9:46
  And so you were a dental hygienist in Manitoba.
• 9:49
  Did you stay in that field?
• 9:51
  I was a dental...
• 9:52
  I started off as a dental assistant.
• 9:54
  And then went into dental hygiene.
• 9:56
  Right.
• 9:57
  And I was a dental hygienist up until I was a city councillor.
• 10:00
  Really?
• 10:01
  Really?
• 10:02
  As a matter of fact, I was elected and had to go to work the next day.
• 10:07
  Sorry.
• 10:08
  I'm quitting my job .
• 10:10
  We won't be cleaning your teeth today.
• 10:11
  I'm now a city councillor.
• 10:13
  No, I did.
• 10:13
  I still went to work.
• 10:15
  That's fantastic.
• 10:17
  Did you tell the patient?
• 10:18
  Do you say, hey, I'm now a city councillor?
• 10:20
  Well, no, not really.
• 10:22
  No, I'm just kidding.
• 10:24
  I'm totally kidding.
• 10:24
  That's really awesome.
• 10:25
  That's cool.
• 10:27
  Yeah.
• 10:27
  And you were elected in 2021.
• 10:32
  So three years you've been on council.
• 10:33
  Yeah.
• 10:34
  Wow.
• 10:35
  I've learned so much.
• 10:36
  It's unbelievable.
• 10:38
  Has it been what you expected?
• 10:39
  Has it been a journey you expected?
• 10:41
  Has it been different?
• 10:43
  What is, I mean, how do you feel after three years?
• 10:45
  You know, it's funny because it's both.
• 10:47
  Much of it is what I had expected, but there's a lot of what I didn't realize.
• 10:52
  There's so much to learn.
• 10:53
  Right.
• 10:54
  And I was very fortunate.
• 10:55
  I had some people I could rely on, some mentors on city council like Tim Cartmell and Sarah Hamilton, Andrew Nack, who really helped me.
• 11:06
  If I had questions, they were always willing to help out.
• 11:10
  So, Karen, why?
• 11:14
  This is the question for me.
• 11:15
  Why?
• 11:15
  Dental hygiene to city politics.
• 11:19
  Yeah.
• 11:20
  Why did you decide to make that shift?
• 11:22
  I was very involved in the community.
• 11:26
  I still am very involved in the community.
• 11:29
  I was volunteering at the kids' schools, with their sports teams.
• 11:35
  I felt so connected to the community.
• 11:38
  And then when they got older, and there's not as much volunteering in the schools, and they weren't in the community sports anymore, I felt I didn't feel I was as connected.
• 11:51
  Right.
• 11:52
  And I thought, what can I do?
• 11:55
  And I was still volunteering, but I thought, what can I do to really be connected to my community?
• 12:02
  And there was someone who I used to work with in Winnipeg.
• 12:07
  In a dental clinic.
• 12:09
  Who was the interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
• 12:13
  Candice Bergen.
• 12:14
  Yes.
• 12:16
  And she is a lovely person who, you know, when I worked with her, she, many of the people we worked with, would go to her for advice and guidance and stuff.
• 12:31
  She was, and she was just always such a kind, lovely person.
• 12:34
  Right.
• 12:34
  And so she inspired me.
• 12:36
  I thought, you know, maybe that is something I can do.
• 12:38
  That's how I can really, and I saw that in her.
• 12:41
  She really wanted to represent her community.
• 12:43
  She really wanted to, like, just be closer communities.
• 12:48
  What would... What I saw.
• 12:49
  Yeah.
• 12:50
  And that's what I wanted to do.
• 12:51
  I thought, you know what?
• 12:52
  That's, that's maybe a path that I could take.
• 12:54
  How long was that process?
• 12:56
  Was that months, years?
• 12:57
  What was it always in the back of your mind?
• 13:00
  It was years because I ran three times before I was elected.
• 13:04
  Oh, okay.
• 13:05
  All right.
• 13:06
  So you wanted to do this.
• 13:07
  This is what you wanted to do.
• 13:09
  Yeah.
• 13:09
  That's fantastic.
• 13:10
  Wow.
• 13:10
  You didn't give up.
• 13:11
  No.
• 13:12
  I love that.
• 13:12
  Just like Gene.
• 13:13
  Yeah.
• 13:14
  Didn't give up on you.
• 13:16
  It just kept coming back.
• 13:17
  Okay, let's go back to that for just a minute.
• 13:21
  Now, was Gene as famous in Winnipeg and Toronto as he is here?
• 13:26
  Would you say like, or?
• 13:27
  Winnipeg, yes.
• 13:28
  Winnipeg, yes.
• 13:28
  Winnipeg, yes.
• 13:29
  Okay.
• 13:30
  So what's it like sort of being the spouse of a...
• 13:33
  I'm going to say, because Gene is a celebrity.
• 13:36
  Everybody knows Gene.
• 13:37
  Everybody knows Gene.
• 13:38
  And again, this isn't about Gene, it's about you.
• 13:41
  But what's that like?
• 13:42
  Like did it...
• 13:42
  Yeah.
• 13:43
  You know what?
• 13:44
  I'm so proud of him.
• 13:45
  Yeah.
• 13:45
  It's nice, you know, because with that, with his maybe popularity, I would say, I feel comes a responsibility, right?
• 13:55
  To be someone who's upstanding and who helps community.
• 13:58
  And so he likes to do a lot of volunteering as well.
• 14:01
  Right.
• 14:02
  And yeah, that's something that's very important to us.
• 14:04
  And our family is volunteering and giving back to the community.
• 14:08
  Does it cause an issue when you're walking through the mall?
• 14:11
  No, not at all.
• 14:12
  And go, hey, councillor! And does Gene get hurt when he's like, no, no.
• 14:15
  Or is it like, you know, hey, hey, why are we out there?
• 14:18
  Like, no.
• 14:18
  Yeah, no, it's no, we're both proud of each other, right?
• 14:23
  And he, one of the things that I'm, I've gotten really good at is being the professional photographer for people because they like to have a picture taken with him.
• 14:35
  Well, can I just say the first time I met you was at the dinner.
• 14:38
  We were at a chamber dinner.
• 14:40
  And I got my picture taken with you.
• 14:45
  I got my picture taken with your wife before you.
• 14:47
  Anyway, yeah, so that was pretty cool.
• 14:49
  Yeah.
• 14:49
  Wow.
• 14:50
  So yeah, so I mean that, yeah, that's kind of interesting.
• 14:53
  How do your kids relate?
• 14:55
  How was that in school and stuff for them?
• 14:57
  Hey, your dad's Gene Principe.
• 14:59
  They grew up with it, so they don't really know any different.
• 15:02
  I think it was, you know, cute at first when they were younger.
• 15:06
  Yeah.
• 15:06
  They would say, Dad, how do you know that person?
• 15:08
  How do you know that person?
• 15:09
  Because everyone would come up, oh, Gene, and be so excited to see him.
• 15:14
  And sometimes people feel like they know him.
• 15:16
  Yeah, of course.
• 15:18
  So the kids at first when they were younger didn't understand that.
• 15:22
  And yeah, now it's just natural, normal.
• 15:26
  That's really cool.
• 15:27
  Yeah, he does such a great job.
• 15:29
  This is the question Jennifer and I both wanted to ask.
• 15:33
  You don't have to answer it.
• 15:34
  Is he on TV, is he as funny at home as he is on TV?
• 15:39
  Or how does that go?
• 15:40
  Yeah, we do a lot of eye rolling at home.
• 15:44
  Okay, that's what we really wanted to say.
• 15:46
  That was the question.
• 15:47
  Are the kids like, oh, dad.
• 15:50
  Yes, absolutely.
• 15:53
  Yeah, I think that's really cool.
• 15:55
  And again, one day, hopefully, maybe we can have Gene on and talk to him.
• 15:58
  But more importantly, one of the questions we ask, and we really, I know for me and for Jennifer especially, because Jennifer, and she'll talk about this in a second, and what she does, but women in leadership.
• 16:11
  So you've obviously been in leadership and leadership positions for a number of years.
• 16:18
  You do your Women's in Leadership Conference every year, and it was fantastic.
• 16:22
  Yeah, first year we did it.
• 16:24
  It was great.
• 16:26
  I think one of the questions for me, especially as the world has really changed, and I think social media has really affected so much, especially being in the public eye now.
• 16:39
  What's that like being, you know, a woman in council?
• 16:46
  I know that there are others, but I know that, again, your life becomes very public.
• 16:51
  And again, social media plays a big role in that.
• 16:53
  You can't just turn it off at the end of the day.
• 16:56
  How do you deal with that?
• 16:57
  Is it when you started to run, was it negative?
• 17:00
  Was it positive?
• 17:02
  Do you think it's changed?
• 17:04
  It's both positive and negative.
• 17:07
  However, I think many things in life are like that.
• 17:09
  So you just kind of roll with it.
• 17:11
  I know when I was running, someone that I had met had said to me, one thing I wish for you is that you don't become jaded.
• 17:22
  Keep your true self, like make sure.
• 17:24
  And I keep that, I keep repeating that to myself over and over again.
• 17:29
  Don't let any of the negative, like you need to listen to everything, but don't internalize and change who you are.
• 17:37
  Right.
• 17:37
  And that's what I keep reminding myself of that.
• 17:41
  What do you do to push the noise out?
• 17:43
  What is there something like those negative things you hear, those thoughts, what do you do to?
• 17:49
  I pray.
• 17:49
  Yeah, yeah.
• 17:50
  I do, I meditate.
• 17:52
  I not necessarily meditate in the true or the historical way, but just internally.
• 18:02
  Yeah.
• 18:03
  And I just keep reminding myself of that, the importance of being your true self.
• 18:09
  Yeah.
• 18:09
  I think that would be probably one of the toughest things is to just try to continue to live your normal life and not let some of that negativity affect you.
• 18:19
  Right.
• 18:20
  Yeah.
• 18:21
  So, in reading your bio, and then I think I'm bringing this around a little bit, I read that you did a week long mission, dental mission in Peru.
• 18:30
  And the reason I'm bringing that along is I know for me in my life, I've done a lot of that.
• 18:34
  And when I need to push the negative out, this helps me far out.
• 18:40
  Tell us about Peru and what you did there and the purpose in all of that and what you were doing.
• 18:44
  It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had in my life.
• 18:49
  So it was with the dentist I used to work with, and a few of us, quite a few of us, went to Peru for a week long.
• 18:59
  And it was a lot of work.
• 19:00
  It was a lot of work.
• 19:02
  And we worked in conditions.
• 19:03
  We didn't have a dental office.
• 19:05
  Yeah.
• 19:05
  We would just find a bench.
• 19:08
  We took the pillows from the from the airplane.
• 19:12
  Yeah.
• 19:12
  That, you know, the pillows that we got to use for pillows for them.
• 19:15
  Wow.
• 19:16
  And it was very...
• 19:18
  What were you doing?
• 19:19
  Were you doing full on dental work?
• 19:20
  Yes.
• 19:21
  Yeah.
• 19:21
  I was cleaning teeth and we used garbage bags for people.
• 19:25
  Wow.
• 19:26
  Really?
• 19:27
  Yeah.
• 19:28
  Rinsing their mouth and just spitting into garbage bags was how we...
• 19:32
  It was very, very...
• 19:34
  But we, everything was very hygienic.
• 19:36
  Yes.
• 19:36
  Like we had, the standards were very high.
• 19:39
  We still sterilized everything and...
• 19:42
  But the sterilization was very primitive.
• 19:48
  I wouldn't say primitive, but...
• 19:50
  Much different than here.
• 19:50
  Much different than here.
• 19:52
  Yes.
• 19:52
  For sure.
• 19:53
  Yeah.
• 19:53
  But it was, we had to keep standards.
• 19:55
  Everyone had to be licensed to work in the field.
• 20:01
  And the dentists were doing extractions, fillings, everything.
• 20:05
  Yeah.
• 20:05
  What part of Peru were you in?
• 20:07
  Were you interior?
• 20:09
  Were you...
• 20:10
  No.
• 20:11
  Yeah.
• 20:11
  We were new to Trujillo.
• 20:15
  Okay.
• 20:16
  And it was up in the mountains.
• 20:17
  Right.
• 20:18
  We were.
• 20:19
  And it was...
• 20:20
  What an experience.
• 20:21
  Like, as I said, it was quite primitive, but what an experience.
• 20:26
  Yeah.
• 20:26
  And you're so right.
• 20:28
  And were these groups of people who had never...
• 20:31
  I was going to say, yeah, had never had their teeth.
• 20:34
  Right.
• 20:34
  Many of them had never seen.
• 20:36
  So that you were first for them.
• 20:37
  Yeah.
• 20:37
  Wow.
• 20:38
  Yeah.
• 20:38
  And many of them traveled by foot for a couple of hours.
• 20:42
  Wow.
• 20:42
  Is that right?
• 20:43
  Yeah.
• 20:44
  Yeah.
• 20:44
  What joy you must have brought to them.
• 20:47
  Yeah.
• 20:47
  A smile, literally a smile on their face.
• 20:49
  It is.
• 20:50
  It is.
• 20:50
  And, you know, there was a lot of fear, too, right?
• 20:53
  Although they were very excited, like, happy.
• 20:56
  And they waited, patiently waited, no complaining, no complaining at all.
• 21:01
  They patiently waited.
• 21:02
  Everyone waited their turn.
• 21:04
  And but they were very appreciative.
• 21:08
  And as you can imagine, nervous as well, because it's an experience that they didn't know what to expect.
• 21:14
  And right.
• 21:15
  So you had to bring all of your equipment, tools, everything over to Peru.
• 21:21
  Right.
• 21:21
  Yeah.
• 21:22
  Wow.
• 21:23
  And so when you were all done, and you got back to Canada, what was your takeaway from, what was your personal takeaway from all of that?
• 21:32
  How did it, what did it do to you?
• 21:34
  Yeah.
• 21:34
  You know, it's like you said, something that you can look back on and think how much you can appreciate what you have and how you can help others, right?
• 21:49
  There's a lot of people that need help out there.
• 21:52
  And I've done Free Dental Day here in Edmonton as well.
• 21:56
  Yeah.
• 22:00
  It was an amazing experience.
• 22:01
  Free Dental Day in Edmonton.
• 22:02
  Is that through Nait?
• 22:04
  Was that?
• 22:05
  No?
• 22:05
  No, I used to work at Nait, though, in the Dental Assisting as an instructor.
• 22:11
  But it was through West Central Dental.
• 22:13
  OK, I believe is the...
• 22:17
  I might have to look back on what the name of the clinic is.
• 22:21
  But yeah, they do free or they did at one point.
• 22:24
  I'm not sure if they still do.
• 22:26
  They did Free Dental Day and same thing, you know, cleanings, extractions, fillings, that kind of work, things that could be done in a day.
• 22:36
  I know for me, I spent a lot of time overseas doing different projects.
• 22:39
  And you come back and it kind of helps put things in perspective.
• 22:42
  Right?
• 22:42
  Yeah.
• 22:43
  It really does.
• 22:44
  And when you're going through a tough day, you remember back to some of those experiences and you realize you're still going through a tough day.
• 22:51
  But it does help to put it into perspective a little bit.
• 22:54
  It does.
• 22:54
  And, you know, with, as I said, I have three kids.
• 22:59
  Gene and I have three kids.
• 23:00
  And when he was traveling a lot and the kids were young, I would sometimes be like, oh, this is tough.
• 23:09
  Three little kids and a husband, you know, who's traveling.
• 23:13
  And then what I would always think about was the military wives, whose husbands are gone for months at a time and they're possibly in a city with no family and possibly have kids as well.
• 23:27
  Yeah.
• 23:28
  So I would always think of that.
• 23:29
  And I thought, oh, don't, you know, there's always someone who might have it, you know, an experience a little bit more difficult.
• 23:38
  So that's something that's really important to me, is to show support for the military perspective.
• 23:43
  It is a great pers, you know, perspective.
• 23:45
  And I think too, the volunteering aspect is so important for our community.
• 23:52
  And Cam and I both volunteer for a number of things.
• 23:56
  And I'm just so, I guess, inspired and in awe of people that continue to, even though they're busy in their lives, continue to get back and volunteer.
• 24:07
  Because without it, we're just not the community that we need to be.
• 24:12
  Yeah.
• 24:13
  No, and if we, all we're going to do is rely on government to fill in spaces and help people.
• 24:18
  It will never be, it will never happen.
• 24:20
  So as we do this around Christmas time, of course, for sure, lots of opportunities to be involved, to volunteer, but year round.
• 24:28
  And it's exciting to hear somebody in office, in political office.
• 24:32
  And again, reading your bio, your heart for volunteering.
• 24:37
  Yeah, we love volunteering as a family as well.
• 24:40
  Sometimes we will sign up all five of us volunteering at the food bank.
• 24:45
  It's a great way to bond.
• 24:46
  That's so exciting, because I think more parents need to do that with their kids.
• 24:50
  It's a great way to bond.
• 24:51
  We did that with my daughter.
• 24:52
  I know you do that with your son.
• 24:54
  We need to get them involved.
• 24:56
  And not put them out the door and say go get involved.
• 24:59
  We need to lead the way.
• 25:00
  Yes, absolutely.
• 25:01
  So that excites me to hear that.
• 25:02
  Yeah, it's great.
• 25:04
  So involved with the food bank and all of that.
• 25:07
  And Christmas Bureau on Saturday will be delivering.
• 25:12
  And I get the sense from reading your bio that, and I'm saying it's not a political thing for you.
• 25:17
  It's at the heart of who you are.
• 25:19
  And your family.
• 25:20
  It's who you are.
• 25:21
  It's something that we've done for years.
• 25:23
  My mom actually started many, many years ago, she started a food mission in Winnipeg called Feed My Lambs.
• 25:31
  Okay.
• 25:32
  Yeah.
• 25:33
  So you were down there feeding the lambs.
• 25:35
  Yeah.
• 25:36
  Yeah.
• 25:36
  So it's just something that's just been a part of my life.
• 25:40
  Yeah.
• 25:40
  I love that.
• 25:41
  I think that's fantastic.
• 25:42
  So do I.
• 25:43
  I really do.
• 25:44
  I mean, yeah, you can't get your kids involved early enough and teach them to give back in so many ways.
• 25:51
  Because we are blessed.
• 25:52
  We're blessed people.
• 25:53
  We're very fortunate.
• 25:54
  Yeah.
• 25:54
  Yeah.
• 25:55
  Well, that excites me.
• 25:56
  That excites me.
• 25:58
  I mean, I knew a little bit about you, but now I just man, that's fantastic.
• 26:01
  That's just fantastic.
• 26:03
  So I do have a question after reading Karen's bio though, too.
• 26:07
  Karen, tell us about the Sommelier course that you took.
• 26:10
  Oh, yeah.
• 26:11
  I need to know.
• 26:12
  I need to know.
• 26:13
  Yes.
• 26:15
  We better, we better, just for those who are, who don't know what Sommelier is.
• 26:20
  Tell us what a Sommelier is.
• 26:22
  A wine specialist.
• 26:24
  Right.
• 26:24
  Yes.
• 26:25
  But a very specialist.
• 26:26
  Yes.
• 26:27
  A lot of people think they're wine specialists, but they're not Sommelier.
• 26:31
  So tell us about that.
• 26:31
  Yes.
• 26:32
  Tell us about that.
• 26:33
  So I have taken two levels of the courses, and after the third level, you'd be considered an entry level Sommelier.
• 26:44
  Wow.
• 26:44
  Yes.
• 26:45
  And so I love it.
• 26:47
  I love learning, and I like wine.
• 26:50
  So I thought, why not put the two together?
• 26:52
  And just I am doing something for fun, because it's something I really enjoy.
• 26:57
  And so now I have a glass of wine, and I always say it's for my education.
• 27:05
  It's a great party.
• 27:08
  Yeah.
• 27:08
  Like, opener, I, yeah.
• 27:10
  Yeah, you'd be awesome at parties.
• 27:11
  I know.
• 27:11
  Because you'd be like, so, so how, is this like an online course?
• 27:17
  Is this, you go somewhere?
• 27:18
  It was an in-person course.
• 27:19
  In-person, okay.
• 27:20
  It was an in-person course, and we have to taste different wines, and.
• 27:24
  So obviously you must have a good nose, a good smeller.
• 27:27
  Well, you know what?
• 27:29
  That's why I haven't taken my third level yet, because I want to.
• 27:33
  So I jokingly say, I drink wine for my education, but there is some practice, and you don't necessarily have to drink it.
• 27:43
  No.
• 27:43
  You're actually.
• 27:44
  Right.
• 27:46
  So if you got your third level, could you be working at a restaurant as a sommelier. You could do that.
• 27:52
  Yeah, even with my second level, yeah.
• 27:55
  So who knows, maybe.
• 27:56
  This could be a next career.
• 27:58
  Once you're done calling the councillor, we'll see you down there at the, I don't know.
• 28:04
  I don't know, we'll run into you.
• 28:06
  That's incredible.
• 28:07
  That's really cool.
• 28:08
  Yeah.
• 28:08
  I think that's neat.
• 28:09
  I do too.
• 28:10
  Yeah.
• 28:11
  I've always been fascinated by that.
• 28:12
  It must be fun for you.
• 28:13
  It is fascinating.
• 28:14
  Because you'd be like, well, we'll get that bottle because she needs to check it out.
• 28:18
  Well, you see, yeah, the, Gene doesn't drink.
• 28:22
  Oh, okay.
• 28:23
  So yeah, so he's my driver.
• 28:26
  Yeah.
• 28:29
  You should always marry your designated driver.
• 28:31
  That's true.
• 28:31
  This is true.
• 28:32
  I agree with that.
• 28:33
  Well, that's fascinating.
• 28:34
  I mean, who would have known?
• 28:35
  I mean, that's just amazing.
• 28:37
  Wow.
• 28:37
  So Jennifer?
• 28:39
  Karen, we have one final question that we ask all of our guests.
• 28:44
  Share with us the best piece of advice you've been given either personally or professionally that you carry with you to this day.
• 28:52
  I think it would have to be what we were discussing earlier, is not to allow the negative to impact you internally.
• 29:02
  You need to listen to the negative just as you do the positive, but don't let it change.
• 29:09
  Don't let it affect you to change your character in a negative way.
• 29:14
  Yes.
• 29:16
  Don't become jaded.
• 29:17
  Right.
• 29:18
  Like you need to still keep your true self.
• 29:25
  Yeah.
• 29:25
  I like that.
• 29:26
  That's great advice.
• 29:26
  Because it's easy to lose yourself.
• 29:28
  It is.
• 29:28
  And it's easy to become jaded.
• 29:29
  It is.
• 29:30
  It really is.
• 29:31
  So I think that's fantastic advice.
• 29:33
  Yeah.
• 29:34
  Well, Karen, this has been such a treat.
• 29:37
  Man, that's stuff we've learned.
• 29:39
  I know.
• 29:39
  Isn't that something?
• 29:41
  She's a wife, she's a mom, she's...
• 29:45
  She went to Peru.
• 29:46
  She went to Peru.
• 29:47
  She's a dental hygienist.
• 29:48
  She's a...
• 29:49
  City councillor.
• 29:50
  She's a sommelier.
• 29:51
  I know.
• 29:52
  I mean, what?
• 29:52
  Unbelievable.
• 29:53
  I know.
• 29:54
  Oh, we've never had all these people...
• 29:55
  She was a DJ.
• 29:57
  Don't forget about the DJ.
• 29:58
  She was a DJ.
• 29:59
  I was.
• 30:00
  There's a gig right there.
• 30:01
  A sommelier DJ.
• 30:03
  That would be unbelievable.
• 30:04
  I never thought of that.
• 30:05
  When it's all done.
• 30:06
  Yeah.
• 30:07
  Great idea.
• 30:08
  Just we could go into business together.
• 30:09
  Yeah.
• 30:10
  I'm sorry, but that's fantastic.
• 30:12
  But man, it has been.
• 30:13
  And you know, this is what I love about...
• 30:15
  Jennifer, This is what I love about our podcast, because when people hear that we're going to have somebody like Councillor Karen Principe on, they all think we're going to talk politics.
• 30:23
  I know.
• 30:23
  I think today was 100 million, billion times more valuable than talking politics.
• 30:28
  100% agree.
• 30:29
  Yeah.
• 30:30
  Fantastic.
• 30:30
  What a fantastic person.
• 30:31
  You are just amazing.
• 30:33
  And thank you for taking the time to do this.
• 30:35
  Oh, thank you.
• 30:36
  I had a lot of fun.
• 30:37
  It was so nice to be here today and have a great cup of coffee.
• 30:40
  Yeah.
• 30:41
  We'll send you home with some coffee.
• 30:43
  Yeah.
• 30:43
  Does Gene drink coffee?
• 30:44
  He does.
• 30:45
  Okay.
• 30:45
  So we'll send him home with some coffee.
• 30:47
  That's fantastic.
• 30:48
  Well, thanks everybody for tuning in to another episode of the ABA Coffee In The Park.
• 30:54
  Thanks for doing that.
• 30:55
  Remember, we want you to share our podcast with people.
• 30:58
  Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your co-workers, tell your enemies.
• 31:01
  If you don't have any friends, make one so you can tell them about the podcast.
• 31:05
  And just share this with everybody you can because we think we got some pretty great stories.
• 31:10
  But more than that, we're thankful that you are our faithful listeners.
• 31:13
  Yes, we are.
• 31:14
  Thank you everybody for taking the chance and listening to this podcast.
• 31:19
  Again, Cam, you and I said five people would listen.
• 31:22
  Our families.
• 31:23
  We thought our families.
• 31:24
  That's right.
• 31:24
  And then we thought they get bored and quit.
• 31:31
  So thank you, thank you, thank you for all the support in 2024.
• 31:35
  Thanks, everybody.
• 31:36
  Appreciate it.
• 31:36
  And we'll talk to you next week.
• 31:39
  See you next week.