VOL. 3 ISSUE 1
ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, JANUARY 2-8, 2005
‘It’s a farce’
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Ukraine government disregards NAFO groundfish quotas and sets its own; same species processed at Harbour Breton
INTERNATIONAL
World’s worst natural disaster kills 100,000
Page 19
Federal official says Ottawa will threaten to close ports By Jeff Ducharme The Independent
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BUSINESS
Dave LeDrew’s Newfoundland Emporium
Page 16
SPORTS
Ryan Power on not Making the Cut
Page 25
he Ukraine government has lodged a protest with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization using the controversial objection procedure and plans to unilaterally set its own quotas for yellowtail flounder and redfish, The Independent has learned. Ukraine will up its redfish quota to 1,500 tonnes from 1,000 tonnes, and will increase its yellowtail catch to 150 tonnes from 76 tonnes. The use of the objection procedure is seen by critics as a fundamental flaw of NAFO, the organization that monitors fishing outside the 200-mile limit. Member countries can arbitrarily opt out of quotas and set their own, similar to what the Danes did last year, harvesting 10 times their NAFO-imposed shrimp quota. The news comes as a harsh blow to communities such as Harbour Breton. Just before Christmas, Fishery Products International announced that the groundfish plant there would close due to a declining resource. Yellowtail flounder was one of the stocks processed there. Federal Fisheries critic and Conservative MP Loyola Hearn says FPI is one of
the largest harvesters of yellowtail flounder. “Harbour Breton depended heavily on flatfish and now, just as they’re looking for resource and not having enough to keep those plants going, we’re seeing countries like that take more than their share,” Hearn tells The Independent. The Harbour Breton plant employed more than 300 people. FPI also announced that it would layoff the bulk of its workforce at its Fortune plant. Hearn says the increase in quotas to Ukraine may not sound like a huge amount, but foreign overfishing adds up. “If some leadership was shown certainly we would have been able to hold the line, particularly in stocks that can regenerate in a hurry like yellowtail flounder and American plaice, which were the lifeblood of the south coast plants.” Steve Outhouse, spokesman for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Ottawa, says officials will be meeting with Ukraine government representatives in the new year. He says Ukraine only has one vessel that regularly fishes on the Grand Banks. It’s likely that much of its quota is leased to other countries. “We’ll be raising our concerns, briefing them and making them aware of what sorts of actions Canada can take and we hope that that’s going to resolve Continued on page 2
Paul Daly/The Independent
Rick Boland, a performer with Rising Tide Theatre's upcoming Revue ’04 and in character as Premier Danny Williams, holds the old Newfoundland flag at the base of the flag pole in front of Confederation Building where the Maple Leaf once flew. Williams ordered the flags removed recently over the prime minister's failure to live up to his commitment on the Atlantic Accord. Please see photo essay, page 11.
Smallwood, Lennon, the gods and me The next goal for Canada’s last media maverick: reincarnation Last of a two-part series
OPINION
Ivan Morgan with advice for Danny Williams
By Susan Bourette For The Independent
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Quote Week OF THE
“Who’s Danny Williams?” — Mike Leman, a native of Port aux Basques living in Edmonton, Alta., when asked for reaction to the premier’s decision to remove Canadian flags from government buildings.
Photo courtesy of NTV
Geoff Stirling
eel 3. Establishing shot: a studio booth in London. Inside, there are four people: Scott Stirling, his father, Geoff, Yoko Ono and John Lennon. It’s 1969, shortly after the Beatles have released Come Together, a Lennon number that began life as the campaign song for acid-guru Timothy Leary’s intended run against Ronald Reagan for governor of California. The song, cryptic though it was, mesmerized Geoff and Scott, a Lennon fan. From the Londonderry Hotel, where the two were staying on vacation, Stirling telexed a note to Lennon. It said, “I’ve heard your Come Together. So here I am. Geoff Stirling.’’ A few hours later, they were seated in Apple Studios, recording the first in a string of interviews with Lennon that Stirling would later broadcast on his Canadian radio stations. “I look back on that first interview and I realize how profound it was,’’ Scott says. “It was a philosophical discussion about the forces of good and evil, and how Lennon was trying to use his music to socially improve civilization.” Stirling used it to revolutionize FM radio in Canada. By the late 1960s, FM radio was a profitable niche offering easy-listening and light classical music. Stirling was determined to turn his stable of stations into a different form, one already reverberating south of the
border — “tribal radio.” His Montreal radio station, CHOM-FM, was the first such experiment in Canada. It was the quintessential hippie FM rock station, a smoky crash pad where listeners could tune in for an hour and never hear what time it was, let alone a word about sports or the weather. One of Stirling’s new crew took to the airwaves and cast the I Ching for four hours to figure out if the format change would work. There were endless spins of the Beatles’ Abbey Road, interspersed with meditation chants and discussions on cosmic consciousness. Jim Sward, who later became president of Global Television, was 24 when Stirling hired him to run his mainland radio operations from Montreal. “We were a mix of those on a social mission and button-down, professional broadcasting types like myself,” Sward recalls. “Somehow the professionals co-existed somewhat harmoniously with this group of goddamned hippies. “Geoff was so courageous. He did do things that offended and disgusted me. He can do things that are hurtful. But I’ve never met another person with that kind of charisma. I have great affection for him and if I saw him now, I’d give him a big hug.’’ Listeners in Montreal were impressed too. The station’s novel sound gave CHOM a lock on the teen and young-adult market. Stirling introduced the rock format to the rest of his radio empire, which swelled to 13 stations, including CKPM in Ottawa and CJOM in Windsor. Continued on page 20
Heart and soul Has rural Newfoundland and Labrador lost its will to fight; or have the rallies evolved By Jenny Higgins For The Independent
ply move away to larger urban centres. “Most of the people that are rather active in protest are the younger people migration of youth and disillu- in this province,” says Marsden. sionment with government are “Unfortunately, youth has become a bit dampening rural Newfound- of an anomaly these days. The only land and Labrador’s fighting spirit, thing that rejuvenates people that are academics and union officials say. demoralized is new people, but we The nature of protest may also be don’t have new people. changing, officials suggest, as people “When I was growing up (in Ramea) work more from within the system to there were probably 1,400 or 1,500 create long-term change before taking people, it was a booming little fishing to the streets in marches and rallies. town. And now there are probably only Jim Marsden, who 500 people there and I specializes in commuguess the average age nity economic develop- “The attitude is there’s of the population is the not a lot we can do ment at the College of late 40s or 50s. That’s the North Atlantic, says about this anymore.” not unlike most towns many people remain in this province.” — Jim Marsden inactive — despite David Decker, secreissues like the Atlantic tary-treasurer of the Accord — because they feel no one in Fish, Food and Allied Workers’ government is listening. (FFAW) union says rural Newfound“The attitude is there’s not a lot we landers and Labradorians are resilient, can do about this anymore,” Marsden but weakening in the aftermath of tells The Independent. “In terms of the numerous setbacks. Atlantic Accord we’re all just waiting “I think as long as there are people in with our hands clasped to the seat, rural Newfoundland there will be a waiting for results and we’re not saying will to fight,” says Decker. “But obvia lot. We’re putting all our faith in the ously if you take the Harbour Breton hands of people like (Danny) Williams situation, that’s an absolutely major and John Efford and others.” blow to people to have their lives disMarsden says while older members rupted like that. And that comes on top of the population may have grown disillusioned, younger generations simContinued on page 2
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NEWS
The Independent, January 2, 2005
Falling on deaf ears “You’re starting to see people now who feel that they can make more of so many more blows — it seems changes by an evolutionary process verover the past 12 to 15 years there has sus a revolutionary process,” says been one blow after another in rural Foley. “Whether that means they’re not Newfoundland. as radical is probably true, but that “It shows out there in the communi- doesn’t mean that they can’t create ties, it certainly shows in terms of the change. age-structure of the population there, “Harbour Breton, for example, they with the young people leaving.” had protests — but one of the other Former federal cabinet minister John things they’ve quickly done to impact Crosbie says rural Newfoundland and real political change and policy change Labrador’s dwindling economies and is they have realistically looked at the populations are part of a worldwide option that says probably we’re really occurrence and not easily changed. going to impact change from the idea of “Rural Newfoundland is in a difficult a co-op being set up. And the co-op, to spot just as rural areas are in every part me that’s a real protest, because we’re of the world,” he says. “They’re all los- saying let’s change who’s running the ing populations to the metropolitan ship here.” areas, this is a comTom Hickey, vicemon world phenompresident of the enon.” recently launched “The federal Crosbie says the Newfoundland and best way for people government bartered Labrador First Party, to create change is blames the federal away our fish to keep government for hurtto use conventional channels and write ing rural communithe heartland alive elected officials. ties by mismanaging “There’s only one the province’s fishand well. We’re way to influence ery. He says the peoanything — you take exporting our youngest, ple should make an interest and you their voices heard on our smartest, our write the current the Atlantic Accord, politicians who are because it could best educated.” involved, particularreverse some of the ly federal politicians — Tom Hickey, Newfoundland economic damage and give them your done by the collapse and Labrador First Party opinions.” of the fish stocks. Margie Hancock, “The federal govfirst vice-president ernment bartered of the Newfoundland and Labrador away our fish to keep the heartland Federation of Labour, which represents alive and well,” says Hickey. “We’re about 50,000 workers, says that exporting our youngest, our smartest, although protests are often a last resort, our best educated. people in rural Newfoundland and “In the beginning the province was Labrador have found them necessary solid behind the provincial government because they feel Ottawa is not listen- and the premier on the Atlantic Accord ing to their calls for help. and I hope that is the same today. We “These protests are sometimes a last need the right deal, we need that in resort, it’s not what people want to be order to develop rural Newfoundland.” doing, but they’ve come to the end of Hancock makes it clear how much their ropes,” says Hancock. “They want damage has been done to rural Newtheir voices heard, but at the same time foundland and Labrador over the years I think a lot of them know this is falling — and how that damage affects the on deaf ears. We haven’t seen a whole entire province. lot of change.” “We can’t forget rural Newfoundland Brian Foley, who teaches community and Labrador; we can’t forget the peodevelopment at the College of the North ple that are in these communities. Atlantic, says although some people in They’re the future of the province,” she rural Newfoundland and Labrador may says. have lost their will to fight, others have “You have to feel for Newfoundland merely shifted their method of attack because it’s had its heart and soul taken away from street protests. right out of it.” From page 1
SERGEY DOLZHENKO
Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko greets his supporters during a victory celebration in Independence Square in Kiev Dec. 28. With 100 per cent of the vote counted, Yushchenko had 51.99 per cent of the popular vote, with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich at 44.19 per cent, according to results made public by the Central Elections Commission.
If it’s edible, it’s valuable From page 1 it through diplomatic discussions,” says Outhouse. He says Ottawa will threaten to close all ports to the Ukraine government if it doesn’t agree to play by the rules. In August, the federal government closed its ports to Danish vessels after announcing they would take 10 times their NAFO-set shrimp quota. Canadian ports remain closed to Danish vessels. “The Ukraine certainly does use Newfoundland and Labrador ports,” says Outhouse. “We hope through discussions, through showing them the immediate implications for them from an economic point of view that that will be a deterrent and any short-term gain from fishing an extra amount will be significantly offset.” Hearn contends that NAFO is nothing more than a paper tiger. “It’s a farce unless they have some way of making sure that people adhere to quotas,” says Hearn. “It’s crazy. It’s laughable.” This is the first year that redfish has been put under a NAFO-administered quota system. Up until the early 1990s when a moratorium was declared on commercial
cod fishing in domestic waters, redfish was largely considered an unwanted species and of little value. “We’re starting to learn that if it’s edible, or semi-edible, it can be very, very valuable and we should protect the resources that we have,” says Hearn. The season for redfish and yellowtail flounder doesn’t open until April and Outhouse says that gives the feds time to make their point. He says the other factor is Ukraine’s ongoing dispute over recent election results. “I mean obviously with there being turmoil in the highest political realm of the Ukraine, that’s a real factor,” says Outhouse. “Once the leadership has been solidified within the Ukraine, then will be in a much better position to know if are we dealing with a position that’s going to stay the same or are we not.” Fishing industry representatives in the province have called on the federal government to implement custodial management of the Grand Banks, a move the Paul Martin government has been reluctant to take. A commission has been struck to study the issue, and a conference is planned for later this year in St. John’s.
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The Independent, January 2, 2005
NEWS
Page 3
Paul Daly/The Independent
MP John Efford
Some-sex marriage T
wo of our dear brothers in Christ need our help. John Efford and Danny Williams. Brother Efford’s in the more pitiful pickle so, in the spirit of the holy season, we’ll sort him out first. As is well known, he got himself caught up between a rock and a hard place. Yes, he’s got a lovely government job in Ottawa, but to keep it he’s got to stab us in the back, kick us in the arse, smack us in the face and all that. To cover his actions, Brother John has put up as good a smoke screen as he can manage on short notice. In a word, sex. Never in the field of human politics has one man taken such a great interest in the foreparts of others. The country may be in slings otherwise, but for months on end John Efford has been in a dancing frenzy of huff-n-puff about who puts what where and how often. UNSEEMLY OBSESSION Blistering the ears of innocent children, upsetting contemplative convents, embarrassing just about everyone except for the deeply religious, Catholic and Protestant, who seem also to share his unseemly obsession. Alas, now the smoke seems to be dying down. Any uproar over samesex marriage is gradually fading. Will poor Brother John soon be left without a smoke screen to hide his anti-Newfoundland actions behind? Never. Same-sex marriage may be leaving poor John naked to the world and open to the dogs and commons. But let him now take up
turn to Danny’s Dilemma. “Tear down those Canadian flags,” he says and we see where he’s coming from. Many Newfoundland patriots are, RAY I dare say, going out and buying Canadian flags and running them GUY up a pole so they can have the satisthe cudgels for some-sex marriage. faction of hauling them down again. That way lies Efford’s salvation. But Brother Williams’ pretty pickLet him introduce a bill in the le is that having stirred the wrath of honourable House requiring all his countrymen they’re not going to combinations, permutations and be satisfied to dick around with aggregations of married persons to flags forever. report monthly on their carnal What if he has let the cat out of endeavours. the box and the cat is a lot bigger The Efford Act, also known as the than he thought? Some-Sex Marriage Law, requiring I have occasion for concern. Just all the espoused in the country to the other day I caught my old friend, report monthly. That is to say, Melrose Benton, mailing off Christwhether getting (A) Lots (B) Some mas cards to the mainland with a (C) Negligible or (D) Jesus, don’t be half-teaspoonful of baking powder talking. in each envelope. I Imagine the interstrongly dissuaded est, the press coverhim, but perhaps not age, the debate in Many Newfoundland in time. patriots are, I dare the House, the Melrose says he hookups on CBC has also been giving say, going out and television at the end Mounties lip; spitting buying Canadian flags in the beer of the felof each month when Mr. Efford’s depart- and running them up low next to him if the ment released the brand is you-knowa pole so they can data. writing rude have the satisfaction what; Nobody at all words on the backof hauling them would notice that sides of the children John Efford was of CFAs and sending down again. also busy kicking them home; phoning his own province in the CBC hotline 10 the goolies. times a day to comAnd once a year, more often in his plain about something that was realown federal riding than not, Mr. ly on NTV; stuffing his pockets with Efford would preside over a colour- fish guts and lurking around arrivals ful ceremony to crown the Nookie at the airport. King and Queen for all of Canada. His patriotic to-do list includes There’s poor Brother Efford’s committing rude actions on a live problem solved and now we must beaver as soon as he can acquire
Poke In The Eye
one; spreading rumours about Tommy Douglas and sheep; stirring Internet treason among Newfs in the military; encouraging the Yanks to come across the border and secure their water supply; taking group action in court against Nova Scotia where all our bad weather comes from. Melrose may be an extreme case. Most Newfoundlanders would rather be working on a good somesex marriage. But Danny Williams has set the ball rolling and who knows what it will gather and who knows where it might stop. COUSINS TO THE SOUTH Once stirred we are more like our cousins to the south than our brethren to the west. Consider the pious entreaty many Yankees bore on their bumper stickers during a time when their political leaders roused them against the Red Hordes: “Kill a Commie for Christ!” They don’t do things by halves. Suppose poor Danny’s initial act of defiance gets out of hand and goes the limit. “Canadian guts for garters” is likely to unsettle the tourists at Port aux Basques. “Massacre a mainlander for Mary.” I mean, if we didn’t make up in the sale of bumper stickers what we lost in tourism, what would be the percentage? Never mind, that’s Loyola Sullivan’s problem. Ray Guy’s next column appears Jan. 24.
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NEWS
The Independent, January 2, 2005
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.
PUBLISHER Brian Dobbin NEWSROOM Managing Editor Ryan Cleary Senior Editor Stephanie Porter Picture Editor Paul Daly Senior Writer Jeff Ducharme Reporter Alisha Morrissey Reporter Clare-Marie Gosse Production Manager John Andrews Intern Jenny Higgins OPERATIONS General Manager John Moores john.moores@theindependent.ca Consultant Wilson Hiscock Manager Sales & Marketing Andrew Best Circulation Representative Brian Elliott Office Manager Rose Genge Graphic Designer Steffanie Keating Reception/Circulation Assistant Stephanie Martin E-MAIL Advertising: sales@theindependent.ca Production: production@theindependent.ca Circulation: circulation@theindependent.ca Newsroom: editorial@theindependent.ca All material in The Independent is copyrighted and the property of The Independent or the writers and photographers who produced the material. Any use or reproduction of this material without permission is prohibited under the Canadian Copyright Act. © 2004 The Independent
N
Danny bin missed
ow for some gossip. Or is it more news in flavour, this juicy bit: Danny Williams isn’t talking to The Independent. Not a word, we’re on ignore. It’s as if the paper doesn’t exist (except to read and piss him off). No reaction to the paper’s sixpart series on Confederation that finally revealed how Newfoundland and Labrador gives billions and billions more than it takes from mainland Canada. (Not a stain of reaction from the federal government either, but that’s another column.) The premier won’t take our calls. No year-end interview to talk about 2004, where this province has been and the road ahead. Williams won’t have anything to do with The Independent. He cancelled the newspaper from his return-call list in early October after Ray Guy, the Whore’s Egg of a columnist (Page 3 of this week’s Independent), suggested a couple of nicknames for Williams. “Like Saddam Williams, perhaps. Or Danny Hussein. Danny bin Liberal?” The premier, his spokeswoman said, was personally offended by the comparison to the former ruler of Iraq. He apparently equated it to being called Hitler — a word stricken from the vocabulary of columnists far and wide. Only Ray wasn’t talking about
that Saddam Hussein, the ruthless killer of Iraqi innocents. Ray was talking about the Middle East mouse Saddam Hussein, the one who dared roar against the U.S. lion; the same one who was subsequently squashed, like a bug. Hussein is a monster, Williams is nothing of the sort. Ray’s connection between the two (and this interpretation comes from reading the column, not from talking to the columnist) was in so much as Williams — representing MP-insignificant Newfoundland and Labrador (seven seats out of 308) — is going up against the might of the federal government, the same way that Hussein — representing militarily insignificant Iraq — faced the hammer that is the U.S. military. The two are linked, as far as Ray is concerned, in that their chances of winning are remote. The connections end there. In the end, Hussein was found hidden in a hole in the ground, like a frightened little mouse. “And we must be ready to have our bluff called,” Ray wrote in reference to Williams’ relationship with Ottawa. “Otherwise, they’ll simply pee down our mouse hole once more.” This column is not in defense of
Ray Guy; even a legend needs a tap now and then. Ray is dead wrong when he says Newfoundland and Labrador nationalism is confined to barstools and university coffee shops. Life here is not necessarily doomed to hardship and hopelessness, corruption and incompetence. All politicians are not out for themselves. Ray, who spent his early career keeping Joe Smallwood in line, can be a tad gloomy and cynical. It’s never too late to save ourselves. Nationalism is not a topic for townie cocktail parties and teaparty chats, but a growing passion — born from injustice and nurtured with education and knowledge. This land may have had the rallies and protests drained from it with the loss of its youth, but a spark of life remains, one that can flare yet in Ottawa’s face. Ray is big and hairy-arsed enough (like all Independent columnists, excluding Noreen) to defend himself. His column could be taken in two ways — Williams took it the wrong way. Back to the point. Now that the premier has banned the Maple Leaf from government buildings, what’s his next move? In Ray’s words, what’s his “or
RYAN CLEARY
else?” Removing the Canadian flag — gutsy, passionate statement though it was — didn’t exactly cause a national ripple. “Williams is like a welfare recipient who gets a lucrative job but still expects to get his welfare cheques,” read a letter to the editor in The Globe and Mail. Most Canadians no more understand this province’s case now than they ever did. Newfoundland and Labrador is not a welfare case. That’s a bold face lie that’s been propagated for far too long. Again, where to from here? Now that the Canadian flags are down, do we burn them? Is separation an option; a legitimate question since Williams removed the most recognizable of Canadian symbols. (Imagine a U.S. state removing the Stars and Stripes; America would lose its mind.) The first step is leadership, to bring Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, home and aboard, together as a unified force, fighting for a single cause. Communication is also key — what exactly are we fighting for? What is the cause? Is it just oil money we’re after or is there a bigger precedent to be set? The Independent is not against you, Mr. Premier, but our faith will never be blind. Ryan Cleary is managing editor of The Independent. ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
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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
Thinking outside the Confederation box Dear editor, In the United Kingdom there is a prizefighter named Danny Williams, a great boxer. Well Newfoundland and Labrador has its own prizefighter as well, coincidentally also named Danny Williams. What if we were in control of our own oil and gas fields, our own fishery, our own Voisey’s Bay? What if we were like Ireland and in control of our own international trading terms? What if we were like the Channel Islands, Iceland,
and many other island countries that have established their own free-trade zones and are flourishing as a result. Perhaps it’s time that we considered removing ourselves from Confederation! In the 50 years since Confederation our natural resources have been raped, pillaged and taken to our detriment and for the benefit of others. So why is the rest of Canada so surprised that we finally have a leader with the guts and tenacity to stand up for what is really ours? Every former premier has gone
cap in hand, on bended knee and accepting of the crumbs from Canada’s table. Every Newfoundlander and Labradorian should be firmly behind Danny on this issue. It’s not about partisan politics; it’s not about greed. Anyone who knows Danny knows he is not doing this for personal or political gain. He is doing this because he believes that if we do not make a stand now, we will never have prosperity and our children and their children are doomed if we don’t. Do we continue to support
the doom-and-gloom prophesies and watch our young people continue to leave in droves, or do we create an economic environment for them to stay where they want to be? If we continue to do what we have always done, we will continue to have what we have always had. Do you want that for your province and for its future? Now is the time for a real paradigm shift, and Danny is the one to achieve it. Dave Rudofsky, St. John’s
The Independent, January 2, 2005
NEWS
Page 5
Give me a D, give me an A, give me an N …
D
anny, Danny, Danny. Once again I feel it necessary to write you another one of these little notes. I worry you’re only getting the advice you want, which is not always a good thing. So I’m going to offer you advice I am guessing you don’t want. And for only a buck. I get around — a lot — and I talk to disaffected Tories. You know what they all have in common? When they talk to me about you, they tend to whisper. They all trust that I won’t use their names. They aren’t stupid. They aren’t happy, either. They tell me that to be a member of Team Danny is to cheerlead and do as you are told. It’s that pesky management thing again. Privately they tell me that you are outClyding Clyde Wells. We don’t know each other, so I don’t know if any of this is true, but people say it is.
WON’T ‘SELL US OUT’ Privately they also say you’re the best man for the job of dealing with Ottawa. They also say you won’t “sell us out.” On that point I agree with them. That’s what makes this so scary. When you keep doing stupid and childish things, it worries
Rant & Reason IVAN MORGAN them, and me. Like what? Let’s have a look. Like giving the feds an artificial deadline. Just before Christmas you were suddenly telling everyone that it was “do or die” and “showtime.” I know you were just trying to set the agenda, but anyone who has ever raised a three-year-old child knows you can’t give in to “or else.” The way I see it, Minister Ralph Goodale and crew had no choice but to blow you off. I guess he figured that if he took crap from one premier, then he would have to take crap from them all. And that is the source of your fury — to them you are just a pushy premier with no clout. We both know that is how they see you. It makes me mad too. That brings me to my next point. You were so pissed off, you had the Canadian flag yanked three days before Christmas. If
your goal was to be talked about at all the Christmas parties and Christmas dinners, then you did well. Over Christmas some people with opinions I respect sat me down and lectured me about this flag thing — pro and con. I listened. I sat with a passionate Newfoundlander who clearly stated that you had to do something to get noticed. She knows all-toowell the attitude towards Newfoundland and Labrador in many other parts of this country. If it takes a gesture like that, she said, then so be it. She was proud of you. I spoke to plenty like her. But I also sat with a very angry veteran. You yanked his flag, the flag under which he was shot at. A peacekeeper, Danny. Ever been shot at? Me neither. He seemed pretty pissed. Who are you to yank his flag? I spoke with a retailer who depends on the tourist trade. Remember tourism — the new fishery? He wanted to know about next summer’s advertising campaign. What’s it going to be: “Come to Newfoundland and we’ll tell you off in person?” I spoke to some folks in Happy-Valley Goose Bay. They’re sweating the base. They did not appreciate the bully-boy
tactics. I sat with some brand new Canadians. They were quick to tell me what they would choose, if it came down to Newfoundland and Labrador or Canada. All this made me wonder about what exactly is a Newfoundlander? Who are the “us” and who are the “them” in all of this? Who did you pull down the flags for? Is this a Newfoundland nationalist thing? Most Newfoundland nationalists I know are white, and
I sat with some brand new Canadians. They were quick to tell me what they would choose, if it came down to Newfoundland and Labrador or Canada. of British, Irish or Scottish extraction. What about everyone else? Are they along for the ride? Are we a race, or a shared culture? I find this whole thing a little worrisome. No doubt Goodale and Paul Martin are miserable. No doubt
the Liberal party is a bunch of shifty Upper Canadians. No doubt bureaucrats in Ottawa are devious. No doubt we are being robbed — and always have been. My question is: what has any of this that got to do with the Canadian flag? The rest of the world sees Canada like a big happy family. I don’t like it when Mom and Dad fight. BEST INTERESTS Try not to read this as criticism of what you are trying to achieve. I honestly believe that you have our best interests at heart. Just please — enough with the empty threats and pointless gestures. Tell us about the hospitals, roads and schools Ralph and Paul won’t let us build. Tell us about the billions that we won’t get. Just don’t mess with the Canadian flag. I am a Canadian. So are most people in this province, after they sober up. You want to ban something — ban the Liberal party. You are already weeding the provincial bureaucracy of them, why not ban them from all public buildings in the province? Makes more sense and I for one could go there. Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.com
Letters to the Editor
Confederation to-do list contract. Dear editor, • Hold a provincial referendum I believe we will not get any justice from Ottawa by negotia- to order all future governments to tions or other legal means. The absolutely not deal with Quebec time for talking softly, begging Hydro when the current Churchill with our heads down, is over. I deal runs out. • Related to the feel our plan and above, begin work to approach must be The time for put infrastructure in picked up a notch. For years we have been talking softly, place to pursue the taking Ottawa’s crap begging with Atlantic route to the American hydro marbut now we must wipe it off our face and our heads down, ket. Thus, well before the contract is finished, stand loud and proud is over we will have everyand get down to the thing in place. dirty work ahead. • Put Newfoundland Hydro in a Here are the things we must do: • Have a provincewide rally to similar position to Hydro Queshow our support for our govern- bec. ment. Arise Newfoundlanders and • Shut down all oil production Labradorians and show that the in our province. fighting Newfoundlander is not a • Ban all foreign fishing fleets myth, but is alive and well. We from our ports. have no problem fighting and • Send out boats to harass for- dying for Canada and other couneign ships on the Grand Banks. tries. The federal government has • Close down Churchill Falls. forever insulted the NewfoundTake a note from Rene Levesque, landers who have fought and died who said Quebec would burn for a free and equal Canada. We down every pole erected to bring need a few people willing to stand Newfoundland and Labrador up and fight for this little part of power across their province, and the planet. topple a few towers on a regular Lloyd Taylor, schedule to force reopening that St. John’s
Unabashedly Newfoundlander Dear editor, I am the CEO of IQ Sportswear, a small swimwear manufacturing company located in Paradise. We have seven employees in total, and are 100 per cent Newfoundland owned and operated. My first line of ready-to-wear swimwear is called Unabashedly Canadian, and has been on the market for two years now. It has sold well in Canada and the United States, with some sales to expatriate Canadians living overseas. As a gesture of support for Danny Williams, I have decided to discontinue production of the line,
effective immediately. The site has been taken down, and a letter of explanation has been posted (www.canadianswimwear.com). I’d like to encourage other businesses and individuals who feel as strongly about the issue to follow the lead of the premier, and show their displeasure with the situation. Removing the flags from the provincial and city buildings sends a powerful message, and it shouldn’t stop with the government. Newfoundland forever! Marie Routhier, Paradise
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The Independent, January 2, 2005
Butt naked in the land of Green Gables
ince Lucy Maud Montgomery penned the tale of that rascally little pigtailed redhead, Anne of Green Gables, millions have fallen in love with JEFF the story. The tribulations and triumphs of the orphan from Prince DUCHARME Edward Island have been translated into 17 languages and created a tourism industry on the island a fuss about,” he said of the resort province. that opened last year. “Nobody got Anne and her lore have made drunk and ran through Cavendish P.E.I. a magical, mystical place of in the nude.” wholesome dreams and a simpler At least, no more so than on a time. regular Saturday night in Well, so much for being whole- Cavendish. some. Hold onto your morals — the The Oasis Resort, just outside Oasis Resort may just be the first Cavendish, has received permis- official step in a radical change to sion to expand. But you won’t see tourism’s most good and pure corAnne — at least let’s hope not — ner of Canada. skipping across the grounds. Oasis Another P.E.I. beach, Blooming is a nudist resort. Point, is already an unofficial nud“They’re saying tourism is ist beach. That beach has caused down, but this is a market that some controversy, but most people keeps going up,” Gary Lowther, look the other way — after taking who owns and operates the resort a quick peek, that is. with his wife Linda, told the You can’t blame nudists when Canadian Press. P.E.I. has some of the The resort is locatfinest beaches washed ed not far from the Hold onto your by some of the prettimorals — the storied haunted est ocean waters in the woods that Mont- Oasis Resort may country. gomery made famous There are more just be the first than four million regin her novel. There’s just some- official step in a istered nudists in thing inherently radical change North America and wrong with having a of them make to tourism’s most many nudist resort so close their way to P.E.I. It good and pure leaves one wondering to Canada’s bastion of wholesomeness — corner of Canada. exactly what the criteAnne of Green ria are for registering Gables. oneself as a card-carBut Jack MacAndrew, a P.E.I. rying nudist. Beyond that, exactly author and media commentator, where would one keep the I.D. says people shouldn’t get too upset card? just yet. “It’s kind of a network and I “No horrible things resulted guess they are successful,” said from it that anyone could docu- Walter Wyand of the Cavendish ment. So there is nothing to make Area Tourist Association. “This
Opinions Are Like...
fits into the rural landscape, the rural lifestyle just the same as anything else, so it’s welcome. We need the visitors.” Maybe municipal politicians in this province should look at attracting similar business here. Talk about revitalizing rural Newfoundland and Labrador! Such a move would bring a whole new meaning to “outside the overpass.” Now this province does have some fine beaches, but the weather might be a bit of an issue when clothing is optional. There could
be some very sensitive cases of frostbite when the mercury plummets — not to mention shrinkage, as George from Sienfeld would be quick to point out. Lowther says he hopes to open a 17-site campground this summer. He’ll also be adding that legendary refuge (made famous in Bmovies and seedy magazines) of nudists’ campgrounds around the world — a volleyball court. I have often given thought as to why beach volleyball is so popular at nudists’ resorts. Maybe it’s the
jumping and the bouncing or maybe it’s the absolute lack of protective equipment required, but every nudist resort has a volleyball court, or so it seems. Be free! Be naked! But be careful on those volleyball courts because sand does have a nasty way of working itself into some very uncomfortable and embarrassing spots. Jeff Ducharme is The Independent’s senior writer. jeff.ducharme@theindependent.ca
Letters to the Editor
‘There is a limit, even for us’ Editor’s note: The following is a letter printed in The National Post in response to an editorial carried recently in that paper.
fully reneges. We are a resourceful, proud and intelligent people who have known independence. We supply thousands of professional, skilled Dear editor, and hard workers to the mainland. Your editorial confirms our Our outport economies are in worst fears: you really do believe great distress. Our population we are inferior! The poor should decreases. We are the poorest by not ask impolitely for more hand- far in Canada, with the highest outs — that’s your implication. debt, highest taxes, lowest income Please try to understand what and worst infrastructure. This has happened since despite the fact that 1949. we have great riches Canada took over on land, sea and We are a the planet’s best fishbeneath the sea. resourceful, ing grounds and has The Independent proud and presided over, even newspaper in St. abetted, its destruc- intelligent people John’s did a six-week tion. For example, the who have known series on the give and feds bartered our fish take of Confederation. independence. They concluded that to foreign countries for trade benefits in the mainland has Central Canada. received $50 billion Quebec exploits Labrador’s from Newfoundland and Labrador hydro resources. Quebec gets 95 and given $10 billion back since per cent of the profits to the tune Confederation. of $1 billion a year. (This because No other people, anywhere, Ottawa would not allow an ener- would be as docile as we have gy corridor across Quebec to the been — but there is a limit, even United States.) The Supreme for us! Court of Canada said this is just We would rather love and be fine. loved. We want only to be able to We find oil and gas beneath our live and prosper in this resource dwindling fish. Ottawa supplies rich, strategic and intoxicatingly the capital to develop, but after it beautiful land of Newfoundland gets its money back in full, it still and Labrador. takes 75 per cent of the royalties. Here’s to your health and Then, pre-election, the prime min- increased cognizance in 2005. ister promises 100 per cent of the Wallace B. Rendell, royalties, wins seats, then deceitSt. John’s
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Soo youu don’tt have e a hundr ed d emp loyeess and d bigg cor por ate offices.. That’ss no t a bigg deal. Havingg ann insurance company thatt treatss youu ass iff youu do… … Noww that’ss big.
L ET ’S TALK ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS
Deanne Legrow Commercial Sales Executive
Who says small businesses require little insurance attention? We certainly don’t In the past 26 years we’ve worked with the smallest
The Independent, January 2, 2005
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Blowing in the wind
Worse things have happened to the Canadian flag: Simms By Jeff Ducharme The Independent
W
hen Premier Danny Williams ordered all Canadian flags removed from government buildings after negotiations with the federal government on the Atlantic Accord fell through, Gander-Exploits Liberal MP Scott Simms saw the “flag flap” in a different light. “As far as the flag thing goes, there’s somewhat of indifference from me because I lived in the east end of Montreal in 1995 and I’ve seen things done to the Canadian flag far worse than this,” Simms tells The Independent. Williams removed the flags after a Dec. 22 meeting in Winnipeg in which the feds failed to meet his self-imposed Christmas deadline on changes to the accord. The changes would have netted
Newfoundland and Labrador an estimated $2.5 million to $3 billion over the life of the proposed 16-year deal. Williams refused to sign on the dotted line because a number of conditions that were insisted on by the feds — including a requirement for the province to pay off its deficit — would have cost the province as much as $1 billion. Before being elected last June, Simms worked for The Weather Network, which had its main office in Montreal. Emotions were at a fever pitch in 1995 as the Parti Quebecois led the province into a second referendum on separation. The province came within one per cent of separation. “There was one solitary Canadian flag on the street and it was mine,” says Simms. He and Random-Burin-St. George’s Liberal MP Bill
Paul Daly/The Independent
Security guard Bill Manning with the Canadian flag he removed from the Confederation Building.
Matthews voted against their government in November and in favour of a Conservative motion calling for Prime Minister Paul Martin to keep his promise and grant the province 100 per cent of provincial resource revenues. The motion was defeated. “I don’t think it helps our cause in the rest of the country,” Simms says of the premier’s removal of Canadian flags. A spokesman for Natural Resources Minister John Efford — a staunch supporter of Ottawa’s position — says he was spending time with family over the Christmas holidays and wouldn’t be available for comment. John FitzGerald, a history professor with Memorial University in St. John’s, says support from the rest of the country is irrelevant. “…don’t forget the original Confederation deal didn’t require the support of the rest of the country,” FitzGerald tells The Independent. “The Atlantic Accord didn’t require the support of the rest of the country and these negotiations don’t require the support of the rest of the country.” FitzGerald, who admits Williams is a “close family friend,” supports the removal of the flags, but he also calls the flag issue “political grandstanding. “I think something was called for to clearly signify displeasure. I’m not sure what else he could have done.” Williams is the first premier of
the province to take down the Canadian flag. In 1982, after oil negotiations went bad, then-premier Brian Peckford ordered all Canadian flags on provincial government property be flown at halfmast. The province, says FitzGerald, may be learning how to deal with the feds in the same way that Ireland did after years of dealing with an unsympathetic British parliament. “They finally realized that this is not a situation that really requires us to convince the people of Britain of anything.” But they eventually ended up with “bloody sectarian war on their hands,” says FitzGerald, “which I don’t think anyone has in mind for this place. I would hope not. Any kind of political divide and conquer stuff is nasty.” Nestled in Alberta’s oil and gas heartland, The Daily Herald Tribune newspaper recently wrote an editorial supporting Williams and the province’s quest for a better deal. “It seems to us that it’s time for The Rock’s ship to come in, and Albertans should be happy for their Newfoundland and Labrador brethren, many whose extended family now extends to places such as Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray,” read the Dec. 23 editorial headlined “Go Danny Go.” “As NL Premier Danny Williams said Wednesday (Dec. 22), his people have been slapped
in the face by Ottawa. Gee, that’s something we share in common isn’t it? “It’s deserved and about time, and another clutch and grab by Ottawa here could be a dangerous harbinger for things to come here too.” The paper’s managing editor, Fred Rinne, says the paper stands by the editorial, but that it has “jumped off the bandwagon” since Williams ordered Canadian flags removed. “In principal we stand by the editorial and what it suggests, but Williams crossed the line on the flag issue,” says Rinne. “Until he apologizes to Canadians and Newfoundlanders for clearly overreacting, we cannot, in good faith, support his fight with Ottawa.” Rinne suggests that the premier’s rage was misdirected. “ … Williams should have said he was slapped in the face by Paul Martin or Ralph Goodale and acted accordingly, instead of insulting all Canadians.” St. John’s South Conservative MP Loyola Hearn says time will tell if the premier’s grandstanding will have the desired effect. “I had two or three calls that afternoon from mainland media asking the same question and my response was “Well, if he hadn’t done it would you guys be calling me?’” says Hearn. “Sometimes you do things you wouldn’t do ordinarily to get that message across.”
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The Independent, January 2, 2005
Flag flap The Independent contacts Newfoundlanders and Labradorians across Canada for their thoughts on banishment of Maple Leaf By Alisha Morrissey The Independent
O
n Christmas morning Frank O’Neil and some friends raised the old Newfoundland flag on the pole in front of Confederation Building in St. John’s where the Maple Leaf once flew. Though the pink, white and green flew for only a few hours before security guards took it down, O’Neil says if he were to choose a flag to fly “it may as well be that one.” The Independent contacted Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living across the country for their thoughts on Premier Danny Williams’ decision to remove the Canadian flag from all provincial government buildings. The reaction is varied: from empathy to apathy, patriotism to ignorance. Some say it’s political posturing; others call it childishness. But many who left the province on the regular wave of out-migration say they support the symbolic gesture — and that the premier could do more. OTTAWA, ONT. “It doesn’t get much play in the news up there,” says Burt Fitzgerald, a native Newfoundlander who moved to the nation’s capital years ago. “They should turn off all the oil for a little while and then see what happens.” REGINA, SASK. “It seems like Mr. Williams is closed to any sort of negotiations … I know (lowering the flags) is just a symbolic gesture, but I’d like to know where he plans on going with it,” says Dave Desroches, an associate producer for CBC news in Regina, Sask. “I’d like Mr. Williams to address Newfoundlanders and tell them what his plan is,” says Desroches, originally from St. John’s. EDMONTON, ALTA. Mike Leman, a native of Port aux Basque, says he’s indifferent about the removal of the Canadian flag. In fact, he doesn’t know anything about the issue. “Who’s Danny Williams?” KINGSTON, ONT. Darla Oxford, who moved from Labrador a year ago with her boyfriend to look for work, calls Williams’ actions “stupid” and “childish.” “I am a Newfoundlander myself, but I am also a Canadian. It isn’t only an insult to the rest of Canada, but to those of us Newfoundlanders who consider ourselves a part of Canada,” she says. “The flag does not represent the (federal) government, but the people living all over this great country — I’m outraged.” LARGO, FLA. Hughie Peyton, now living in Largo, Fla., keeps up with the news back home in Sandy Point. He applauds Williams’ move. “I think they should do more if
there’s any way in the world to do it, because we’re really being shafted aren’t we?” He recommends the premier put all Canadian flags in a black bag and send them to Prime Minister Paul Martin’s office. “Every premier has tried to get something done and we’re not even being looked at,” he says. “Ontario and the rest of Canada think we’re a bunch of beggars and I don’t think we are.” SURREY, B.C. Susan Flanagan, who moved west from St. John’s with her husband and four children last year, stands up to “politically astute” British Columbians who ask her opinion on the flag flap. “I always tell them how proud I am of Danny Williams and how happy I am to have a premier with the guts to stand up for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s about time,” she says. “It’s like Ottawa just wants to keep Newfoundlanders and Labradorians hammered down so we can continue to supply the nation with an educated work force. “May the flag stay down until a decent deal is struck.” PARADISE, NL Marie Routhier, owner and operator of IQ Sportswear in Paradise, just outside St. John’s, is originally from Winnipeg. Her company recently released a line of swimwear that displayed the Maple Leaf. Routhier pulled the clothing line in a show of support for Williams. “I’m just not proud to be Canadian anymore … enough is enough, you know.” HARBOUR GRACE, NL Danielle King, who moved to downtown Toronto last year, returned home to Harbour Grace
Model prefinishing hardwood Canadian Made 8 Species 4 Widths 3 Gloss Levels 6 Stains
Wishing You and Yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Cottle’s Island Lumber Co. Cottlesville
Paul Daly/The Independent
Mount Pearl and two other cities in the province have removed Canadian flags from their buildings in a show of support for Premier Danny Williams. Mayor Steve Kent, who replaced the Maple Leaf with the pink white and green, says he’s received plenty of feedback – both positive and negative — from around the country. The old Newfoundland flag, he says, is a symbol of the province’s historic strength and pride.
for the Christmas holidays. “I live in downtown Toronto and essentially there isn’t much reaction. I’ve brought it up … and the majority haven’t even heard about it — much less care,” she says. “We just aren’t roaring loud enough apparently.
“I did have one friend of mine (a Scot living in Toronto who understands my plight) say ‘Nobody will bat a lash as Canada ends in Halifax anyway, doesn’t it?’” King went on to describe a recent incident in a bar in Har-
bour Grace. “I offered to buy a mainlander friend a Blue Star, to which she promptly replied, ‘I’ll have a Canadian please, none of your flag lowering separatist beer for me …’ To which I naturally replied, ‘Buy your own f—-ing beer.”
The Independent, January 2, 2005
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Norris Arm resident campaigning for independent study of link between transmission lines and cancer By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent
M
argaret Higgins has cancer. It started in her breast and spread, over a four-year period, to her liver, lungs, bones and brain. She seems to be somewhat resigned to her condition, but her husband, Gerald, isn’t. After extensive research, he came to the conclusion that electromagnetic fields from power lines and transformers could be responsible. Higgins discovered that out of the 62 transformers in Norris Arm, there were incidents of cancer in homes located close to 60. He and his wife lived in a small bungalow, overshadowed by heavy power lines. His findings led him on a personal crusade. Ultimately, he would like to see a governmentfunded study — independent of the power company — carried out in rural Newfoundland and Labrador to assess the possible link between cancer and transformers. Over the last few years, Higgins has received support from thousands of victims of cancer across the province, as well as noted experts throughout the country. To support Higgins, Norris Arm Mayor Fred Budgell mailed 150 letters to towns in the province, asking for stories of cancer that could be related to transformers. An overwhelming 90 towns responded. Higgins has since spoken with well over 4,000 cancer patients and in April, 2004 he sent a petition signed by Norris Arm residents to then-Health minister Elizabeth Marshall requesting the independent study. In May 2000, just after his wife had her breast removed, Higgins went for a drive around Norris Arm.
“I was right depressed,” he tells The Independent. “I went for a drive, wondering what was causing so much cancer in this community. “I went from one transformer to another and I started seeing the connections. I had goose bumps as big as eggs. I thought the government would be so happy to find out there’s something causing cancer.” His realizations, however, weren’t as revolutionary as he thought. After doing some research, he discovered concerns about the potential effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields had been a worldwide issue since a 1979 study by Dr. Nancy Wertheimer and Ed Leeper of the University of North Carolina. Coincidently, Wertheimer’s suspicions were raised in exactly the same way as Higgins. She was searching for an explanation into high levels of childhood leukemia within an area of Denver, and came across a transformer directly behind a victim’s house. Wertheimer’s subsequent study found that children who had died from cancer were two to three times more likely to have lived within 40 metres of a high-current power line. Numerous international studies have been conducted since, showing a similar connection to adult cancer. Despite evidence suggesting a relationship between electromagnetic fields and childhood leukemia — a concern recognized by the World Health Organization — results haven’t been consistent or conclusive to promote much response from governments. An expert in the field, Magda Havas, fully supports Higgins in his request for an independent survey. As an associate professor in environmental resource studies at Ontario’s Trent University, Havas has conducted extensive research into electromagnetic fields. She
Paul Daly/The Independent
says rural Newfoundland and Labrador would be an ideal location for a study because of the many small communities made up of long-term residents. “If it’s going to show anywhere, that’s where it’s going to show up,” she says. Higgins first contacted Havas to ask her if his suspicions surrounding electromagnetic fields were founded. “He wanted to find out if he was on the right track,” Havas told The Independent. “Could there be a relationship between cancer and living close to power lines and transformers? And I said ‘You’re damn right there can, that’s what research is showing’ and we’ve been in touch ever since.” Although Sweden and America have some basic safety limits in place relating to electromagnetic field exposure, Health Canada has no current guidelines. A spokesman for Health Canada tells The
Independent there isn’t enough scientific evidence “at this point in time … to indicate that there’s a clear link between power lines and any illnesses of any kind. “I don’t want to be too alarmist,” says Robert Bradley, director of Health Canada’s consumer and clinical radiation protection bureau, “but, for example, if you take a knife and stab yourself through the heart, you know the consequences, but if you held a knife in front of somebody, what can be a consequence?” DIFFICULT STUDY He says that because of the wide range of household appliances that produce electromagnetic fields, such as televisions and microwaves, it would be difficult and time consuming to conduct an accurate study. Although Health Canada has no current plans to install any guidelines around electromagnetic fields, Bradley says the issue is under investigation. “The matter is not closed, there’s a lot of research ongoing. The international EMF (electromagnetic field) Project, which is a project organized by the World Health Organization, has been ongoing now for the better part of
eight years. I think it’s drawing to a close — there should be a report out within the next couple of years.” Havas is currently researching other effects of electromagnetic fields, and in October, attended a World Health Organization meeting in Prague, formed to address the issue of electrical hypersensitivity, which is a disability recognized by the government. Sufferers experience a wide range of symptoms from skin rashes to headaches and lethargy when exposed to high levels of electromagnetic energy. Havas has discovered that the use of electrical filters, plugged into outlets, can drastically reduce the problem, as well as aiding people suffering from multiple sclerosis and diabetes. She says she, and other people in her field can “barely believe the results.” Although Newfoundland Power moved the power lines away from Higgins’ house in 2002, he’s still not satisfied. He says he won’t be until the dangers of electromagnetic fields and their relation to cancer are recognized. “I’m not going to say I can save my wife, because I can’t save my wife … but I know in my heart and soul that I’m right.”
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The Independent, January 2, 2005
‘A new confidence in this land’ T
he stench of failure has hung heavy over this land’s history. We failed to make it on our own as a nation. Like a grown man having to return home to depend on his parents, we returned to the arms of mother England to suffer the indignity of being ruled by a Commission of Government. Following Confederation, Joey Smallwood’s well-intentioned but inept effort to industrialize Newfoundland left a trail of corpses: from an ice-cream factory to the hope that Churchill Falls would be our economic salvation. The bad deal we struck with Quebec on Churchill Falls was perhaps our most spectacular failure. It cost us billions of dollars and delayed our self-sufficiency for decades. Worse, it fed into the stereotype of the dumb Newfoundlander. Here we were, sitting on this huge renewable energy resource. What did we do? Muck it up, as usual. There are other examples I could cite. But I don’t want to dwell on failure; I just mention it here because it has played such a big part in the Newfoundland psyche. Truth be told, our confidence as a people has been shaken so many times that occasionally too many of us might have wondered if there’s some truth to all those Newfie
West Words FRANK CARROLL jokes. Shaken confidence can lead to cynicism and the belief that nothing will ever really work out for this place. Despite all those past disappointments, I get the sense that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are acquiring a sense of confidence and optimism that wasn’t there before. Perhaps hardship has made us so resilient that we’re getting immune to failure. Maybe the opportunity afforded by our newfound oil wealth has injected hope into the atmosphere. Whatever the reason, it seems like a new generation of Newfoundland and Labrador business people are taking risks that are paying off. Allow me to take a risk with you, dear reader — the risk of sounding like a sycophant. As owner of The Independent, Brian Dobbin ultimately pays me to write these columns. So, it might appear rather suspect of me to write a column praising one of his other businesses. But I would have given the man his due even if he
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, DEC. 27 Vessels arrived: Sir Wilfred Grenfell, Canada, from sea; Emma, Norway, from sea. Vessels departed: Maersk Chancellor, Canada, to Terra Nova; Atlantic Kingfisher, Canada, to Terra Nova. TUESDAY, DEC. 28 Vessels arrived: Maersk Norse-
man, Canada, from Hibernia; Zuiho Maru No. 65, Japan, from Sea; Atlantic Eagle, Canada, from Terra Nova. Vessels departed: Emma, Norway, to Denmark. WEDNESDAY, DEC 29 Vessels arrived: Burin Sea, Canada, from Terra Nova; Maersk Chignecto, Canada, from White Rose; Shosian Maru No. 60, Japan, from sea. Vessels departed: ASL Sanderling, Canada, to Corner Brook; Burin Sea, Canada, to Terra Nova.
didn’t subsidize my Christmas. In addition to owning the paper, Dobbin is CEO of Humber Valley Resort, a multi-million dollar tourism development near Pasadena, just down the road from Marble Mountain. In developing the resort, Dobbin’s vision was grand: an expansive collection of $1.5 million luxury cabins surrounding an 18-hole golf course. So far, his company has sold 60 such units with immediate plans to build another 80. The long-term goal is to build 1,000 units along the shores of Deer Lake. While the resort has cost $70 million to build so far, Dobbin places its value at $600 million. It’s paying off for him and for the local economy. The venture employed 500 people in the construction phase, and Dobbin says the resort will mean $20 million a year to the local tourism industry. That will translate into many more jobs. It’s easy to see how the resort could be a gold mine for Corner Brook and the Humber Valley region. The people who buy these luxury units are, of course, wealthy. Now, it’s up to the people in the area to capitalize on the opportunity given to them. They might take their inspiration from Dobbin. They could think big: open high-end restaurants and
boutiques for their new high-end neighbours. But big isn’t enough. If it were, many more of Smallwood’s adventures would have paid off. More important than thinking big, Dobbin has done many things right. For one thing, he has been willing to look outside the box that we as a people have often placed ourselves in.
Truth be told, our confidence as a people has been shaken so many times that occasionally too many of us might have wondered if there’s some truth to all those Newfie jokes. Although we were initially economically bound to Europe, we Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have for most of the past two centuries looked south and west when marketing our resources. The folks running Humber Valley Resort were smart enough to
know that the tourism industry need no longer be limited to North America. Indeed, sometimes it can be a disadvantage to focus on North America. Europeans don’t seem to mind a four- or five-hour flight to Newfoundland. Instead of seeing us as “isolated,” they see us as an accessible part of Canada. It all seems so logical now that the Humber Valley Resort is a success. But it took a mixture of clearthinking and chutzpah on the part of the owners to make it happen. Of course, it also took money. Let’s not kid ourselves, the Dobbins are not known for being destitute. But failure tastes bitter no matter how much money you have. The Humber Valley Resort was a risk. It is paying off, but it was a risk nonetheless. You don’t have to be a Dobbin to take a risk that pays off. From the woman who opens a new boutique in Conception Bay South to the man who invents an innovative signal light for life vests, there’s a new confidence in this land that brings far more hope than nickel or offshore oil revenues ever could. Frank Carroll, a journalism instructor at the Stephenville-campus of the College of the North Atlantic, can be reached at frank_carroll_nf@yahoo.ca
January 2, 2005
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‘You can’t make this stuff up’ Revue writers not expected to run out of material until ‘cows come home’
I
t’s an interesting photo shoot. Danny Williams is crouching beside a bewildered cow, exchanging a frantic phone conversation with Leo Puddister, who’s grubbing around in the straw, trying to avoid stepping in manure. A goat, donkey, two pigs, three sheep and an ostrich are watching closely, contemplating freaking out. “Normally we keep these costumes for a Friday night on George Street,” explains Puddister — a.k.a. Glenn Downey — gesturing to his cow outfit. “The women love it.”
Danny (Rick Boland) Williams, steps daintily out of the stall, and tucks a bit of straw back in his farmer’s outfit, gearing up for another pose. Further down the barn, John Sheehan, who’s dressed as a pig — representing Canada/Paul Martin — tries to placate the farmyard audience with cabbage leaves. It’s that time of year again. Rising Tide Theatre Company is sharpening its claws — and wits — for another Revue. For the past 20 years, Donna Butt, Rising Tide’s artistic director, has been directing and co-writing
the popular annual show, which takes a satirical look back over the big provincial events of the year. “This is 21 years this year,” Butt tells The Independent. “Last year I said I was never going to do it again. I did, I made a big splash about it and everybody said, ‘Oh you’re retiring from Revue?’ And I said, ‘Yup, we’re retiring from Revue.’” Butt calls Revue Rising Tide’s “baby,” and it’s hard to imagine her ever giving the popular show
PHOTOS BY PAUL DALY / STORY BY CLARE-MARIE GOSSE
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‘Cultural flagship’ From page 11 up. As a tireless advocate for the local arts community, her work with the New Founde Lande Trinity Pageant — another of Rising Tide’s big annual events, held in the summer — has seen the festival become a “cultural flagship,” and earned Butt a tourism award from Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador. In January 2004, she was named a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her acting, writing, directing and producing work, which has helped shape Newfoundland and Labrador’s cultural economy. As in previous years, Revue will be a joint effort of writing and brain-storming, created and performed by some of St. John’s bestloved actors. Fortunately for the theatre-going public, local political events forced Butt to reconsider her previous stand of abandoning the show this year. “A moment of weakness or stupidity … whatever way you want to look at it,” she laughs. “I guess it was the events of the year. Like the (civil service) strike was such a big story, and it was so dramatic and theatrical because of the way they handled it. Both sides really.” Butt says she was watching some of the strike events unfold on television, as Williams and Puddister — president of Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public Employees (NAPE) — battled out deals over their cell phones, amongst picketers, outside Confederation building. “So I’m watching this unfold on television and I’m going, ‘Oh God, I swore we weren’t going to do another Revue, now I know I’m going to get pressured into it. “And here’s Danny in the parking lot, pulling in in his van. All the strikers are around, furious. He gets out of the friggin’ van to talk to them … he goes up the stairs of the Confederation Building, he gets the God damn deal printed out. Where in the world would that happen? “So he’s out on the line talking to the picketers going: ‘Here, here, here’s the deal, look, look bys’, this is what I’m willing to sign.’ “Obviously someone phones Leo (Puddister) and says ‘Listen, Danny’s out on the picket line, negotiating here with a bunch of picketers.’ “So Leo comes up, gets on the phone. ‘What are you after telling them down there?’ So they’re having this big conversation, with Leo on his cell phone, down amongst the picketers and Danny up in Confederation Building. It’s insanity!” The cow and farmyard theme came from an unfortunate incident involving an assault on the premier’s son during the strike. Williams blamed union members, and told them to stay away from his family and his ministers’ families, or they’d be out “until the cows come home.” “He should’ve taken a deep breath before that one,” says Butt. “So the whole cow thing sort of became the theme of the strike.” She adds that although some humourous moments came out of the strike, “it was a real tragedy” for the people involved. Another major provincial news topic this year is the debate over changes to the Atlantic Accord. It’s an area just begging to be covered by Revue, and as the farmyard photo-shoot wraps up, it’s off to St. John’s International Airport. The dangers faced this time come in the form of angry security guards, rather than irate livestock. The setting is Williams (again) as he triumphantly sails down the airport escalator, fresh from Ottawa after bolting out of the first ministers’ meeting in a righteous huff. “That’s such a big story … we’re kind of doing this biblical thing … Moses coming off the mountain with the Ten Commandments and the Accord and suddenly going from being the villain that everybody was going to string up four months ago to the saviour come home. “I saw the shot on television and I’m going, ‘Oh my God, this is a perfect shot for Revue. Because he’s coming down over the escalator, he gets halfway down and all the throngs of people are there … there’s a kind of fervour about it, a kind of evangelical thing about it.” Boland sails down the escalator in the re-enactment, hands aloft. Later, he poses with adoring disciples Petrina Bromley, Sean Panting and Sheehan, as John Efford (Glenn Downey), lurks furtively, coveting a bag of treacherous silver. Revue alumni Bernie Stapleton will also be joining the disciples for this year’s show. Amazingly, nobody gets arrested or thrown out. Local politics, says Butt, “you can’t make this stuff up.” Revue opens Jan. 7 at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre and runs provincewide until Feb. 9.
The Independent, January 2, 2005
The Independent, January 2, 2005
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The Independent, January 2, 2005
Gallery Helly Greenacre Visual Artist
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elly Greenacre, a painter “more or less” her whole life, has recently seen her work take a dramatic turn, away from the literal and into the world of the abstract. “I got very interested in photography and away from realism … I’d rather use photography (than painting) to capture those moments,” she tells The Independent. “I got interested in thinking about things and expressing emotions about experiences I’ve had, things then started to come out in an abstract way.” Greenacre points to some of her recent work. “These are travel-related,” she says about a couple of small pieces, featuring bright colours and shapes. A trip to Italy was the inspiration behind them. “I started with landscapes, I enjoy them,” she says. And though her new work appears quite different, Greenacre adds, they are landscapes too. Greenacre is originally from Hungary, but moved to Montreal at a young age, where she met and married her husband. In 1966, he was offered the opportunity to work in Newfoundland, and the couple moved to Corner Brook, where they have been ever since. She began doing a lot of craftwork, including weaving and quilting, when she came to
this province. She graduated from Sir Wilfred Grenfell’s fine arts program 12 years ago. “I tested the waters, took a couple of electives to see, being away from school for so long, how does it work?” she says. “I figured I’ll probably manage … and it was wonderful. “It was stressful but it was very exciting to see a program get off the ground and watch it develop.” Along with Greenacre, there were three other “mature, mature students,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a very good opportunity and I guess there were a number of people who jumped on the chance, because there was a great variety in backgrounds of students.” Greenacre, who works from her home studio, says the visual arts community in Corner Brook and the west coast of the province, is strong, but “not too big to be cliquish.” She’s recently joined with other artists in the area in the League of Artists in Western Newfoundland (LAWN). “It’s a pretty lonely thing, producing,” she says. “It’ll be good to have a support group like this.” — Stephanie Porter
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, January 2, 2005
Letters to the Editor
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Wedded bliss
‘We will not be swayed’ Dear Editor. I was never as proud to be a Newfoundlander as I was the day I watched the Canadian flag been removed from provincial government buildings. This is a clear signal to Canada that the Newfoundland and Labrador of the past is dead. Danny Williams represents the new face of our emerging nation and Canadians had better begin to take him seriously. For years, we have been robbed of our natural resources and given naught but a pittance and scorn in return for the treasures of our great land. Williams brought back from Winnipeg the greatest of all gifts — the pride of a nation that can no longer be bought at any price. No longer will we simply take what we are told to take; from this day forward we take back what is rightly ours. I hope Paul Martin steps up to the plate, exercises some true authority and gives us what we were promised. The fact that world oil prices have gone up substantially since the promise was made is irrelevant. When the world price of energy soared in the 70’s, Quebec was allowed to reap the windfall while we were stuck with a flawed contract that costs this province about $2 million a day in lost revenue. If the Canadian government will not deal with Danny Williams fairly, then be forewarned that those who follow, care not in the least for Canada but are dedicated sons and daughters of the Dominion of Newfoundland and Labrador. We will not be swayed. Confederation is a failure for Newfoundland and Labrador and the time has come to rectify that mistake. Wallace Ryan St. John’s
Paul Daly/The Independent
Jacqueline Pottle (left) and Noelle French are the first gay couple to be married in Newfoundland and Labrador. St. John’s Mayor Andy Wells performed the civil service.
‘Keep Newfoundlanders poor and dependent’ Dear editor, I thoroughly enjoy your articles and revelations, particularly those of Memorial University Professor John FitzGerald. I have always felt, since my youth, 1947 to’49, that in Confederation with Canada, New-
foundlanders only changed colonial masters. Information being brought to light in the talks between Premier Danny Williams and Ottawa has shown what I’ve always suspected: according to Canadian government policy, our province cannot be allowed to
be a have province. So what the hell are we going to do in this conglomeration anyway. When the old British Empire, in its dying days, passed Newfoundland over to Canada, it included a book of rules, the first of which was: “Keep Newfoundlanders poor
and dependent.” Canada has complied, to its shame. Whether Premier Williams succeeds or not, Newfoundlanders should recognize who our enemies are and act accordingly. Art Griffin, Grand Falls-Windsor
BUSINESS & COMMERCE
January 2, 2005
Dave LeDrew’s Newfoundland Emporium in Corner Brook.
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Paul Daly/The Independent
‘We only sell stuff we like’ There’s a story behind everything at Corner Brook’s Newfoundland Emporium
CORNER BROOK By Stephanie Porter The Independent
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he Newfoundland Emporium has been a fixture in downtown Corner Brook for what “seems like forever,” according to owner/operator Dave LeDrew — but is, in reality, somewhere between 10 and 15 years. The ever-growing business now spills into two buildings — the main store is one floor jammed full of arts, crafts, souvenirs, books, one-of-akind historical pieces and music. The adjoining building is three levels of furniture, antiques and Newfoundland collectibles, with an art gallery at the top. VARIED COLLECTION A colourful, varied collection — much like LeDrew himself, with his self-described “checkered career” and stories to match. LeDrew is modest about his reasons for opening the store, which Frommer’s International travel guides have labelled a “must-see,” full of “intellectual junk.” “Myself and a partner opened this,” he says, scanning around the comfortably crowded room. “I own the building, I couldn’t rent the thing and I couldn’t get a job myself so I thought I might as well do this.” But there’s more to it than that. Having travelled around the province extensively, LeDrew says he was always disappointed in the shops. “Fifteen years ago you couldn’t find any local stuff in craft stores, it was all Hong Kong and Taiwan junk with a Newfoundland stamp on it. I said if I ever opened a Newfoundland store, it’s going to just be stuff from Newfoundland — craft stuff,”
he says. cheaper to get a phone line than pay “But it’s hard because all the money me.”) is in the junk. You can bring someHe also ran Marble Mountain ski thing in from Hong Kong or Taiwan, hill for a decade, a paid manager leadmark it up 500 per cent and people ing a volunteer staff. LeDrew is proud still think they’re getting a deal. of the work he and his team did, and “The Newfoundland stuff, you take frustrated with the current state of the it, mark it up 50 per cent and right slopes. away it’s too expensive.” “We took it from zero, from nothBut he’s stuck to his guns, and the ing, and took it to an international ski Newfoundland and Labrador-first hill. The years we were there we made mandate has been working. About a $100,000 a year … it was run by the decade ago, a representative from Corner Brook Ski Club so it was Nova Scotia tourism visited the store, owned by the people of Corner liked what he saw, and invited Brook. The government came in and LeDrew and his partner to move the saw how successful we were, took it shop to Halifax. over … then they started losing “I said, ‘You’re absolutely crazy,’” money.” says LeDrew. “But they sweet-talked LeDrew says the commitment of us into it. My partner went over. They the community made the hill work — gave us free rent for a year, gave him the volunteer hours, the favours and a place to stay, that’s how much they flexibility of local suppliers, his own wanted us.” thousands of hours The Atlantic in overtime. Emporium has been A visitor walks “Fifteen years ago you up, running, and into the store, a couldn’t find any local profitable on the man representing stuff in craft stores, it Halifax waterfront an artist in St. for nearly a decade was all Hong Kong and John’s, wondering now. Not bad for a if the NewfoundTaiwan junk with a first foray into the land Emporium Newfoundland stamp world of retail. will take the work When asked on consignment. on it. I said if I ever about his career opened a Newfoundland LeDrew accepts before the emporithe proposal, um, LeDrew laughs store, it’s going to just be writes the receipt, and says. “There’s stuff from Newfoundland and has another none. I’ve tried box of goods to — craft stuff.” everything.” add to the bursting — Dave LeDrew It may be true. shelves. LeDrew lived in “We only sell Europe for five stuff we like ouryears with the armed forces. He was selves,” LeDrew says. “Unfortunatean open-line host in Corner Brook for ly, when you do that, people come in another five years. (“I was scared to and buy it and it breaks your heart … death for three years, then I got used so some of it, I don’t sell. The museto it … but then they sold the station um across the way is full of my stuff, to the crowd in St. John’s and it was some of it I’ve paid good money for,
but it shouldn’t be sold.” LeDrew leans back in his chair and laughs again. The nicest thing that ever came into the store, he says, was a brass porthole from the Kyle, the one-time coastal boat and sealing ship currently at rest just off Harbour Grace’s shores. He heard the porthole was once the property of Frank Moores — apparently, says LeDrew, when Moores was premier, he instructed some people to go and remove brass items from the abandoned boat. “And apparently some other guys broke in and stole it from Moores … a bunch of hoods came in here one day and asked if I wanted to buy it. Ordinarily I wouldn’t, but in this case, I got kind of a chuckle off it.” Within a few years, LeDrew got wind that the Town of Harbour Grace was planning to turn the Kyle into a museum. He wrapped up his prized porthole carefully, and put it on a bus to Harbour Grace. These days, he hears, it’s in an interpretation centre in the town. CHANGING TIMES LeDrew makes most of his money, as do most tourist operations, for two to three months in the summer. Always a supply centre, he says Corner Brook is looking more and more to tourism for economic prosperity. Around his stores on the street are a number of boarded up buildings — victims of fire, he says, and of changing times. “Guys just aren’t rebuilding,” he says. “With Wal-Mart up there, nobody’s going to invest majorly in downtown retail. Broadway (once one of the main downtown shopping strips) will become mom and pop stores, specialty stores like us. “It’s hard to compete.”
The Independent, January 2, 2005
BUSINESS
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Teaching Qatar College of the North Atlantic’s campus in Persian Gulf still growing; profits won’t be used to run operations here at home By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent
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perations at the Qatar campus of the College of the North Atlantic have been steadily expanding since the signing of a 10-year, $500-million agreement in June 2001. President Pam Walsh says the project — the largest foreign contract ever awarded to a Canadian college or university — has proven invaluable for the financial well being of operations here in Newfoundland and Labrador. That said, the cash-strapped provincial government is desperately seeking ways to save money, and college campuses are under a white paper assessment, which could result in closures. Although Walsh says the college can’t use the “external funds” from Qatar to essentially run operations back home, the funds contribute hugely, allowing for purchases and resources that would otherwise be unattainable. “It’s really important,” Walsh tells The Independent, “it’s been really a windfall if you like, in that regard.” Earlier this year, the college — which has 15 campuses throughout Newfoundland and Labrador — was directed by the province, along with Memorial University, to cut $2 million from its budget. A number of programs were cancelled at several campuses.
Walsh — who recently returned from a two-week trip to Qatar in the Persian Gulf — says one of the biggest purchases the Qatari project has funded is a new management information system for the college. The integrated software costs millions of dollars and is used to manage business resources such as student administration, finance and human resources. She says the purpose of her visit to Qatar was threefold. The Qatar campus is in the process of hiring a new president to replace Trent Keough, who has already left to return to work in the province, and Walsh took two prospective candidates over to meet board members. A decision is expected soon. CONTRACTS ENDING SOON She also went to meet with current staff members working in Qatar from Newfoundland and Labrador, who will be coming to the end of their three-year contracts this coming June. Walsh says over 90 per cent of them want to renew their contracts for another three years, which is causing problems because other staff members in the province had been hoping to start work at the Persian Gulf campus. For its part, the college had anticipated a rotation of positions. There are 100 Newfoundland
In class at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar on the Persian Gulf.
and Labrador staff members working in Qatar, as well as 60 to 70 employees from other parts of Canada. The co-ed college, which offers internationally recognized courses, is primarily for Qatari nationals, although it accepts 20 per cent of students from other parts of the world. Walsh says she and her colleagues are currently discussing arranging student exchanges between this province and Qatar. Currently, the Qatar college has 800 students, a number set to rise to 1,000 in January. Once construction of the new facility is complete next fall, numbers are expected to reach over 3,000. Another reason for Walsh’s trip was to discuss with Qatari college board members the possibility of introducing new courses into the curriculum. Although the institution is essentially a technical college, Walsh says her Qatari partners would like to integrate skilled trades training, after recognizing a lack in their local workforce, a problem mirrored in this country. “You can’t import and export
all of your workers from different places and I think they feel that they want to put the Qataris back to meaningful work, because over the years, where there’s been so much money, the work ethic, perhaps, hasn’t been there.” Qatar, which borders Saudi Arabia, is an oil-rich country, but Walsh says many of the blue-collar jobs are carried out by people from places such as India and the Philippines, who are generally under trained. WORKFORCE RETIREMENT Walsh says within years, much of the current Canadian trade workforce will be retiring and she feels many potential students and their parents don’t realize the benefits of in careers such as plumbing and electrical work. “We have trouble getting instructors … because they’re making so much more money in industry or on their own than they can make with us. We’ll have to do something about that in the near future.” She is also anticipating recruit-
Submitted photo
ment for the Qatar campus. “We’ll probably be putting an ad in the paper soon actually, just looking for an expression of interest amongst trades people.” With the College of the North Atlantic’s overseas operations progressing well, Walsh says it’s easy to lose sight of issues back home, and although the college has connections with other countries such as China and Libya, it’s not currently looking to take on any projects similar to Qatar — although she says the opportunities are out there. Meantime, Walsh says she’s enjoying being part of the economic and cultural expansion in the country of Qatar, where the college is the first to allow men and women to work side by side. “It’s a really good partnership because it’s not just about money, although money is important, but also we feel that we are a part of something much bigger. “ I would be inclined to say revolution, but they would prefer I say evolution … it makes us feel as a college, proud to be a part of this.”
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
January 2, 2005
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REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
Supporters of Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko celebrate during a rally in Kiev's main Independence Square. The Central Election Commission will announce preliminary results in Ukraine's presidential election on Monday, the head of the commission said on Sunday. Exit polls gave opposition leader Yushchenko about a 15 percentage point advantage over Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich in the re-run of the Nov. 21 election that was annulled due to mass fraud.
Democracy in action Newfoundlanders and Labradorians could learn a few lessons from the recent Ukrainian election Voice from away By Colin Maddock In Kiev, Ukraine
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ntil recently, I have never experienced real democracy in action. Of course, I’ve voted for politicians, for promises and for party. I’ve been active at times in various stages of the democratic process, but recently I’ve become cynical. I’ve referred to the process as mere political theatre enacted every four years to satisfy the requirement for the will of the people clause in the theory of democracy. I remember having a heated discussion with a friend, when the statement “democracy is dead” was spoken. I believed it. People don’t vote anymore, and when they do … many do not know the issues, many vote on party lines for individual or regional gain, many vote because they, or their families, have always voted red or blue. In Ukraine over the last four weeks or so, where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians protested peacefully but forcefully, I have seen what democracy is. Thousands slept in tents for these four weeks in sub-zero weather on the central streets of Kiev. Threats and the imminent presence of riot police, soldiers and tanks loomed. But these Ukrainians — students and factory workers, elderly ladies and gentleman, rural poor, businessmen and civil servants — were prepared to risk life and limb to ensure that the political, social and economic future of Ukraine was secure. I asked a colleague of mine, an active
protester from the ministry where I advise on economic development, if he was afraid. “Of course,” he said. “But I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing this for my little girl.” He was ready to die (and there is no exaggeration here) for the chance of a better future for his daughter. And that’s a widely-held sentiment. It is a level of commitment that makes me proud to be here now and I find myself drawn to experience the crowds and electricity of the protests. I have also found that same desire for inclusion and participation in the area of economic self-determination. Ukrainians are economically active and very aware. With 12 per cent growth predicted for this year (although recent protests will decrease this figure) Ukraine is destined to grow. They readily accept professional assistance and take what they need from this advice and support the activities of other Ukrainians in the sake of national unity and prosperity. They understand the concept of buying Ukrainian products is critical to the success of Ukraine. They understand that nothing is free and they have to work hard for a promise of a brighter tomorrow. They also understand that nothing happens overnight, and that processes take time; they know growth is incremental at first, but if sustained, it brings great rewards. But most of all, they know now that if you want something, you have to do it. What can Newfoundlanders learn from this Ukrainian situation of the last few weeks? In my opinion, two things. First, complaining gets you nowhere. If you want to change a situation, participate in the elec-
tion of your political members, and think about what you are doing. Democracy is important, but only when it is informed. Party politics and popularity, road repairs and promises of action, do not warrant your vote. Vote for experience and capability, vote for intelligence, vote and understand what you are voting for. Be an active participant in the system. Democracy is a wonderful thing, but only when its citizen participants are active and informed. Second, and more importantly: the world is small now and it is becoming smaller by the day. Newfoundland and Labrador is not just competing with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the investment attraction and export game, but with Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Hungary. It is not that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have not had some success, but it is not enough. It is critical that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians begin to realize that the time for restructuring is now, because in five years it will be too late. It is no secret that the province has no well established investment attraction agency, no export development organization and disparate and disjointed economic development organizations (albeit with some very competent and professional people) that don’t practically communicate and cooperate. Anywhere else in the world, it would not be allowed to happen. On May 1, 10 new countries joined the European Union (EU). More, including Ukraine, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, are at various stages of negotiations for entry. These accession states receive staggering degrees of structural assistance, and the assistance is being used very
effectively, as the development of regulatory, investment attraction and industrial development structures are evaluated as benchmarks for meeting EU entry criteria. These are the threats to Newfoundland and Labrador’s development, with the same degree of importance as transfer payments, raw deals on hydroelectric power and royalties on oil. Newfoundland and Labrador must build a strong industrial and manufacturing base, it requires cluster development and sustained efforts, and it requires professional international market development efforts with sufficient resources and capability. Premier Danny Williams is trying, but it requires more than the vision and will of one man or team. It requires a movement and concerted efforts of all. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are intelligent and resourceful. They have consistently shown their ingenuity and work ethic in the tar sands of Alberta or in the factories of Brampton. They’ve built New York’s skyscrapers, and distinguished themselves throughout the world in most every field and venture. It’s time that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians realize this, understand their capability and strengths and be willing to pull together and risk a bit for a brighter future for their daughters and sons. Colin Maddock is an economic development advisor to the Ukrainian government and the former head of the IrishNewfoundland Business Partnership. Do you know a Newfoundlander or Labradorian living away? Please e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca.
The Independent, January 2, 2005
INTERNATIONAL
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‘The sea was full of bodies’ Death toll expected to surpass 100,000
Donations pour in
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he provincial office of Day and the resulting tsunami the Canadian Red Cross demolished areas along the Society took in $10 coasts of southeast Asia and thousand in donations within Africa. Aid workers have presix hours of reopening after dicted the death toll will rise to the Christmas holiday. The over 100,000. money came in response to the Kenney says her office has tsunami devastation in Asia received numerous calls from and Africa. people interested in volunteer“We’ve been ing their time and inundated with arranging fundthe outpouring of raisers. “We’ve been generosity of “We’re faciliinundated with Newfoundlantating the coordithe outpouring ders, it’s just nation of volunbeen incredible,” teers to assist with of generosity of Rhonda Kenney, the receiving, as the regional Newfoundlanders, well as to answer it’s just been director for the any inquiries office tells The through the teleincredible.” Independent. phone.” Rhonda Kenney “We’ve had lineAt this point, ups outside of she says, the our office.” appeal is strictly As of Wednesday afternoon, for money, which would aid the office had accumulated the organization in purchasing $16 thousand from people “off appropriate supplies for the the street,” which Kenney says affected areas. doesn’t include those pledging Although the Canadian Red money over the phone and Cross has five delegates aiding through the Red Cross web- the relief effort overseas, there site. Nationally, she adds, the are no Newfoundlanders or Red Cross — which is the Labradorians currently schedlargest humanitarian organiza- uled to fly to join the effort. tion in the world — has “Right now, there’s no direct received $2.4 million towards appeal for personnel but cerits goal of $120 million. tainly that’s something we’re The huge earthquake struck keeping open,” she says. in the Indian Ocean on Boxing — Clare-Marie Gosse
BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images
People walk through a temporary morgue in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, as they try and find missing family members.
Associated Press he largest relief effort in history is underway across Asia, as aid workers predict the death toll from this week’s earthquake and tsunamis will surpass 100,000. Military teams reaching the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island for the first time reported scenes of total devastation. “We’re facing a disaster of unprecedented proportion in nature,’’ said Simon Missiri, Asia Pacific chief at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “We’re talking about a staggering death toll.” The most powerful earthquake in 40 years hit the Indian Ocean Boxing Day morning, launching tidal waves that swamped villages and seaside resorts across Southeast Asia and Africa. The first news reports to reach Canada listed nine dead in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and 160 dead after a tidal wave hit Sri Lanka. How the picture has changed. As reports filter in and media and rescue workers reach the thousands of affected villages and towns, the death toll has spiraled upward. Up to a thousand of the dead and missing are foreigners (over a dozen are Canadian). The waves wiped out villages, knocked a Sri Lankan train off its tracks, lifted cars and boats, yanked children from the arms of parents and swept away beachgoers, scuba divers and fishermen. It could be one of the deadliest — and most expensive — natural disasters ever. “The sea was full of bodies,” said one refugee, Sukardi Kasdi, who sailed a small boat to Banda Aceh on Sumatra’s northern tip — itself largely flattened by the quake — to seek help for his family, who he said had nothing to eat but coconuts. “I don’t know how long everyone else will survive.” Tens of thousands of people are still missing across a dozen countries from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Somalia. The millions of people whose homes were swept away or wrecked by raging walls of water are struggling to find shelter. “My mother, no word. My sisters, brothers, aunt, uncle, grandmother, no word!” yelled a woman at a makeshift morgue in Lhokseumawe, Indonesia. “Where are they? Where are they? I don’t know
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where to start looking.” Bulldozers are already at work in Banda Aceh, digging mass graves for the thousands of unidentified bodies found on the city’s streets and the lawns of government offices. With the threat of disease looming, the army had no choice but to get the corpses under ground. Dr. David Nabarro, head of crisis operations for the World Health Organization, warned that disease could take as many lives as Sunday’s devastation. “The initial terror associated with the tsunamis and the earthquake itself may be dwarfed by the longerterm suffering of the affected communities,” he told reporters at the UN agency’s offices in Geneva. Along India’s southern coast, paramedics have begun vaccinating 65,000 tsunami survivors in Tamil Nadu state against cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A and dysentery. Bleaching powder is being sprayed on beaches from which bodies have been recovered. In Sri Lanka’s severely hit town of Galle, officials mounted a loudspeaker on a fire engine to advise residents to lay bodies on roads for collection. Elsewhere in Sri Lanka, residents took on burial efforts with forks or even bare hands to scrape a final resting place for victims. The tidal waves and flooding have uprooted landmines in the war-torn country, threatening to kill or maim aid workers and survivors attempting to return to what’s left of their homes. Amid the devastation were some miraculous stories of survival. In Malaysia, a 20-day-old baby was found alive on a floating mattress. She and her family were later reunited. A Hong Kong couple vacationing in Thailand clung to a mattress for six hours. A Newfoundlander was rescued after 10 hours in the water, keeping himself afloat by clinging to the body of a fisherman. A two-year-old boy in Phuket, Thailand, was found, sitting alone on a road before he was taken to a hospital where his uncle found him after seeing news of the child on the Internet. Reports say the boy’s mother is still missing. For others, the pain of their loss was almost impossible to come to terms with. “Where are my children?’’ asked 41-year-old Absah, as she searched for her 11 youngsters in Banda Aceh. “Where are they? I’ve lost everything.” Red Cross official Irman Rachmat, also in Banda Aceh, says people on the island were in despair. “People are looting, but not because they are evil, but they are hungry … we don’t have enough people alive to bury the dead.”
LIFE &TIMES
January 2, 2005
Page 20
Photo courtesy NTV
Geoff Stirling (right) and his son Scott (left) had a “profound” encounter with Yoko Ono and John Lennon.
Captain Newfoundland born on Northern Peninsula Of course, back then the peninsula’s northern tip was part of the lost continent of Atlantis — according to the Stirling storyline From page 1 Reel 4. Establishing shot: high atop a mountain in the Himalayas in the ’70s. Holding beads and wearing long flowing robes, Geoff and Scott Stirling are seated in the lotus position next to a swami, in deep meditation. Cue sitars. Just as his stations devotedly played Lennon’s work, so did Stirling follow the Beatles up the mountain, embracing Eastern mysticism, meditation and the same group of holy men. SPECTRE OF DEATH The search for meaning was inspired by the spectre of death. Scott was 20 when his doctor found a large lump in his neck and diagnosed Hodgkin’s Disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system. A second doctor told him not to worry: it was a cyst. Scott headed for India, wanting to believe his second doctor and hoping that medical treatment could wait. Geoff followed him a month later. “Geoff told me that he was going to devote all his energy to finding a cure for his son,’’ recalls Sward, Stirling’s radio boss. “He left and I didn’t see him for nearly a year.” During the trip, war broke out between India and Pakistan, and the Stirlings found themselves stranded for months. As bombs dropped around them — and with Scott’s health at the forefront of their minds — they began to seek out India’s holy men for answers. “We went through that together and
I think it changed me and it changed tion and a lot of focus. I think the busiGeoff. That’s why India was so signif- ness has benefited from my meditation. icant to both of us,’’ Scott says. Father I don’t think that either Geoff or I could and son both became ardent proponents live without it.” of yoga and meditation. Scott believes The two had to rely heavily on their it was his conversion to vegetarianism practice in 1977 when tragedy struck. that prevented the lump on his neck — Scott’s 19-year-old sister, Kim, was which was in fact a cancerous tumour killed in a car accident. It was a life— from growing. His cancer went into changing event for the elder Stirling. remission. “When that happened, I think Geoff After the India trip, Stirling was wont reassessed where he was,’’ Scott says. to spontaneously show up at CHOM “He thought: what’s this all about? Do with his swami and put him on the air. I want to just keep expanding? Or is But Eastern religion was no mere dal- there something more to life than this?’’ liance for the Stirlings. Stirling consulted Clicking through the his family, asking corners of the NTV them what assets they website (ntv.ca) can him to keep. “ I think the business wanted resemble a lecture in But his family left the has benefited from world religions, with decision to him. Stirlinks to new-age webling sold off all of his my meditation. I sites and Stirling’s selfradio stations on the don’t think that published book, In mainland and retreated either Geoff or I Search of a New Age. to Newfoundland. The NTV site also could live without it.” Reel 5. Establishing features a Stirling shot: close-up of Geoff — Scott Stirling father-and-son creation, Stirling in the St. a comic-book spiritual John’s studio. The superhero called Capclicking sound of a tain Newfoundland, who fights evil camera shutter fills the otherwise silent with telepathic powers and a keen room. Stirling’s smiling, but he’s not understanding of the collective con- happy. sciousness. The backstory is that CapThe photographer is politely asking tain Newfoundland is descended from Stirling to work with him, but he divine creatures that once inhabited the proves to be a reluctant subject. If these lost continent of Atlantis, now the were promotional stills for a Stirling northern tip of Newfoundland. production, he’d be more co-operative. Scott believes that daily meditation is But, no, it’s a shoot for the article that crucial to steering the family empire. you’re reading. It’s one thing to star in “This job demands a lot of concentra- your own biopic, it’s another com-
pletely to yield creative control. The photograph really isn’t what’s bothering Stirling though. It’s something the lens can’t capture, something happening behind the scenes. The office is a flurry of paper and faxes. Today is the deadline for the next round of documents to be filed with the CRTC explaining why NTV can’t possibly meet the regulator’s demands for increased Canadian content. VICIOUS AND PUNITIVE The CRTC is fiddling with NTV’s broadcast day, effectively shortening the time period in which the station has to air its allotment of Canadian content. The way NTV sees it, it’s vicious and punitive. Under the regulator’s new rules, the broadcast day goes from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., instead of the formula of 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. that’s been in place since the 1970s — a concession from the CRTC that allowed NTV to take advantage of simulcast opportunities despite its unique time zone. The upshot is that the station can no longer count its early-morning newscast toward its Cancon quota. NTV will have to generate more programming, and that won’t be cheap. And it could put a serious dent in the new hybrid model that NTV has become. Today, not just Newfoundlanders, but some 1.3 million people between Vancouver and St. John’s — and as far south as the Caribbean — watch NTV each week. Continued on page 21
The Independent, January 2, 2005
LIFE & TIMES
Page 21
‘This is my movie’ Stirling is the writer, the producer, the director and the hero From page 19 Adding satellite transmission to conventional signals, NTV started broadcasting continentally in 1994. In 2002, its growing non-Newfoundland audience led to a parting of ways with CTV, of which it had been an affiliate. Paul Sparkes, a spokesman for CTV parent Bell Globemedia Inc., says that while NTV wanted to keep airing the network’s top programs, it didn’t want to show the corresponding national commercials. So NTV was competing with CTV for both viewers and advertising. “One reason our relationship with NTV is different is because one-third of its audience is now outside of Newfoundland,’’ Sparkes says. “They are competition in a way that they weren’t before they went to satellite.’’ Still, CTV continues to allow NTV to air news shows such as the evening national news and Canada AM, in exchange for NTV news reporting. So the network that NTV most resembles now is Global — a lot of shiny American imports and a few perfunctory domestic productions, done on the cheap. The local content consists of news programming and live-entertainment shows like the surprisingly addictive Karaoke Idol (which is just what it sounds like, filmed in a bar) and George Street TV (sketch comedy featuring two comedians, a couch on the sidewalk and whoever happens by). Stirling could, of course, pledge to do more and better original programming. But the best-behaviour face that private-sector broadcasters put on to satisfy the CRTC has a nervous tic in Stirling’s case — his tendency to mouth off. SURVIVOR NEWFOUNDLAND? It’s true too that Stirling’s causes these days don’t have the historic sweep of the battle over Confederation. He has used his media machine to promote various new age ideas and to lobby the producers of Survivor to locate the next edition of their show on Kelly’s Island, an uninhabited scrap of rock near St. John’s. But he does still take on matters of pub-
Courtesy of NTV
Geoff Stirling
lic policy, calling for the renegotiation of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Churchill Falls energy agreement with Quebec and decrying another Labrador deal — the one the province struck with Inco for the Voisey’s Bay nickel development. In 2002, Stirling suggested that members of the provincial legislature who voted for the Voisey’s Bay deal should face criminal charges. “I’m not anti-anything. I’m just pro-Newfoundland,” Stirling says of his pronouncements. “Communicating is everything. I am in the unique position to have the opportunity to contribute to the culture that’s unfolding here.” But the line between Stirling’s role as a media owner and his role as a citizen is too
Geoff Stirling and his wife Joyce (left) with Tina Turner.
Photo courtesy NTV
faint, according to Noreen Golfman, a board member of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and a professor of English and film studies at Memorial University in St. John’s. “He owns the station and uses it to promote his own ideology,” says Golfman, a columnist with The Independent. “He’ll get right on television himself to say what Newfoundland should be doing, or what Canada should be doing. Just imagine if (Bell Globemedia president) Ivan Fecan did the same. It would be a huge flap.” In a place that’s still rich with shared family history, where the first question is always, “Who do you belong to?” the answer in Geoff Stirling’s case isn’t so clear. Who is going to defend his interests now? In another era, a phone call from Premier Joey Smallwood might have fixed everything. Stirling has indeed enlisted Premier Danny Williams to write the CRTC, but it’s not like Stirling’s calling up his buddy any more. In a different time, faced with bureaucratic intransigence, Stirling would have stood aligned beside a powerful group of independent broadcasting affiliates across the country, staring down the CRTC together. Today, seated against the black backdrop of the cavernous room, peering into the blinding studio lights, Stirling looks vulnerable. “I’m not ashamed of what I’ve tried to do. Maybe I’ve bitten off more than I can chew,’’ he says, pausing reflectively for a moment. “They’d love me to sell,’’ Stirling tells me. He won’t say who wants to buy his crown jewel, although there are whispers in the industry that all of the private-sector national broadcasters — CTV, Global, CHUM — have designs on his station. None is expressing interest publicly. All Stirling will say is that he’s had four
informal offers in recent years. But with three generations of Stirlings now working in the family business — grandson Jesse is in charge of marketing — Stirling says the family is here to stay. Indeed, the eve of the 50th anniversary of his introduction of television to Newfoundland would hardly be a suitable time to sell. ‘I’LL NEVER SELL OUT’ “I’m sure that if NTV were sold to a national company,’’ Stirling says, “we’d lose our sovereignty, which is the only sovereignty we have right now — television and radio owned by Newfoundlanders. “No,” he continues, his voice shaking now. “I’ll never sell out. They’ll never drive me out. I’m going to keep doing it my way.’’ With that, the interview is over. The lights are dimmed. Stirling removes his microphone and heads to the door, bidding me goodbye as he steps into the foggy night. Two days later, he calls me. I can hear it in his voice. He’s in much better spirits. Even an auteur and resident philosopherking is entitled to a bad day. Now, the clouds have lifted, the view from the mountaintop is clear. He’ll soon be off to Arizona. Meditating on all of his accomplishments in this lifetime, and what’s left to come on life’s stage. “This is my movie. I’m the writer, the producer, the director and the hero,’’ Stirling tells me. “In my new movie, my reincarnation, I may not come back to Newfoundland. I may not even come back to this planet.” Wherever he is, he’ll look back on this movie and smile broadly, knowing that it was he who was truly Captain Newfoundland. This story originally appeared in The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine. Reprinted by The Independent with permission.
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LIFE & TIMES
Out with the old … Record reviewer Rick Bailey signs off with his picks of the year
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t’s that time again: to look back at the year that was, and wonder what the new one’s going to bring. I really enjoyed listening to some of 2004’s crop of new releases and getting to write about how they made me feel. It was a pleasure gracing The Independent’s pages for over a year, but now it’s time for me to focus on something else. I’ll leave you with a listing of the local discs that impressed me the most this year. Best of the season to all. 5. BLAIR HARVEY Burnin’ Down Religion This is a bare-bones album of original whiskey-drinkin’ bluesy country reminiscent of all your favourite folk songwriters. Cash, Prine, Dylan, Guthrie … you can tell there’s some special influences at work here, and Harvey’s tunes speak from the soul like those masters before him. I heard it was done in classic style — recorded straight up with Harvey and his guitar and harmonica. Co-producer Lee Tizzard captured the raw essence of Harvey’s stripped-down appeal as a busker for this 14song lament to hard living. The songs are real, open-road tales that will either make you stomp and cheer wildly or sob silently into your beer. Choice tracks: Dig My Grave, Pocket Full Of Holes, Loner’s Blues, Makin’ Chairs, Poor Man. 4. ROCK CAN ROLL RECORDS Compilation: Volume 1 A compendious collection of St. John’s indie rock bands, professionally gathered together in eye-candy packaging. Created through the Independent Artists Cooperative, a St. John’s-based artists’ group, the disc made good use of government funding by bringing together 16 hot rocking cuts and showcasing some of the city’s variety in talent. The compilation idea isn’t new, but the quality and appearance of this one is fresh and inviting. I think the province’s lack of record labels may mean more collectives taking initiative on projects such as this, and a good thing, because that seems
Local Spins RICK BAILEY the only way to get great music off the island to awaiting ears. Choice tracks: Five Star General’s Demon Sugar Fight, Mike Wade Band’s Impossible Love, The Water Witch by Victory Cigarettes, and Wankfest by Bung.
The compilation idea isn’t new, but the quality and appearance of this one (Rock Can Roll) is fresh and inviting. I think the province’s lack of record labels may mean more collectives taking initiative on projects such as this, and a good thing, because that seems the only way to get great music off the island to awaiting ears.
3. JENNY GEAR AND THE WHISKEY KITTENS The debut self-titled effort from the young chanteuse would have to be the most long-awaited; it was put on ice before her public display on Canadian Idol, which eventually made Gear’s unique vocal styling a hot commodity. And I knew she’d create the disc in her own way, as a charming blend of folk, jazz and pop, aided by primo musicians. What’s more is her way of interpreting songs, like she does with the 11 tunes found here, all written by contemporary Newfoundland songwriters. Locally chosen song content, coupled with her Nanny’s house in Carbonear as a recording location, made this album truly close to home. A really sweet listen, too. Choice tracks: Murder In The
Southlands, Little, Mirror In Mom’s Room, Bicycle. 2. DUANE ANDREWS For a guy who’s played in numerous bands (Jenny Gear and The Whiskey Kittens, The Discounts), it’s high time the virtuoso guitarist got his share of the spotlight. This disc is it. Focused on his love and study of Django Reinhardt’s gypsy jazz, it’s a rush of heated original compositions, translated traditional reels and reworked standards. Andrews blazes through rhythmic melodies so exotically, you’d think you were lounging in an international café or roaming the countryside in France. With added chord charts to share chops with bold players — an enhanced feature of the CD, this album is certainly mind-blowing in its acoustic simplicity. Anything but simple to play, it’s just a natural choice of instruments with amazing results. This is a very cultured, classy fusion of jazz with traditional that we should all be exposed to. Choice tracks: el Choclo, Rosa, Doherty’s, Jamo’s Blues 1. THE NOVAKS You’re probably thinking, “What the hell are you talking about? They don’t have a record yet!” Not entirely true. I managed a sneak peek at what’s due in the new year … a glimpse into the future, I suppose. The end of 2004 brings the completion of recording for The Novaks’ debut through Inside Music. I witnessed some of the recording sessions, and attended a preview listening of the unmixed, unmastered album in its entirety. This is the best album I’ve heard all year, even if it’s an unofficially released one. There’s not a single song that couldn’t be a potential hit. You’ll end up loving them all, if you love new rock and roll. The guitar sound is spectacular, the vocals forceful, and some extra studio tricks are there for you to drool over. Very pro, and it hadn’t even been tweaked or fiddled with yet. Choice tracks: Pick ‘em when the disc is released because I can’t do it. Rick Bailey is a musician and radio DJ.
The Independent, January 2, 2005
The Independent, January 2, 2005
LIFE & TIMES
Page 23
By Stephanie Porter The Independent
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strong, independent singer-songwriter — starting the IndieFemme showcase in Toronto, and a weekly songwriters’ night in Montreal — Kathy Phippard would just as soon stay that way. And she’d much rather talk about backpacking across Europe than signing with a major label or attaining pop stardom. “I’m too old to conquer the world,” she says with a laugh. “I’m not really interested … I’ll leave that kind of pressure to the cute 14-year-olds.” Phippard has found success in her field — first, she earned a Juno and two gold records during her three-year stint singing with the Irish Descendants in the 1990s. Then, moving away from the traditional and into the folkpop-rock world, she earned awards in a number of songwriting competitions, including winning the Unisong and Billboard international song contests, and placing first runner up during last year’s Canadian Music Week’s songwriting contest. Not long after releasing her well-reviewed debut CD, 1998’s Outside Lookin’ In, Phippard, who has called herself an “independent pop warrior” left her native St. John’s for Toronto, looking for a change, and the kind of music scene a big city can offer. She says she’s “kind of wanderlust,” never content to sit still. And, sure enough, in 2003, she and her boyfriend moved to Montreal. She’s back in St. John’s now, for a little over a month, playing her recurring role of Sister Mary Margaret in Spirit of Newfoundland’s annual Christmas dinner theatre production. The visit culminates with her St. John’s CD release party (her second record, Premonition, is on shelves now) at the Majestic Theatre Jan. 4. It’s Phippard’s third release party for the disc — her first was in Toronto, in early November; a few weeks later she celebrated in Montreal. The event in Toronto was especially fun and satisfying, she says. “The way I started fundraising to make the CD,” she says. “There were 200 to 300 employ-
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘Independent pop warrior’ Kathy Phippard prefers performing to writing; backpacking to ‘world domination’ ees at the club I worked. I got 100 people there to buy the CD in advance for $20. That gave me enough to start.” Phippard says convincing people to hand over $20 wasn’t always easy — many figured they’d never actually get the CD. “And it did take a while,” she says, laughing again. “I’d already left town and lived in Montreal for a year by the time the album came out … but we did go back then, and I brought the CDs with me and handed them around.” Phippard says she “had a really nice thing going” with the twoyear run of the IndieFemme
nights in Toronto. Once a month, she would invite two guests of the “hundreds of independent artists there” to play. She would close the night with her band, The Shameless Hussies. The weekly songwriter night in Montreal, which she started in the fall, is gathering momentum, drawing a “nice little crowd” by the time Phippard left for Christmas in St. John’s. She’s excited to showcase her new disc in her hometown. She’s made a name for herself as a songwriter, but it’s the performing aspect of her job that really drives her. The mostly pop-influ-
enced songs on Premonition are catchy, personal tales, driven by Phippard’s piano and versatile, powerful voice. “Some of the songs I wrote a few years back and I knew I wanted to record them, because they are so personally important,” she says. She gives the example of the opening track, I am, written after the experience of being a birthing coach for one of her close friends. “It’s a relief to get them down finally, actually. It’s like I couldn’t get to new material until I got these out of my system. Now I can’t wait for the big snowfalls in
January so I can bury myself and write more.” In the new year, Phippard plans to keep at her regular work — teaching piano, playing for ballet classes, booking gigs — and trying to play a few more shows in the U.S., in Boston and New York particularly. She’s thinking of moving back to Newfoundland in June, until Christmas, when the backpacking trip across Europe will begin (she plans to organize a little tour in England and Ireland to coincide with her travels.) And she’ll keep getting her CD out there as best she can. “I like to be independent, I really do … but the only thing that’s missing is the big marketing push, which is really tough as an independent,” she says. “It’s tough and you just have to weather it out a bit more and fight a bit harder to get anywhere. It’s great though, it’s a challenge. “The thing is, you can sell your couple of CDs over time, if you’re with a major label you can’t do that, you have to sell fast or you’re dropped. “I figure this’ll do me the next three to five (years), then we’ll go again.”
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LIFE & TIMES
The Independent, January 2, 2005
Grenfell, I hardly knew ye The Grenfell I Knew By Alex A. Smith Flanker, 2004
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On The Shelf
he Grenfell I Knew is the latest biographical study of “the great doctor” who brought health services, schooling and so much else to the people of northern Newfoundland and coastal Labrador. By the time Grenfell retired in 1935 (he had first ventured to Newfoundland with the Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen in 1892), a system of health care, an orphanage, schools, cooperative stores and an international charity for the support of continued missionary work were all in place. Like many publicly revered personalities, Grenfell often appears more myth than flesh and blood man. By all accounts, he was a remarkable, passionate individual whose seemingly limitless energy drove him to pursue what he saw as a God-given directive to help his fellow man. Alex Smith quotes him: “Could any theology be more profound? Any sociology more practical? To do my surgery as Christ would do it.” I had thought, on first reading the title of Smith’s book, that it would be a memoir of personal experiences involving Grenfell. “Much of the information in these chapters came from the great doctor himself as well as others who have written about him,” the author sets forth in his preface. Yet it quickly becomes apparent that The Grenfell I Knew is mostly a cut and paste job of previous sources, Grenfell’s own body of published work included. Nor does this survey have much to add to our understanding of Wilfred Grenfell. He is presented
MARK CALLANAN (much as he presents himself in his own writings) as an instrument of God. That Grenfell was as complicated a human being as any other is a possibility that does not seem to have occurred to Mr. Smith, for he paints him in broad strokes with only the brightest and most flattering of palettes. Smith,
“Much of the information in these chapters came from the great doctor himself as well as others who have written about him,” the author sets forth in his preface. Yet it quickly becomes apparent that The Grenfell I Knew is mostly a cut and paste job of previous sources, Grenfell’s own body of published work included. ironically it seems, does not detect the arrogance inherent in a statement such as he quotes from Grenfell about midway through his book: One great joy which comes with the work is the sympathy one gets with the really poor, whether in intelligence, physical make-up, or worldly assets. One learns how simple needs and simple lives preserve simple virtues that get lost in
INDEPENDENT CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 First Greek letter 6 Clock numeral 9 Cigar end 12 High-pitched and clear 17 Fragrant purple flower 18 Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pinafore 19 Owing 20 Show 21 Intended 22 Cockney’s aspiration 23 Restored Winnipeg home of former Manitoba premier Macdonald 25 Hot weather garment 27 Bulgarian currency 28 From the East 29 Black: comb. form 30 Decline 31 “___ with Brooms” (Paul Gross film) 32 Involuntary contraction 34 ___-timers 35 Rifle 39 Margaret MacMillan’s bestseller: ___ 1919: Six Months That Changed the World 40 Ottawa-___ 42 Young bear 43 On behalf of 44 Sleigh 45 “___ to the races!” 46 ___ and games 47 Footwear 49 TGIF part 50 Curly coif 52 A Great Lake 54 Cape Breton’s gale-
the crush of advancing civilization. Of the above, Smith notes that “Grenfell was deeply grateful and not unmindful of what the people along the coast did for him;” even, one might add, if he did consider them an intellectually inferior lot, not privy to the great knowledge that modern science affords the medical man. Later, in a reference to Grenfell’s establishment of cooperative stores in an effort to improve the living standards of local residents, Smith says of the fishermen of St. Anthony that “even though they were unlearned men they knew they were not getting a ‘square deal’ from many of the merchants.” Herein, Smith makes the (hopefully) unconscious error of equating formal education with intelligence. They may not have gone to school, but surely, Mr. Smith, they were not stupid. Why then should their awareness of injustice perpetrated against them be so surprising? Though it may make for an interesting piece of religious writing (Smith, himself a United Church minister, shares much of Grenfell’s enthusiasm for acts of Christian charity) The Grenfell I Knew is sketchy as biography. As a memoir it is also lacking, aside from a couple of un-illuminating encounters between “the author” (as he refers to himself throughout) and Grenfell, no longer than a few short paragraphs each. …I had taken first place in my class in the Grenfell School at St. Anthony, Newfoundland. At Dr. Grenfell’s request I went to see him at his house. It was a visit I always remembered. He presented me with some oil paints, a book, and a five-dollar bill, a huge amount of money in
those days for a young boy. I appreciated these things, of course, but it was the force of his personality and his words of encouragement that helped shape and govern my whole life. This last is more the sort of thing I had expected — the author’s personal connection to Grenfell, his own opinions of the doctor unmediated by previously published texts. Sadly, these brief glimpses are rare and never go beyond mere
anecdote. For a more complete vision of Grenfell, stripped of his unofficial sainthood and endowed with human failings, Ron Rompkey’s Grenfell of Labrador is a much better bet. If, however, you’re more interested in Grenfell as myth than man, Smith’s book is as good a place to start as any. Mark Callanan is a writer and reviewer living in Rocky Harbour. His next column appears Jan. 9.
Solutions on page 26
force SE winds: Les ___ 56 Cabin component 57 Cash in 59 Site of TCA/ RCAF mid-air crash (1954) 61 Out of danger 62 Neighbour: Uncle ___ 64 Like crackers 66 Mouth 67 Bump 68 Weakens 69 Artist of a sort 70 It’s a gift 71 Risque 72 Lopsided 73 Warning to ships 76 Pallid 77 Evade 78 One: prefix 79 Louise, e.g. 80 Deprived of sensation 81 Cotton hosiery type 83 Cut brutally 84 Humongous wine bottle 88 Tooth-shaped 90 Quebec street 91 Aristocratic 92 Pianist Kuerti 93 Ultraviolet rad. of a kind 94 Besides 95 Certain chord 96 The ___ Diaries (Carol Shields) 97 Also-___ 98 Author Kogawa (Obasan) 99 Between, in Brest DOWN 1 Donations to the poor 2 Stead
3 Scheme 4 The ___’s Tale (Atwood) 5 Thespian 6 Bantu language 7 Little devils 8 Expert ending? 9 Number to be added 10 Smooth 11 Norse goddess 12 She wrote My Father’s House 13 Author of Canada Made Me: Norman ___ 14 Eye part 15 Rotate 16 Nevertheless 24 African desert 26 Shade tree 27 Vikram of Vassanji title 30 Fox cousin 32 Seasons 33 Presumptuous 35 Pertaining to burial ceremonies 36 Mentioned earlier 37 Caviar 38 Mr.’s partner 39 Greek letter 40 St. Urbain’s ___ (Richler) 41 One in ten Canadians has seen one 42 The Stanley ___ 46 Stale air 47 Team 48 Weeder 50 Perched on 51 Moroccan city 52 Giant tidal whirlpool (N.B.): “Old ___” 53 One who cries foul?
55 Dawn goddess 56 Canadian P.M. of Great Britain (1922) 58 Unhip syrup 60 Inoculation 61 French purse 63 Alta. time 64 NDP forerunner 65 Pooh’s friend 67 Author Urquhart (Away) 68 Like a mule
70 Sorrow 71 Garden tool 72 Ont. town on Mississippi R. 74 Alberta-born Paris writer Nancy (Plainsong) 75 Surfing the Web 76 He was King of Kensington 77 It. is there 79 Insect stage 80 Starved for validation
81 Pre-Easter period 82 Heavily engaged with 84 Normandy beach where Canadians landed 85 Sad news note 86 Wing-like 87 Ancient Persian 88 German article 89 Belonging to us 90 British rule in India
SPORTS
January 2, 2005
Page 25
Cuts like a knife Injuries forced Newfoundlander Ryan Power out of CBC’s Making the Cut; bad breaks continue By Darcy MacRae For The Independent
H
ockey is a game of breaks, a fact nobody knows better than Ryan Power. The native of Norman’s CoveLong Cove has been through the ups and downs of hockey — from playing major junior in Halifax to suiting up in the university ranks in Charlottetown, P.E.I. But when Power travelled to Vernon, B.C. earlier this year to take part in Making the Cut, the CBC reality television series that gave Canadian hockey players the chance to earn a shot at the NHL, he hoped his bumpy ride in the hockey world would finally level off. For almost the entire camp, things were finally going Power’s way. His outstanding speed, soft hands and willingness to grind it out in the corners grabbed the attention of coaches, scouts and thousands of viewers from coast to coast. Power quickly established himself as one of the program’s better players, surviving several cuts and positioning himself to advance to the prestigious final 18 — the pool of players from which all six Canadian NHL teams would draft from in the program’s finale, which aired Dec. 14. But just as it appeared the 26year-old was finally going to get the break he always wanted, disaster struck. On July 26, with just a few days to go before the final 18 were chosen, Power took part in one of the camp’s final games. During a routine breakout, Power raced up the left sideboards before cutting across the ice to support puck-carrying teammate Ryan Lauzon.
Lauzon chipped the puck off the boards to Power, but the pass was behind him, forcing Power to lean back in an attempt to coral the puck. Power then cut into the middle of the ice, but still had trouble getting complete control of the puck that was now at his feet. When he looked up, he saw Dominic Periard just a few feet away, shoulder tucked, ready to lower the boom with a thunderous check. “When I looked up, he was right there. I couldn’t do anything but just brace myself and take the hit,” Power tells The Independent. “A lot of people thought I didn’t see him coming, but I did see him at the last second, I just had no room to move.” With the hit, Power was sent sprawling to the ice, and at first glance looked as though he wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. He got to one knee and prepared himself to stand, but instantly felt a great deal of internal pain. “I knew something was going on inside. I just didn’t know what it was.” Power was examined by trainers on the ice, and further in the locker room. From there, he took a trip to the hospital in Vernon, where doctors discovered a bruised liver. Despite media reports of other serious injuries — including a collapsed lung — the bruised liver was the only ailment discovered at that time. (Over the summer Power discovered he had also broken two ribs in the collision.) Power held out hope that he would be able to return to the ice, but the pain inside his bruised,
swollen body wouldn’t subside. He was forced to lean to the left side for his remaining time in camp, and any time he attempted to straighten up it felt as if his insides were being wrenched. After further discussions with the program’s doctors, he decided his time at Making the Cut would have to end. “I would have liked to have stepped up and played through the injury,” says Power. “But when respected trainers and doctors told me that my situation could be lifethreatening if I went on the ice, then I wasn’t going to take any risks.”
“I would have liked to have stepped up and played through the injury. But when respected trainers and doctors told me that my situation could be lifethreatening if I went on the ice, then I wasn’t going to take any risks.” — Ryan Power Power left the competition with just one game to go before the final 18 players were chosen. Many fans of the show — particularly those here in the province — have openly speculated whether he would have advanced to the final 18 had he not been so seriously injured. As far as Power is concerned, there really is no question. As he was preparing for the trip home,
Power was informed by a member of the show’s production crew and a coach at the camp that he was on track for bigger and brighter things. Both said they had been told by members of the program’s inner circle that Power would have been a part of the final 18 had he not been so seriously injured. The news made Power feel good about the way he played at the camp, but also left him feeling frustrated and disappointed. “I can’t even explain it. I felt so good with the whole camp,” he says. “I felt like I was in for the long haul. That’s one thing I have trouble dealing with. If I had my head up for those few seconds and didn’t take that hit, I probably would have been at the draft.” For much of the summer, Power continued to feel the effects of the thunderous hit. By early September, he felt well enough to take to the ice again, and soon departed for Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was to suit up as a member of the Central Hockey League’s New Mexico Scorpions. However, just when things were looking up for Power, everything came crashing down again during a pre-season game in which Power was demonstrating many of the same qualities that endeared him to the coaches at Making The Cut. Power raced into the corner and laid a stiff check on an opposing defenceman, sending the rearguard crashing to the ice. But on his way down, the defenceman’s stick swung up, caught Power in the chin, snapping his back and compressing his spine. The injury was similar to whiplash, forcing Power off the ice for five weeks. When he finally returned to the Scorpions, he played six games
and picked up two assists playing on the team’s checking line. Then, just after morning practice on Dec. 15, Power was thrown for another loop when the Scorpions told him he was being released because they had just signed a new left winger. The move was a total shock to Power, who was busy getting dressed for a team promotion he was scheduled to attend with Scorpions captain Daniel Tetrault later that afternoon. “I was very surprised because I was playing well. I didn’t expect to be leaving.” Despite the setback, Power didn’t give up on his dream of playing pro hockey and has since signed a contract with the Central League’s Oklahoma City Blazers. His willingness to continue despite so many obstacles is a testament to his desire for the game, the same desire that brought him all the way to Ottawa to try out for Making the Cut. Despite all he has been through in hockey, especially in the past six months, the only regret he has concerning his most recent trials is that the television constantly referred to him as a native of Charlottetown, P.E.I. Although he has spent much of the past five years there and will return to Charlottetown to be with his fiancée Penny Spencer once hockey season ends, Power insists his home is in Newfoundland. “If I had my time back, I would have made it clear I’m from Norman’s Cove-Long Cove and am just residing in Charlottetown,” he says. “Home for me is where my parents are, and that’s Newfoundland.” Darcy_8888@hotmail.com
Page 26
SPORTS
The Independent, January 2, 2005
Forget the NHL, bring back Bob Cole Bob the Bayman BOB WHITE
I
Paul Daly/The Independent
Bob Cole
booth. While he still can raise the excitement of any NHL game with his voice and commentary, Cole’s days as the game’s best will not last much longer. As the strike continues with no end in sight, wouldn’t it be a shame to have such a stellar career end on such a note? There were hints that Cole and his sidekick, Harry Neale, would retire after the Canada Cup, but nothing was officially announced. To go out now, with the NHL in such a state, would be a travesty. Cole deserves to leave when the league is actually a league, not a dysfunctional mess. • A Herder title for the Cee Bees. Before you conclude that I’m a homer, I just want to watch good,
fast hockey when I watch senior games. Yet, as someone who grew up in Harbour Grace (really in the “suburb” of Riverhead), it would be nice to see the town get a shot in the arm. It’s sorely needed. The Shore will be the biggest obstacle. Perhaps Bob Cole can rekindle his youth and do play-by-play for the playoffs. He should be available. • Another crack at a national championship for the Memorial Sea-Hawks women’s basketball team. They’ve been close a few times before, and this year is the departing season for two of MUN’s all-time best — Jenine Browne and Amy Dalton. Maybe then, the team could play a few exhibition games in the new Field Define your world. Make a difference in someone elses.
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House, not in the old MUN gym. • A Rugby Canada Super League title for The Rock. Always a strong contender, the team needs just a little more to get it over the hump and on top. It would look good on this group. They’ve worked hard to get to this level, and a championship would be a just reward. • The Fog Devils getting off to a fast start in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. I’m still not sure what a Fog Devil is, but I
Solutions from page 25
’m not going to do the standard year in review for The Independent. I’ve only been here four months, so I figured I’d look ahead, instead of over the shoulder. As we embark on 2005, here are some things I, as a sports fan, would like to have happen in the new year. Generally, my highest hope is to have the fun and games brought back to what was originally intended to be the fun and games of professional sports. No more assaults, brawls, thugs, drugs and strikes. Disrespectful fans, stay home. Watch it on TV. The same goes for players, coaches and management. We need stiffer fines for unacceptable behaviour. These wishes are not only important for those of us who still like to watch professional sports. Because there is a trickle-down effect with these types of things, the more we and our children see it on TV, the more likely it will happen someday soon at our local rink, gym or field. I’ve found myself writing in this space about negative things much too often. Is that a conscious choice? Hard to say, but I do know I have a positive outlook on life. Would the negative stuff go away if we all just decided to ignore it? More specifically: • Bob Cole back in the broadcast
think I might have acted like one a few times. Regardless, I like the name. It’s the kind of moniker that will grow on you. It should also lend for some nice headlines. • A strong showing by Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2005 Canada Summer Games. Maybe our athletes can turn in the best performance ever by this province. But would that be a good thing? If that were to happen, would government be even stingier when it comes to funding? Judging by the past, one would think so. Not that we should be winning gold in every sport, but there is talent here in many sports that — with a little more help — could challenge any province. • Steve Nash winning the MVP award while leading the Phoenix Suns to the NBA championship. I’ve always loved to watch Nash play — and not because he’s Canadian. The guy just makes the game so entertaining, and the Suns are a joy to watch. As of last week, Phoenix was tops in the league. The B.C. native is not the most athletically gifted player; his greatest gift is his gift giving. Leading the league in assists, he makes everyone around him better — except for his opponents, of course. A true team player, a rare commodity these days it would seem. Bobby White writes from Carbonear. whitebobby@yahoo.com
The Independent, January 2, 2005
SPORTS
Page 27
Events
Double bill Newfoundlander Mark Bragg (left) is back from Halifax for a couple of Christmas shows in St. John’s. He plays the Ship Inn on New Year’s eve with Love Hijacker. On Jan. 6, Ottawa-based singer-songwriter Jim Bryson (below) will join Bragg for a concert at the LSPU Hall.
Shane Ward photo
Mat Dunlap photo
DECEMBER 31 • New Year’s Eve celebrations, St. John’s harbourfront fireworks at midnight. • New Year’s Eve in style, Grafenberg’s Martini Lounge, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, martini sampling, door prizes, champagne at midnight and a live performance by African Dance group Mopaya, 390 Duckworth St., St. John’s, 8 p.m. • Gala ball, at the Fort William ballroom, Fairmont Newfoundland. Reception 7 p.m., followed by a 5-course dinner at 8 p.m. Live entertainment by the Angela Warner Band and John Barella. Tickets required.
• Signal Hill performs at Club One, George St. $20 in advance, 753-7877. • Spirit of Newfoundland’s Christmas Cabaret, dinner theatre, Majestic Theatre, 390 Duckworth St. Every Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat until Jan 8. 6:30 p.m. $48, 579-3023. • Best Little NL Christmas Pageant Ever, dinner theatre, Majestic Theatre and The Star Hall, every Mon, Tues, Fri and Sat until Jan 8. 6:30 p.m. $48, 579-3023. • The Navigators, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub and Eatery, George St. 722-3735. • Eight Track Favourites play Mickey Quinn’s, Delta St. John’s.
• Mark Bragg and Love Hijacker at the Ship Inn, St. John’s. JANUARY 1 • New Years Day Brunch, Bona Vista restaurant, Fairmont Newfoundland, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., $38 adult, $26.50 children. • Exploder plays CBTG’s, George St., 10:30 p.m. 722-2284. JANUARY 2 • Sound Symposium presents Scruncheons New Year’s Concert, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 3 p.m., admission free, 754-1242. JANUARY 4 • Kathy Phippard CD release
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party, Majestic Theatre, 390 Duckworth St. 7 p.m. Admission free, 579-3023. • Auntie Crae’s House Band, traditional Newfoundland music, 272 Water St. Every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. 754-0661. JANUARY 6 • Newfoundland’s Mark Bragg and Ottawa songwriter Jim Bryson play the LSPU Hall, Victoria St., St. John’s, 753-4531. JANUARY 7 • Rising Tide Theatre presents Revue 04, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, Jan. 7- 8, 12-15. $22 adults, $18 students/seniors,
729-5243. IN THE GALLERIES • Christmas Art, Balance Restaurant, 147 LeMarchant Rd. until Jan 8. An exhibition of Christmas art by Elizabeth Burry, Linda Coles and Julie Duff. 722-2112. • In Sequence II, art for Christmas, Leyton Gallery, Baird’s Cove, until Jan. 30, 15 artists exhibit their most recent pieces. Open Tue-Sat, 11 a.m.-5p.m., Sun 12-5 p.m. 722-7177. • Art exhibit by Vivian Pedley and Jason Jenkins, James Baird Gallery, 221 Duckworth St., until Jan. 7, 726-4502.