Long before David Suzuki became the face of environmental activism in Canada, he spent his summers picking produce at farms across rural Ontario
Canadian superstar scientist David Suzuki has been the face of environmental activism in this country for five decades . But long before the former host ofappeared on TV screens in homes across Canada, Dr. Suzuki spent his summers picking produce at farms across rural Ontario. Here’s what starting work at the tender age of 10 – yes, 10 – taught the environmental activist about success.
worked. A mother was expected to care for her family, and a working mom was a sign of poverty. I never thought of myself as poor, but I see now that we were impoverished after the war. My dad’s first job in Ontario was on a peach farm, so at first I’d go with him. Sometimes I’d get to drive the tractor and pick up the peaches. My sisters, mom and I would pick berries at farms all over the place for something like five cents a basket. We’d rotate through the farms, picking berries, potatoes and tomatoes, which were then usually shipped to Windsor, Ont., or sold to the Heinz factory in Leamington, Ont.
In Ontario at the time, because the province was still so agricultural, you were allowed to leave school at the end of May – if you had good grades. I always did, so I never went to school in June, and I looked forward to working every summer. We’d start work at 7 a.m., get a half-hour lunch at noon and then work through until 6 p.m. We’d do this six days a week. I think I was paid like 50 cents an hour, for the potatoes at least, and we’d otherwise be paid by the basket.
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