“May you see the way wherever the journey takes you, sailing safely over rough water and weathering the waves’ dips and crests. May you find treasure in Earth’s infinite variety, beauty and surprise. May you hear the ocean’s music in every shell you hold to your ear. May your boat fill with insight, laughter, generosity and love as you discover new landscapes and explore the wide expanse of memory.” ~Navigator’s Blessing, littlegoldboat
Mike Ranta acquires his land legs after landing on the shores of Montreal River Harbour. To his left a Veteran of Austria, tucked under his arm, his best friend- Spitzii.
High winds and choppy water forced a delay in Montreal River Harbour for Mike Ranta yesterday. Mike dipped his paddle in the Pacific Ocean at Richmond, Vancouver on April 1st setting out on a 6-month canoe journey that will conclude near the end of September in the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Breton. Every stroke of his paddle is inspired by the sacrifice made by our Canadian Veterans. His coast to coast message -600 km by portage and 6,400 km by canoe, is simple -get our Veterans off the street.
“Almost 5% of homeless people are Veterans and it’s just not right,” remarked Mike adding, “We’re living in a country where we shouldn’t have any homeless people.”
Mike Ranta and Spitzii arriving on the beautiful shores of Montreal River Harbour.
Mike has a personal connection to the challenges Canadian soldiers face after war zone and peace-keeping experiences. “My brother is a Veteran and he’s having a hard time with PTSD and he’s such a good man. And I lost a couple of friends from the WWII era that meant a lot to me.”
Mike holds a profound respect for the men and women that receive the call to serve through military service and he passionately hopes that his paddling efforts inspire greater respect and resources for Veterans who often experience these civilities as a shortfall.
For every $1,000 donated to Mike Ranta’s Paddle 2016, Mike will craft a handmade birch bark hat upon return for the donor.
“Our Veterans don’t do what they do for the money or the prestige. They do it for the love of country and that is something that is so special. We should be revering these people. And one time in society our warriors were revered. When they walked down the street we stepped aside or we bought them drinks or bought them food.”
Canada has only just begun collecting data regarding the prevalence of homelessness among Veterans and acquiring an accurate number of those affected is challenging. In 2010, Veterans Affairs Canada identified that between 2009-2010 the number of homeless people identified as Veterans exploded from 35 to 236. Researchers admitted that the true figure could be higher. A report released by the City of Toronto in 2014 indicated that 16% of the city’s population sleeping on the streets were Veterans.
A research project conducted by the Mental Health Commission of Canada about homelessness and mental health entitled At Home/Chez Soi reported that 99 of 2,298 (4.3%) identified as Veterans.
In 2015 data collection through the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System provided information about homeless Veterans who accessed shelters in Canada. The report, the Extent and Nature of Veteran Homelessness in Canada, acquired data from 60 emergency shelters across between January 2014- December 2014. Key findings revealed:
- That an estimated 2,250 Veterans use homeless shelters each year in Canada
- About 2.7% of annual shelter users were identified as Veterans
- There is a higher rate of episodic homelessness for Veterans compared to non-Veterans
- Homeless Veterans are older, on average, than homeless non-Veterans
The Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reports that individuals who experience mental health issues are at greater risk to experience homelessness. Studies in Canada vary wildly but CAMH estimates that 23% and 67% of homeless people report having a mental illness. The likelihood that Veterans will be confronted with disturbing events naturally puts them at greater to risk to acquire a mental health injury and consequently increases their risk to homelessness. In Canada, it is estimated that 10% of war zone Veterans –including war-service Veterans and peacekeeping forces, will go on to experience PTSD, while others may experience at least some of the symptoms associated with this condition.
During his docks, Mike visits with Veterans, stopping in at as many Royal Canadian Legions as he can.
“It’s been a lot more emotional than I anticipated. I expected to run into people with incredible stories but some of the people that have told me what they have seen and what they have been through –especially our WWII guys, is absolutely mind-boggling. To have a 90 year old Veteran, still smiling, shake my hand and say thank you to me is heart-warming. There have been many times that I’ve cried on the side of the road when I’ve been talking to our Veterans. To have a man or a woman of that stature thank me…it’s humbling.”
Mike Ranta in Montreal River Harbour, posing with his Atikokan made canoe, signed by hundreds of Veterans met along his journey.
Mike has collected hundreds of signatures from Veterans on his canoe. When the waters become rough and unkind he looks to those monikers and draws his resolve.
“We’ve had some near death experiences and when I get down to the nitty-gritty and things are tough going, I look down to those signatures and I think about what these guys have gone through. That’s what gets me going the next kilometer. I look down and I see these names and that’s my inspiration. That’s my drive – to help these people that have stepped up and allowed me to do what I do. To draw that kind of incentive is really easy when you meet so many people that have these amazing stories and you remember their name and you remember where they signed on the canoe. I don’t think there is too much that this Lake or any lake or river can really throw at me to overcome that kind of inspiration.”
Spot locator- every half hour sends up to satellite his GPS coordinates and automatically updates Mike’s travel website.
Mike hasn’t been travelling alone, he’s accompanied by Spitzii, his “cab-side soldier, navigator, bear chaser and best friend”. Spitzii, an 8 year old Finnish Spitz, has spotted two mountain lions and twelve bears and he’s been through his own harrowing experiences as well. Five days into the paddle, Spitzii fell overboard and disappeared in the current. Mike deployed his life jacket and went in for his buddy and by some stroke of luck Spitzii and Mike were both expelled by the current. A few weeks ago, Spitzii disappeared in the bush overnight in a high wolf populated area.
“How he survived and made it through the night is a mind boggling to me. I’ve asked him several times –he won’t tell me,” laughed Mike. Mike attributes Spitzii’s survival to a little karma sent their way after rescuing a moose calf trapped in the water.
Having paddled his entire life and raised in the bush, Mike, a former mill worker in Atikokan, also has a tremendous respect for earth and water. “Lake Superior has been fantastic to me but you know how she can be. There were a couple of times where I placed myself in the wrong position along some cliff faces and she tested every ounce of my canoe skills. But we made it through it. Mother Nature has a way of putting me over her knee sometimes but we have a great relationship.”
Though Mike’s job at the mill is waiting for him when he returns from his adventure he hopes to open a guiding company. “I’d like to help out these Veterans that have PTSD and take them into the bush and show others just how much nature can heal.”
Mike pushed off the calm shores of Montreal River Harbour and headed south this morning at 7 a.m. He estimates that he has paddled 4,000 km already and has another 3,000 km ahead.
“We have an amazing country. We really do. And when you see it firsthand like I do, it’s so difficult not to have an appreciation for our Veterans. And it’s very difficult to understand why so many of them can end up shuffled off to the side. It isn’t right. It doesn’t take a guy with much brains to realize that if we don’t start taking care of our military personnel pretty soon we’re not going to have them looking after us. I’ve got a lot of promises that I’ve made to these guys and I’ve got a good strong message to bring to Ottawa. I want to appeal to Justin Trudeau as a canoer and do something positive and make a change for these people. I do believe that we have this in us as a Nation. I really do.”
Departing Montreal River Harbour, heading south to Sault Ste. Marie.
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Services for Veterans:
Veterans Emergency Services: http://vetscanada.org/
Veteran Affairs Canada Assistance Service: http://www.Veterans.gc.ca/eng/contact/vac-assistance-service
You can track Mike on his Mike Ranta’s Paddle 2016 adventure by clicking here or follow him on Facebook.
