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Telling the Stories, Branding the Land: Examining Regional Telling the Stories, Branding the Land: Examining Regional Narratives and Texts in Northern Alberta by Jay Rawding A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2021 © Jay Rawding 2021 Examining Committee Membership The following served on the Examining Committee for this thesis: External Examiner Dr Pamela Banting Professor, University of Calgary Supervisor Dr Winfried Siemerling Professor, University of Waterloo Internal Member(s) Dr Andrew McMurry Professor, University of Waterloo Dr Chad Wriglesworth Professor, University of Waterloo Internal/External Member Dr Imre Szeman Professor, University of Waterloo ii Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. iii Abstract This ecocritical study analyzes literary works and narratives related to northern Alberta. It establishes correlations between the way the land, history, and culture have been represented in these buried texts and the master narrative of resource development that continues to dominate this highly contested region. Using an interdisciplinary approach to this understudied content, this investigation combines rhetorical and discourse analysis with ecocritical close readings. The dissertation initially explores recurring themes in northern Alberta’s literature and then examines specific narratives concerning three men who have remained popular in the region: A.M. Bezanson, “Twelve Foot” Davis, and “Peace River Jim” Cornwall. While their legacies have endured, the thesis addresses the fact that other important texts that were written by women – such as Mary Lawrence, Katherine Hughes, Dorothy Dahlgren, and Alvena Strasbourg – have become scarce and obscure. After comparing the gendered perspectives contained in these texts, the discussion turns to authors who have been affiliated with fossil fuel development, including petroleum pioneer Sidney Ells, investigative trailblazer Larry Pratt, and industry ally J. Joseph Fitzgerald, who each helped rhetorically define, confront, or embrace local infrastructure projects. Next there is an analysis of three novels that engage with stock genres in order to present their stories, including a northern Alberta-based thriller written in 1980 by best-selling author Alistair MacLean. The thesis concludes by examining two influential local newspaper editors who, through their popular books, became self-appointed gatekeepers of the region’s voices. iv This example of authorial control over northern Alberta’s published texts speaks to an urgent need to recover, reproduce, and republicize neglected local stories and texts in order to challenge broader hegemonic forces and to better understand this region and its people. This dissertation intervenes to offer a critical starting point in recognizing, reading, and disseminating these vital voices now and in the future. v Acknowledgments There are a number of people who helped me finish this dissertation and I am grateful to so very many. I would like to thank the faculty and staff at the University of Waterloo’s Department of English, and in particular Fraser Easton, Margaret Ulbrick, Jay Dolmage, and Shelley Hulan. I also appreciate the research assistance provided by Nancy Collins, Jessica Smelko, and UW’s librarians. I am grateful for the research prospects and leads provided by Kate An, Derek Gladwin, Heather Smyth, Matthew Tegelberg, Amy Wang, and Cory Willard. Sincere thanks to Caroline Boyer and the staff of the Fort McMurray Public Library. I would also like to thank Tanya Boudreau, Ryan Cox, Louis Dingley, Tara Joly, Kim Dertien-Loubert, Donald McDonald, the Nistawoyou Association Friendship Centre, Charles Nokohoo, Athabasca Tribal Council, Jack Peden, and Susan Walker. Luck and good timing brought me to UW’s Master of Public Service program a few years ago, and I am very grateful for their support and amazing generosity. Thank you to Frankie Condon, Danielle Deveau, Anna Esselment, Nena Grozdenovic, Sheila McConnell, Rosemary McGowan, Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher, Ramona Petz, Anindya Sen, and Jessica Wu. My deepest thanks to my extraordinary thesis supervisor, Winfried Siemerling. I am forever grateful to Professor Siemerling for his phenomenal support, encouragement, guidance and patience. An additional thank you to my fantastic committee members: Andrew McMurry and Chad Wriglesworth, for their enthusiastic contributions and ideas, and my thesis panel members, Professor Pamela Banting and Professor Imre Szeman, for vi their helpful and considerate feedback. Although there are too many names to list, I would also like to thank the many teachers and professors I have had the good fortune to have learned from over the years at University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ), University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and beyond. I am indebted to you all. Many thanks to Mike and Erika Lesiuk and Spectre the cat for their friendship and hospitality. For being unwitting but helpful sounding boards, I am much obliged to Blaine Selkirk and Miguel Galian. I am very grateful for the substantial support provided by James Hart, including his invaluable help with printing and copying. Heartfelt thanks also to Madelyn and Bill Rexer for their incredible kindness and profound generosity. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the following special people who are dearly missed: Martin Abu, Craig Barnett, Al Belliveau, Lawrence Boyd, Thecla Boyd, Jimmy Hart, and Chris Notar. Special hugs to my wonderful sisters Jennifer and Gina, niece Madison, and nephew Quinn. To my superhero parents, Dave and Theresa, thank you for decades of love, guidance and encouragement; I owe everything to you. To Emily (a.k.a. LOML), thank you for all of the support at every conceivable level and for all of the sacrifices you have made to help make this project come true. Last but not least, thank you to Beagle the dog for the long walks. vii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to the memory of Mary (Nana) Boyd and Dorothy (Nana) Hatt. viii Table of Contents Examining Committee Membership ii Author’s Declaration iii Abstract iv Acknowledgments vi Dedication viii Introduction 1 Chapter One: Prominent Themes in Northern Alberta’s Literature 19 Chapter Two: Bezanson, Davis, and Cornwall: Three Major Northern Narratives 90 Chapter Three: Lawrence, Hughes, Dahlgren, and Strasbourg: Four Lesser Known Alberta Narratives 145 Chapter Four: Key Texts from the Early Days of Bitumen Sands Development 199 Chapter Five: Regional Works of Fiction in Northern Alberta 254 Chapter Six: Huberman and Jean: Powerful Authors, Narrative Gatekeepers 282 Conclusion: The Trouble with Singular Narratives 322 Works Cited 331 Appendices 373 ix Telling the Stories, Branding the Land: Examining Regional Narratives and Texts in Northern Alberta Introduction For years, resource development in western Canada has proceeded at an accelerated pace. Intense scrutiny and debate have accompanied projects that rely upon the extraction of fossil fuels. The bitumen sands1 in particular remain a regular subject in the news: from pipeline proposals to public hearings; from treaty disputes to prospective job numbers; from project announcements to environmental violations. Some media sources focus on potentially destructive outcomes,2 while others present the region as already naturally flawed, and in need of “tidying up” through industrial intervention.3 Despite the perception that extraction projects have slowed in recent years, in mid-2017 energy companies were issued twice as many drilling licenses as had been issued in all of 2016, and almost 3000 new wells had already been completed (Southwick). Currently, bitumen sands projects span the northern half of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Large operations have been located north of populated areas such as Lloydminster and Edmonton, east of cities of the Peace River region, and just west of central Saskatchewan. The area within this span represents a formidable amount of geographical space. A decade ago, almost 25 per cent of Alberta’s landmass was being 1 The term “bitumen sands” will be used herewith in order to avoid the historically established term “tar sands,” as that designation has been perceived as inflammatory among unconventional fossil fuel development supporters. “Bitumen sands” is also used herewith in order to avoid using the industry-coined, similarly problematic term “oil sands” (for a detailed overview, see Nikiforuk, “It Ain’t Oil,” Tar Sands 11- 16; see also Kidner). Original source material references, however, will retain each author’s choices. 2 See CBC, “Nexen Pipeline”; CBC, “2nd Largest”; CBC, “Oilsands Reclamation.” 3 A common refrain in Alberta is that the bitumen sands “are Mother Nature’s biggest spill. We’re just cleaning it up and making a buck” (Calgary Sun, “Leo DiCaprio”). 1 developed by industry, and Alberta Energy reported the area under development was the geographical equivalent of one Florida, two New Brunswicks, four Vancouver Islands, or twenty-six Prince Edward Islands (Nikiforuk, Tar Sands 21).4 As might be expected, many people who work in this vast region – and the executives who benefit from industrial expansion – have defended the extraction and development of unconventional fossil fuels,5 as well as associated infrastructure projects. At the same
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