Allister Rosetown, Saskatchewan

Fair address: Saskatoon Regional Saskatchewan Youth Heritage Fair

Project: The Tunnels Of Moose Jaw and Prohibition

"The Tunnels of Moose Jaw and Prohibition” is a project that explores topics including early Chinese hand-laundries during the time of an unfair head tax and bootlegging in the small town of Moose Jaw during prohibition. This project is a great way to learn about the past and apply life lessons to the present and future of Canada.

What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?

The most interesting thing that I learned while doing my project was the cryptic messages passed by young paper boys in Moose Jaw. This interesting fact carries on to another very intriguing point- Walter Johnston’s corruption. Even the chief of police was corrupt and warned the bootleggers of raids by the police.

What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?

The overall message of my project is that everyone in Canada and in turn, the world is interconnected and interdependent. Every small thing that a person does affects near everyone else. For example, having a prejudice against a person may mean unfair treatment towards that person. We see examples of this in the past with events including the Chinese Head Tax. Another lesson is compassion, open mindedness and acceptance. If we accept others and treat them as equals, our world will be a better place. The final lesson that I learned was that to make good leaders, people have to draw on the past to make educated decisions regarding the future. An example of this is during prohibition. During prohibition, there was great amounts of illegal and unsafe activity regarding alcohol. The government saw an increase in organized crime and thought that they could reduce this crime and in turn, abolished the complete ban on alcohol. This is a good example of awareness that I believe we can all gain.

How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?

My life is vastly different from the lives of the Chinese immigrants in the 1900s. In Canada, everyone is treated equally and laws that apply to one, apply to all. My life and the lives of other Canadians are also extremely different from the lives of those living during the prohibition of alcohol. For one, selling papers on the town streets is not a common occupation. Our lives have all changed greatly with new technology and developments in all fields.