About a dozen years ago (baker's or regular) I spent a winter month exploring the states of Arizona and New Mexico. One day, having driven as far westward in Arizona as I considered suitable, I headed east, then decided to take a look at an advertised scenic site a few miles north of the highway.
The site was not crowded, and while waiting for the gate-keeper to admit me, a chap who had approached behind me came and volunteered the fact that there was a similar but much more scenic site a few miles west on the highway I had left, and a few miles south. However, it was best to go there with someone familiar with the area, and he volunteered to guide me.
When I declined he continued to insist but something bothered me about his persistence. I said I might go after I was through with the park I was at. Although there was not much to see, I dragged my heels, and finally my would-be guide left.
The man did not look villainous, but his persistence bothered me, so I waited until his car was out of view, then returned to the highway and continued eastward. Not far along the road I found a tourist reception center, so I stopped and asked about the place I had been urged to see. The attendant looked puzzled and skeptical, shook her head, and said she had never heard of such a place.
I couldn't help but wonder if my would-be guide had noted my age, the fact that I was from Canada and driving a good-sized, passable model vehicle of recent vintage, and had harbored evil designs.
I'll never know, but I have always wondered whether I had been seen as a rube that might be rolled, robbed of car and funds, and perhaps even left for dead. No one would have asked questions for at least a week or two, nor even guessed which of the four southwestern states might have swallowed me.
Had the worst happened, I'm sure I would have merited a few paragraphs on the front page of the Review, and perhaps a few other community newspapers might have noticed. But I am certain there would not have been a national uproar, nor a combing of the U.S. Southwest by the RCMP.
The incident comes to mind now when there is sudden concern about three or four individuals in less than a year, from the old town of Woodbridge (now a Toronto satellite community) slain or deemed slain in Mexico in three separate incidents. Suddenly there is a groundswell of news items, columns, editorials and letters to the editor examining, defending and finger-pointing.
At issue is both the allegedly slipshod handling of the deaths by Mexican authorities, and the deemed reluctance of the Canadian government to inject itself into the matter.
We learn now that about 250 Canadians have been slain in foreign lands in the seven years since 2000, and that a common thread running through these tragedies has been dissatisfaction on the part of the victims' families with Canadian government or police concern with the events.
There is probably blame enough to go around in the matter.
As Canadians, we tend to take trips to any part of the world, comfortable in the belief our misfortunes in other lands will take the precedence by police in the host countries as would be expected in Canada.
If we are wrong in such assumptions, and considering the national urge to travel anywhere at will, very clear warnings ought to be issued by our government to citizens traveling abroad, and perhaps a clear statement made as to what we may or may not be entitled to receive. It might even be in order to issue special warnings to people planning to visit countries with questionable histories in protecting foreign visitors.
Up to 10 million Canadians annually visit our southern neighbour, and less than 60 of our people have been killed in the period cited; that is roughly six slayings per million visitors. This compares with about two per 10,000 visitors in more dangerous countries. Of course, most Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S., so traveling there for a day or a weekend poses no problem and attenuates the situation.
The bottom line is still our need to take care where we go, to be careful in our choice of side-trips, and be aware of what recourse we have in the event of misfortune or tragedy.
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