Hatter shares ocean experiences at public library

By Mo Cranker on July 9, 2018.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com @MHNmocranker

A Medicine Hat woman hopes to make a difference in how we treat our oceans.

Jasveen Brar was born in Vancouver, but grew up in Medicine Hat and attended Hat High. She completed a double major in biology and sustainability at Dalhousie University, and now works with Ocean Bridge, an organization based around the health and conservation of oceans.

Brar was at the Medicine Hat Public Library theatre Thursday evening to share her knowledge and work experience.

“I’m one of the 40 members of the Ocean Bridge 2018 cohort, where youth from across the country have been selected to be part of this organization and work on ocean literacy and ocean conservation projects,” said Brar. “We just had our expedition to Haida Gwaii (British Columbia) last month in May, where we spent time doing community-based projects, while also learning more about the oceans.

“Today I’m just talking about my experiences in Haida Gwaii, and showing people a lot of pictures from the experience.”

Brar says she has been interested and involved with oceans since she was 15, and says the oceans are a very important topic.

“Especially growing up in Medicine Hat, it’s not that we don’t care about the oceans, I just think the voice isn’t that present here,” she said. “For me, it’s important to bring things back to my community.

“I’ve done a lot of things in Halifax, I’ve done things on the national and international scale, but I haven’t brought anything home — and it’s important for me to do that now.”

Brar says there are no places on the earth that are not impacted by the ocean.

“Even here in Medicine Hat, the oceans have an impact on us,” she said. “One of the biggest things is plastic, it has a very big impact on the oceans.

“The thing about the plastic we use is that it can never go away. It may break apart, but it never breaks down and disappears.

“There’s a lot of iconic images out there when people think of plastic and the ocean, but there’s other things, too. When we did the shoreline cleanup, we saw things like shoes and tires as well.”

Starting in September, Brar will hold multiple events each month at the public library.

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