2004-11-21 by The Independent

VOL. 2 ISSUE 47

COST/ BENEFIT SUMMARY SEGMENT

As of Mar/10 As of Mar/10

Oil & Gas

$6.1B

$1.12B

Transportation

($7.7B)

Fisheries

$15.2B

$3.3B

Fiscal Transfers

$3.4B

($3.4B)

Natural Resources

$36.5B

$7.9B

FINAL TOTAL

$53.5B

$8.9B

ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21-27, 2004

WWW.THEINDEPENDENT.CA

$1.00 (INCLUDING HST)

Coming to terms Have the 1949 Terms of Union outlived their relevancy?

By Stephanie Porter The Independent

treated fairly.” In spite of the rocky road of the past 55 years, even as the groundfish stocks have ix weeks ago, The Independent collapsed, Churchill Falls hydro profits posed a question: Is Newfound- washed away, revenues from the offshore land and Labrador a drain on oil redirected to Ottawa, there have been Canada or vice versa? clear improvements in Newfoundland After completing a series of investiga- and Labrador since Confederation. tive work, including a cost-benefit analy“I have no doubt whatsoever that Newsis of Confederation, there is still no sim- foundlanders have lived at a far higher ple answer. While both this province and standard of living and with far less work the country have seen benefits from the and effort under Confederation than we would have had to do on our 1949 union, there have also FINDING THE own,” says former federal been great failures. cabinet minister John CrosThe federal-provincial bie. relationship is marked by Cost benefit analysis According to numbers resentment and frustrations of Confederation compiled by The Indepen— and must be improved. Final in a six-part series dent, the long-held idea that “Certainly, it’s the good Newfoundland and Labrador is a sinkwith the bad. We don’t live in a perfect hole for federal funds is untrue. While the country,” says Conservative MP Norm province has benefited by $8.9 billion Doyle. “We’re treated as an annoyance from the federation; Canada has reaped by the federal government.” His sentiment is echoed by provincial six times that, or $53.5 billion. And those numbers don’t include the NDP leader Jack Harris: “(Their) attitude value of the province’s million-plus outtowards this province is a patronizing migrated workers, strategic location, culone.” tural contribution to the country, and Federal NDP leader Jack Layton says other impossible-to-quantify benefits. “the people of Newfoundland and But if Newfoundland and Labrador has Labrador are not getting a fair deal given so much to the federation in terms because of the way their resources are treated … they’re absolutely not being of human and natural resources — iron

IN CAMERA

Cost-benefit analysis overview Page 11

INTERNATIONAL

Scott Vatcher, Australia’s travelling chiropractor Page 18

BALANCE

Paul Daly/The Independent

Joshua Coward, 90, a resident of Glenbrook Lodge in St. John’s, voted for Confederation. Russell Caddigan, 26, also of St. John’s, calls himself a nationalist. The merits of Newfoundland and Labrador’s union with Canada have been debated for more than 100 years.

ore from Labrador, hydroelectricity, oil revenues, the control of our fisheries — why is it that this province is still considered Canada’s poorest? Why do Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have to fight the stereotype

Equal, elected and effective Could Triple-E Senate give smaller provinces like this one more say in national affairs

Paradise’s own Wesley Welcher plays for Wildcats Page 25

Quote Week OF THE

“The great thing about Confederation is I find artists definitely don’t lose who they are or where they’re from. The Canadian money doesn’t suck that out of you.” — Mark Critch, actor

REUTERS/Shaun Best

Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson delivers the Speech from the Throne in the Senate chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa last month. The speech outlined Martin's agenda for the upcoming Parliamentary session, his first since being elected with a minority government in the spring.

Labrador’s impact on federal policy is often little more than a political murmur. Politicians and scholars have contended for years that the answer to central Canada’s death grip on power could be lessened if the Senate was reformed into a Triple-E — effective, equal, and elected. “Seven out of 308, the odds are stacked against you (in the House of Commons),” says Christopher Dunn, a political science professor with Memorial University in St. John’s. “We don’t

been signed over the past half-century that, given the benefit of hindsight, were detrimental to the province. Some, like the upper Churchill agreement, have led to expensive, bitter, and ultimately Continued on page 2

‘We’d all be starved today’ Happy Valley-Goose Bay By Bert Pomeroy For The Independent

SPORTS

small margin (52 per cent in favour) will always haunt the people of the province, as will the lack of debate around the actual Terms of Union. Their current relevance is regularly questioned. A number of deals or agreements have

Confederation with Canada meant a brighter future for Labrador

By Jeff Ducharme The Independent ad the 1992 Charlottetown Accord not been defeated in a referendum, one of its many sweeping amendments to the Canadian Constitution might have altered the ongoing dispute over offshore royalties. The accord proposed that a natural resources taxation veto be given to the Senate so that once a bill is defeated in the upper house by a majority, it would die. “The provinces really have to come forward,” Newfoundland and Labrador Senator Bill Rompkey tells The Independent from his Ottawa office. “They have to be ready to make some compromises if it’s going to work.” Former Ontario premier David Peterson, one of the architects of the failed 1990 Meech Lake Accord, had offered to relinquish some federal seats to smaller provinces in a give and take over Meech, but his gesture died with the accord. Former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Clyde Wells, Meech Lake’s biggest critic, also sought Senate reform but was unsuccessful. “People never give up power easily,” says Rompkey. With only seven seats out of 308 in the House of Commons and only six out of 105 in the Senate, Newfoundland and

of the “goofie Newfie,” the welfare cases waiting for the next cheque, working for stamps? Why is the province down and out? Or is it being held down? What’s perception and what’s reality? That Confederation was won by such a

have any representation.” Bonavista-Exploits MP Scott Simms says a veto given to the Senate would be anything but positive. “It just puts a whole wrench in the system,” says Simms. “We have a very large country which is, in many cases, fractured along regional lines.” The Senate has the same powers as the House of Commons, but it can’t overturn financial legislation or defeat Continued on page 2

abradorians voted overwhelming in support of Confederation with Canada because it meant they would no longer have to live under the total control of Newfoundland. That’s the opinion felt by many who still remember what it was like living in the region prior to 1949. Those who managed to secure employment at the Goose air base, like Gerald Dyson, were very fortunate. Others, especially those living along Labrador’s sparsely populated coast, continued to live a life of hardship, uncertainty and, in many cases, extreme poverty. “Things were pretty good in Goose Bay because of the base, but on the coast times were really hard,” recalls Dyson, who was 24 when Newfoundland and Labrador entered Confederation. “They were making an awful poor living. If a man didn’t have a gun to hunt with, and if you couldn’t fish through the ice, a lot of people would have starved to death.” Dyson was born at Mussel Brook in Porcupine Bay, south of Cartwright. He recalls leaving his parents behind to attend school in Cartwright, and the hardships they faced just to make ends meet. “My parents would travel to Cartwright to get some relief from what you would call social services today,” he

tells The Independent. “They would either walk the 60 miles or go by dog team. They’d get their money and everything they could buy out of that they’d carry on their backs.” The Newfoundland government, Dyson says, did very little to help people survive along the Labrador coast. “The people lived off the land. Basically, we probably had no government at all from November to May.”

“People were more in favour of it in Labrador because they saw a much better future with Canada than having to continue living under Newfoundland rule. Things couldn’t have gotten any worse than they were.” — Gerald Dyson Then came Confederation and the promise of a brighter future. In the National Referendum of June 3, 1948, an overwhelming 81.4 per cent of Labrador residents voted in favour of Confederation with Canada. That support remained solid in the subsequent referendum of July 22 when 77.8 voted in favour.

Provincially, however, it was a different story. The results of the first referendum were inclusive, as 41.1 per cent of the population voted in favour of Confederation, with 44.6 per cent opting for Responsible Government — only 14.3 per cent favoured the status quo, or Commission of Government. In the July 22 vote, Commission of Government was dropped from the ballot, and the result was a narrow win for Confederation with Canada — 52.3 per cent. “Confederation was the best thing to ever happen to Labrador,” Dyson says. “People were more in favour of it in Labrador because they saw a much better future with Canada than having to continue living under Newfoundland rule. Things couldn’t have gotten any worse than they were.” Jim Andersen remembers all too well what it was like before Labrador became part of Canada. In an interview earlier this fall, the 86-year-old Makkovik resident told of a time when the codfish were plentiful, but were mainly pursued by fishermen from the island, while people in Labrador struggled to carve out a living. “Confederation was very good,” he said. “Newfoundlanders hate the words Joey Smallwood, and they think we’d be better off if we never joined Canada. If we never joined, I think we’d all be starved today.” Continued on page 6

Page 2

NEWS

‘Not Newfoundland’s terms’ From page 1 unsuccessful court battles for which the province still bears the scars. There are geographical challenges. Newfoundland, a sparsely-populated island on the far end of the country, and Labrador, in some ways just as much an island with an even sparser, more isolated population, are literally half a country away from the centre of federal power and decision-making. As outspoken as this province’s politicians may be, there aren’t very many of them in the country’s capital, Ottawa — just seven MPs. With only six Senators, combined with the fact a Supreme Court justice has never been appointed from here, this province’s voice is not a powerful one. “The federal bureaucracy, we don’t have any figures on that, but the widely-held suspicion is that it’s stacked with people from central Canada,” says Memorial University political scientist Christopher Dunn. “People don’t usually think of it, but they’re quite influential.” ••• Historian John Fitzgerald, an expert in the Confederation debate, points out the Terms of Union, which took effect April 1, 1949, were not negotiated by Newfoundland. “It was Britain ultimately who legislated Newfoundland into Confederation,” he says. “Newfoundland was made a province by two foreign countries.” In other words — these were not Newfoundland’s terms, not debated on Newfoundland soil, and never designed to be in this province’s best interest. The province’s 2003 Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada made a similar point. “From the Expectations Roundtable (a group of Newfoundlanders who had been adults at the time of Confederation) the Commission … learned that the people did not have a good understanding of the draft terms of union proposed by Canada. It was a more general sense of what Confederation would mean for their daily lives …” Those terms of union, part of the Constitution of Canada, have been amended officially on at least two occasions — to rename, officially, the province Newfoundland and Labrador; and to enforce changes following the 1997 referendum to abolish the province’s denominational school system. Other terms remain, though many are no longer relevant. St. John’s lawyer Stephen May completed a report for the Royal Commission, The Terms of Union: an analysis of their current relevance. He concluded “the force and effect of the terms of Union have been spent. “A review of various terms of union reveals that many have no or limited influence on the current political, economic and social affairs of the province.” Some examples include the terms turning over ownership of the Newfoundland railway and the old Newfoundland Hotel to the federal government. Term 46 protects the province’s right to manufacture and sell oleomargarine and margarine. “The need for Term 46 has passed,” writes May. “It stands as a testament, however, to the potential that existed to protect local industries against the impact of Confederation.” That potential, however, was not explored. Immediately after Confederation and the fall of the tariff wall, in came cheap goods — and an estimated 4,000 Newfoundland jobs were lost. Given that many of the terms by which Newfoundland and Labrador was made a country are no longer useful, should the document be officially rene-

have long since lost their usefulness. Administrative, federal-provincial agreements have been made, as an alternative to formally amending the constitution. “Constitutions reflect the time in which they were written,” he says. “And the constitution reflects choices …” ••• Albert Perlin, who had a regular column in the St. John’s-based Daily News for years, wrote on Jan. 7, 1949: “Some people in Newfoundland and Canada were in too great a hurry. They wanted this thing (Confederation) done quickly and were careless about the means so long as the ends were achieved. The result is, as Canadian newspapers have not failed to point out, that controversy persists and a basis exists for grievance of long duration.” Perlin has been proven right — the grievances are still around today, aired on open-line shows, visible on every Free Nfld T-shirt worn, every pink, white and green flag flown. There are things that need to be fixed, changes that need to be made. But how is this province going to get ahead? “If we have a problem, then we have to look at our history. I think we can learn from the history and I think we can see ahead,” says FitzGerald. A skeptical Peckford sees it going one of two ways: “The province is left to either get out of the Confederation deal all together — a daunting proposition at this stage which I have difficulty supporting — or staying in and working for change within the present constitutional framework. “Meaningful change may be possible here but you would need very strong provincial leadership and diplomacy over a long period of time — Newfoundland has shown that this is an improbable thing.” Newfoundland-born comedian Mark Critch of This Hour Has 22 Minutes is optimistic, saying the time is right to do something. “Everybody gets these rotten deals and part of that is our fault too for … who we elect. Hopefully now we’ll turn a bit of a corner … I think the Newfie joke is dying and people are respecting Newfoundlanders more and more within Confederation. “We can talk about it over pints until we’re blue in the friggin’ face, but let’s actually see if we can make this better.” For The Independent’s recommendations on how Newfoundland and Labrador’s position within Canada can be improved, please see page 4.

Former premier Brian Peckford

“It was Britain ultimately who legislated Newfoundland into Confederation. Newfoundland was made a province by two foreign countries.” — John FitzGerald gotiated? “It is naïve, sadly, to think about revisiting the Terms of Union,” says former premier Brian Peckford. “All issues of consequence would involve all the provinces — we could not have a bilateral with the feds alone, from fisheries jurisdiction to offshore jurisdiction to upper Churchill.” FitzGerald advocates reexamining certain parts of the terms that seem not to be working. “I don’t know if you have to review everything, but certainly the financial stuff and what makes the province sort of tick,” he says. “If we are having trouble finding money for health care and schooling, and provide a basic level of services, I think we’re quite entitled to go find whatever we can wherever we can. “If we can’t find that here, than how long are we willing to take that?” University of New Brunswick law professor John MacEvoy says a review of the entire terms would be “unlikely,” pointing out there are many examples in the 1867 Canadian constitution which

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The Independent, November 21, 2004

‘A system of lobbyists’ From page 1 the government. The government is not responsible to the upper house. The Senate rarely amends or rejects bills and normally rubber stamps any bills sent to it by the House of Commons, but no bill can become legislation until Senators vote on it. Through such things as committee meetings, the Senate has always been considered as a chamber of sober second thought. Senators are appointed by the prime minister — Alberta is the only province that elects Senators (although the prime minister has the final say on who’s appointed) — and serve until they’re 75 years old. Pundits charge that prime ministers use the Senate as a reward for former MPs, friends and associates. “The Senate was nominally established to represent regions, but the method of appointment has militated that representative quality,” says Dunn. The bulk of Senate seats are divided equally in four regions: Ontario, Quebec, the four Western provinces and the Maritimes. Newfoundland and Labrador were assigned six and the territories each have one seat. Newfoundland and Labrador’s seven seats in the Commons and six in the Senate means that there’s one MP or Senator for every 44,000 people in the province, as opposed to Ontario which has one seat for every 82,000 residents — 106 MPs and 24 Senators. Former federal cabinet minister John Crosbie says proportional representation either in the Senate or the Commons — a system that would give every province equal control similar to the American model — doesn’t make sense. “Are we to put the majority in the country in a position where they are subservient to the minority who can go for their throats and choke them into submission at any time?” says Crosbie. “Either you go to a system of complete separation of powers like the United States, that’s one alternative, but I don’t think you can have a bastardized system that’s half parliamentary, half federal, half presidential.” NDP leader Jack Layton says the Senate should be abolished. “Right now the Senate provides no check or balance,” Layton tells The Independent. “It’s simply a system of lobbyists, by in large, friends of the government.” Layton contends that Senate is only an “annoyance” and causes a “dragging of feet” when it comes to governing the country. “I think what you want to be sure of is that people of Newfoundland and Labrador have a voice in the House, they have effective voices and the best ones are the ones elected by the people not appointed by prime ministers from central Canada.” Dunn believes that Senate reform will become a heated issue once again. “… one of the things I’ve noticed about Constitutional reform in this country is that it’s like Dracula,” says Dunn. “It just gets up and basically looks the same as it did before and goes out and stalks the land once again.”

The Independent, November 21, 2004

NEWS

Page 3

Paul Daly/The Independent

‘It isn’t on our terms’ Historian John FitzGerald says Newfoundland wasn’t in best position to negotiate Terms of Union By Stephanie Porter The Independent

he Terms of Union between Newfoundland and Canada were negotiated by “two foreign countries” — Canada and England — and never debated or discussed formally in Newfoundland, says John FitzGerald. And therein, he says, lies the problem. FitzGerald, a historian and professor at Memorial University, has devoted a good portion of his young academic career studying the events leading up to Confederation. He wrote a hefty masters thesis on the topic. And although he went to Ottawa to complete his PhD on the 19th century Irish in St. John’s, at the same time, he “strip-mined” the archives in the capital for any information he could find on Newfoundland in the 1940s. He edited and published Newfoundland at the Crossroads: Documents on Confederation with Canada, and has a library of information on the topic in his filing cabinets, bookshelves, computer — and mind. The Terms of Union “started with a handshake” between Canada and the British government in Ottawa in September 1945, he says. In the following years, there was much talk, debate, discussion — and two referenda — in Newfoundland about whether to join Canada. But the actual terms by which that would happen weren’t an issue. “You don’t have to look hard to see how little discussion there was for something so important,” FitzGerald says. After the results of the second referendum in July, 1948 came in — 52.33 per cent for Confederation; 47.66 per cent for Responsible Government — then-Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King announced the federal government would begin final discussions to bring Newfoundland into Confederation. Britain and Newfoundland’s appointed commis-

tion, trying to ascertain what price had to sion of government agreed. Within two weeks, the appointed gov- be paid to induce them to join. “The members of the Canadian government of Newfoundland appointed a Newfoundland delegation to go to ernment had to make up their collective mind as to what sort of terms Ottawa to look at the Terms of FINDING THE were fair and reasonable and Union. compatible with the treatment of As R.A. MacKay, head of the benefit analysis other Atlantic provinces and British Commonwealth division Cost of Confederation leave it to the Newfoundland delof Ottawa’s Department of External Affairs wrote on July 29, 1948, it was egation to decide whether they were jusimportant for the Canadian government tified in recommending union.” In other words, FitzGerald says, “the to make a statement to “give the impresfinancial terms of union sion that the Canadian were either take it or government expects to leave it.” discuss with the NewHe has another analofoundland delegation “It makes me very gy: Newfoundland was some matters of subangry when I hear like a person buying a stance … even though people say ‘Canada, house. “We looked those matters of subtake the oil, and give through the newspapers stance would not affect … we decided on that the main financial provius an allowance. house and we went, sion or reopen the terms I’m sorry, we don’t signed on the dotted line, … want an allowance, bought it … but we forgot “The Newfoundland to ask what the price was. government, on its part, we want our “And we’re finding out would do its utmost to inheritance. there are all sorts of difensure that the members It is ours.” ferent costs.” of the delegation were Fitzgerald turns to his the right sort of people — John FitzGerald computer and prints off a with whom the Canadilist he has on file: What an government could Canada Got. deal.” Before the delegation was even sent to He goes down through points: a billion Ottawa, says FitzGerald, it was deter- tonnes of iron ore, the world’s two largest mined there would be no opposition. airports, control of international civil avi“This was a delegation whose allegiances ation, flyover royalties, the fisheries, the were already known. This was going to right to trade fish quotas for trade conbe a rubber-stamp process.” cessions, the right to control the influx of FitzGerald, a self-described “romantic passengers and tourism … nationalist,” provides more evidence for Newfoundland’s treaties were canhis case. He pulls a book from his shelf, celled by Canada and the U.K. and the memoirs of Mitchell Sharp, a civil replaced by Canadian treaties; the servant in the Canadian Department of province became a “dumping place” for Finance in the 1940s. cheap goods. FitzGerald reads: “Negotiations of the “We agreed to seven seats in the House financial terms of union were not of the of Commons and a few Senators,” says conventional kind. We didn’t bargain FitzGerald. “We’re powerless, powerless directly with the Newfoundland delega- to do anything to change our situation.

BALANCE

“I have no idea how we can possibly make them sit up and take notice. We’ve spent 50 years, 55 years, trying.” There were some notable omissions in the Terms of Union, he continues. For one, there was no provision for having the federal government take responsibility for the province’s aboriginal people under the Indian Act. “As oppressive as (the Indian Act) was, it at least would have provided for them in ways that they were not provided for.” There are trade issues and taxation regimes now that weren’t even thought of in 1949, and the resources that “are worth so much to other people and we didn’t even know, they’re not provided for in the Terms of Union.” Like oil and gas, currently adding handily to the federal government’s coffers. “It makes me very angry when I hear people say ‘Canada, take the oil, and give us an allowance,” he says. “I’m sorry, we don’t want an allowance, we want our inheritance. It is ours.” FitzGerald looks at Premier Danny Williams as the kind of “fierce negotiator” Newfoundland and Labrador may need in order to “stop giving everything away” and find something that lasts. “That independence of ability to negotiate and haggle and argue was not what happened in 1948 and ’49,” he says. “What happened was, we were a minor and our great wealth, our great resource was held in trust for us by Britain. Essentially, Britain got rid of the legacy. “In 1949, you saw a country get dismantled … the 1,325 outports down to 600. In the past decade, we’ve seen 65,000 people leave … we’ve seen the culture change. Things change, that’s natural. But this is forced cultural change because of economic policy. And because of government mismanagement or whatever. “Problem is, it isn’t on our terms. If it was, it’d be great.”

Page 4

NEWS

Referendum call

An independent voice for Newfoundland & Labrador

P.O. Box 5891, Stn.C St. John’s, Newfoundland A1C 5X4 Tel: 709-726-4639 Fax: 709-726-8499 www.theindependent.ca The Independent is published by The Sunday Independent, Inc. in St. John’s. It is an independent newspaper covering the news, issues and current affairs that affect the people of Newfoundland & Labrador.

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ave seven days separation been long enough to get the point across? It was a nasty column, the last one, calling for Newfoundland and Labrador’s separation from the Government of Canada. No one wants that; even the threat feels wrong, the federal government treats this province like gold (a gold mine, at least). Forget separation, how about a referendum. Not for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to take part in, we’ve done that a couple of times already, but for mainlanders this time, to decide, once and for all, whether the province is worth the trouble of keeping around. Fact: Canada is the greatest country in the world. Fact: Newfoundland and Labrador, as The Independent’s six-week series has shown, is not getting a fair shake from Confederation. The marriage needs work on a number of fronts — fisheries, financial arrangements, natural resource development. What the series has also revealed is that Newfoundland and Labrador is not a drain on Canada. If anything, the opposite is true. That doesn’t mean the union should be scrapped; Confederation is not a writeoff. But it needs a hell of a lot of work, starting with communication. So many federal government policies are detrimental to Newfoundland and Labrador, information that must be pointed out to all Canadians. The injustices must be screamed from Victoria, British Columbia, to Victoria, behind Car-

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LETTERS POLICY The Independent welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words in length or less and include full name, mailing address and daytime contact numbers. Letters may be edited for length, content and legal considerations. Send your letters in care of The Independent, P.O. Box 5891, Station C, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5X4 or e-mail us at editorial@theindependent.ca

The Independent, November 21, 2004

bonear. Canadians must be told the truth about this province’s worth. They must be told it now, before the streetlights fade away in any more communities. Then Canadians themselves — not bureaucrats in Ottawa — can decide whether this province should be treated as an equal. Make no mistake, Newfoundlanders and Labradors are equal to all Canadians. We are a people dripping in culture, intelligence and pride. We are a giving race, our homes are open to the world; we are as distinct and special a society as any in Canada.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians don’t want much: fish in the water, food on the table, grandchildren nearby, year-round work, and respect. Nothing more, nothing less. Our case must be presented to Canadians everywhere, for them to pressure the federal government to correct the inequities. Danny Williams hinted on a cross-Canada campaign on the Atlantic Accord. He must follow through on the idea, but broaden the scope to include Newfoundland and Labrador’s place in Canada. Canadians, ultimately, must decide what kind of Canada they

want to live in: one that treats all citizens and regions equally, or one that doesn’t. Newfoundland and Labrador’s future in Confederation will weigh on the answer. There’s improvement to be made on the home front, too. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians must take their share of responsibility for mistakes of the past, and there were many, based on short-sighted decisions and greed. Never again must we put our faith in saviours — either projects or politicians. Our fate rests in our hands alone. — Ryan Cleary

Recommendations Editor’s note: the following recommendations are based on the results of The Independent’s sixpart, cost-benefit analysis of Confederation. OIL, GAS AND MINERALS Oil and gas and other nonrenewable resources such as the massive mineral deposit at Voisey’s Bay must be removed from the equalization formula. As well, Newfoundland and Labrador must be given ownership of offshore resources. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 1984 that offshore resources belong to the Government of Canada. These resources would not be owned by Canada had Newfoundland not joined Confederation. This province must be granted the same treatment as provinces such as Alberta and Ontario, whose on-land resources were given to them by the federal government. TRANSPORTATION Newfoundland and Labrador should have either a fixed link across the Strait of Belle Isle connecting the Northern Peninsula to southern Labrador or a new rate system whereby the cost of crossing the Gulf of St. Lawrence on a ferry should equal the cost of commercial and domestic travel over a similar distance on the TransCanada Highway. The TransCanada Waterway, as The Independent so names it, should better reflect the intent of the Gulf link as outlined in the Terms of Union. • The federal government must invest in the Newfoundland and

Labrador highway system to reflect continued savings achieved through the elimination of the railway. • The federal government must invest at least 10 per cent of its defense budget in Newfoundland and Labrador, reflecting the province’s strategic geographic location. (There’s a reason why Nova Scotia has never had an American military base; Newfoundland and Labrador is closer to the action.) • The federal government must give Newfoundland and Labrador a portion of the revenues earned from the province’s airspace — an estimated $4 billion between 1949 and 1996. FISHERIES Canada must take custodial management of the nose and tail of the Grand Banks, as well as the Flemish Cap, and protect the continental shelf in the same manner that it protects land boarders. • The federal government must increase its investment in science to levels relative to the gross domestic product as it relates to fisheries. Joint fisheries management must also be introduced. • The federal government must compensate Newfoundland and Labrador for the mismanagement and anniliation of groundfish stocks, a natural renewable resource. • The federal government must provide economic development funds for industries such as aquaculture. •The federal government must hand over ownership of all fish

stocks to the Newfoundland and Labrador government, including quotas for all fish and crustaceans found off the province’s shores that are owned by mainland enterprises. In future, quotas can only be owned by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to ensure the resource is never controlled by foreign interests. FINANCES The federal government must change its fiscal relationship with the province from a per capitabased transfer system to one based on both geography and population to reflect Newfoundland and Labrador’s distinct society. • The federal government must turn over its 8.5 per cent stake in the Hibernia project once it quadruples its initial investment. • The federal government must station a minimum of five per cent of the federal civil service and Crown agencies in the province to reflect new technology that allows such services to be decentralized. CHURCHILL FALLS AND NATURAL RESOURCES The federal government must compensate Newfoundland and Labrador for not forcing Quebec to allow a power corridor through that province. The upper Churchill deal has resulted in an estimated $23.8 billion gain (and counting) to the province of Quebec. The federal government must compensate Newfoundland and Labrador for 50 per cent of that loss. • The federal government must live up to the Lower Churchill

Development Act and invest in the development of lower Churchill power, including a transmission line to the island of Newfoundland. Considering Canada’s ratification of the Kyoto Accord and the national energy crisis (primarily in Ontario), it is in the best interests of the country for the federal government to partner in the development of the resource. • Considering the consistent and immense contribution to mainland Canada of Newfoundland and Labrador’s mineral resource wealth, the federal government must establish a research and development and industrial expansion fund to offset the contribution to central Canada’s industrialization. TERMS OF UNION The federal government must renegotiate the Terms of Union to reflect the fact that many of the terms (Term 46 (1), 46 (2) dealing with margarine, for example) are no longer relevant. Responsibility for services such as the coastal boat that were handed over to the province for lump-sum payments must be renegotiated to reflect the fact the province’s financial back was to the wall. EXTRA POTATO As an extra potato in the supper pot, the prime minister and his cabinet must meet at least once a year somewhere in Newfoundland and Labrador. Each member of the governing caucus can only be sworn in after learning how to correctly pronounce the name of the province.

The Independent, November 21, 2004

NEWS

Letters to the Editor

Separation must be an option Dear editor, Vic Young spent almost $3 million to arrive at the conclusion that the status quo was not acceptable but separation is not an option. The Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada arrived at this realization without doing a cost-benefit analysis. It has to be an option! If Ottawa offers less than 100 per cent, what other option is there? If our seven seats don’t count in a parliament with a minority government they will never count. The Clarity Act applies not only to Quebec, but to every province. All that is required is “clear majority on a clear question.” There are people, and I am one, who remember it took two referenda on a clear

question to give Confederation a clear majority of just less than 52 per cent — no Alberta-type agreement on our natural resources or a say in the management of our fishery, not to mention public debt differential, are in our favour. The only debt that entered into it was the forgiveness of Britain’s wartime debt to Canada and the power and influence of the Canadian banks … a strange way for the mother country to say thank you for the wartime loans to Britain that we wrote off. We have got to get it right this time. Fortunately, we have in Premier Danny Williams the courage and the resolve to do just that. James McGrath, St. John’s

‘Up the rebels’ Dear Editor, Congratulations on your current series examining our credit and debit situation since Confederation, a courageous and difficult task that many of us hoped the recent Royal commission on our status in Canada would pursue. The commission declared it was impossi-

ble to estimate such a balance sheet, and didn’t attempt it. Thanks to the journalists at The Independent for shouldering the responsibility, despite — I presume — a slimmer operating budget than the commission’s. Up the rebels. Chris Brookes Outer Battery, St. John’s

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Margarine and homemade myths W

hat’s funny about the Terms of Union is how you feel about them all depends on who you are. If you live in Newfoundland or Labrador, you’ll read about the lousy IVAN deal we got. You’ll read how the conditions leading up to the vote for ConfedMORGAN eration were dodgy at best. You’ll hear dark murmurings about how there was skull-duggery and backroom wheeling to lay the blame, consequences can be and dealing going on — that we were seen in any aboriginal community in the tricked into Confederation. It’s very fash- province. Basically, thanks to this slight ionable to gossip about the nefarious and of hand, native people in Newfoundland ultimately unjust actions that culminated and Labrador have been denied over 50 in Newfoundland and Labrador getting years of federal services. They are payripped off, treated poorly and generally ing the price of that oversight with their very lives. abused. Time to renegotiate! And it doesn’t stop there. Officially, But it’s all the way you look at it. Many years ago, in the early 1980s, I the Newfoundland and Labrador governread a fascinating research paper entitled ment will not recognize our own aborigPencilled Out. Not being an academic, I inal peoples. Little has changed in over cannot recall the name of the author, but 50 years. Many Newfoundlanders and I remember the premise. It addressed the Labradorians still believe the myth that shameful fact that the aboriginal people Mi’kmaqs were brought over to hunt who live in what we call Newfoundland Beothuks. Apparently this makes them and Labrador were denied federal status not real natives. If you hold to this line of thinking, then you when Newfoundland might agree with some joined Canada. It was of my ancestors, who the author’s conHere’s a fun parlour warned me that tention, from researchgame. Corner your Catholics swore their ing the original documentation surrounding favourite Newfoundland allegiance to Rome, and therefore could not the negotiations of the nationalist (we all have be trusted. I could go Terms of Union, that one — they’re fun at on. aboriginal people were Aboriginal leaders included in early drafts parties) and ask him or will tell you that they of the Terms of Union, her how aboriginal peo- have been condescendonly to be pencilled ed to, ignored, taken out (literally — hence ple factor into an indeadvantage of, exploitthe title of the piece) pendent Newfoundland ed, marginalized and during the final negotiand Labrador. Perhaps left to suffer in the ations. Not worth bothering about. he or she will get the job fringes of our society while the majority live In the pointless of negotiating with them off the wealth and Royal Commission on prosperity that is rightRenewing and apres le deluge. fully theirs. They will Strengthening Our tell you that they have Position in Canada, Maura Hanrahan wrote a piece address- to declare independence from us in order ing the issue. She adds her voice to the to win back their self-respect, and that chorus that has been claiming for years the vast wealth of this place is rightfully that the plight of the Mi’kmaq, Metis, theirs. Sound familiar? Innu and Inuit people in our province is Here’s a fun parlour game. Corner a direct consequence of the incompetence or indifference of the people who your favourite Newfoundland nationalist (we all have one — they’re fun at parties) were at the negotiation table. Hanrahan seems to lay the blame at the and ask him or her how aboriginal peofeet of the federal government. Her case ple factor into an independent Newis strong. She notes that in all other foundland and Labrador. Perhaps he or provinces and territories the federal gov- she will get the job of negotiating with ernment has always been and continues them apres le deluge. The Hibernia revenues should just about cover the land to be responsible for native peoples. So why not Newfoundland and claims’ cost. We can all get second jobs to cover the Labrador? Maybe because our people insisted that difference. Here’s what Newfoundlanders of abothey wanted to maintain jurisdiction over them? Or that no one cared enough, or riginal descent should know about that knew enough, to even discuss the issue in particular point in our collective history: the sale of margarine was deemed imporany serious manner? Like anything else related to New- tant enough to write into the Terms of foundland and Labrador’s relationship Union. Their future prosperity and health with the rest of Confederation — people was not. Ivan Morgan can be reached at see what they want to see. Regardless of where academics choose ivan.morgan@gmail.com

Rant & Reason

Finding the balance: project team

Ryan Cleary

Stephanie Porter

Paul Daly

Jeff Ducharme

Managing Editor Riverhead, Hr. Grace

Senior Editor St. John’s

Photo Editor Dublin, Ireland

Senior Writer Ottawa Valley, Ontario

Alisha Morrissey

Clare-Marie Gosse

John Andrews

Bert Pomeroy

Sue Dyer

Reporter St. John’s

Reporter Berkshire, England

Production Manager Corner Brook

Labrador Correspondent

Researcher/Analyst

Grand Falls-Windsor

St. John’s

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NEWS

The Independent, November 21, 2004

Give us toilets or give us death

od bless democracy. The bringers of democracy — the American government — have often been criticized for being far too wrapped up in their own democratic fervor. Its arrogance in believing that the world would be a better place if only there was one big democratic system has bit the U.S. on the tush more than once. As former prime minister Jean Chretien remarked not long after the 9/11 tragedy, Americans are victims of their own foreign policy. Or, as a reporter at the last paper I worked at suggested as we searched for a front-page headline for our 9/11 edition, “America gets ripped a new one.” Come on, give the American administration a break. George W. Bush and his advisors are only trying to make the world a better place for all its citizens. We are, after all, a global village. When a South American banana republic tramples Pepe’s rights, it tramples all our rights.

DISBELIEVER Admittedly, I was one of those cynics who didn’t believe in American’s foreign policy, that it wasn’t so much about democracy as it was about protecting the private interests of those in the administration — blood for oil, that sort of thing. Please Uncle Sam, forgive me for being so cynical. Lady democracy hold your torch high and let its burning light gleam off every urinal and toilet throughout the globe. Last week, the democracy movement — every pun intended

Opinions Are Like... JEFF DUCHARME — proved its worth to world hygiene. “People are saying ‘We want good toilets!’ because toilets are a basic human right and that basic human right has been neglected,” said Jack Sim in an Associated Press interview. Sim is the founder of the World Toilet Organization, co-sponsor of the summit. “The world deserves better toilets.” Give us toilets or give us death! More than 150 toilet designers, scholars and environmentalists from some 19 countries are taking part in the fourth annual conference to talk about how indoor plumbing is an inherent right and how advances in public toilet access are an advance in human rights. The conference will be highlighted by a slide show (let’s just leave that one alone), advancements in toilet technology, management techniques (this column almost writes itself) and the ever-critical relationship between toilets and tourism. China, the world’s largest communist country, has never taken civil rights such as good bathroom facilities seriously. Its public washrooms are often nothing more than open ditches. In China, the St. John’s harbour bubble would be considered a marvel of modern technology — something to brag

about and not apologize profusely for. The seagulls would be national treasures. Beijing winning its bid to host the 2008 summer Olympics has shown the old communist guard that democracy does have a place there. That being said, their current commitment to democracy comes in the form of western-style crappers for the masses, but every little movement helps — it keeps democracy regular. When you think of it, indoor

plumbing quite literally holds the very butt of democracy — nay, cradles it. Nothing could be more fundamental to human rights than public access to indoor plumbing. “You can laugh at it for a short time,” said Sim. “But after a few seconds, you should start to pay serious attention to the subject because you have been ignoring the toilet subject for too long and it’s doing something to your body, to your life quality, to your social graciousness.”

(Please tell me that this Sim guy doesn’t take himself seriously.) So the next time you’re in a public washroom, don’t take it for granted. Those aren’t just toilets you’re looking at, they’re gleaming porcelain monuments to democracy’s march across this little mudball we call home. Flush on democracy! Flush on! Jeff Ducharme is The Independent’s senior writer. jeff.duchrame@theindependent.ca

Letters to the Editor

Ontario has done well by Confederation Dear editor, How did Ontario make its great leap forward? From Loyal She Remains: A Pictorial History of Ontario we read: “When the war began, Ontario’s manufacturing complex was just beginning to emerge from the Great Depression. By war’s end, immense enlargement had taken place — chemicals, synthetic rubber, steel and textiles required by the armed forces gave manufacturing a tremendous” stimulus. In 1940, C.D. Howe became minister of munitions and supply, to run Canada’s wartime effort. With the blessing of Mackenzie King, Howe and his group created

32 Crown corporations to support the war effort. None of these Crown corporations were set up in the Maritimes. In 1944, Howe was asked to preside over Canada’s post-war reconstruction, that is, to convert the wartime production plants to peacetime production. Hundreds of millions of dollars (billions in today’s dollars) were pumped into Ontario to bring about the conversion to peacetime production. Ottawa used the taxes of all the people of Canada to achieve this transition, which primarily benefited the province of Ontario. In the 1950s and ’60s Ottawa co-operated with the Ontario gov-

ernment, politically and financially, to develop the St. Lawrence Seaway, which greatly benefited Ontario, to the detriment of the Atlantic provinces. Halifax and other maritime ports became only a shadow of their former selves. Also the federal government was not hesitant in using more of the Canadian taxpayers’ money in the construction of the TransCanada Pipeline and the development of nuclear power, again primarily for Ontario’s benefit. P.S. I omitted the Auto Pact. What province benefited mostly from that? Bill Sears, Seal Cove

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‘A long ways to go’ From page 1 While much has changed since Confederation, many people in Labrador still feel the region has not caught up with the rest of the province. The 1974 Royal Commission on Labrador made a total of 288 recommendations to the provincial government of the day, covering every aspect of Labrador life. The recommendations eventually led to the negotiation of a series of federal/provincial agreements. For the most part, howev-

er, the recommendations have been ignored, says the executive director of the Combined Councils of Labrador. “There has been a lot of progress in the 30 years since the Royal Commission, but there’s still a long ways to go,” says Jamie Snook. “A lot of the major recommendations in the report have still not been acted upon.” Following the release of the 2003 Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening our Place in Canada, the combined

council called on the provincial government to commission a new report for “strengthening Labrador’s position within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.” The report, says Snook, would essentially be an update to the one commissioned in 1974. “There is a lot of discontent in Labrador, and the government should consider commissioning another report,” he says. “I would suspect many of the recommendations in the 1974 report would likely be in a new report.”

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The Independent, November 21, 2004

NEWS

Page 7

‘Good with the bad’

Confederation has positives and negatives, but ‘rightful’ place yet to be found By Jeff Ducharme The Independent

onfederation might be the bad-tasting medicine your mother always made you take, but after the initial gagging it did tend to make some ailments better. Artist Gerald Squires has mixed emotions about the country Newfoundland and Labrador joined in 1949. “I have to say that (Confederation) has been (good) because if — living in the culture I was brought up in — I would have never been an artist today,” Squires tells The Independent. “I would have been a school teacher or Salvation Army officer or something, possibly a fisherman.” Squires, who moved to Ontario after his mother found a job there, returned just as resettlement was at its peak. He watched as his culture began “dying right in front of my feet. “Confederation means resettlement — it means we’ve lost our culture, we’re now Canadians.” St. John’s North Conservative MP Norm Doyle is a harsh critic of the federal government and how it treats his home province, but even he can find some “good with the bad” in a relationship that has been shaky at best. “I don’t think it would be too much of a leap to say that people’s lives were made immeasurably better and healthier, certainly outside the urban areas, because of Confederation.” Proper hospitals were scarce and roads were non-existent prior to 1949, says Doyle. “We have to acknowledge the fact that while Confederation has provided a lot of good things for Newfoundland and Labrador, we still have to find our rightful place in this federation,” says Doyle. Grand Falls-Windsor was once called the newsprint capital of the world. The mill’s

Joey Smallwood served as premier for 29 years.

Courtesy of the Centre for Newfoundland Studies Archives

machines still turn out rolls of newsprint and benefit from Confederation,” says Thompthe huge stacks still belch smoke, but things son. “In terms of business, it has seen nothhave changed. ing but growth for us.” “There was nothing in central NewfoundNo town in the province was harder hit by land, basically, until 1914 when the paper the loss of the railway than Port aux mill came here,” says Gerald Thompson of Basques. But in the years following Confedthe Exploits Valley Economic Development eration, Port aux Basques was a booming Corporation. “(It) pretty well stayed pretty railway town with more than 2,000 men much a paper mill town up to, and including, working around the clock unloading the Gulf probably Confederation. Nothing happened ferries and loading goods aboard the train. within this region until Confederation.” Mayor Aneitha Sheaves, who will retire Thompson says the completion of this year after 12 years as mayor and FINDING THE the Trans-Canada Highway opened 16 years on council, says her town up markets and made the transportais “just a skeleton” now. But Conbenefit analysis tion of goods more reliable. More Cost federation, she says, put her town on of Confederation than 20 years after Confederation, the map and entrenched it as the the highway was complete but at the cost of “gateway to Newfoundland. the Newfoundland Railway, a deal known as “It certainly did a lot for our image and Roads for Rails. made us a transportation town,” Sheaves “I guess it took us from 1949 — that 20- says. year span — for us to realize what was on Larry Welsh of the Public Service Alliance the other side of the water and how we could of Canada says Confederation brought

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national labour standards and improvements such as higher wages and health and safety regulations. “I can think of lots of negatives otherwise, but for a guy with a job and a pay cheque …,” says Welsh. “I think we did OK, but we’re still not getting our fair share. For actors like Mark Critch of This Hour has 22 Minutes fame, Confederation brought him a whole new audience to leave rolling in the aisles. “The great thing about Newfoundland is I find artists don’t lose who they are or where they’re from,” says Critch. “The Canadian money doesn’t suck that out of you.” Kevin Blackmore and his bandmates in Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers watched their local audiences shrink as outmigration increased, leaving them with no choice but to begin touring the mainland. The band has criss-crossed the country playing to “ex-patriot” Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, but now they see as many mainlanders in their audiences as they do folks from home. “Since then our audiences have turned around so that we don’t require the heavy expat audience anymore,” says Blackmore, who estimates that as much as 60 per cent of the band’s audiences are not from this province. Newfoundland and Labrador’s most famous political export, former federal cabinet minister John Crosbie, says Newfoundland probably “wouldn’t have done too badly” as an independent nation if people were willing to tolerate the “hard work and hardships” that would have followed. He maintains that Confederation brought more pluses than negatives. “All the problems will continue, but there are problems that arise out of getting more, not of (ridding) from a stage of starvation or privation to somewhere else,” says Crosbie. “It’s a question of more, are you going to do better.”

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The Independent, November 21, 2004

MRI wait times lower at old Janeway; officials say new purposes for test extending line-ups By Alisha Morrissey The Independent

Heard it first in The Independent Dear editor, I really like your paper, and would like to comment on part five — natural resources — of your six-part series on Confederation. I’m also an environmentalist, and in the carbon-constrained world which Kyoto and subsequent accords will commit us to, it seems to me that Newfoundland and Labrador should also be clear that provincial royalties deserved from offshore resources (specifically petroleum) should, in part, be reinvested in energy efficiency and clean energy.

hen the old Janeway children’s hospital in St. John’s closed in 1996, parents and staff were told that none of the services available to children would be affected once the new hospital opened at the rear of the Health Sciences complex. Eight years later, however, and the wait time for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) services can stretch up to two and a half years. Geoff Higgins, clinical chief of diagnostic imaging at the Health Sciences, says the one machine in the province is already working at maximum capacity. “It (the wait list) is long for every body — children are not particularly isolated out. The demand exceeds what the government supplied,” Higgins tells The Independent. The wait times for children needing an MRI aren’t available for when the old Janeway was open. Officials say the wait times then and now aren’t comparable. Dr. Peter Collingwood at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s. As it stands today, wait times for an MRI — which is used to could wait longer than two and a ration of St. John’s, which runs diagnose soft tissue damage and half years. A child between the hospitals in the city, couldn’t probrain and spinal cord problems — ages of two and six, who can hold vide statistics that far back. The can be up to two and a half years, still for a long period of time Newfoundland and Labrador depending on the child’s age and without sedation, could wait Medical Association, which repwhether the patient needs to be longer than a year. In urgent cases resents the province’s doctors, as sedated. Children are often sedat- the wait could be three months. well as the nurse’s union, didn’t ed as they tend to move have stats either. around during a scan. Higgins says there “The variation in the were line-ups when the “Each year more people get MR, (wait) times between the Janeway in Pleasget put on the wait list to be followed old different categories in kids antville was open, but up — the list grows every year as has to do with additional as the medical world services to do them and well as the number of indications for learns of new uses for that would be the sedaan MRI, doctors call use grow every year.” tion,” Higgins says. “The for more tests to be MR exam is about a 30 to carried out. — Geoff Higgins, clinical chief of 40 minute procedure com- diagnostic imaging at the Health Sciences “Each year more pared to a minute or two people get MR, get put with a CT (CAT scan). So on the wait list to be younger children need to followed up — the list be sedated or somewhat conHiggins says he can’t comment grows every year as well as the trolled to be able to get an exam on the wait times when the old number of indications for use that is diagnostic.” Janeway was open because he’s grow every year,” Higgins says. A child under the age of two, only been in his position for 18 “The demand for an MR in 1996 who would have to be sedated, months. The Health Care Corpo- is very different in 2004 and

Letters to the Editor

Wouldn’t it make sense to link the reinvestment of some of the resulting revenues to mitigating the impact of these resources, rather than simply directing all of it to social, education and economic deficit activities?

Paul Daly/The Independent

they’ll be very different in 2010 and it’s because we can do a lot more things with MR now than we could in the past and there are more people with diseases.” Higgins says he’s concerned that extended waiting periods may deter doctors from recommending patients have an MRI. “I’m not sure if this represents a true waiting list or it just represents a waiting list of those people who are willing to wait.” Officials with the health care corporation say wait times have become longer and lists will continue to grow as long as there are so few MRIs in the province. There’s currently one in St. John’s and the provincial government is planning to install another one in Corner Brook. The $4.1-million price tag that comes with the machine and installation also has substantial operating costs.

This would protect us from energy dependence, energy waste, help us meet our commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs and new technologies, making us a leader in this area. I think this would sit well with the people of our province, and with Ottawa. I find it surprising that no one has mentioned this so far. We are talking about making hay while the sun shines — capturing full economic benefits from a finite resource (which also happens to be a primary driver of global warming). Wouldn’t it make sense to link the reinvestment of some of the resulting revenues to mitigating the impact of these resources, rather than simply directing all of it to social, education and economic deficit activities? It seems to me like an obvious strategy. How come no one is talking about it? Maybe your paper will be among the first. Bruce Pearce, St. John’s

The Independent, November 21, 2004

NEWS

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‘Kinship in personality’ Saskatchewan premier says his province shares connection with this one, including ‘economic imbalance’ with Ottawa By Ryan Cleary The Independent

orne Calvert is as good a Southern Shore name as they come, only this Calvert is from out west, the Prairies. He also happens to be premier of Saskatchewan. “My grandparents came straight out of EngFINDING THE land,” Calvert tells The Indebenefit analysis pendent when Cost of Confederation asked if he has any connections to the community of Calvert, south of St. John’s. That said, he was in Newfoundland a few years back and, seeing Calvert on the map, decided to drive there. “Now here’s the problem I encountered: one, if I need to drive whatever distance it is in Saskatchewan it’s one straight road, no hills. So I underestimated the time I needed to get there,” says Calvert, who has a picture of a Calvert mailbox hanging in his office. “When I got there I found out there are several official languages in this country and one of them was being spoken in Calvert.” Calvert (that’s the premier) says there’s traditionally been a connection between western Canada and the Atlantic provinces in that they feel “separated from the rest of the nation.” He sees that attitude changing. “What is happening in Canada, in my view, is a much more growing equality, both of wealth and opportunity … we see it happening, particularly in Newfoundland,” Calvert says. “We see a balance beginning to occur in this country in terms of its economic potential and strength. I’m not sure that yet has been reflected in our general political views of the country … that may take some fight.”

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Andrew Wallace/REUTERS

The Council of the Federation met in Toronto in September. Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert (left) responds to a reporter's question, while Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams and Northwest Territories Premier Joe Handley (right) look on.

Newfoundland and Labrador has been in the national spotlight lately, with Premier Danny Williams’ demand that Prime Minister Paul Martin live up to his election promise and allow the province to keep 100 per cent of provincial offshore resource revenues. The dispute is expected to be resolved this week with a visit to St. John’s by federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale. Calvert says his province hasn’t taken a stand on Newfoundland and Labrador’s demand for a better deal on the Atlantic Accord. He

does say this province and Nova Scotia have a “right and duty” to ensure the federal government lives up to its commitments. “I’m not opposed in any way to the notion that those commitments should be made.” Calvert says there’s a parallel between Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador in that both provinces are trying to get ahead. Like this province, which has seen 70 per cent of its offshore resource revenue clawed back from equalization payments, Saskatchewan also got the short

end of the equalization stick when it came to oil revenues. Saskatchewan claimed that for every dollar it made in oil revenue, more than a dollar was clawed back in equalization payments and that blip has cost it more than $300 million in the last six years alone. “We were losing from our equalization, not simply a dollar for every resource dollar, we were losing $1.10 and $1.25,” Calvert says. “Now in that circumstance it was ludicrous, it would seem from the public purse point of view, it would have paid us more to leave the oil in the ground.” It was only in recent weeks the federal government made a change to the equalization formula to give Saskatchewan a break, so it now

loses dollar for dollar. The equalization program is designed to ensure that every province can provide the same level of service to its residents at a comparable tax rate. Ottawa calculates the fiscal capacity of each provincial government based on its economy. It then determines a standard to which the poorer provinces should be raised by considering the average fiscal capacity of five provinces — British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. Provinces that register below the standard — a group that currently includes all but Ontario and Alberta — receive equalization payments. Calvert says a fiscal imbalance exists between the provinces and the federal government, an imbalance that’s been growing with the size of federal surpluses. “Virtually all provinces are struggling to maintain even balance in their budgets,” he says. “There is an imbalance. It’s very apparent. Now I say we’ve made some progress, I think, particularly around the health funding files.” When it comes to federalprovincial relations, Calvert says Martin is an improvement over his predecessor, Jean Chrétien. “At the end of the day this is a large nation with a broad geography and there will be, on occasion, tensions between the national and the provincial and territorial governments,” he says. “I’m not particularly surprised about that, nor particularly alarmed.” Saskatchewan and this province share a certain “kinship,” Calvert says, which speaks to the strength of the country of Canada. “On a more personal level, I believe we feel a kinship in personality. We both tend to be regions with smaller communities, with vibrant rural populations. “There is, I think, a sense of small-town co-operation and hospitality and friendliness that exists in both of our provinces and I feel it in both.”

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The Independent, November 21, 2004

Bloc of four from Port au Choix

aise your hand, anyone who would want to be a town councillor in Port au Choix these days. Not many takers, huh? Thought so. I’m not putting Port au Choix down. It’s a beautiful town, but it’s been marred by some ugly politics lately. A group of townspeople have held protests at town hall this month, demanding the entire council resign. The protesters were not mad at everyone on council. Rather, they were upset with just four councilors, whom they accuse of consistently voting as a bloc during council meetings. Failing a mass resignation, the citizens’ group wanted the province’s Municipal Affairs Department to investigate the council. Meantime, the group threatened to forcibly prevent councillors from meeting. Things got so bad that the mayor and deputy mayor resigned, although neither one of them was part of the so-called group of four. So what’s wrong with having a group of councillors who consistently see eye to eye on important municipal issues? Well, that’s where the council’s detractors have fallen short in trying to explain

West Words FRANK CARROLL their demands. There have been accusations that the group of four has met together outside council chambers to decide how to vote on certain issues. There have also been vague allegations that these councillors are serving their own interests instead of those of the town. CONVINCING CASE Yet, there has been little or no evidence put forward by the citizens’ group that’s calling for the heads of the councillors. The citizens also haven’t been able to convincingly put forward the case that Municipal Affairs should oust a democratically elected body. What has given the movement some weight, at least in some of the towns people’s eyes, is the involvement of former town manager Maurice Kelly, who seems to be leading the charge to dump the current council. Vachon Noel said he resigned as mayor because he wanted to pre-

The Shipping News Keeping an eye on the comings and goings of the ships in St. John’s harbour. Information provided by the coast guard traffic centre. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15 Vessels arrived: Burin Sea, Canada, from Terra Nova. Vessels departed: Cabot, Canada, to Montreal; Maersk Chignecto, Canada, to Terra Nova. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 Vessels arrived: Maersk, Placentia, Canada, from Hibernia. Vessels departed: Atlantic Kingfisher, Canada, to Terra Nova. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 Vessels arrived: ASL Sanderling, Canada, from Halifax; Atlantic

Kingfisher, Canada, from Terra Nova; Maersk Chignecto, from White Rose. Vessels departed: None THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18 Vessels arrived: Maersk Nascopie, Canada, from Hibernia. Vessels departed: Maersk Placentia, Canada, to Hibernia; Atlantic Kingfisher, Canada, to Terra Nova Oil Field; ASL Sanderling, Canada, to Halifax. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19 Vessels arrived: Hudson, Canada, from Dartmouth. Vessels departed: Burin Sea, Canada, to Terra Nova; Maersk Chignecto, Canada, to White Rose.

Letters to the Editor

Weight of school reform Editor’s note: The following letter was written recently by a 12-yearold Independent carrier explaining why she couldn’t deliver the paper. Dear sir, Just a note to let you know that I fell two days ago and, as a result, fractured my left ankle. The good news is that I have Julie, my assistant, to deliver the paper for me so there won’t be any interruption. The reason I fell on my ankle was because my school bag weighs about 40 pounds. When I was falling, I could not control where I was going because of the weight of the bag on my back. But, now that I’ve had two days off school, I’ve had a lot of time to think. I hear all the parents talking about how ridiculous it is that we carry so much weight to and from school, as well as throughout the day from classroom to classroom and there seems no way to avoid it. I thought it would be a good article

for your newspaper. Perhaps if it got some exposure, things would change. I think it has a lot to do with classroom sizes, how we double up in our lockers — which doesn’t leave a lot of room in them. Also, there isn’t any time between classes to get to our lockers so we bring around what we need for the morning classes and then for the afternoon classes. Perhaps it’s because of restructuring with the school boards, I don’t know, but it would be worth looking into. Dad says we are only supposed to carry 10 per cent of our body weight, but I know for certain there isn’t anyone in my junior high who only carries 10 per cent in their school bags. Also, I think a chiropractor could give good insight into the story. I would think that the average weight is in the 30- to 40-pound range. Mom says we will suffer for this in years to come with back problems. Ashley Quirke, St. John’s

vent the situation in Port au Choix from turning violent. According to CBC, Alice Bromley quit as deputy mayor because she didn’t want “to take on the hassle of running the community.” Who can blame her? Serving as a councillor in a small town is a thankless job at the best of times. Some people assume councillors are there to line their own pockets or serve their own interests, but that’s rarely the case. Many councillors aren’t compensated for their work. Even councillors in some of our larger towns receive only small honourariums — not enough to compensate for the long hours of service or the inevitable abuse from Joe Blow, who feels it is his Godgiven right to have his road plowed first. But the situation in Port au Choix has gone beyond the usual small-town griping and backbiting. When a mayor says he’s resigning because he fears the town will erupt in violence, it’s time to pay attention. Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities president Herb Brett was so concerned that he wanted Municipal Affairs to deviate from its usual hands-off

policy. He was afraid the conflict would deter good people from running in municipal elections. And he has a point. Brett asked Municipal Affairs Minister Jack Byrne to introduce

Serving as a councillor in a small town is a thankless job in the best of times. Some people assume councillors are there to line their own pockets or serve their own interests, but that’s rarely the case.

some kind of mediation process to settle disputes between town councils and their citizens. Byrne replied there’s already a mechanism in place — namely, municipal elections. Although Brett is right in raising concerns about the potential harm being done to the democratic process in Port au Choix, Byrne’s decision

will help maintain the integrity of that process in the long run. To set up some kind of mediation process could have been construed as a concession to the mob. Nobody elected this concerned citizens’ group. Why should it be rewarded for threatening to block open democratic council meetings? Byrne’s decision sends a message to people in other communities who might try the same thing. When we elect our representatives, we trust that they will use their consciences and their reasoned, informed judgment to do what’s best for their entire constituency. If we don’t like those decisions, we are free to voice our displeasure at public meetings or vote for somebody else the next time around. Bullying resignations out of elected representatives goes beyond the bounds of legitimate protest. It does a disservice to democracy and to the well being of our communities. Frank Carroll is a journalism instructor at the Stephenville-campus of the College of the North Atlantic. frank_carroll_nf@yahoo.ca

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November 21, 2004

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Paul Daly/The Independent

Fogo Island

Finding the balance A look back at the first five weeks of The Independent’s cost-benefit analysis of Confederation: the how, the why, the numbers, the holes By Stephanie Porter The Independent

he final tally is in: since Confederation, Canada has benefited by $53.5 billion from Newfoundland and Labrador; this province has also seen benefits, but less — about $8.9 billion. To reach the end numbers, The Independent investigated five specific areas: oil and gas, transportation, the fishery, finances (federalprovincial fiscal arrangements), and natural resources. While the biggest revenues for Canada came from the riches of this province’s land, waters, oil fields and hydro-electric potential, it also became clear that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians pay more in taxes than they receive via equalization and other federal transfers. The figures and other information collected by The Independent provide a fair picture of this province’s place within Canada —

Not every topic was covered or the taxes Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have paid, the bene- added into the equation: the value fits received, the investments and of natural resources that have not profits both levels of government yet been mined, harvested, or cut (only those that have been taken have made. That said, the tables are not per- and/or squandered); the jobs and other spin-offs created by fect — nor complete. FINDING THE some of our industries. Some government What The Independent departments did not have Cost benefit analysis of Confederation has done is provide a best time to compile information before press deadlines; other estimate, a snapshot of this figures simply were not publicly province’s past, present and future available. Ministers and executives — in dollars and cents. The Independent gathered data were not always available; some requests for interviews — by through interviews, newspaper Hydro-Quebec, for example — clippings, research papers, books, Statistics Canada, provincial and were refused. Certain costs and benefits would federal government publications have been extremely difficult, if and reports. not impossible, to put into exact Where there were gaps, numbers dollars — the value of workers who were extrapolated, conservatively, have left Newfoundland and to fill the hole. Experts were Labrador to work elsewhere in brought in to help develop the Canada, the loss of rural culture methodology and final tallies. caused by the collapse of the The goal was to take a commongroundfish fishery, the intangible sense, easily-accessible approach, benefits of being Canadian, to look at the entire area of Newfoundland and Labrador and its for example.

BALANCE

adjacent waters, and what that has meant to Canada. At the same time, it was important to look at the investments Canada has made — and continues to make — in this province, including money to kickstart the oil industry, health and social transfers, transportation infrastructure, various cost-shared programs. It also has to be noted that Newfoundland and Labrador has made decisions that determine some of the benefits we receive and losses we sustain. For better or worse, the provincial government negotiated and signed the Atlantic Accord, Roads for Rails, the Churchill Falls contract, among countless other agreements. The final numbers The Independent staff have gathered, compiled and calculated, though not exact, are a testament to the riches of the resources — natural and human — Newfoundland and Labrador brought into Confederation.

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The Independent, November 21, 2004

Part 1: Oil and Gas Feds to earn billions more

art one of Finding the Balance was published a week before Premier Danny Williams stormed out of the first ministers’ conference, angered at the conditions he felt Prime Minister Paul Martin had put on his election promise to give Newfoundland and Labrador 100 per cent of provincial offshore oil revenues. The Independent’s numbers show how valuable the changes to the Atlantic Accord could be. If the legislation does not change, by 2010, the Canadian government will make $6.1 billion in revenues from oil off the province’s coast. Newfoundland and Labrador will take in about one-sixth that amount,

Sandor Fizli

or $1.1 billion. To calculate the numbers, The Independent used estimates for revenues from the Hibernia and Terra Nova offshore projects, and factored in equalization clawbacks and the offset provisions, as laid out in the Atlantic Accord. Ottawa invested heavily in the 1980s and ’90s to kick-start the East Coast petroleum industry: a $1 bil-

lion grant to Mobile Oil, the $431 million purchase of 8.5 per cent of Hibernia, and $225 million to an offshore development fund. Taking into account a modest amount of interest, the total federal contribution is about $2.65 billion. On one hand, the province’s investment was less — a total of $300 million in tax breaks and incentives, and $75 million to the offshore

development fund. On the other hand, Newfoundland and Labrador’s contribution was priceless: the wealth of the Grand Banks. As of 2005, both Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada will have recouped their original financial investments. Every year after that, the profits roll in — and the gap widens. By 2010, The Independent estimates Newfoundland and Labrador will have received only 16 per cent of the cumulative benefits of royalties and taxes from the industry. If the price of oil continues to soar, the profits — and the disparity — will be even larger. The analysis did not include spinoff benefits from the petroleum industry — within Newfoundland and beyond, keeping in mind, virtually all oil is shipped elsewhere for refining. Oil company profits also weren’t factored in. Canada benefits $6.1 billion; Newfoundland and Labrador $1.1 billion.

Part 4: Finances To be tolerated

Edward Rowe

Part 3: Fishery $76B loss

he loss of the groundfish fishery off the Newfoundland and Labrador coast will cost the global fishing industry $76 billion by 2010. The fishery is a renewable resource; if managed correctly and harvested sustainably, a level of industry could carry on indefinitely. Had that happened, this province’s industry alone would be worth an accumulated total of $62.4 billion more (1992-2010). The benefits of additional employment would have added another $13.5 billion over that time frame. As every Newfoundlander and Labradorian knows, that didn’t happen. In 1954, complete control of the then-bountiful Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries was handed to the Canadian government. Under their management, the groundfish fishery collapsed — and other species, including the lucrative crab, are showing signs of decline. To estimate these numbers, The Independent called on the expertise of fisheries advocate Gus Etchegary, who has completed substantial research on the subject, and has established the quantity and type of fish that would comprise a sustainable harvest. According to Etchegary, the codfish biomass sat at 1.6 million tonnes in 1962. By 1977, it was down to 150,000 tonnes. As technology improved, fishing effort

increased, and aggressive fishing by both foreign and Canadian boats was carried out yearround — even during spawning season. Quotas were traded to other countries for other benefits. As stocks continued to fall, warnings went unheeded. The Newfoundland and Labrador fishery was worth about $1 billion last year, mostly in crab and shrimp landings — not nearly what it could have been. The federal government’s investment in the provincial industry is estimated as $2.5 billion in the form of federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans budgets; $4 billion contribution, post-moratorium, in the form of NCARP, TAGS and the Atlantic Fisheries Adjustment program. In return for that investment, Ottawa has gained at least $20.6 billion in tax revenue, and an unknown amount of benefits through foreign trade-offs. The province has invested in aquaculture, sealing, centres of marine excellence and other programs, a total of $1.05 billion. It’s taken in $4.3 billion in taxes. In other words, the province has gained by $3.25 billion; the feds by $15.16 billion. The federal mismanagement of the fishery has cost the province in other ways, impossible to list in dollars and cents — the destruction of an ecosystem, the loss of population, the loss of rural Newfoundland, the loss of culture and a way of life. Canada benefits $15.2 billion; Newfoundland and Labrador $3.3 billion.

ewfoundland and Labrador is often dubbed a “basket case” or a province of “welfare bums” — but The Independent’s numbers show those labels have little bearing in reality. Instead, it is estimated those who live in Newfoundland and Labrador pay more to the federal government by way of taxes — income, retail, excise and corporate — than they receive in transfer payments and personal benefits. Calculated from 1949 until 2010, the gap is approximately $3.4 billion. The figures for equalization and Canada Health and Social Transfers up to and including 2004 were found in provincial budgets, added and advanced to 2010, totalling $42.6 billion. Transfers to individuals — old age pension, child tax credit (baby bonus), GST rebate — were more difficult to quantify. For years those numbers weren’t available, so that best estimates pegged the total at $21.2 billion in transfers to individuals. Total contribution from Canada: $63.8 billion. On the Newfoundland and Labrador side of the balance sheet, the federal taxes paid, from all sources, total $67.2 billion. Employment Insurance, because it is funded by contributions from employees and employers across Canada — not the federal government — was not factored into the balance sheet. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians do take more from the program than they pay in. In 2000, for example, the people of this province contributed $340 million to the national program, compared to $719 million in benefits paid out. Because equalization is calculated per capita, as the province loses residents, it loses income. Finance Minister Loyola Sullivan pegs the total at $1 billion over the past decade — while costs, such as health care, have risen by about 10 per cent. The Independent raised another point about federal spending equity. There are 268,000 federal employees in the country today, 1.5 per cent work in this province (55 per cent work in the Ontario/Gatineau region). Of 50 Crown corporations operating in Canada, none are located in Newfoundland and Labrador. Toronto economist Jim Stanford published a report in 1998 stating Newfoundland and Labrador subsidizes the rest of Canada by billions of dollars a year through outmigration ($11 billion) and imports ($1 billion). “There are two sides in the relationship,” he says. “And that runs against the stereotype that is often described in the national media.” Canada benefits $3.4 billion; Cost to Newfoundland and Labrador $3.4 billion.

The Independent, November 21, 2004

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Part 2: Transportation Travel log

ewfoundland and Labrador has received clear benefits from Canada when it comes to transportation — some $5.2 billion worth since Confederation, according to Independent calculations. In the 1949 Terms of Union, this province handed over the management of much of its transportation — the railway, coastal boat service, Gulf ferry, airports — virtually everything except roads. But things have changed; Newfoundland assumed control of the coastal boat service for a $55 million lump-sum payment; took on the Labrador ferry for $340 million; traded the perpetual right to a railway for $800 million in Roads to Rails money. The weight of these decisions are now being felt. And the roads that were so heavily invested in then, are now beginning to show wear and tear. Transportation Minister Tom Rideout estimates the province’s highways will need at least $650 million in work over the next decade.

Page 13

In compiling the balance sheet, The Independent attempted to capture the capital investment made by Ottawa since Confederation. Including one-time payouts, Canada spent about $2.5 billion all told on the railway and Roads for Rails, $1.7 billion on the coastal ferry, and $1 billion on lighthouses and navigation. There is another, little-known revenue source for the feds: every aircraft that flies through the province’s airspace, which stretches well out over the Atlantic Ocean, must pay a fee per kilometre. According to a report by David Fox, retired engineer and former CEO of St. John’s Port Authority, the Canadian government has taken in over $4 billion from air traffic. But it has also spent billions of dollars on developing airports, surveillance infrastructure and enforcement. Few numbers were available, but it appeared the federal investment could be close to air space revenues — resulting in a zero net benefit. The Independent also didn’t factor into its balance sheet the worth of the transportation infrastructure Newfoundland brought with it into Confederation — including two major airports — nor the additional socio-economic benefits of having airports or ferries. Cost to Canada: $5.2 billion.

Paul Daly/The Independent

Part 5: Natural Resources Confederation’s ‘great failure’

Paul Daly/The Independent

he natural resources of Newfoundland and Labrador have provided $36.5 billion in benefits to the rest of Canada, while the province has taken in only $7.9 billion. The lion’s share of Canada’s total has come from the Churchill Falls hydroelectric facility, — and gone straight to Hydro-Quebec. Quebec refused, from day one of the upper Churchill negotiations, to allow Newfoundland and Labrador a power corridor through its province. The federal government would not intervene — and this province was virtually forced to sell its power to Quebec in order to have it cross the border. The resulting contract, signed in the 1960s, sold the majority of the upper Churchill’s electricity to Hydro-Quebec at a low price, a price which actually decreases until its expiry in 2041. To date, this province has made $680 billion, about $20 million a year, from the upper Churchill. Hydro-Quebec has profited by $23.8 billion, or $700 million annually. Employment associated with the upper Churchill has been worth about $1.3 billion to the province. Quebec and other places in Canada have also benefited, in terms of employment, from the cheap power — by an estimated $5.1 billion. Jobs were calculated conservatively, estimating one job created per kilowatt-hour of power. Labrador’s massive iron ore reserve is considered by some the primary reason Canada was eager for Confederation with Newfoundland. More than $25 billion worth of iron ore has been extract-

Paul Daly/The Independent

ed since 1949. The industry, which has benefited Newfoundland, mainly in terms of employment ($5.8 billion) and taxes, has also been a windfall beyond the borders — it made possible, for example, the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and added $8.36 million to Quebec’s coffers in value-added processing and shipping. Federal investment in forestry and agriculture in the province has been minimal, ringing in at about $600 million, with no notable return. The province has invested $1.7 billion, and received about the same amount in royalties and employment benefits. Newfoundland and Labrador, coveted for its vast geography, teeming with resources, has yet to flourish from them. The true benefits could be seen within a generation, as the Voisey’s Bay nickel mine starts producing, a smelter is built in Argentia, the lower Churchill is developed, and the long-protested upper Churchill contract expires. Canada benefits $36.5 billion; Newfoundland and Labrador $7.9 billion.

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The Independent, November 21, 2004

Gallery Gerald and Esther Squires Visual Artists

ike father, like daughter. Gerald and Esther Squires may use different mediums in the art they’re showing at the Christmas Craft Fair in St. John’s this weekend — but they have a shared theme: nature. Esther uses a Raku (a Japanese word meaning “joy” or “ease”) process to finish her clay fish and dragonfly work. She sculpts the piece and fires it, as regular pottery would be finished. Then the piece comes to life with shiny glazes and a second firing in an outdoor stove. When the sculpture is red hot, it’s taken out of the heat, dipped in sawdust and, when it catches fire, dipped into water. “There’s no moulds, nothing like that, I do it all by hand,” says Esther. “You’re dealing with clay — something that’s not life — and you’re giving it life by putting it in the fire.” Gerald gives life to his paintings in a slow contemplation of light. “I’m not a commercial painter. I just do what I want to do and then I put it up for sale and sometimes people buy it,” he says. But Gerald would rather talk about his daughter’s work than his own. “She’s very talented. She’s much more talented than I am in a sense that she’s also a musician and a songwriter and she can do anything she wants,” he says, adding Esther gets good prices for her sculpture and “she does pretty work.” Gerald and his wife, also a ceramicist, have been using the Raku firing process for years. For a long time, Esther admits, she had no interest in what her parents puttered around the backyard doing. For Esther, the Christmas craft fairs are her biggest selling events. Her work is difficult to keep on the shelves: while there are a lot of ceramic craft workers out there, her lifelike fish and dragonflies

are unique. Gerald has been known to edit his work by burning or ripping up what he believes to be unworthy. He’s proud of his daughter, though, for not destroying her art, but opting to give it away or trade it. Esther, on the other hand, regrets not trashing at least some of her older work. “Some houses, if I could just sneak in, in the middle of the night, I would take it and destroy it,” she says. “But you can’t look at it like that. Art is a process and life is a process so you have to surrender each day and surrender each thing that you do and allow it to exist.” — Alisha Morrissey

Photos by Paul Daly/The Independent

The Gallery is a regular feature in The Independent. For further information, or to submit proposals, please call (709) 726-4639, or e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca

The Independent, November 21, 2004

NEWS

Page 15

Letters to the Editor

Expected more ‘from an academic’ Dear editor, There has been a fair bit of discussion recently surrounding public art and the process of awarding public commissions. Last week, in an interview on CBC Radio, I addressed a few of the comments made in the media that concerned me personally and I tried to bring clarity to the issues. Most of these concerns were voiced in Noreen Golfman’s column (Going public, Nov. 14-20 edition of The Independent). Golfman dedicates the four opening paragraphs (about 30 per cent of her article) to The Embrace, a recently installed sculpture in the concourse of St. John’s International Airport. It might be illuminating for Golfman to know that The Embrace was the winning entry in a twostage open competition organized by the airport authority. It started with a call advertised in all media, resulting in a dozen individual submissions. The jury — comprised of about 10 artists, art administrators, art reporters and art connoisseurs, the architect of the airport and representatives from the airport authority, all credible and respected professionals — short-listed two entries and in the second round selected The Embrace as the winner in the competition. An open and transparent public tendering process par excellence! This is how the sculpture got there. It also got there due to a generous corporate donation by

Voisey’s Bay Nickel, which, it may be interesting to note, far exceeded the public money portion of the budget. It seems that Golfman was one of few who didn’t go through the trouble of asking how some of my public art projects “got there.” If she had bothered to do her research in a professional fashion, she would have also found out that the Spencer School Girl was funded 100 per cent with private money. The sculpture has provided the impetus for the city to repair the sidewalks and for the Grand Concourse Authority to design and execute a mini park on a previously dilapidated city corner. Golfman’s references to my projects were made in the context of the recent controversy surrounding Morgan McDonald’s proposed sculpture for Quidi Vidi Lake. They were intended to evoke immediate parallels with the way McDonald’s sculpture was selected. I found it necessary to provide more detailed description of how The Embrace and the Spencer School Girl came to being, since they were more closely examined in Golfman’s article. However, there is another vehicle for the creation of public art besides open competitions and private donations, and this is the invitational commission. I have worked on a number of projects in this format, both locally and internationally. These invitations were extended based on reputation, credentials and past record.

Paul Daly/The Independent

St. John’s city councillor Shannie Duff stands next to a replica of the commissioned sculpture — a rower honouring the Royal St. John’s Regatta.

In Newfoundland and Labrador I have worked with several notfor-profit groups, who, at the

beginning of the process, have invited me to submit a conceptual design based on a specific theme.

Upon approval of the concept, these organizations have set out to raise the necessary funds through corporate, private and public sources. Usually, the fundraising process takes years and the work has been performed incrementally as funds have become available. I have never participated in a project of that nature with the budget available upfront, a situation where, given the presence of public money, a public call would be appropriate. The resulting artworks have, according to the vast majority of the public, enriched their lives and have endowed the respective communities and places with spirituality and a renewed sense of identity. As for Golfman’s remarks concerning the value of additional snow clearing versus the benefit of public art enhancing our lives, I would rather leave them without comment mostly because I would have expected such arguments to come from a parochial and unsophisticated individual, not from an academic. I strongly hope Golfman made her erroneous allegations unintentionally, as a result of her unfamiliarity with the facts and not as a conscious effort to discredit and harm me. Two of the pillars upon which journalistic practice is built in a liberal democracy are ethics and professionalism. It is my hope that Golfman was lacking the latter. Otherwise we might as well be living in some banana republic. Luben Boykov, St. John’s

November 21, 2004

BUSINESS & COMMERCE

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Paul Daly/The Independent

Juliet Crosbie, customer service manager for Newfoundland Power.

‘A last resort’ Newfoundland Power will cut off electricity any time of year, but the company will also help get the power back on By Alisha Morrissey The Independent

ore than 1,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have had their power cut off this year because they couldn’t pay their bills, according to the power company. There’s a widespread belief that Newfoundland Power will only cut off electricity up to a certain date in the fall, so that people won’t freeze. That’s not the case. Utility officials say they’re prepared to cut off power anytime — even in the middle of winter. Nonpaying customers are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Juliet Crosbie, customer service manager for Newfoundland Power, says the company sends out reminder notices and works with customers to come up with a payment plan that works for them. A customer who’s out of touch with the company and refuses to make payments will be disconnected no matter the time of year. “We use the same approach all year round, we actually work toward avoiding disconnection when we talk to customers and we, on average, work with a customer for at least three months before we would even be considering something like that.” The more than 1,000 people cut off

each year works out to one half of “We also do phone calls, and our one per cent of the customers who objective with those calls is to work use the utility service, Crosbie tells out an arrangement with customers The Independent. over, you know, a reasonable period “So compared to our total cus- of time to pay up the arrears so there tomer base it’s a relatively small could be … multiple calls, particularnumber, but that’s because of all the ly if customers are working along work that we do with customers to with us over a period of time to pay,” avoid disconnecshe says. tion,” she says. Compared to “We would look the number of at the weather, “Probably close to half of delinquent power we’d look at any who those who get disconnect- customers health issues in the get cut off, many household. And it’s ed, they get reconnected in more straighten really a last resort a relatively short period of out unpaid bills over a very extenbefore it comes to time, anywhere from 24 sive period of that. time.” Crosbie couldhours to 5 days. So you The company’s n’t give an exact know they push it and policy is to send out number, but says the regular monthly push it, until they have to it’s obviously bill. If that isn’t much larger than paid within a month deal with it … and at that 1,000. Newfoundland Newfoundland point they find a way to Power will send out Power bills more deal with it.” another bill, but than $365 million with a reminder a year to its — Robert Pike notice. The same 222,000 cuswill happen over tomers. The comthe next two pany looses about months and if the company doesn’t $800,000 a year in unpaid bills. receive a call from the client at that “We do have a lot of success with point officials will try to make con- customers in paying their bills. Some tact in other ways. people need more support and help Crosbie says at least four and that’s when we make other reminders will be sent to the client arrangements,” she says, adding the over a period of 75 days. company has a long-standing rela-

tionship with social services and credit counselling services in the province to try and help clients out. Robert Pike, another official with Newfoundland Power, says the longer the company allows a client to go without paying the bill, the less chance there is of getting the situation resolved. “Our collectors, who deal with these people, say ‘Look, were doing them no favours by letting it go too long,’” he says. “Either they get it resolved now and get themselves on track or they’ll get themselves to the point where they’ll never get back on track and once they lose power they just don’t get it back.” Crosbie says the majority of disconnected customers live in apartments. Says Pike, “The other side of it would be students, people who are renting. If you and I are living together, we have two different names, so we don’t pay the bill — the hell with it we just move on.” He says some people just don’t know how to manage their money. “Probably close to half of those who get disconnected they get reconnected in a relatively short period of time, anywhere from 24 hours to 5 days. “So you know they push it and push it, until they have to deal with it … and at that point they find a way to deal with it.”

The Independent, November 21, 2004

BUSINESS

Page 17

Volunteers with Tournament of Hearts will have to pay

n application to become a volunteer with the Scott Tournament of Hearts — an annual national women’s championship curling event to be held in St. John’s early next year — says volunteers must fork over $60 to participate. Warren Hansen, a spokesman for the Canadian Curling Association, says the practice of charging volun-

teers a small fee is common at large events. Volunteers also take home some perks for their money. “At the end of the day the volunteers return for that payment far exceeds the price that they pay,” Hansen tells The Independent. “It’s charged mainly to ensure that the volunteer is serious about what they are doing and they want to be part of what they are doing.”

For their $60, volunteers get a uniform they can keep, tickets to two round-robin games, three volunteer receptions and a 40 per cent discount on one full event pass. “This is standard fare not only for us, but for most major events,” Hansen says, adding most major events charge a standard $50 to $75 volunteer fee. Hansen says the amount is not

too large for an average person to pay, especially if they’re anxious to be involved. “In this day in age we don’t think it’s a huge amount. Probably the benefits that they receive from the event far exceed that and that’s a decision that they have to make — do they want to be involved or do they not?” The Scott Tournament of Hearts

Business Briefs

Harbour Breton plant unsafe ST. JOHN’S PI Ltd. says it will not resume operations at its Harbour Breton plant after an engineering assessment found the plant has major structural problems and is not safe. “As a responsible employer concerned with the safety of its workers, FPI will not resume its operations in this plant,” the Newfoundland-based fish processor says in a statement. Last month, FPI reported a third-quarter profit of $4.9 million or 32 cents per share, down from a year-ago profit of $6.6 million, 42 cents per share. The company’s consolidated sales by its primary fishing group and the Ocean Cuisine International division were $206.3 million, off from $213.3 million a year earlier. FPI shares closed down 35 cents at $8 on the Toronto stock market Friday. — Canadian Press

Export drop ahead ST. JOHN’S ower oil prices will cause overall export sales from Newfoundland and Labrador to decline by two per cent next year, Export Development Canada says in a provincial outlook. Export sales from the province are expected to grow by one per cent in 2004, the federal agency says. “Declining oil prices in 2005 colour an otherwise positive outlook for Newfoundland and Labrador exporters,” EDC chief economist Stephen Poloz said in a

Faceoff

release. “All other major export sectors are expected to grow, with industrial goods and forestry forecast to show double-digit growth.” The province’s energy exports are expected to decrease one per cent in 2004 and 12 per cent in 2005 as oil prices fall from peaks attained in 2004. With energy prices a key factor, the EDC also forecast: • New Brunswick’s export sales will grow by eight per cent in 2004, but fall by four per cent in 2005. • Nova Scotia’s exports will grow by two per cent in 2005 after three per cent growth in 2004. • Slower sales in the agri-food sector are likely to pull PEI’s total exports down by two per cent in 2005 after edging up by an expected one per cent this year. • Nationally, the economy is expected to grow by 3.2 per cent in 2005, roughly on par with 2004, and export sales should increase by one per cent in 2005, after rising nine per cent this year. — Canadian Press

Quebec abandons gas project QUEBEC he Quebec government cancelled plans for the province’s first gas-powered electricity plant in the face of intense opposition from local residents and environmental groups. Natural Resources Minister Sam Hamad said the project isn’t necessary but that Quebec’s energy needs are still a concern. The $550-million Suroit project was to produce more than 800 megawatts of electricity at a site southeast of Montreal. Hydro-Quebec said the plant was necessary to meet Quebecers’

Paul Daly/The Independent

St. John’s businessman Derm Dobbin is considering using the Mount Pearl Glacier to house a hockey team from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League because the City of St. John’s has refused to lease him Mile One should he land the franchise. “I’ve made the city an offer of more than $1.1 million a year to lease Mile One for 40 nights of hockey a year — and the city refuses to even discuss it with me,” says Dobbin.

demand for electricity after 2007. Protesters turned out by the thousands last February to march against the project. Environmentalists and people who live near the site complained the projects would add air pollution and greenhouse gases. Ecologists said the plant would boost Quebec’s greenhouse gases by 2.6 per cent, or the equivalent of 600,000 new cars on Quebec roads. The government delayed construction and ordered a review of Quebec’s energy needs. The study released in June by the provincial energy regulator found the project was not necessary. — Canadian Press

N.S. buys coastal land HALIFAX, N.S. he Nova Scotia government is buying more than 2,400 hectares of coastal properties in parts of Shelburne, Guysborough and Halifax counties with the goal of preserving wildlife habitat. Natural Resources Minister Richard Hurlburt said Friday that the lands are home to waterfowl, seabirds, plants and shorebirds, including endangered species like the piping plover. The lands include more than

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is scheduled to run from Feb. 19-27 at Mile One Stadium in St. John’s. The city has been actively pursuing the championship games for the past five years. The last time the tournament was held in the province was in 1981 when Newfoundland-native Sue Ann Bartlett lost the final game to Susan Seitz of Alberta. — Alisha Morrissey

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1,900 hectares at Cape Sable Island, Baccaro and Port LaTour in Shelburne County. In Halifax County, the province is purchasing more than 40 hectares at Pyches Island, offshore from Taylor Head Provincial Park. The province will purchase the land in Guysborough County for $1.2 million and the property at Pyches Island at a cost of $280,000. The Shelburne County properties don’t have known owners, so the government will acquire them by paying the property taxes and other costs. — Canadian Press

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

November 21, 2004

From snow banks to sand dunes Mount Pearl native Scott Vatcher is now a traveling chiropractor in Australia Voice from Away Scott Vatcher in Australia By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent

ast Boxing Day, Scott Vatcher experienced a shock to his system. He went from the usual chill of a Newfoundland Christmas, to the 40-degree heat of Bondi Beach in Australia. “I left when it was snowing and came over here and it’s 40 degrees,” the Mount Pearl native tells The Independent via telephone from Queensland. “The first thing I did is go to the beach and jump in the ocean.” Almost a year later, Vatcher has a wealth of life experience under his belt. He’s been working across the country as a chiropractic locum: he fills in for doctors on vacation or sick leave for a few weeks or months at a time. At the moment, he’s living on the Sunshine Coast, about an hour north of Brisbane. Vatcher says his situation has “worked out really well.” After studying for a chiropractic degree in Toronto for five years, he decided he wanted to mix on-the-job experience with travel. Australia sounded like a great place to start. “When I’ve been able to jump around from place to place while I was working, I was still able to explore different areas during my

time off, like on weekends,” he says. as the 1960s and ’70s even, because Vatcher also had a five-to-six week they were a population that were break mid-year, which he devoted to untouched by the rest of the world up more exploration. From visiting until just around 200 years ago.” Uluru (better known as Ayres Rock), Although Australia was declared to navigating the east coast “back- independent in 1901, citizenship was packer’s trail,” he says snorkeling only granted to the Aboriginal people and diving at the Great following a national refBarrier Reef stands out erendum in 1967. As as one of his most amazrecently as the 1950s, “I’m coming ing memories to date. one-tenth of their chil“It’s nothing like I dren were forcibly home in a few could’ve imagined. You removed from their natweeks, for have your head above ural parents and taken the water and you’re in Christmas, so I’ll into foster care with get a little bit of white families, in an one world, and all you do is lower your eyes a winter again …” effort to reform and recouple of inches so you culture the race. — Scott Vatcher can see below the water, Today, Vatcher says and it’s a completely many of the Aboriginal different world. communities have diffi“I saw a shark, I saw sea turtles, culty adjusting to modern ways, parthousands and thousands of fish. It’s ticularly dealing with alcohol — just like in the movie Finding Nemo which their bodies find physically — just phenomenal.” hard to take, after 50,000 years withVatcher says he could hear the fish out. “chomping” on the coral. He says many Australians are quite He says another travelling high- similar to Newfoundlanders, in that light was visiting Aboriginal areas they’re friendly, talk fast, and have like Kings Canyon and The Olgas some peculiar sayings. He often finds rock formations in central Australia. himself still asking, “What are you Vatcher learned about the Australian talking about? What does that Aboriginal culture, which is believed mean?” to be the oldest living culture on the Vatcher says people are usually planet. careful to check if he’s from Canada “The interesting part is in Aus- or America before automatically tralia, the Aboriginals went through assuming the latter. But few can actuwhat the native Canadians and native ally pinpoint Newfoundland. Americans went through, but as late “I say, ‘OK, I’m from Newfound-

land.’ and the usual response is, ‘Ahhh, OK…’ “‘Do you know where that is?’ “‘No, I have no idea … never heard of it.’” Vatcher says he does miss home, especially his family, but he hasn’t gotten over his travel bug just yet. He plans to stay in Australia for another couple of years — hopefully fitting in a trip to New Zealand — and then he wants to work in either Spain or Ireland. “The big part is that chiropractic is getting fairly well recognized there … I figure if I go to Ireland and practice, then I can do the whole U.K. … and I’ve been to Spain and I absolutely loved it, so I’d love to go back and practice, and learn the language.” For now, though, Vatcher’s planning on taking a short, winter break away from all the sunshine. “I’m coming home in a few weeks, for Christmas, so I’ll get a little bit of winter again … (Australians) don’t have turkey dinners; they go for barbeques, which blows my mind. It doesn’t feel like Christmas here because it’s getting warmer. “Everybody’s like, ‘Well Christmas season’s coming up,’ but … no, it isn’t, it isn’t ‘till I come home. It really doesn’t feel like it at all.” Do you know a Newfoundlander or Labradorian living away? E-mail editorial@theindependent.ca.

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LIFE &TIMES

November 21, 2004

Page 19

Paul Daly/The Independent

Glenbrook Lodge resident Joshua Coward voted for Confederation. Newfoundlander Russell Caddigan, 26, calls himself a nationalist.

‘Good and bad to all of it’ Seniors and university students reflect on Confederation and where the province stands today, 55 years later By Alisha Morrissey The Independent

was good,” Coward says, “but she’s ogy and says the question of Confederafter falling back after that.” ation, whether it’s actually working, is The late-Joey Smallwood, who too difficult to answer. hen it comes to Confedera- served as Newfoundland and His only comment: “I believe in an tion, seniors around in the Labrador’s premier for 23 years, was independent nation of Newfoundland.” day say it brought prosperity responsible for the construction of Lindsay Harding, a linguistics student to an impoverished land. The Govern- Memorial University, the largest in listening to Shortall, says the benefits of ment of Canada gave them dollars to Atlantic Canada. Confederation, at the time, were worth spend, baby bonuses and pensions Ironically, most of the two-dozen stu- the sacrifice of independence. She says where before there was litdents interit would be unfair not FINDING THE tle cash. Cod, in fact, was viewed by The to give credit where the unofficial currency. Independent for credit is due. benefit analysis “They brought in the Today, 55 years later, Cost their thoughts on Mikala Dyke, an of Confederation young people take the view Confederation education for the young 18-year-old student of that Newfoundland and Labrador is were critical of Russian and English, people and that was being taken advantage of. They say the Smallwood and agrees. acceptable, but they’ve province should be wealthy considering Newfoundland and “We do have lots, its treasure of natural resources — not a Labrador’s place in forgotten the young peo- but we aren’t given have-not province that has been drained Canada. credit for what we do ple now … Newfoundof its youth and vitality. Only two students, have (natural The Glenbrook Lodge on Torbay Melissa Kelly and land should not be in the resources).” Road in St. John’s is home to 114 senior Amanda Reynolds, position where we got to Back at Glenbrook citizens, including Joshua Coward. say they’re happy have handouts — that’s Lodge, Dr. Norah Coward was 35 years old and had with the progress the Browne and Lorraine not acceptable in my four children when Newfoundland province has made in Morgan share a room. books.” became Canada’s 10th province in recent years. The Both ladies say the 1949. He says those were hard times, girls say they see a province has been — Lorraine Morgan which is why he voted for Confedera- strong future for taken advantage of to tion — to make things better. Newfoundland and some extent, but it’s “It was pretty good first when they Labrador. still better off in Conwent in Confederation because — you Kelly, a business student, says the federation. take my grandmother, she was only get- province is progressing — especially in Born in 1933, Morgan grew up in ting $10 a month (in old-age pension). St. John’s. She says tourism and small Bonavista. She says joining Canada had Now, look what the grandmother is get- business may be the saviour of the its positives and negatives. ting today — $65 for sure, or more than province, which has seen hard times. “They brought in the education for the that a month, for the old-age pension,” Brad Glynn, who’s studying history, young people and that was acceptable, Coward tells The Independent. “And blames Smallwood for the province’s but they’ve forgotten the young people look at the children — they never got ills. now,” she says. “Newfoundland should nothing before they went into Confed“We’re getting the major shaft,” he not be in the position where we got to eration and then they got from $5 to $8 says, charging the federal government have handouts — that’s not acceptable a month (in baby bonus), all depending with taking advantage of the province. in my books.” on their ages.” “That’s the blunt way of putting it.” “There’s good and bad to all of it I “The first 20 year after Confederation Chris Shortall, 24, is studying sociol- suppose.”

BALANCE

Browne says she’s disappointed about the province’s place in Canada today. “We’ve lost our independence … we’re dependent on Canada now, and we shouldn’t be, it shouldn’t be like that,” she says, adding the province is home to a unique people. “We can’t be treated the same as people in Ontario and we are being treated as if we are in Ontario and it doesn’t suit us.” Browne, a great-grandmother of 32 children, says the people of the province, politicians included, have too little to say about what goes on here. “So we don’t have a say in what happens here, Ottawa decides that, we don’t and that’s crazy.” Browne’s suggests young people try and get control of the province and turn it around. Back at Memorial, many students in the Thompson Student Centre say Canadians have stereotypical views of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Matt Esteves says Newfoundland and Labrador is being taken advantage of. “I believe it’s called the bitch,” he says. Ann Osmond, knitting in her room at the Glenbrook Lodge, disagrees with the younger generation. She says without Confederation the province would be in a sorry state of affairs, similar to that prior to 1949. “I think it’s good — our place in Canada is really good — I mean much better than before Confederation,” says Osmond. “Everything is looked after better, people are getting more pensions. A lot of people didn’t have anything much to eat in those times, during the depression. It’s a great thing and Canada’s a great country.”

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LIFE & TIMES

The Independent, November 21, 2004

‘Thrown out of his shoes’ Road safety sessions to be held in west coast towns early next year By Connie Boland The Independent

t’s every motorist’s worst nightmare. You see a child run into the street, into the pathway of an oncoming vehicle, and you’re powerless to do anything about it. In the moments before the collision you pray the driver behind the wheel will veer away, or that the child, realizing their mistake, will come to a sudden standstill. You hope that, with a crash imminent, a higher power will intervene and the child will escape unharmed. Sean St. George realizes life doesn’t work that way. The Rocky Harbour-resident was driving into the nearby Northern Peninsula town of St. Paul’s recently when a school-age child, standing on the opposite side of the highway, caught his eye. He instinctively slowed down and passed the child. “The next moment a truck is coming down the road and I started to slam on my breaks,” a still shaken St. George tells The Independent.

GARY PERRY

“I remember saying ‘Oh no.’ I shoes,” St. George remembers. scene. The shaken parents came looked in the mirror and I watched “There was no blood but I thought running from their nearby home. the boy run out in front of the he was seriously injured, perhaps Despite their warnings to play truck. He bounced up onto the cab with head injuries because of the away from the busy highway, their and rolled 30 metres across the way he hit the pavement.” son was seriously hurt. He was highway. It was horrible.” An ambulance and the local rushed to the Bonne Bay Health According to the Canadian Cen- RCMP detachment were sum- Centre and then to Western tre on Injury Prevention and Con- moned to the scene. Members of Memorial Regional Hospital in trol, traffic-related motor vehicle the St. Paul’s Volunteer Fire Corner Brook. From there, the collisions are one of the four most Department did what they could. child was sent via air ambulance common causes of to the Janeway Chilinjuries to children (the dren’s Hospital in St. other three being falls, John’s. Fortunately, “I remember saying ‘Oh no.’ I looked poisoning and drownhe’s expected to make in the mirror and I watched the boy run a full recovery. ing). Some Newfoundland and Labrador com“He’s one lucky out in front of the truck. He bounced up munities are divided boy,” St. George onto the cab and rolled 30 metres across points out. either by the Transthe highway. It was horrible.” Canada Highway or A parent himself, St. another heavily travGeorge was unable to — Sean St. George elled roadway. There are forget the accident. He reduced speed limits but continued to carry the in places like Badger, images with him for Sally’s Cove and Pynn’s Brook, A crowd gathered. “Everyone was days after and felt more than a litfor example, drivers turn off a pretty calm,” St. George says. tle anxious whenever he saw any main thoroughfare into their own “People were horrified because child standing roadside. Rememdriveways. In some towns, people he’s only a little child.” bering the murmurings of the accisit on their front porch and watch For a while the little boy lay dent bystanders, he wondered if vehicles cruise by. Young children, motionless. “He was silent,” St. something good could come of unhampered by a fence, can do George adds, remembering the something bad. “You could tell by exactly what the youngster from immediate aftermath of the acci- the crowd’s reaction that there is a St. Paul did. dent. “My heart was in my throat.” complete lack of road safety in the “He was thrown out of his The truck driver remained at the area,” he says. “I thought maybe

753-3030

there’s room to do something here.” St. George is chairperson of the Treehouse Family Resource Centre, which is based in Deer Lake and operates outreach sites in St. Paul’s, Norris Point, Woody Point, Trout River, Pasadena and White Bay. He approached other members of the volunteer board of directors with an idea of working with community-based organizations to inform children and caregivers about the importance of road safety. The board agreed and early in 2005 safety sessions will be carried out. “Parents in St. Paul’s expressed a lot of frustration that road safety isn’t being taken seriously,” St. George points out. “As parents and as a board we respond to the needs of a community. “Because of the rise in the number of tourists visiting our province, many towns are seeing an increased flow of traffic, but younger children don’t realize the dangers,” he adds. “We see this as a valuable exercise. Awareness and prevention are what need to be done here. Hopefully we can prevent another accident.”

The Independent, November 21, 2004

LIFE & TIMES

Page 21

A new playground for Dickens Aiden Flynn brings A Christmas Carol to his own theatre By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent

rom one English ghost story to another, Aiden Flynn jumps into performances of A Christmas Carol, fresh from the clutches of The Woman in Black. His one-man show — in its third year running — features Flynn as Charles Dickens himself, on the night the author creates his timeless tale of spirit-induced, moral realizations. “He was somewhat of an extrovert,” Flynn says of Dickens. “He was a performer in his lifetime too, and it seems he almost crafted this thing for himself so that it could be a theatrical reading.” A Christmas Carol was an immediate success back in the mid-1800s and Dickens would be asked to perform so many public readings that he created a condensed, script-type version of his original story. Flynn further cut and adapted the work, presenting a performance from inside Dickens’ own head as he conjures up one character after another. “I think it’s effective, not only in the story, but I hope that it’s effective also in the presentation of the story. The idea that you’re hearing it for the first time, because he’s creating it for the Aiden Flynn first time. It’s difficult, but it’s a welcome challenge.” ing the characters.” have been able to present this Moving between as many as 21 Flynn’s hard work hasn’t gone show, which I’ve been doing for different characters (including unrewarded. Audience apprecia- three years, in my own space.” women and ghosts) during the 90- tion has been high, and after four Flynn recently launched Rabminute performance, Flynn relies successful shows at the province’s bittown Theatre Company. The on voice, physicality, company’s home base is lighting, and any other at the theatre on Fresh“theatrical tricks” he water Road in St. John’s. “I actually grew up in this can successfully “pull “I actually grew up in neighbourhood. I grew up two doors out.” But he says it’s this neighbourhood. I down from this building, so this used not the feminine or the grew up two doors down spiritual roles he finds to be my playground — out in the back from this building, so this most difficult — it’s used to be my play— and now I own the playground.” playing the author himground — out in the back self. — and now I own the — Aiden Flynn “I guess really the playground.” hardest character to pull The building, which off in the whole thing might be west coast Arts and Culture Cen- has hosted a church group, a radio Charles Dickens, because he’s got tres, he’s looking forward to bring- station and a francophone school to keep all these guys in his head, ing Dickens and crew home to his in the past, is now quite literally, he’s directing them almost as he own, newly established theatre in his “play” ground. Flynn’s been goes through, so he’s double-duty. St. John’s — Rabbittown Theatre. renovating it to make it stage-worIt’s me playing him and him play“This will be the first time I’ll thy.

Paul Daly/The Independent

He admits starting the new company and using a new theatre is daunting. “You almost have to promote the venue as much as you do the show that’s going on in the venue. There’s a lot of interest from the arts community in this venue, and there’s a lot of interest from the general public, especially in the immediate community … I’m hoping that once the ball gets rolling it’s going to be quite successful.” Flynn says Rabbittown Theatre Company has a strong “youth component” and is mainly devoted to improvisational and developmental work, which will be showcased through Friday and Saturday night performance slots. The venue will also be available for rent by other artists.

A Christmas Carol will be one of Rabbittown Theatre’s first major productions. “I actually got an e-mail from someone in Corner Brook, a really lovely e-mail, and they said this is the third year that they’ve gone (to see the play) and now it’s become a little tradition for them. “This is how they begin, you know, celebrating Christmas, which is really, really touching I have to say. To be a part of people’s Christmas is a wonderful gift really — that people give to me as much as I hope I give to them.” A Christmas Carol plays at Gander Arts and Culture Centre Nov. 25, Grand Falls Arts and Culture Centre Nov. 26 and Rabbittown Theatre St. John’s, Dec. 1-5.

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LIFE & TIMES

The Independent, November 21, 2004

‘Good little Canadians’

That’s not exactly what the province’s political leaders strive to be these days By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent

n March, Roger Grimes told The Independent he was so fed up with the current state of provincial and federal relations that he’d like to see the rise of a Newfoundland and Labrador bloctype party. Now, post-federal election, with some heated provincial issues dominating news and Danny Williams at logger heads with the prime minister, the leader of the provincial Liberals is feeling as frustrated as ever. “I’ve used the phrase bloc Newfoundland and Labrador — it’s probably the wrong phrase because bloc always connotes separation … I’m not a separatist, but the idea of putting Newfoundland and Labrador interests first in Ottawa, in the nation’s capital, I’ve Paul Daly/The Independent always supported that.” Fred Wilcox (left), head of the Newfoundland and Labrador First Party; NDP leader Jack Harris and Liberal leader Roger Grimes. Grimes tells The Independent he was particularly disappointed with what (he’s) been calling the bloc,” provincial New Democratic Party, issues, such as the lack of school of educating the mainland to the the votes taken against the and says he agrees with its man- calls himself “a Newfoundland funding, childhood obesity, pover- issues of Newfoundland and province recently by John Efford date. and Labrador chauvinist,” but ty and equalization rights. Labrador, saying he’s disappointed and Gerry Byrne on a motion The party, headed by Fred unlike Grimes, he doesn’t seem “(The federal government’s) that Bill Rowe — Danny introduced in the House of Com- Wilcox, maintains the stance of overly impressed with the idea of attitude toward this province is a Williams’ unelected representative mons by the federal Conservatives putting the province first, rather the new province-first party. patronizing one, they really don’t in Ottawa — is dealing with that calling for amendments than promoting the idea of “But to some extent it is a sign see us as full participants in Con- particular task alone. FINDING THE to the Atlantic Accord. separation. that people are looking for a federation and they don’t see us as Grimes, for his part, says the “I’m very pleased by “We have to go the route greater and stronger nationalistic partners in Confederation.” premier misinterpreted the implibenefit analysis what Mr. (Scott) Simms Cost of evolution, which is try to representation from the existing cations of Rowe’s job. of Confederation and Mr. (Bill) Matthews work within the existing parties and the system,” he says. The 2003 Royal Commission on “We don’t want to did,” he says of the two Liberal system,” Wilcox says when asked Harris says people get swept up Renewing and Strengthening Our be good little MPs who voted against their gov- how he sees the province’s politi- by emotional outrage, which isn’t Place in Canada recommended the ernment. “They symbolically, cal future. “The existing system, necessarily conducive to a sucprovince appoint a representative Canadians, we don’t more than anything else … let we think, is dysfunctional for us, cessful resolution to economic to help improve federal relations. want to be conformed everybody including the prime but we have to start somewhere … problems. Grimes says the commission’s as Canadians, because minister know … that we were that voice needs to be there.” “The onus is on people who mandate was to educate senior fedstanding up for Newfoundland and He blames learned, passive believe (in separation) to go eral bureaucrats so they would I think that’s what Labrador first and foremost above behaviour for the province’s con- beyond the emotional argument — understand exactly where Newthey’re doing … it all else. And Mr. Efford and Mr. tinued failure to take a strong which has a lot of appeal … — it’s foundland and Labrador stands on sure hurts.” Byrne didn’t do that. They found stance against Ottawa, describing certainly appealing to me. hot-button issues like Churchill reasons and excuses to toe the it as “the shackles of our past his“… if someone could convince Falls and the offshore resources. — Fred Wilcox company line, so to speak.” tory and colonialism.” Today, me on an economic level that we Instead, he says, Rowe came Grimes says Newfoundland and Wilcox says the people of New- would have more money and that across as the voice of the premier, Labrador’s seven MPs — no mat- foundland and Labrador are better we would be more inclined to disHe says the fact federal Finance addressing issues to the politicians ter which party they represent — educated through media exposure tribute what wealth we have in a Minister Ralph Goodale proposed that the province’s own MPs are should be made to sign a pledge, and years of watching from a dis- fair way, then I might be con- the idea of Newfoundland and more than capable of doing. promising constituents they will tance. vinced. But when I hear people Labrador only receiving offshore “Instead of having someone up always vote in favour of New“We don’t want to be good little talking about nationalism I don’t oil revenues as long as the there who’s an ally … all of these foundland and Labrador issues in Canadians, we don’t want to be hear them talking about social jus- province doesn’t financially sur- senators and MPs got their backs the face of federal conflict. conformed as Canadians, because tice and equality, I just hear them pass Ontario in any one year is up saying, ‘I’m not talking to Bill Grimes calls the recently I think that’s what they’re doing … talking about nationalism.” “treating us like a basket case of Rowe. What? Does the premier launched Newfoundland and it sure hurts.” And right now, Harris says he’s people.” down there think I can’t do my Labrador First Party a “version of Jack Harris, leader for the most concerned with social justice Harris stresses the importance job?’”

BALANCE

Federal funding helps arts thrive

ne of Newfoundland and Labrador’s greatest exports to the rest of the country is artists and the art they produce. From the comedians who seemingly rule TV airwaves to news commentators such as Rex Murphy, Newfoundland and Labrador leads the country, per capita, in exported talent. The Canada Council for the Arts provides funding to various arts projects — from actors to artists to authors. Mark Critch of This Hour has 22 Minutes says such funding is critical to the province’s arts scene. “For myself, there’s nothing that happens in the arts in St. John’s or, I think, Newfoundland or any-

where without considerable Canada council funding,” Critch tells The Independent. Since 2000, the Canada Council of the Arts has given grants to artists and arts groups to the tune of $5 million. More than 80 per cent of grants go to arts organizations, and the remaining portion to individuals. “A lot of arts in Newfoundland and Labrador would never survive without that because the support isn’t there from people,” Critch says. Tourism and arts in the province pump approximately $200 million into the provincial economy each year. — Jeff Ducharme

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Available at the following fine locations: Old Placentia Road

Banuwa...Sing Noel

Lady Cove Women’s Choir presents a Christmas concert...

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (The Kirk) 8 pm Saturday November 27, 2004

...featuring seasonal music from Africa, Latin America, Canada, and Europe.

Topsail Road

Cabot Square (Stavanger Dr.)

Ropewalk Lane

Newfoundland Dr.

Churchill Square

CBS

Director: Kellie Walsh Accompanist: David Chafe

Elizabeth Ave. East tickets $12 (adult)

$10 (student/senior)

The Independent, November 21, 2004

LIFE & TIMES

Page 23

‘Definitely some naughtiness’ Neighbourhood Dance Works takes over the LSPU Hall for a night of burlesque takes place every summer, incorporating new and seasoned performers and hosting workshops, presentations and discusccording to the Canadian Oxford sions. “We do it for a love of dance,” says Dictionary, burlesque is “a comic imitation, especially in parody of a Carter, one of the company’s several voldramatic or literary work” and “a variety unteers. Nuotio — a local performer and entershow, often including striptease.” tainer himself — says It’s that last part peothe burlesque show ple tend to focus on. “It’s definitely a helps to bring “a lot of “A couple of people have asked me if they’d variety show. I’d say performers out of the woodwork,” adding it’s have to perform with there’ll be in the a great opportunity for their pants off and I’ll say, ‘you don’t have to range of about 15 acts, participants to network. Carter says the show take off your clothes,’” no longer than five “gets people’s creative says Glenn Nuotio, the minutes each — and juices flowing.” The two host of Neighbourhood there’ll be some performances earlier this Dance Work’s upcomcomedic elements, year were highly sucing burlesque show at cessful. the LSPU Hall in St. there’ll be some “It’s a very easy perJohn’s. “But there are a lot of oddness and hopefully formance (to watch) … some naughtiness.” it’s always nice to get a dancers that are doing a chance to laugh.” lot of movement-based — Alison Carter To add to the relaxed work, and a lot of peoatmosphere of the night, ple who are doing fun songs that do involve sexuality and bawdi- audience members can enjoy drinks from ness and things like that. It’s more cheeky, an in-house bar while they watch the performances from stage-side tables. But you know?” Nuotio and Alison Carter, chair of unlike stereotypical burlesque, there’ll Neighbourhood Dance Works, have some be no smoky haze accompanying the trouble putting their fingers on exactly acts. Carter’s just over five months pregnant and planning to take advantage of what sums up ‘burlesque.’ “It’s definitely a variety show,” Carter her growing belly. “I’m going to do some kind of belly tells The Independent. “I’d say there’ll be in the range of about 15 acts, no longer dancing type of thing,” she says. Nuotio’s also planning some entertainthan five minutes each — and there’ll be some comedic elements, there’ll be ing turns, including singing, dancing and some oddness and hopefully some “onstage” costume changes. One thing audience members can naughtiness.” expect out of the “quality little bits” of cabaret, dancing, singing, and comedy is the unexpected. “To some extent (performers) might say, ‘we’ve got this idea,’ and they might “Definitely some not give you all the details,” says Carter. naughtiness,” says Nuotio. “We’re comfortable letting people do This is the group’s third whatever turns their crank. We’ll all be fundraising burlesque show this surprised on the night I think. year. The organization is a division “As long as you’ve called it ‘burof the Resource Centre for the Arts, lesque’ it’s OK, because people come and works to help promote and expecting something odd might happen.” develop the dance community in St. John’s. One of their biggest Neighbourhood Dance Works presents fundraisers is the annual Festi- their Burlesque Show at the LSPU Hall, val of New Dance, which Saturday, Nov. 27, 8 p.m.

By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent

Paul Daly photos/The Independent

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LIFE & TIMES

The Independent, November 21, 2004

The humble road to success Matt Masters provides a country viewpoint thinking of some ways that musicians can guarantee themselves success when playing abroad. And I don’t mean the instantaneous glitzy success stories one dreams of — more like a very personal, satisfying sense of it.

Local Spins RICK BAILEY

had the privilege of meeting Matt Masters at the Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador afterparty at Mickey Quinn’s on Nov. 14. Who is he? A Prairie songster who arrived that night on a flight from Toronto, had just heard about the party, and showed up. He was immediately excited that I knew of his Monday night show at CBTGs bar on George Street, though the cowboy hat he wore was a dead giveaway. I found out he was in for a short St. John’s vacation to see Newfoundland for the first time, and I also found him quite engaging to talk to. Which brings me to this week’s article. I found the mainlander’s easygoing style a welcome change from a normally stiff music biz. Here’s this new stranger who blows in on a whim, without tremendous hype, to play some tunes wherever he can and enjoy himself. Not that the troubadour way hasn’t already been travelled before, but it got me

ONE: NETWORK Upon arrival, Masters had met a group at a party, which is always good in spreading the word about the music you’re making. Party people may wish to party with you and your tunes. And that got him a few new

“The key to success is throwing yourself to the kindness of strangers … or get your wallet stolen.” — Matt Masters

friends in town willing to see his show on a rainy Monday night. He also took some time to hand out flyers at MUN, drop off his CD at campus radio and to chat and be seen in the hat (which keeps that cowboy image fresh in people’s minds). He prefers the one-on-one approach as a more

INDEPENDENT CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Party giver 5 ER professionals 8 Blue in Baie-Comeau 12 Crop destroyer 16 Uninteresting 17 Pork 18 Draw or paint 19 Not fooled by 20 History muse 21 Group of instruments, as in a lab 23 Of the ear 24 Female graduate 26 “The innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but ___.” (Yeats) 27 Uncouth 29 Jupiter’s largest moon 31 High as a ___ 32 Island near Naples 35 Diminutive suffix 36 Composer of tunes 40 Blind feature 41 Foxy 42 Figure of Jewish folklore 43 Birth name indicator 44 Church sister 45 Create 47 Shape 48 India tourist stop 49 Calamity 51 Under the Volcano author 52 Draws 53 What Parliament enacts 54 Multitude

effective method in reaching people. He’s played alongside many notable Canadian musicians such as Neko Case, Carolyn Mark, and has recently befriended Fred Eaglesmith, so charisma obviously works for him. A little luck helps, too. TWO: KEEP PLAYING WHEREVER YOU CAN Masters ended up scoring a Wednesday night at CBTGs, and tried O’Reilly’s open mike night on Tuesday. In his situation, open mike events work because it’s a free gig. The Calgary native said he normally has a band with him when he plays in the west and Ontario, but has comfortably played solo folk and country nights. Wednesday’s show had a meager audience, but those there appreciated his simply catchy downhome melodies and charm. Masters told me later that even if you win one person over with your songs, then you’ve made a difference. THREE: MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN Isn’t that the best reason for making music? Masters was taking a break after leaving his twoyear job with the Toronto Blues Society, so this stop wasn’t a

Matt Masters

major music campaign — although that’s where life leads him now, and he looks forward to touring and making a lifestyle of his craft. He was just out to see St. John’s, meet some friendly people and maybe get to play some original tunes around town. I think we’ve won him over because he plans to return, possibly in the spring. His quote: “I like it here.” Matt Masters had a successful stay. His shows weren’t packed with crowds of people, but he certainly made an impression on those who met him. He sold CDs, made friends and had a good

time. “The key to success is throwing yourself to the kindness of strangers … or get your wallet stolen,” he said with a grin and sharp wit. He’s been fortunate thus far in his endeavours, playing benefits and linking up with industry peers. If he maintains his humble attitude, he’ll be on the road to more successes. I was successful in meeting a valued ally in our musical country. Until next time, may the tumbleweeds roll in your favour. Rick Bailey is a radio DJ and musician. His next column appears Dec. 4.

Solutions on page 26

55 Leonardo’s Lisa 56 Rest on the knees 58 Like poorly mashed potatoes 59 Giant dog breed 62 Jot 63 Holy scroll 64 “Mr. Hockey” 65 Zilch 66 Summer time in St. John’s 67 Inert gas 68 Tibetan gazelle 69 Unit of heredity 70 Large Ontario bay 72 Hem and ___ 73 Grassy field 75 Persia, today 76 In utter confusion 78 Canada’s largest island 81 Repast 82 Sloping 85 Dying sea of central Asia 86 Where Darwin studied species 89 Laughter 91 Provoke 92 Quiet moment 93 Not a 94 Prayer ending 95 Kind of eagle 96 Scratches (out) 97 Dent or corn starter 98 Say it wasn’t so DOWN 1 Early fur trading co. 2 Earthen pot

3 Travel on water 4 Notion 5 Revenge 6 Tot’s time out 7 Majestic 8 Point the finger 9 Lo-cal 10 Cassowary cousin 11 Still clean 12 Like a horse or cow 13 Nay sayer 14 Inflammation: suffix 15 Scottish lake 17 Spiritual nourishment 22 Go by horse 25 Avril follower 28 Small particle 30 Stubborn as a ___ 31 Shade of green 32 Is not 33 Insult 34 Painter of Venice (18th c.) 36 Poet Erin ___ (Search Procedures) 37 Deep-seated 38 Dried up 39 Afternoon do’s 41 Firmament 42 She wrote The Romantic (2002) 45 Whimper 46 Classified ___ 47 Transform (an image) by computer 48 Uncle’s wife 50 Goddess of Earth 51 Harpist Judy 52 Win, to a dieter

54 Great Lake with world’s largest freshwater island 55 Mouth 56 Wackiest P.M. 57 Knob on a branch 58 Our highest mountain 59 Giant N. Zealand bird, now extinct 60 Dry sherry 61 Went by plane 63 Three-sided figure

64 Wolf song 67 Cultural intro 68 Canadian expatriate writer Mavis 69 Round Table knight 71 Ransacked 72 Pile 73 Needing neatening 74 Building extension 76 Chimes 77 N. Zealand aboriginal 78 Sharp remark

79 “Bravo” elicitor, perhaps 80 ___ on Your Knees (MacDonald) 81 French miss, for short 83 Dub 84 Now and ___ 87 Bird once found on Nfld.’s Funk Island: Great ___ 88 Needlefish 90 Whichever one

SPORTS

November 21, 2004

Page 25

Daniel St. Louis

Wesley Welcher of Paradise (left) is a forward with the Moncton Wildcats and Hodge’s Cove native Jason Churchill is a goaltender for the Halifax Mooseheads.

‘High-energy hockey’ Newfoundlanders playing in Q say major junior hockey a sure hit in St. John’s By Darcy MacRae The Independent

ockey fans in St. John’s are in for a treat. At least that’s what a trio of major junior hockey players from this province tell The Independent. They say when the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League debuts in the city next fall, it will showcase the game’s greatest attributes: fast skating, hard hits, fantastic saves and highlightreel goals. “It’s always high-energy hockey,” says Jason Churchill of Hodge’s Cove, a goaltender for the Halifax Mooseheads. “The guys are trying to get drafted and are constantly looking to prove themselves to the scouts. They’re young and always going hard.” Players suiting up in the league known as the Q are between the ages of 16 and 20 and are scouted heavily by NHL teams. The possibility of getting picked up by a big-league team — as Churchill was when the San Jose Sharks selected him during the 2004 NHL entry draft — motivates young men to play hockey at their best and most hungry. That type of enthusiasm should be well received by fans in St. John’s, considering the many low-scoring, defensive-minded contests witnessed in recent years with American Hockey League action. “Some of the guys in the AHL have nothing to play for,” says 17-year-old Wesley Welcher of Paradise, a forward with the Moncton Wildcats. “The guys in the Q are trying to make it to the NHL. They want to get drafted, so they

have a lot to play for. Every game while away playing hockey for their means something.” respective teams. While they enjoy the Local hockey fans unfamiliar with travel and getting to know new people, the Quebec league should have caught the trio admits to getting homesick a Nov. 13 contest in which the Rimous- from time to time. ki Oceanic and Gatineau Olympiques While they say they’re happy with played a spirited nationally televised their current teams and won’t be game on Rogers Sportsnet. Just over a demanding a trade to St. John’s next minute into the game, teen phenom season, all three would love the opporSidney Crosby carried the puck behind tunity to visit Newfoundland as memthe Gatineau net with an Olympiques’ bers of visiting teams. defenceman in hot “I look forward to pursuit. Crosby calmly coming to St. John’s banked the puck off next year,” Welcher “It will up the the back of the net, says. “It’s going to be talent level in spun around the fun to play in front of defenceman and people I know, my parthe Q. There are picked up the puck, and friends. We a lot of skilled players ents then feathered a pass only get to come back in Newfoundland directly to the stick of at Christmas right now, St. John’s native Mark so it will be a nice who aren’t playing Tobin. Tobin rifled a break to come to St. major junior one-timer into the John’s.” Gatineau net, finishing because they haven’t Welcher, Churchill off what was just the and Pardy were faced been noticed.” first of several excitwith a choice prior to — Jason Churchill ing plays. The game entering major junior was eventually won, hockey. They had to 7-3, by the Oceanic. decide whether to enter That sort of offensive creativity has the Ontario hockey league or Quebec become the norm in the Quebec league, league draft, because no one league much to the delight of fans and players. held exclusive rights to Newfoundland “It’s a lot of fun to play,” says and Labrador players. But with St. Bonavista’s Adam Pardy, a defense- John’s entering the Q next season, all man with the Cape Breton Screaming players from this province will autoEagles and 2004 draft pick of the Cal- matically enter the Quebec league gary Flames. “There are a lot of high- draft. Welcher says that will benefit intensity games. There are a lot of players who are working hard at the skilled players, so there’s loads of Midget AAA and Junior B levels that, offense as well as great goaltending.” due to a lack of exposure, have gone Players such as Churchill, Welcher unnoticed by scouts. and Pardy live with billet families “There’s a lot of great talent coming

out of Newfoundland right now. There has been for some time, actually. But we’re looked over a lot. For a scout from Ontario to come to watch a Newfoundlander play, it would be a pretty expensive plane ticket. So they aren’t going to make many trips here,” Welcher says. “There are always a couple of good hockey players in Newfoundland who get missed by scouts. Now that we have a team, not as many Newfoundlanders will be missed.” Players from Newfoundland and Labrador will not be the only ones benefiting from the relationship. With the rights to the province’s top junior hockey players now exclusively owned by the Q, fans from Halifax to RouynNoranda can expect the influx of young athletes to produce a higher standard of hockey. “It will up the talent level in the Q,” Churchill says. “There are a lot of skilled players in Newfoundland who aren’t playing major junior because they haven’t been noticed.” For those who find themselves on the St. John’s roster next year, Churchill, Pardy and Welcher say it will be an amazing experience to play major junior hockey so close to home. But those chosen to play elsewhere in the league need not worry: if the reception this trio has received is any indication, players from Newfoundland and Labrador are welcome anywhere. “They love our work ethic in this league,” Pardy says. “They think we’re really gritty hockey players. That’s very encouraging to hear.” Darcy_8888@hotmail.com

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SPORTS

The Independent, November 21, 2004

Lament for an outport (sport)

Bob the Bayman BOB WHITE teachers or students — who are enthralled with the thought of such an educational arrangement. Government, geography, lowbirth rates and gravitation towards larger, urbanized centres are all playing a part in today’s educational reality. In a twisted irony, the system may end up producing more talented teams at the elite level; schools will have a larger talent pool to draw from. Once the majority of today’s crop of student-athletes finish high school, it will all be over. The memory will last as long as they do. PLAY FAIR, FEAR PLAY After reading about charges of racism that have been all over the European press, my thoughts drifted back, oddly enough, to school sports in this province. Black soccer players were called the “n” word on several occasions in recent weeks and Spanish fans made monkey noises each time a black English player touched the ball during a friendly match between the two countries. I asked myself why these people can’t treat each other with respect — no matter the cultural difference — like we do in this province? But are we any better? Generally speaking, yes, we are. But don’t be blind to the fact that racism happens around you — and it’s as cruel here as anywhere when it does happen. And no, I’m not talking about the obligatory townie and bayman banter that inevitably pops up when teams from St. John’s compete against teams from beyond the overpass. There have been too many racist remarks thrown at Labrador

When I first heard this, I wasathletes. Usually, the bigoted included) than the tribulations we n’t sure if I was sympathetic to barbs are focused on the plight of see in the media. Labrador’s aboriginals — particIt’s quite a chore (financially Vince’s plight, or if I agreed with ularly the Innu — and the alcohol and logistically) for Labrador the NBA’s stance. I wonder if Vince had of acted and solvent-abuse problems those teams to travel to the island, and people face. The social problems when they do, they should not the same way a few years back — when he was all the rage — facing Labrador aboriginals have have to put up with bull. would the NBA’s had loads of media attenmarket-conscious tion, which, unfortunately, is part of the problem. If recent trends continue (school closures spin-doctors have For many Newfoundlan- based on low student numbers), in 10 years had anything to say about it? ders, what they learn Probably not. from the media is often time I can see just two high schools on the For a guy who all they know about Baccalieu. I haven’t met anyone — parents, Labrador. As a result, teachers or students — who are enthralled whines as much as Vince, it looks good Labrador teams — even with the thought of such an educational on him. those without any aboarrangement. By the time this riginal athletes —have to paper hits the streets, endure such racist nonVince could be a sense. Portland Trail Blazer. If the I lived in Happy Valley-Goose OUT OF TUNE rumours come (came) true, and I Bay for two years (I left the Big Vince Carter of the Toronto really think Toronto needs to sever Land in July) and had the pleasure of experiencing the varieties Raptors was told by the Nation- ties as quickly as possible, it will of Labrador life — east, west, al Basketball Association that he mark the end of an era in Raptor north and south. There’s so much can no longer “get in the mood” history. For the books, his Toronmore positive happening in during pre-game warm-ups by to tenure will be measured as “flashy” — as in flash in the pan. Labrador (Innu communities listening to music on his I-Pod.

Solutions from page 24

n the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to drive the beautiful Baccalieu Trail, as scenic a drive as you’ll find anywhere. For those who aren’t familiar with the territory, the trail stretches from Georgetown in Conception Bay North all the way down to Bay De Verde on the tip of the peninsula, then back on up the Trinity Bay side to Whitbourne. Apart from larger centres like Carbonear and Bay Roberts, the Baccalieu Trail is dotted with 68 small communities that are no different than any of the hundreds of outports around the province. There’s not much new happening there anymore. There was a time — not too long ago — when the Baccalieu Trail had 14 high schools spread out over the region. School sports were a big deal, with lots of competition and intense rivalries. More than that, perhaps, was the opportunity that existed for any boy or girl who wanted to play a sport — from badminton and volleyball to hockey and cross-country. In some cases — and I can back this up —young people may not have bothered with school if not for sports. Playing games kept them in the classroom. Today, there are four high schools on the Baccalieu Trail. There are fewer children in many off the towns, with more kids crammed into a dwindling number of classrooms. Each school has only one team per sport, meaning fewer kids make the teams. Playing for your high school brings with it a healthy dose of self-confidence. Friendships with your teammates are formed that last a lifetime — sometimes even your opponents. I could go on forever about the benefits. If recent trends continue (school closures based on low student numbers), in 10 years time I can see just two high schools on the Baccalieu. I haven’t met anyone — parents,

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The Independent, November 21, 2004

SPORTS

Page 27

Events NOVEMBER 21 • Two Minutes of Silence: A Pittance of Time, a combination of original music and theatre in an emotional production portraying the lives of a newlywed couple separated by war. Written by Terry Kelly, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 8 p.m. Tickets: $22.50/$20. • Craft Council’s Christmas Craft Fair closing day. Fine juried crafts from over 100 craft professionals from Newfoundland and Labrador and across the country. St. John’s Convention Centre, 7532749. NOVEMBER 22 • A Promise is a Promise puppet show presented by Rag and Bone Puppet Theatre. St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre. School matinee only. Tickets: $6. NOVEMBER 23 • Huron Carole Benefit Concerts Series, a showcase for Canadian Artists. St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 8 p.m. Tickets: $30. NOVEMBER 24 • Canadian National Institute for the Blind, 15th annual Visions luncheon. Holiday Inn, St. John’s. Cost: $49 single/$392 table of eight • Mad hatter night, a night of madness, music and songs performed by various folk night regulars at the Ship Pub, St. John’s, starting 9:30 p.m. All proceeds in aid of the SJFAC. • Mad Forest, a Romanian play by Caryl Churchill. Reid Theatre, MUN Campus, curtain 8 p.m. Runs through Nov. 27. NOVEMBER 25 • MUN concert band performs

chamber music, D. F. Cook Recital Hall, MUN, 8 p.m. Tickets available evening of performance $10/$5. Tel: 737-4455 • Old Fashioned Christmas Concert featuring the Cobblestones, Shamrock, Glenn Downey, The School of Dance, Myrle Vokey’s Kitchen Party. St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $15/$12 seniors. • Jesperson Publishing book launch: Sleeper by Nick Wilkshire, and White Man’s Cotton by Randy Somerton, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Bianca’s Bar, 171-173 Water St. • Launch of Nursery Rhymes of Newfoundland and Labrador, edited and compiled by Robin McGrath, published by Boulder Publications, 5-7 p.m., at Auntie Craes, Water Street, St. John’s. • Young writers wanted (13+) to come and read their work at the monthly youth coffee house and open mic, presented by Choices for Youth and the Community Youth Network, 8-10 p.m., 12-16 Carters Hill Place, St. John’s, 7220678 or khehir@cs.mun.ca. NOVEMBER 26 • Best Ever Christmas Pageant Ever dinner theatre. Nov. 26-Jan. 7, 7 p.m. Star of the Sea Hall, Henry Street, 579-3023, reservations required. • NSO Black Angels, D. F. Cook Recital Hall, 8 p.m. Tickets: $17.50/$15.00. Tel: 722-4441 • Spirit of Newfoundland’s Christmas cabaret dinner theatre, The Majestic, 390 Duckworth St. Plays Wednesdays through Saturdays, 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $48, 579-3023. • The Health Care Foundation and the College of the North Atlantic

Wooden stare

Paul Daly/The Independent

Leslee Lake of Lakewood Arts, a Clarenville-based company specializing in hand carvings, sits in his booth at the annual Christmas craft fair at the St. John’s Convention Centre. The fair wraps up today.

present a cruise themed evening, featuring a sumptuous buffet by the Culinary Arts program, entertainment, casino, silent auction, prizes and more. Tickets: $75. • Canadian Cancer Society Festival of Trees gala dinner. Delta St. John’s Hotel. Tickets: $100. 7536520 • Sons of Erin play Erin’s Pub, Water Street, St. John’s, 722-1916. • Rattling Books audio book launch: Adrift on an Ice Pan by Sir Wilfred Grenfell, narrated by

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Chris Brookes with Jay Roberts and Janis Spence, 5-7 p.m., Masonic Temple, Cathedral Street, St. John’s. NOVEMBER 27 • Sons of Erin play Erin’s Pub, Water Street, St. John’s, 722-1916. • Flanker Press launches Amanda Greenleaf: The Complete Adventures by Ed Kavanagh Saturday, November 27, 2- 4 p.m., LSPU Hall Gallery, 739-4477

IN THE GALLERIES • Artists in the Tower an exhibition of art at Signal Hill, Featuring local artists Joan Blackmore Thistle, Ben Gillard, Dave Hoddinott and Leona Ottenheimer. Visit Cabot Tower Heritage Shop from 2-5 p.m. • Segments, a solo exhibition by Anita Singh, at the Leyton Gallery of Fine Art, until Nov. 27 • Flattering the Masters II, variety of works by local artists, RCA Gallery, LSPU Hall, St. John’s. Live Auction Dec. 5.