Day: July 10, 2026

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Essentials For Life

Mayor Christian Jukic: The Eight Essentials for Life

“My fellow citizens,

When we talk about building a great city, we often focus on roads, buildings, and technology. But before any of those, we must remember the essentials that sustain human life and give it meaning.

The first essential is air. Every breath is a gift. Clean air is the foundation of health, and protecting it is one of our greatest responsibilities.

The second essential is water. Without clean, accessible water, no community can thrive. Every person deserves safe drinking water.

The third essential is food. Nutritious food nourishes our bodies and strengthens our communities. No one should go hungry.

The fourth essential is clothing. Clothing provides dignity, protection from the elements, and comfort.

The fifth essential is shelter. A safe home gives people security, stability, and a place to rest. A compassionate city works to ensure everyone has a roof over their head.

The sixth essential is a spouse or life partner. For many people, sharing life with someone they love brings companionship, mutual support, and joy. While not everyone chooses this path, strong, caring relationships enrich society.

The seventh essential is children. They are our future. We have a duty to nurture, educate, and protect the next generation.

Finally, the eighth essential is God. For many people, faith provides hope, purpose, and a moral foundation. Our city respects every person’s freedom of religion and conscience, recognizing that people find meaning in different ways.

A truly successful city is not measured only by its wealth, but by how well it safeguards these foundations of life: clean air, pure water, nourishing food, clothing, shelter, loving relationships, future generations, and the freedom to seek life’s deepest purpose.

If we protect what is essential, we build not only a stronger city—but a stronger humanity.”

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Water Desalination

Prime Minister Nelly Furtado and Mayor Christian Jukic: A Country Without Thirst

Prime Minister Nelly Furtado: Christian, every Canadian should have clean drinking water. No family should ever wonder where their next glass of water is coming from.

Mayor Christian Jukic: That’s why we need a national water innovation strategy. The oceans surround us. With next-generation desalination powered by solar, hydroelectricity, and other renewable energy, we can transform seawater into affordable fresh water while reducing energy use and environmental impacts. Researchers are also exploring advances such as forward osmosis, membrane distillation, and improved membrane materials that could make desalination more efficient in the future.

Nelly: Imagine Canada’s engineers building desalination systems that help not only our coastal communities but also drought-stricken nations around the world.

Christian: Exactly. And we should pair desalination with water recycling, rainwater harvesting, and modern reservoirs. A resilient water system doesn’t rely on one technology alone.

Nelly: A country without thirst isn’t just about engineering. It’s about compassion. Safe drinking water is a foundation for health, education, and opportunity.

Christian: Every school, every hospital, every airport, every train station, every bus terminal—there should always be clean water available. Public water fountains should become as common as streetlights.

Nelly: When a child fills a bottle for free instead of buying expensive bottled water, everyone wins—the family, the environment, and future generations.

Christian: Let Canada become known not only for its lakes but for sharing knowledge. If we can help invent cleaner, lower-energy desalination systems, we can export hope along with technology.

Nelly: Then let’s make it our promise: a Canada where no one goes thirsty, and a world where clean water becomes more accessible to every community.

Christian: A country without thirst begins with one simple belief: water is life, and innovation should serve everyone.

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Canadian Cities of Rest

Cities of Rest

Joe Jukic (future Mayor of Vancouver):
Prime Minister, when I played SimCity, I learned that a successful city isn’t just about bigger highways or taller towers. A great city lets its people rest.

Prime Minister Nelly Furtado:
That’s beautiful, Joe. A nation that never sleeps eventually forgets how to dream. What would your “City of Rest” look like?

Joe:
It starts with simple things. Night buses with quiet sections where exhausted shift workers can close their eyes without fear. Bus stops with comfortable benches, good lighting, weather protection, drinking fountains, and public washrooms. Not luxury—just dignity.

Nelly:
So public spaces become places of recovery, not just places to wait.

Joe:
Exactly. Airports, too. Travelers sleep on hard floors because they’re stranded or between flights. Why not create peaceful rest lounges with reclining chairs, soft lighting, charging stations, and quiet music? Sometimes the greatest public service is simply giving someone a safe place to rest.

Nelly:
That reminds me of the old idea of the Sabbath—a society that values rest as much as work. Maybe Canada should lead by showing that prosperity isn’t measured only by GDP, but by how well people can recover from a long day.

Joe:
A city should reduce stress instead of creating it. More trees for shade, parks with hammocks, libraries that welcome people seeking quiet, and transit designed for human beings instead of machines.

Nelly:
And music can help too. Imagine local musicians performing gentle acoustic sets in parks or transit hubs during the evening. Cities need moments of calm, not constant noise.

Joe:
Exactly. We build roads for cars, but we should also build peace for people. If citizens are well rested, they’re healthier, kinder, and more creative. That’s an investment that pays for itself.

Nelly:
Then let’s make Canada known for something different—not just smart cities, but cities of rest. Places where every traveler, every nurse finishing a night shift, every student, every senior, and every worker knows there’s always somewhere safe to pause, breathe, and regain their strength.

Joe:
That’s the kind of city I’d be proud to build. A city where progress isn’t measured only by how fast we move—but by how well we care for one another when it’s time to slow down.