As an eastern Canadian, I had never seen a prairie dog, but when I pulled off the dirt road that cuts through Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park, there were dozens of them.
Amid the hundreds of dirt mounds, there they were-light brown bundles of fur on their hind legs keeping a watchful eye out for predators. One of those on sentry duty yipped noisily, letting the others know of our every move.
My wife and I stared back, content to spend time watching the inhabitants of this large prairie dog town.
Over the three days we stayed at the Frenchman Valley campground in August 2025, it slowly dawned on me that I shared a kind of professional kinship with those watchful prairie dogs.
For 30 years, I covered Nova Scotia politics, keeping a keen and critical eye on the work of eight premiers and their governments. Like those chattering prairie dogs, I too have kept CBC audiences informed about what their elected representatives were up to.
In recent years, I’ve warned about government overreach or potential threats to democratic norms and traditions. Less life-threatening perhaps than a prowling coyote, ferret or circling hawk but to my mind, a kind of democratic survival information for my above-ground community.
But unlike my newly discovered black-tailed brethren, I was no longer on sentry duty after retiring last April.
One of the many prairie dogs of Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park. (Jean Laroche)
For almost all of the nearly 40 years I reported, I enjoyed the fast-paced, high-stress public job I did in Ottawa, Montreal and finally in Halifax.
However in recent years, the adrenaline rush from meeting tight deadlines or filing an odd scoop or sharing my expertise no longer made up for the daily grind trying to pry even basic facts and figures from those in office and the bureaucrats under their control.
My three decades at Nova Scotia’s Province House covering Liberal, PC and NDP governments did little to shield me from the unprecedented level of criticism and pushback political reporters now face every day.
Weariness more than anything else drove me to retire but I felt guilty about leaving an audience hungry for context and analysis that my time in the political trenches allowed me to provide. I also felt like I’d abandoned my colleagues despite their assurances they could carry on without me.
Those who stopped me in a grocery store aisle or mall parking lot to thank me for my work and wish me well only intensified that feeling I’d left my post and let my community down.
Perhaps arrogantly, I felt I’d been doing my small part to safeguard democracy.
The Trump government’s sustained attack on reporters civil liberties and democratic institutions in the United States added fuel to my guilt.
But rather than dwell on it or jump into some new project that I’d later regret, my wife and I decided to take advantage of our youngest son’s recent move to Yellowknife with his fiancée as an excuse for an epic road trip.
The six-week nearly cross-Canada drive would also be a way to create distance between my old work life and whatever comes next adventure wise.
We bought a new SUV outfitted with a sleeping platform while creating space underneath for our camping gear.
On July 8th we rolled out from our driveway in Dartmouth N. S., headed west.</pp
We mapped out visits with family friends old colleagues in Montreal Ottawa Winnipeg but most importantly we camped hiked swam just enjoying ourselves during this ride</pp
The further away from home we got more relaxed I became thinking less about work along with all that responsibility weighing down on me</pp
Diving through Ontario seemed endless</pp
The prairies offered incredible views alongside spectacular skies</pp
This Alberta region allowed us share roads with massive bison</pp
Soon enough Yellowknife arrived where son Christian partnered with Hannah took us around showing off their new hometown even joining short memorable bushplane flight over city</pp
Caring less towards workplace memories by then</pp
(Jean Laroche)
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(Jean Laroche)
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We found ourselves heading back stopping by Jasper checking out badlands Alberta then making way again towards Grasslands National Park which turned into somewhat epiphany moment It hit me while observing these prairie dogs how really nobody holds sole responsibility looking after colony alerting against danger instead shared task altogether Realizing same goes within personal situation Others will continue carrying forward tasks performed previously possibly even better compared cynical tired individual like myself While it isn’t particularly reassuring understanding long moderately successful yet enjoyable career means replacement possible it’s freeing as well Months following our trip faced constant barrage stories surrounding political upheaval happening USA affecting us here discovering radio’s off switch I learned manage news intake something hadn’t done before Now focusing less what left behind more what’s coming ahead I ski read nap Haven’t made any big decisions yet happy enjoy extra moments spent family friends plus embracing outdoor experiences Leaving guard duties behind former colleagues stand ready providing necessary alerts needed staying informed fulfilling role citizen rather than reporter
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