VOL. 4 ISSUE 6
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ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5-11, 2006
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WWW.THEINDEPENDENT.CA —
$1.00 HOME DELIVERY (HST included); $1.50 RETAIL (HST included)
BUSINESS PAGE 23
SPORTS 32
Province’s new tourism ads target Ontario
Eddie Oates moves behind the bench for Cee Bee Stars
Cancer suit filed
Eastern Health sued for false breast cancer test; lawyer expects more suits to come BEN CURTIES
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Mount Pearl woman is suing Eastern Health in what her lawyer predicts may be the first in a string of lawsuits stemming from an ongoing breast cancer testing nightmare. Michelle B. Hanlon, 42, alleges the cancer that cost her both breasts and later spread to her lungs, liver, and brain could have been stopped or slowed if Eastern Health had correctly performed a test that helps determine a course of treatment. Hanlon is one of hundreds of breast cancer patients whose estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) tests may have given false results, possibly
resulting in their exclusion from hormone treatments such as Tamoxifen. A statement of claim, filed on Hanlon’s behalf, reads: “The plaintiff has undergone a number of unnecessary and lengthy courses of radiation and chemotherapy with associated symptoms that include nausea, pain, severe fatigue and hair loss, prolonged hospitalization, and suffers from ongoing pain, fatigue, suffering, and distress.” The statement also says Eastern Health’s alleged negligence shortened Hanlon’s life expectancy, cost her money for other drugs and services, and diminished her earning and housekeeping abilities. She’s suing for unspecified lost wages, medical expenses, travelling expenses, court costs, and pain and suffering. See “Law firm,” page 4
‘The fix was in’ Newfoundland companies lose $5-million offshore contract to Texas firm
STEPHANIE PORTER
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three-year, $5-million contract related to the offshore oil industry was awarded in January to a Texas company, despite the fact two Newfoundland and Labrador-based companies were in the bidding. St. John’s Mayor Andy Wells sees the news as yet another example of oil industry benefits the province has lost out on. “It really is a piss-off,” Wells tells The Independent. “It’s just not acceptable that this kind of work at that level can go Andy Wells outside the province when there’s companies here that have obviously got track records.” Wells says it’s not the first time this has happened. “It’s illustrative of what we’ve been talking about with regard to industrial benefits,” he adds. “There has to be some changes.” According to the Atlantic Accord, when it comes to the oil and gas industry “first consideration” must be given to services provided and goods manufactured in this province, “where such
goods and services are competitive.” As well, the Accord says companies based in Newfoundland and Labrador must be given “full, fair and competitive access” to the marketplace. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) is charged with ensuring the conditions are met. Wells, a long-time advocate of the province’s oil industry — and Premier Danny Williams’ pick for head of the C-NLOPB — says the Accord is being followed, but not in the way it could be. “If it was my call, I’d say to the company, ‘Well, b’y, you’re probably within the letter of the law, but there’s also spirit and there’s also intent.’ “And you (should) figure out what it is you need to do to make sure these companies qualify, and work with them to make them qualify if indeed they’re not qualified.” In this particular case, East Coast Tubulars Ltd., a supplier of tubular products (iron and steel pipes, for example) requested proposals for “the provision of tubular inspection services.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I love every note of what I’m playing. And the Chopin piece … it’s so sublime, so beautiful, the most hardened criminal couldn’t listen to that and not be moved.” — Averill Piers Baker, concert pianist See page 17
See “Toothless,” page 2
John Andrews/The Independent
Stocking the Banks Scientist says releasing cod fry on Grand Banks may not improve wild stocks, but it worked in 1800s ALISHA MORRISSEY
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odfish scientist George Rose says releasing millions of cod fry into the sea won’t revive stocks, but Adolph Nielson, a longdead Norwegian fisheries inspector, would beg to differ. After all, it worked when he tried it. In 1887, the cod fishery was in decline after the Newfoundland government failed to regulate catches. The government didn’t even have a fisheries department when it realized the inshore fishery was in dangerous decline. In 1889, at the request of the
LIFE 19
A new poet laureate for St. John’s LIFE 22
Nicholas Gardner on sharpest knives in drawer
newly formed Newfoundland Fisheries Commission, Nielson opened a cod hatchery on Dildo Island and began a primitive form of aquaculture to help revive bay stocks. Nielson used state-of-the-art equipment (keep in mind the year was 1889) capable of hatching between two and three million eggs each season, releasing them to the sea. He later created a salt-water pond in which fish spawned in a natural way, and Nielson then moved young fish to the bay. Gerald Smith, a tour operator in Dildo who has researched Nielson’s work, says he’s unsure why the stocks were in decline in the 1800s, but the hatchery’s impact on the stocks was
obvious. “They’ve said that the impact it had on, not only on this community, but right around Newfoundland was, you could almost compare it to the oil industry today to a certain extent,” Smith tells The Independent. “Some would argue that it wasn’t a successful venture, but it seems like it was pretty successful back in them days anyway. My opinion is if they had continued to do something like that when it (the cod decline) started off first, well then maybe we wouldn’t be in the state we’re in today.” Cod stocks in waters off Newfoundland and Labrador have been in decline
LIFE 20-21
See “I’m a strong believer,” page 2
Both sides debate the redevelopment of The Battery Hotel in east end St. John’s
Life Story . . . . . . . . Paper Trail . . . . . . . Events . . . . . . . . . . . Crossword . . . . . . .
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2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
‘I’m a strong believer in mother nature’ From page 1
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for years. Commercial cod fishing — at least in domestic waters — was banned in the early 1990s, but the stocks have continued to shrink to the point that scientists have considered declaring them endangered. Rose, chair of fisheries conservation at Memorial University’s Marine Institute, says dumping codfish fry into harbours and bays around the province would be a wasteful, losing battle in trying to revive stocks. “It’s not really a very likely proposition because you need such an incredible amount of eggs the odds are just against you and most of them are going to die anyway,” Rose says, adding the idea has been tossed around in the past few years. Further, he says the only way artificial breeding could be successful would be to raise the fish to a rather large size before releasing them, and even then it’s not likely stocks will recover. It’s simply too expensive, Rose says. With the cost of raising a decentsized fish pegged at between $2 and $4 and fishermen getting less than $1 a pound, Rose says cod isn’t an economically viable fish to farm. “I’m a strong believer in mother nature myself. On my own bias … and I think, basically, we should be protecting all of the remaining aggregations that we’ve got left and just
hope basically,” he says, “just hope that conditions get better and they’ll be able to reproduce a little bit better than they have been able to in the last years.” Back in Trinity Bay, Smith, a former fisherman and fish plant worker, says the interpretation centre in Dildo describes Nielson’s process. “The reason they said they chose Dildo for it was because the deep waters and everything here in the community, the quality off the water, the salinity content and the oxygen content and everything in this little harbour and around Dildo Island was perfect for the raising of little fish.” The hatchery was eventually shut down, but not because it wasn’t working, says Smith. “Politics being the same as what they were a hundred years ago I guess, that’s what happened,” he says. “The government of the day said it was a wonderful idea and the next government said it wasn’t a good idea at all so the hatchery closed down because of political reasons. So the guy that they brought in, Adolph Nielson, he ran it himself the last year it was there so he ran it for seven years.” The community of Dildo has been trying to get funding for cod aquaculture and experimented with a few fish in the mid ’90s, Smith says. “Maybe it wouldn’t solve the whole problem, but it would certainly help.”
‘Toothless’ Atlantic Accord From page 1 Since 1996, Newfoundland-owned Spectrol Group had supplied the services, on behalf of East Coast Tubulars, to many of the major oil companies. Spectrol put forward a bid on the new, three-year contract. The other Newfoundland company in the running was Atlantic Inspection Services. The contract was eventually awarded to Tuboscope, based in Houston, Tex. “As far as I’m concerned, the fix was in on this one,” says Tom Collingwood, who started Atlantic Inspection Services and is one of the company’s major investors. “(I figure) they just said, ‘Ah, we’ve got to find one of these companies down in Texas with the depth and the expertise and 71,000 employees … let’s bypass the little local boys and bring in another big guy.’” Collingwood says he has no doubt his company could have met the needs of the contract. And if there were things his company — or for that matter, his Newfoundland competitor — needed to improve, he says the focus should have been on training or expansion, not on turning to a large American company. He points his finger to the regulatory powers of the C-NLOPB and a “toothless” Atlantic Accord. “The rules of the C-NLOPB are wide open,” he continues. “I’m saying, boys, either you’re going to want some companies here or we’re going to have to go to government and start setting down some new ground rules. “And whether you like it or not, the oil can sit in the ground until Newfoundlanders are the winners and they’re the people with the opportunities to participate in this venture. We can’t be slaves to these giant oil companies.” Moran Marshall, the testing/lifting equipment manager at Atlantic Inspection Services, attended the debriefing meeting after his company’s bid was rejected. “They give you the strengths and the weaknesses of your company,” he says. “But there was no solid reason given (for turning down the application).” ‘TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER’ Marshall says buzzwords like “technology transfer” have been tossed around since he started working on the Hibernia construction project a dozen years ago. But not enough has been done to make it a reality. “My biggest thing, if the company that releases the contracts deems the local providers are not qualified, then there should be some stipulation that, well, if we have to go to an international company to help, one of the local companies should also be involved,” he says. “We should be making links and making sure that, at the end of the day, that this technology is transferred. “As a Newfoundlander, I’m disappointed that the C-NLOPB, the great protector, has pretty much said, oh you had a fair shake and that’s it, move on.” Edsell Bonnell, spokesperson for the C-NLOPB, tells The Independent the board’s duty is to make sure companies based in Newfoundland and Labrador are given “full and fair opportunity” to bid on jobs — but that’s where its mandate ends. “If the company can’t justify their contract award, then there may be something we can get involved in,” says Bonnell. “But if they can, we can’t.” He says the C-NLOPB is a regulatory body, not an “industrial promotions organization.” It’s not in the business of waging battles on behalf of specific companies. “It’s beyond their mandate to do it and would be breaking the law to do it,” he says. “The Newfoundland government is an active promoter and fights for this that and the other thing, and so they should. “There are firms who feel the government or somebody should be forcing people to use Newfoundland firms for everything, and I can see where they’re coming from … they’d like to get the business. But it’s a competitive industry and it’s not one where Newfoundland firms get contracts regardless of what they bid.” Wells says he’d like to see, if not a change in the actual Accord, then at least a change in the attitude of the board. “I think the board is timid,” he says. “You can just say ‘There’s the law and that’s it, I can’t get involved,’ as if it was some kind of quasi-judicial process, but when it comes to industrial benefits, there’s got to be pressure exercised. The C-NLOPB is not user-friendly.” Wells says the concern raised over the recent tender is just one example of the great gulf within the industry, between the insiders in control of the market, and the legitimate newcomers struggling to edge in. “I know of another case that is a major piece of work that is being done overseas … the company here is prepared to do it, but they’re not being given a fair shake,” Wells says. “Those that are doing fine don’t talk to someone like me … but those who want to see the place shook up and changed, they call me with their stories. “This is just one.”
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3
Welfare worries Income support cases down 10,000 in the past decade, but people still hurting
Welfare stats • The total amount paid out in income support in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2005 was $211 million, compared to $213.7 million in 2004. • The average number of income support cases last year was 27,650, declining from 32,046 in 1998. • On average 1,100 cases left the income support program each month in 2004, while 1,000 new cases came on. • Nearly 20,000 single people and 8,030 families are on income support. • The average benefits are pegged at $5,700 for the period of usage, which averages out to 9.3 months. • As of 2003 Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest income support usage at 9.9 per cent. Alberta had the lowest at 1.8 per cent and the Canadian average was 5.5 per cent. Newfoundland and Labrador has continually had the highest per capita income support rate since 1994. Source: Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and Statistics Canada.
Paul Daly photo/The Independent
By Alisha Morrissey The Independent
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ll Wanda ever thinks about is money. After 20 years on and off welfare because of the rheumatoid arthritis that keeps her from working, she has a question: “If I gave you $212 for two weeks would you survive? “Everything I have here somebody gave it to me and that’s not a good feeling either,” Wanda, who asked her real name not be used, tells The Independent. “You’re going back and forth to the food banks and I mean you feel like dirt, people see you coming out and they know what you got,” she says. “If they see you going to the grocery store a certain time of the moth they say ‘Oh, look there’s a welfare bum.’” Wanda excuses herself from the room, returning a moment later with a crumpled tissue in her hand. “It’s like you’re not as good as anybody else,” she says, rubbing at her eyes under the lenses of her glasses. “There’s nights I sit down and I just cry. I can’t do anything else, there’s days you don’t even want to live.” A mother of two grown sons, Wanda says her ex-husband was an alcoholic and after he threatened her she left him and took the kids. She beams when she talks about her boys’ careers and futures. She says she pushed them to do better. “I said to them ‘You don’t want to live life like this,’ and they said, ‘No, mom, I don’t,’” she says. Wanda’s case is just one of 27,650 recorded in 2005, a caseload that’s slowly declining, but will never go away. According to Statistics Canada, the peak use of income support in Newfoundland and Labrador was in 1997 when 12.9 per cent of the population drew welfare (the exact number of cases was unavailable). “We know the population is diminished, we know the unemployment rates have gone down significantly in St. John’s and we know that a large part of our population is here in St. John’s so that would make, I think, some significant difference,” says Penelope Rowe, CEO of the Community Services Council. The decline in income support cases is at least partly due to targeted wage subsidies, makework programs and a variety of other programs — all designed to help people qualify for
Employment Insurance benefits, Rowe says. Welfare is paid for by the province — EI is not. “Those things are not new, governments have always done that. I think you could track that right back to the late ’60s or early ’70s when this province caught on to the concept of creating enough work for people that they then went on to the federal system.” But what has changed, she says, is the province’s new provincial poverty reduction strategy which will examine ways to decrease poverty in the province, and hopefully provide options for people on income support. “Because obviously the last thing you want is for people to get caught in this system early in their lives because very often the fact that you’ve had to spend some of your time on income support that’s almost held against you,” Rowe says. Labour Minister Paul Shelley says in recent years the biggest impact on income support rates has been a push on career education. He says the department’s focus was once on the best way to deliver cheques, but with new technology delivering the financial end of the program, staff now focus on employment strategies. “The statistic I don’t like is that almost 50 per cent of people coming on income support in the last number of years are youth … so to me it’s staring us right in the face that the youth that are coming out of school, that are in low income families, education is what’s needed to break that cycle,” Shelley says. “I find that if we give them that helping hand to assist them to leave high school and then continue with a career that’s the best thing we can do as a government.” Back in Wanda’s living room, she says she sees a lot of abuse in the system, that younger people with children will get greater benefits and spend it on frivolous things. “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. I try to keep things in the house, I try to keep things straightened away,” she says. “You can’t go to a store and buy anything … if you haven’t got something you’re either going to a neighbour to get it, or you’re going to someone or you’re going to a food bank.” And if she had all the money in the world, Wanda says she’d give most of it away to people she knows who need it. “It’s not easy going into a store and seeing things that you want and you can’t have — I can see why people just take it and leave.”
Income support investigations 2002/2003
2003/2004
2004/2005
Income support spending
$210 million
$214 million
$213 million
Number of investigations completed
1,760
1,430
1,540
Savings from investigations
$2.2 million
$1.5 million
$1.4 million
Source: Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Labour.
SCRUNCHINS A weekly collection of Newfoundlandia DEAD DUCK IN NEWFOUNDLAND Must have seemed like old times last week for Brian Tobin. His picture was in all the papers, especially The Globe and Mail. First, there was the question asked from coast to coast: would he run for the Liberal leadership? In a story headlined, As the titans bow out, the talent grows thin, Jeffrey Simpson said the former Newfoundland premier (“and now Torontonian”) is a “dead duck in Newfoundland, and it’s always nervy to choose someone whose old friends offer warnings.” Here at home the local TV stations rushed out to interview people on the streets, and most seemed to agree they wouldn’t vote for Tobin, even though he’s one of their own. An editorial in the same Globe called Tobin a “bit of a showboat, as his turn as Captain Canada in the East Coast fish wars revealed.” LOUISA KNEW The Globe’s Jane Taber mentioned
Tobin in her Ottawa Notebook column and how his advisors were fielding calls left, right and centre. Wrote Taber: “When one of them finally reached him on his cell phone after trying for the fifth time, Mr. Tobin was sitting in a barber’s chair at a salon at First Canadian Place in Toronto having his hair cut by his hairdresser, Louisa. When asked if he had come to a decision, Mr. Tobin replied, “Only Louisa knows for sure.” INKLESS WELLS Then Tobin decided not to run, and columnist Paul Wells of Maclean’s magazine gave his two cents worth on his personal blog: “ The Liberal party was rocked today by news that David Peterson, Justin Trudeau, Gerald Butts, Daniel Johnson, Pierre Marc Johnson, Elvis Stojko, Cheapo the African foster child, the entire cast of Battlestar Galactica, David Asper, Leah McLaren, Mike Lazaridis and Celine Dion will not be running for the leadership of the troubled party.” In a joint news conference, Peterson, Trudeau, Butts, Johnson, Johnson, Stojko,
Cheope, the cast, Asper, McLaren, Lazaridis and Dion said they just wanted to spend more time with Brian Tobin’s family. “This is only a temporary setback,” Liberal president Mike Eizenga said in a mass e-mail to party members. “We still have many strong candidates for the Liberal leadership.” TOP 5 RICK MERCER QUOTES When Memorial University gave our very own Rick from Middle Cove an honourary doctorate of letters in June 2005, he gave a wicked speech. Top 5 quotes: #1 … I know what you’re thinking, ‘My God he’s so tall.’ #2 … Apparently in Newfoundland they give out degrees for being saucy now. It’s really about time. It’s one of our greatest exports. #3 … In my capacity as doctor let me say to you all, please remove your clothes. #4 … I was telling (my father) I wished I went to university back when I had the chance. I said, ‘You know Dad, looking
back, I think at the time I lacked the wisdom of seeing how important a post-secondary education really is.’ Dad said, ‘No, what you lacked was a high school diploma. Work on that first.’ #5 … Have fun and make a difference. NEWFOUNDLAND ANECDOTES With Valentine’s Day coming up it’s only right to include a story of love and romance. According to volume II of The Book of Newfoundland, in 1874 a famous duel was fought between Augustus Healey and Denis Dooley “for the love of a prominent city belle” on the Fort Townshend site in St. John’s. Fortunately, the bullets were removed from the weapons and no one was injured. Dooley fainted, but Healey stood his ground. “The love stricken combatants afterwards tried the more natural weapons, the fists, behind John Casey’s barn, and Healey won the day. It is interesting to note that the subject of the quarrel a short time afterwards married another man.”
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4 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
Law firm has other cancer clients From page 1
Paul Shelton
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘Stop fishing’ By Alisha Morrissey The Independent
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study on northern cod released last week isn’t further evidence for environmentalists to slap an endangered species tag on the fish. Paul Shelton, the lead scientist in a Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) study of 12 species of north Atlantic cod, says while evidence shows continued fishing and low productivity are delaying the recovery of stocks, the fish are nowhere near extinct. “(There) are clearly indications of concern about potential for these populations to go extinct, but we’re still talking about millions of fish in the ocean … so it’s not the same as the bison or the carrier pigeon where you’re down to the last breeding pairs,” Shelton tells The Independent. “I don’t think any scientist believes that cod is in any imminent danger of going extinct, but what you’ve got is it seems to be stuck at this low stock size and we can’t
change the productivity of the fish … but we can stop fishing. The only thing we can do is stop fishing.” Last year MPs voted in the House of Commons against listing Atlantic cod on the endangered species list, despite a recommendation by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The DFO study, released in the February 2006 edition of Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, looks at the productivity of the 12 north Atlantic cod stocks in relation to mortality, body growth and fishing — all reasons listed for slow recovery of the stocks. “These fisheries are small and they’re basically pegged at the level … it provides EI for fishermen dependent on this industry,” Shelton says. “But as a biologist that’s beyond my scope. We can just look at the data and what the data shows is the deposit in the bank is not going to increase if we keep removing the current amount of fish.” The study showed populations could
GENERAL MANAGER John Moores AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Cod stocks not endangered, just in danger, scientists say
john.moores@theindependent.ca
SALES MANAGER Gillian Fisher P.O. Box 5891, Stn.C, St. John’s, gillian.fisher@theindependent.ca Newfoundland & Labrador, A1C 5X4 Ph: 709-726-4639 • Fax: 709-726-8499 PRODUCTION MANAGER John Andrews Website: www.theindependent.ca john.andrews@theindependent.ca sales@theindependent.ca • production@theindependent.ca • circulation@theindependent.ca
increase five per cent in six of 12 stocks and 10 per cent in eight of the 12 stocks — should fishing stop. If that doesn’t happen and fishing efforts continue at their present rates, Shelton says growth rates will continue to be less than 2 per cent. “The bycatch mortality on the southern Grand Bank cod is definitely a major factor there and that’s a combination of Canadianfishing effort and foreign-fishing effort.” While the fish aren’t in danger of extinction, Shelton says there may be a scarier proposition — commercial extinction. “That’s basically when it’s no longer profitable to fish these stocks and fortunately for the fish that hasn’t happened because you can still catch them as bycatch,” he says. “As a scientist we can’t call for a ban on fishing, but what we do is analyse the data, present it, show that with the current levels of fishing these populations are not going to recover and then it’s a socio-economic decision about where you want to do that trade off.”
Collin Feltham, one of the lawyers representing Hanlon, says he’s not yet sure how much money his client will ask for. However, he says, she does not intend to seek punitive damages at this point. “I don’t think their actions were that high-handed to go that far,” he says. “It wasn’t anything deliberate, based on what we know today.” Feltham says he expects there will be more lawsuits. In fact his firm — Roebothan, McKay, and Marshall — is dealing with other clients in respect to the breast cancer tests. Feltham says the lawsuit is complex and will likely be quite lengthy. He says once lawyers for Eastern Health respond to the statement of claim, the next step is for the two parties to disclose relevant information. Daniel Boone, a lawyer representing Eastern Health, says his team is gathering information to prepare a plea and would likely be ready to enter a statement of defence in about a month. He declined further comment. Susan Bonnell, director of communications for Eastern Health, also declined comment. “It’s in the hands of our legal council, and we’ll follow the legal process of the law,” she says. According to the statement of claim, Hanlon underwent a biopsy of her left breast on March 24, 2000 at the Health Sciences Centre, which is operated by Eastern Health. The report was positive for breast cancer, but a further ER/PR test gave a false negative result. The laboratory reported the ER/PR test would be repeated, but according to the statement of claim that didn’t happen for over five years. Within a week of being diagnosed with breast cancer, Hanlon had her left breast partially removed. On May 3, 2000, Hanlon’s oncologist allegedly relied on the laboratory’s pathology information — including the false ER/PR test — to determine that Hanlon should undergo chemotherapy. When Hanlon asked the oncologist if she should undergo Tamoxifen treatment, she was told such a hormone-based therapy was inappropriate due to her ER/PR test results. Instead, she was given radiation therapy, for which she had to travel to Cleveland, Ohio, due to a shortage of radiation therapists in Newfoundland and Labrador. On March 27, 2001, Hanlon had the rest of her left breast removed. A chest X-ray revealed a suspicious lesion on her left lung, which turned out to be cancer. She had her right breast removed and underwent more chemotherapy, including a 14-month stint in early 2004. But the cancer in her lungs wasn’t going away. Finally, on June 3, 2005, Hanlon was told there had been testing problems in the laboratory and that she should be re-tested for ER/PR. She was also told she had cancer of the liver. Her results came back positive, and she was allegedly told she had previously received the wrong treatment. She was started on Tamoxifen hormone treatments on June 14, 2005. Later that month, lesions were found on her brain and she had to go brain radiation treatment in August. The statement alleges that Eastern Health failed to provide adequate staff, equipment, instructions, and quality control to ensure her ER/PR tests were properly carried out. “Where was the check system to allow them to discover there were errors being made?” Feltham asks. “They owed a duty to the hospital’s patients who were being tested, and they failed to meet the standard of care that was expected of them. Effectively, they didn’t exercise due care in how they conducted their testing.” Feltham says Eastern Health was served a statement of claim on Dec. 13, 2005. However, in its Jan. 29 edition The Independent reported that Eastern Health communications officer Deborah Pennell (who no longer works for Eastern Health) said the health board was unaware of any lawsuits filed against them. Contacted again, Pennell says she was asked if she was aware of any lawsuits against Eastern Health and said she wasn’t. “There may have been other people in the corporation who had known but (The Independent) asked me if I was aware of any,” Pennell says. Bonnell, the director of communications, says her department exists to research, fact check and line up interviews for media, but they are not official spokespeople. She says the board is not giving interviews regarding the breast cancer tests, and is instead notifying patients and doctors on an individual basis. Bonnell says she did follow up on whether there were any more lawsuits against the company. “As of right now at this moment in time, this is the only lawsuit that I’m aware of.”
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, JAN. 30 Vessels arrived: Panuke Sea, Canada, from Sable Island Field; Atlantic Hawk, Canada, from White Rose; Burin Sea, Canada, from Terra Nova; Maersk Nascopie, Canada, from Hibernia. Vessels departed: Atlantic Pursuit, Canada, to fishing; Cicero, Canada, to Montreal. TUESDAY, JAN. 31 Vessels arrived: Ann Harvey, Canada, from sea; ASL Sanderling, Canada, from Halifax; Zuiho Maru # 68, Japan, from sea. Vessels departed: Atlantic Eagle, Canada, to Terra Nova Oil Field; Atlantic Hawk, Canada, to White Rose. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1 Vessels arrived: Maersk Chancellor, Canada, from White Rose; Atlantic Eagle, Canada, from Hibernia; Atlantic Osprey, Canada, from Terra Nova Oil Field. Vessels departed: none THURSDAY, FEB. 2 None FRIDAY, FEB. 3 Vessels arrived: Maersk Dispatcher, Canada, from White Rose; Acadian, Canada, from Sears Fort, Atlantic Vigor, Canada, from fishing; Jean Charcot, U.K., from Conception Bay. Vessels departed: ASL Sanderling, Canada, to Halifax; Zuiho Maru #68, Japan, to fishing.
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5
Sick days
Newfoundland and Labrador workers on par with country for lost work days By Alisha Morrissey The Independent
N John Crosbie
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘No more powers’ Crosbie says elected Senate won’t make difference to province By Alisha Morrissey The Independent
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ritics say Prime Minister-designate Stephen Harper’s plan to elect senators doesn’t go far enough, arguing the only way an elected upper house could benefit Newfoundland and Labrador is through Constitutional change. Former Progressive Conservative MP John Crosbie says an elected Senate won’t make much difference to this province. “The only impact it would have (on Newfoundland and Labrador) is if somebody wants to go to the Senate they’d have to campaign in an election and the whole province … would vote and that would be the only difference it would make here,” Crosbie says. “Newfoundland would have no more powers than it has now. Just electing senators doesn’t change the fundamental situation at all.” The Independent reported last week that the vacant Senate seat reserved for this province will likely be filled by appointment rather than an election because of the time it will take to make the legislative changes. One of the province’s Senate seats was left vacant at December’s end when Senator Bill Doody passed away just two months before his mandatory retirement on his 75th birthday. Newfoundland and Labrador has six Senate seats, compared to Ontario’s 24. Harper announced his party’s plans
for sweeping reforms of Canada’s political system on the campaign trail in midDecember. More specifically, the plan for an elected Senate where senators are to serve fixed terms. Senators are currently appointed by the prime minister. Over the years politicos (former premier Clyde Wells among them) have discussed the usefulness of a triple-E Senate (elected, equal and effective) in Canadian Parliament, though a change was never made and the Conservative government isn’t advocating a triple-E Senate. “It’s almost impossible to conceive that there could be unanimity between the Government of Canada and the present Senate and the 10 provinces and so on to decide what to do with the Senate,” Crosbie says, doubting Harper’s commitment to the election promise. “It would take a long time and certainly it’s hardly something a minority government is going to spend moths and months on and give high priority to.” It’s impractical to elect senators as people retire or die, Crosbie says, and Harper probably can’t move the House of Commons to consider a Constitutional change. “To just pass legislation saying that government is going to provide for elections to see who the prime minister will recommend to … appoint, I suppose that could be attempted, but I think it’s extremely awkward,” he says, adding the only other option would be a general election. “Then parties would run, but it would be conceivable that a party could
get a majority in the Senate different from the party in the House of Commons, which would certainly provide for political deadlock. “I’m not a supporter myself of making this kind of change. I think the only effective way to do it is to amend the Constitution and that’s going to be a very difficult thing to do.” The Conservative party hasn’t released many details about how its version of the Senate would work, passing on interviews until government takes office. A new cabinet is to be sworn in on Jan. 6. Political science professor Chris Dunn of Memorial University says Harper will have few options when it comes to electing a new Senate, but describes them all as “sticky. “I don’t understand what he’s driving at,” Dunn says. “There’s all sorts of unanswered questions such as, if you’re going to change the method of choice/election of senators you also have to change the purpose of the Senate,” he says. “The prime minister appoints senators so there’s nothing preventing him in the Constitution from appointing senators who have been elected in senatorial elections as vacancies appear.” As for the possibility of a general election similar to that of the federal government, Dunn says Harper would have to look at abolishing the current Senate which has “all sorts of messy implications. “What are you going to do with these people who are already there?”
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ewfoundlanders and Labradorians take about 10 days off in sick days and other leave a year, just one day over the Canadian average, Statistics Canada figures reveal. But then statistics can be deceiving, labour representatives say. Carol Furlong, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE), says the 10-day average is misleading because averages include people who don’t take any leave with people who abuse it. “A worker has an injury or a heart attack, let’s say, and I don’t know maybe it’s brought on by the work environment or not, but regardless of that, that worker may have surgery and can be off the job for say four or five months …,” Furlong tells The Independent. “Let’s say there are five of you at that workplace. All of a sudden statistics show that at that place of work each one of you has taken one full month of sick leave that year.” Meantime, in certain occupations like health care when a person catches a contagious flu or virus they’re required to take time off work, Furlong says. “All you are getting is what you’re entitled to and again, there’s lots of people that don’t use family days, there’s lots of people that don’t use sick leave, there’s lots of people … who don’t even access all their annual leave for goodness sake,” she says. “But that’s not good for you. It wears you out it’s just that some people tend to work many, many hours, additional hours and run themselves down, but this whole issue of days lost for illness and injury is very distorted.” Sick leave was a major bone of contention in the 28-day public sector strike in April 2004. At the time, Premier
Danny Williams told The Independent that some workers were accumulating up to 480 days of sick leave and retiring up to two years early. A spokeswoman for the Finance Department told The Independent sick-leave benefits were costing government “tens of millions of dollars.” Government eventually legislated employees back to work, with a clause in their contract cutting the number of sick days for new employees to one day a month from two. Employees on payroll before the strike are still entitled to two days a month. Nurses and teachers are set to begin contract talks with government. It isn’t known if the province will go after those unions for the same sick-leave concessions. Royal Newfoundland Constabulary members were recently written up in the auditor general’s report for taking an average of 13 sick days per year. Reg Anstey, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, says he’s pretty comfortable with an average 10 sick days leave. He too points out that “what you get and what you take are two different things,” adding that for the average worker a sick day is a luxury. “In a lot of the non-union environments a sick day is a day without pay and you know one would expect the unionized environments to be better than that … they generally try and build up sick days for when you need it in those kinds of (health related) emergencies,” Anstey says. “You check with most people who work for the government you’ll find if they’ve got 100 or 200 days (accumulated), it’s not uncommon. “I don’t think that’s really the issue in terms of some of the more pressing ones in the workforce, to me that would be way, way down the list … when you look at training and other issues in the work place, that one certainly doesn’t even make the radar.”
Average number of lost work days Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Highest Lowest
ILLNESS OR DISABILITY 7.5 8.8
FAMILY DAYS 1.7 1.5
ALL CAUSES 9.2 10.3
9.4 (Quebec) 5.6 (Alberta)
2.2 (Saskatchewan) 1.4 (Quebec)
11 (Nova Scotia) 7.5 (Alberta)
Source: Statistics Canada (2004)
6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
Oops, where did that come from? A
pparently the girls and boys at Hibernia with all of the letters behind their names found another 250 million barrels of oil the other day. Imagine that! 250 million barrels at almost $80 a barrel works out to another $20 billion, or roughly twice the debt of the entire province. How does one go about losing that much of anything? Well, it wasn’t actually lost, and if you hear Hibernia’s story, they never knew it was there. Well ... they could never prove it was there. I remember when the Hibernia project was being negotiated and the oil consortium was insisting there was less than 500 million barrels of oil in total, and therefore the project was “uneconomic” with a breakeven price per barrel in the teens. Can’t you remember? That was when Ian Doig, an “expert” who publishes a newsletter for his Alberta-based oil clients, was telling everyone in the country that Hibernia was a make-work project, and most were believing him, including a lot right here. Mr. Doig is no clairvoyant, and it was in the Alberta oil industry’s best interests at the time to view the emerging East Coast oil industry as a folly. Well, this latest “discovery” brings the acknowledged potential reserve of
BRIAN DOBBIN
Publish or perish Hibernia to 1.2 billion barrels. Back in the days that the Mobil consortium was claiming there was barely enough there to make the project worthwhile, they refused to conduct any more exploratory wells, and therefore a large part of the potential field had no data on it. A petro-geologist friend of mine claimed at the time there would be 2 billion barrels taken out of the Hibernia field by its end and was ridiculed for it ... let’s see what the final tally is. Of course, by keeping the number low, the oil companies negotiated themselves a fine deal, with government cash and guarantees, and an incredibly generous royalty plan that allowed capital costs of the project to be paid off before real revenues to the province kicked in. That was when the project was supposed to cost less than $2 billion, and through a lot of greed and incompetence, came in at over three times the price ... and let’s be very clear here: we are paying
that overrun. This is a great example of the theory that if you tell a huge lie, it is easier to get off with it than a small one. In my opinion, the Mobil consortium pulled a $60-billion fast one on the province, and that will exceed $100 billion before it is all over. If these numbers have not made you gasp by now, please check yourself for a pulse immediately. Don’t you think we’ve had enough of this? I do. Over 30 years ago Peter Lougheed stood in the Alberta legislature and threatened to tear up the oil leases of the U.S.-based oil companies if they did not move their operations to Alberta. Thirty years later we know what Calgary has become. I listened with great interest the other night when Prime Minister-elect Harper stated in his acceptance speech that the new government would work to give the Atlantic provinces more control over their resources. How about we take that opening and run with it? They are our damn resources in the first place, and if we exercised our inalienable right to control just the water and hydrocarbon energy production of our resources, our debt of about $12 billion, half of which is unfunded pension liability, would be wiped out faster than you can say enough
We have the power to significantly alter our future as Newfoundlanders away from the have-not destiny that has been projected on us. is enough. It requires some tough talk, and if necessary some tough decisions, but do you really think we would have to render the fabric of our country apart to get these rights? I don’t. I think that once we show ourselves and everyone else we are very serious, fundamental changes in royalty payments and resource control will be absorbed into the flow of normal business. Believe me when I tell you the oil companies will not take their marbles and go home, and it will be accepted in the boardrooms — after all, business is business. The salient point in all this in my mind is convincing ourselves. We seem to be afraid to suggest the whole damn relationship with Ottawa and the oil industry is unfair. Meanwhile, we continue to lose
our greatest resource, our people, to better opportunity outside of the province. We have the power to significantly alter our future as Newfoundlanders away from the have-not destiny that has been projected on us. For God’s sake, let’s get outside of the mental box we are in. We need you, Mr. Premier; you are the right man in the right place to change our history. Lower Churchill deals and bigger cheques from Ottawa are fine, but let’s get really serious and talk about changing the rules to this game we joined. The Chinese say everything is possible, and everything is impossible, it depends on the man. I know you think these same thoughts yourself Mr. Williams, and you have certainly shown you are not a fearful man. They may laugh in Ottawa and New York at first, but I guarantee they won’t be laughing when they know you’re serious. Why do we continually treat the symptoms of having our wealth taken from us but not the disease? It is time to let our Canadian brethren and corporate partners know that we will exercise our rights to make sure the people of Newfoundland will be the primary beneficiaries of our resources. Lead, and you will be followed. Rise above the history of have-not, and you will be supported.
YOUR VOICE Our angle? Dear editor, What’s up at the Weekly Hearn? You angling for a federal government
job or something?
Russell Wangersky, St. John’s
Which culture should Newfoundland fight for? Dear editor, tage of hindsight and the convenience Before Christmas, your newspaper of Sobey’s down the road. It is foolish printed a letter from Bonnie Jarvis- to suggest that the elderly who “fought Lowe of Shoal Harbour headlined in wars” and lived that life would relinWhere is the Fighting Newfound- quish all modern conveniences in lander? Now that the election has return for such a hard existence. passed, I feel compelled to respond to This culture of our elders that brings Ms. Jarvis-Lowe. She laments the cur- a tear to the eye of everyone who hears rent lack of fortitude here on “The Saltwater Joys is indeed that of our Rock,” especially amongst the homeland, and the younger generation “younger generation,” the members of is aware of this past existence. But we which “will not be fighting for any- must adapt to cultural and economic thing unless we can, one by one, edu- changes in the world or our cultural cate them about our identity will die. Newfoundland histoSo, which Newry.” foundland and I cannot personalLabrador, what culOur ancestors left ly blame Ms. Jarvisture, should we fight the British Isles and for? One which is Lowe for wishing to return to her homedependent on the elsewhere to seek land and revitalise commercial fishery, a their fortune, why what she sees as a single economic dormant fight for base? One in which should we be any dif- we are the world’s Newfoundland and Labrador culture. ferent? The important followers, and not Certainly, I see it as the leaders? One in thing is that we, all the duty of all those which we think that of working age, and to get a good job or of us, should have not necessarily to have a good stanretirees, to return to dard of life we have the choice and the this place, and bring to be in permanent opportunities needed exile in Alberta? No. good ideas to bear here, when and if The simple fact is to stay or to go. possible. that we must adapt to For her to suggest the changing world, that the returning and the romantic Boomers should become “role models idyll of rural life of which Ms Jarvisfor the younger men and women” is a Lowe speaks is worth far more to othgross insult to those workers in our ers than it is to ourselves. We do not province who chose to be fully con- need to fight, we need to think, and tributing members of the economy. consider, and build. And enjoy this Although she makes some passionate place. points, I do not find the voice of the Will everyone be able to stay and returned exile credible in this instance. live here? Of course not, and nor I do agree with her important point should everyone try. Our ancestors left that we should start helping ourselves the British Isles and elsewhere to seek and fighting more for our province. their fortune, why should we be any But, which culture is it that we should different? The important thing is that fight for? Ms Jarvis-Lowe cites the all of us should have the choice and the “full and vibrant” culture of those who opportunities needed to stay or to go. grew their vegetables, stored berries, And, if, Mr. Premier, you happen to shot big game and caught fish. She is read this letter, then please give some right to suggest that this subsistence consideration to those who are trying culture, this way of life, is under attack, to do for themselves, and not have that it is no longer sustainable for the everything done for them. sake of it. But it is mere romanticism to Shannon Lewis-Simpson, look upon the subsistence economy of Harbour Main “the elderly” as idyllic, with the advan-
AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
P.O. Box 5891, Stn.C, St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, A1C 5X4 Ph: 709-726-4639 • Fax: 709-726-8499 www.theindependent.ca • editorial@theindependent.ca The Independent is published by The Sunday Independent, Inc. in St. John’s. It is an independent newspaper covering the news, issues and current affairs that affect the people of Newfoundland & Labrador.
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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
Snow jam RYAN CLEARY
Fighting Newfoundlander
C
areful driving around St. John’s these days, the city’s gone ticket crazy. It could be 15 degrees on a marvelous winter evening (the weather was that freakish in January, remember) … you may be barbequing shirtless on the back deck and contemplating mowing the lawn, but Andy’s army of special agents will still ticket your car if it’s parked on the street during snow-clearing hours. Rules are rules they say, but what about a little common sense? A little advice for the meter men and maids: don’t ticket for snow clearing if A) the streets are covered in hopscotch marks and tulips are poking up through the cracks in the asphalt; B) Doc O’Keefe skips by in a pair of Bermuda shorts and a muscle shirt; or C) Shannie Duff is spotted out in a sundress and bare feet hanging Andy for Mayor T-shirts on the line. It’s colder now, of course, so there’s no excuse for parking on the street. Be careful driving, however. Now that the city has parking tickets down to a science, it’s going after moving violations with a vengeance. To rehash, the city wants to contract the Constabulary to provide a dedicated traffic unit to the streets of St. John’s. The city is out to put the brakes on speeding and other offences while taking in a little extra cash — about $160,000 a year after expenses (which would have more than covered a pay raise for city councillors if they had gotten away with sneaking it in). I see that as two-tier policing — one level of policing inside the overpass, and another level outside the overpass. Policing for the rich, and policing for the poor. The capital city may end up with
safer streets because it can afford to pay to clean them up (correction: you and I can afford to clean them up). The towns around the bay would be left with the force they have. (Maybe they could hold a scattered bake sale or Bingo night to raise money for an extra baton or two. Would Danny go for that?) City council has been raked over the coals in recent weeks but Andy isn’t fazed, his reputation is as solid as it’s ever been — the people who hate him, hate him more; the people who love him, love him still. Besides, it’s early in his mandate and voters have notoriously bad memories. And who’s to say the mayor doesn’t deserve a $14,000 raise? Not Andy for sure. One thing about Wells, he’ll tell you how he feels … no backdoors with him. Not even when he’s wrong. Not like another politician we all know and wouldn’t vote for. THANKS BRIAN Say what you will, Brian Tobin sure is conscientious. He won’t be giving politics another go (not at the moment anyway) because, well because he’s putting other people ahead of himself, in this case younger Liberals. He’s good like that.
Tobin’s quote from The Globe and Mail: “At a certain point you move on, and you graciously acknowledge that you’ve had your time, and now it’s time for new blood.” Blood is the key word, considering the amount that’s sure to be spilled in the coming months. No one with a brain would touch the Liberal leadership with a 10-foot pole. The Gomery inquiry was sparked by the investigations of a Globe and Mail reporter. And what a scoop it was, the story of the decade, Canada’s Watergate. My question is this: how much dirt will the Conservatives uncover once they take over government and get their hands on the books? My bet is the sponsorship scandal will pale in comparison to the scandals that are sure to follow. Potential Liberal leaders used to be a dime a dozen. Those days are done. The Conservatives will air every stain of dirty Liberal laundry they come across for as long as the minority government lasts. Come across isn’t the right expression — the Conservatives will seek out every shred of information they get on the Grits and use it to incinerate them. If there’s a skeleton to be found, and there always is, Stephen Harper’s crew will dig it up and lay it out in a wake for the entire country to attend. Sounds harsh, but it’s what governments do. The Liberal party may have lost the election, but it has yet to begin the fall it’s in for. The Conservatives, if they don’t screw up their opportunity, are almost guaranteed to win the next election and form a majority government. Tobin is smart. More than that, Tobin is a winner. His days in politics aren’t done, just put off for a few long, cold years in political Siberia. I wonder, is the parking any better there? Ryan Cleary is managing editor of The Independent. ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7
The Harper handshake How the PM-designate says goodbye to his kids should not be an issue
Y
ears ago, in another newspaper, there was a columnist who used to drive me out of my mind. This guy used to write about his wife and kids all the time. Made me crazy. I don’t have a problem with someone writing about family, or hiking or cooking, if that’s what they do, but this guy wrote on the editorial page. He wrote warm, fuzzy, sentimental loving husband and father stuff. I hate warm and fuzzy. The guy used to drive me to distraction with his syrupy homilies of taking his brats sliding, or his wife out to dinner. It was the worst kind of lazy, passive aggressive drivel. Who doesn’t love their kids? I thought about him as I watched the nation’s reaction to a video clip of Stephen Harper shaking his son’s hand on his first day of school. That clip generated a lot of press. Like many, I thought it an odd gesture. Like many, I saw what I wanted to see. Over the following days people discussed this on the street and in the
IVAN MORGAN
Rant & Reason media. A lot of people saw typical right-wing, buttoned-down, uptight, creepy, emotionless behaviour. Truth be told, that was what I thought I saw. But what did I really see? As the days passed and I read more people’s reactions, I began to wonder. I don’t know Stephen Harper the person. I don’t know his wife or his children. I know his politics and I don’t care for them, but that is his public persona. Was I reading into his private life my distaste for his politics? I think I was. I think a lot of people were. We shouldn’t do that. In Canada we have a strong and honourable tradition of leaving a public person’s private life alone. That’s the way it should be. My personal life is wonderful, complicated,
when his young ’un got in a scrape, but I’m afraid I’d get my face smacked in for even mentioning it. How’s about we make that another little parlour game? We’ll call it “Pin the Freakout on the Danny.” We all have private lives and we all deserve to have our privacy respected. Especially politicians — so long as they don’t use their private lives for public gain. We all need our space. Even Stephen Harper. My biggest worry about the Harper handshake incident is that it made him look sympathetic. Let’s not ridicule or mock the man for clumsy affection. Let’s nail him on a host of substantive issues on which he and his party are dangerously, callously and decidedly wrong. I am sure he loves his kids. I am sure he loves his family. I hope and pray they’ll be a solace for him in two or so years when we on the left abruptly end his political career. Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.coz
nificant life decisions. I recognize that no health-care organization wishes to cause “mass hysteria” on important health issues. However, the sharing of information regarding problematic test results must be handled carefully, with great sensitivity and speed. Finally, the issue of problematic test results haunts many of us. For me, they relate to the death of my oldest and best friend who died of breast cancer during the time period in question. She was a vibrant woman and dedicated professional. Her life ended far too soon. Geoff Chaulk, St. John’s
Toxic waste behind Inco’s move Dear editor, Premier Danny Williams is on record as saying that the loopholes in the VBNC contract were big enough to drive a Mac truck through. Unfortunately instead of identifying and working toward plugging those loopholes, it is now clear that the premier chooses to wait for events to unfold that would prove him correct. The one major loophole that could have been plugged before the first shipment of nickel sulphide concentrate left Voisey’s Bay for Sudbury is the millions of tons of toxic waste that will be generated by the hydromet production facility and buried in freshwater ponds at Long Harbour. Although Inco has attempted to create the impression that fuel contamination at Argentia is a major factor in their decision to move to Long Harbour, the reality is that soil contamination played little if any part in this decision. Soil contamination is just a smoke screen to divert attention away from the waste issue and hopefully allow Inco to avoid investing the millions of dollars needed to remove the sulphur, gypsum and other chemicals from the hydromet waste stream. By announcing the move to Long Harbour, Inco has effectively created a public acceptance of the toxic chemicals as being a reality of this modern technology. The debate now is not about how to make the waste stream more environmental friendly, instead it has become one of finding the most economical way to hide the toxic chemicals.
shown they are not interested in the more prurient side of political journalism. We don’t care about politician’s private lives. Pierre Tudeau’s very public divorce while prime minister did not seem to affect his career. Brian Mulroney’s fury and public death threat to the writers and editors of Frank magazine, who had offered a detestable contest that targeted his daughter, was treated as understandable parental behaviour. Jean and Aline Chrétien’s troubled adoptive son, Michael, was never used for political gain by his opponents. Here in Newfoundland we’ve had two premiers who were divorced while in office. Here’s a parlour game: which two? Remember the cynical snickering when Brian Tobin pulled the greatest act of political sookiness in history and said that he wanted — in the middle of a mandate — to spend more time with the wife and kids? The wife and kids were left alone. We had another premier go crazy
YES, PRIME MINISTER
YOUR VOICE ‘Test results haunt many of us’ Dear editor, I recently started to receive The Independent through home delivery. I enjoy your paper and the fresh perspectives that you provide to your readers. The front-page article headlined Still in the Dark by Ben Curties (Jan. 29-Feb. 4 edition) was very hard hitting and what a powerful photograph of the courageous Gerry Rogers. It is difficult but not impossible for me to imagine the fear and frustration that women such as Gerry and their loved ones must be experiencing. For all of us as health-care consumers the need for accurate information about our own health and related treatment options is paramount to making sig-
fulfilling and none of your damn business. Yours should be none of my business. So should Stephen Harper’s. But like a lot of politicians, he has a very public job. So what are the rules? When is a politician’s private life public? This came up during the recent federal election. My rule is that if a politician makes his or her private life a public issue, then he or she is fair game. If the smarmy pastor who touts “family values” from the pulpit has a secret mistress, then the press should expect to read about it in my column. So when there was suddenly a lot of talk about the behind-the-scenes behaviour of the spouse of one of the local candidates, the question was raised: is it a story? The spouse was prominently displayed in the campaign. The spouse was used by the politician as a campaign asset. I voted yes. Other’s were leery. In the end nothing was done. That spouse can consider herself very lucky. Canadians have time and again
Despite having received $150 million in public funds to develop and test the hydromet technology at Argentia, it is now clear that Inco got all the benefits of a new technology paid for by the taxpayers while the people of the Placentia/Long Harbour area get all the dirt. Phil du Toit, managing director if VBNC, gave the first official indication of the environmental problem facing Argentia when he announced in a press release last June that for every ton of nickel produced at Argentia there would also be one ton of toxic waste generated. With a projected production of about 100 million pounds of nickel annually over the projected 30-year life span of the facility then at least 3 billion pounds of toxic soup would have to be shipped off the Argentia peninsula through several watersheds to a large freshwater body 25 km. away in Long Harbour. Further, if as touted this hydromet technology eventually replaces the traditional smelters at Sudbury and Thompson than we could be looking at having at least 50 million tons of toxic waste buried in and around Long Harbour over the next 50 years. Now burying 50 million tons of sulphur, gypsum, iron oxide, and other toxic chemicals in pristine ponds less than 50 miles from St. Johns in this age of environmental awareness, is quite a legacy to leave our grandchildren. Eugene Conway, Conception Harbour
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Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper and his cabinet will be sworn in on Monday, Feb. 6. St. John’s South-Mount Pearl MP Loyola Hearn is expected to be named Newfoundland and Labrador’s representative. Paul Daly/The Independent
Auditor general should investigate DFO Dear editor, I think the following information on the costs of the recent Panel on Straddling Stocks should be made available to your readers. Highlights of the information obtained through the federal Access to Information Act are as follows: • The panel cost $445,339.84. • $41,900 was paid to E. B. Dunne Consulting Initiatives. Public tendering was avoided because contracts were let in amounts of $10,000 or less. • $94,951 was spent on economic consulting advisory services to an unnamed entity. • $22,750 was paid to Art May; $6,000 to Derrick Rowe; and $15,500 to Dawn Russell for their services as panel members. • $22,963 was spent on domestic travel; $18,242 was spent on international travel; and a further $1,721 for airfreight and cargo services. • $16,272 went to purchase laptop computers; a further $2,795 to buy a desktop computer, and $4,795 was spent for computer systems development. • $6,413 was spent to purchase new office furniture. • $5,866 was spent for telephones, voice communications equipment, cell phones, pagers, photocopiers, etc. • $39,679 was spent for translation services.
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The expenses raise questions about the effectiveness and efficiency with which our tax dollars are spent. Then-Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan announced the advisory panel on straddling stocks with great fanfare at a special Board of Trade luncheon in St. John’s on the Dec. 23, 2004. It was to be the definitive solution to our overfishing woes on the nose and tail of the Grand Banks. We can score zero for the minister’s sensitivity for deciding to launch the panel at that time without even a nod of his head toward Harbour Breton, which had just received news of the FPI plant closure and was in the throes of despair over losing 300 jobs. We can give him another zero for coming up with such a hare-brained idea. A half million dollars later, Regan announced that he did not accept the panel’s recommendation to abolish NAFO and create another organization in its place, nor did he accept the panel’s recommendation to team up with the Europeans and pursue joint custodial management of the nose and tail of the Grand Banks. He must be given credit for not accepting the recommendations of the panel. However, his decision does beg the question, why did he take the decision to spend a half million dollars on such a hare-brained undertaking? As for the panel, should we not ask for our money back! Not only did they
not show any regard for our tax dollars in the conduct of the panel’s business, but they didn’t come up with a solution acceptable to the minister or anyone else who might have spent a nano-second thinking about the issues of foreign overfishing. This arrogant and continuing misuse of public funds is a direct result of DFO mismanagement under successive ministers and the solidly entrenched senior bureaucracy in Ottawa and the regions. There is a pressing need for an in-depth investigation of DFO activities and our three newly elected Conservative MPs should request PM Stephen Harper have the auditor general carry out this investigation before the new minister of Fisheries takes over the department. The alarming misuse of millions of dollars in public funds as recently indicated by the Regan panel exercise, the 47-member delegation to a NAFO meeting in Estonia, the useless fisheries conference held in May in St. John’s and still another conference planned for a southern Pacific country this spring demands a firm hold be placed on all DFO activities until the new minister is properly briefed. Time is running out for rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Speak up before it’s too late. Gus Etchegary, Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
DARCY MACRAE SECOND IN A TWO-PART SERIES
Q
ualifying for the 2006 Winter Olympics is without a doubt a dream come true for the five men who comprise Team
Gushue. Since curling became a full medal sport at the Winter Games in 1998, Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab, Russ Howard and Mike Adam have had their sights set on someday standing atop the podium with a gold medal around their necks. They’ve worked hard both on and off the ice and sacrificed their personal lives — and in some cases, their pride — in order to achieve their goal. With the Turin Games just around the corner, The Independent provides a glimpse into the lives of the four men who are often in the shadow of their skip.
Brad Gushue, third Mark Nichols, second Russ Howard and lead Jamie Korab (left to right) following their win for the Canadian Olympic curling trials final at the Halifax Metro Centre. Paul Darrow/Reuters
JAMIE KORAB (LEAD) Born and raised in Harbour Grace, the 26-year-old has been curling since he was a kid. Korab played other sports as well — including softball, basketball, rugby, baseball and soccer — but curling caught his fancy almost immediately and his interest in the sport never waned. “When I was 11, everybody was curling. All the kids were curling, so it was kind of the cool thing to do,” Korab says. “It was like a hang-out thing — everybody met twice a week at the curling club after school … I got good at it pretty early and was hooked on it.” Korab joined the team of Gushue, Nichols, and Adam in 2000, and one
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9
Gushue’s crew They may not receive the same spotlight as their skip, but Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab, Russ Howard and Mike Adam are just as excited about the Turin Olympics
year later was on hand when the team won a world junior curling championship. He says the victory helped the team bond like nothing else could, and they’ve been more than just teammates ever since. “I think that’s one of the reasons we won (the Olympic trials in Halifax),” Korab says. “We’ve curled so many years together that we know each other really well — we’re all best friends … going to the Olympics with these guys is an amazing thing.” Since qualifying for the Games, Korab says he gets stopped by curling fans all the time — whether it’s in the grocery story or at a shopping mall. The short conversations sometimes delay his schedule, but they don’t bother him. “What’s great with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is that they get behind their own so much,” says Korab. “There’s hardly a person I’ve talked to in the past month who isn’t ecstatic about it (the Olympics).” Korab is happy to represent his country at the Games in Italy, but adds he is taking the dreams, aspirations and goals of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with him. “Everyone who curls in the province knows I wear the Pink, White and Green on my arm,” Korab says. “I’ve
had a bunch of people say to me ‘You’ll have to get red and white ones (bracelets) for the Olympics.’ I’m like ‘No, no, I’m playing for Team Canada but I’m still Newfoundland and Labrador to the core.” MIKE ADAM (FIFTH) One of two Labradorians on the team, Adam began curling with Gushue, Nichols and Korab when he moved from his hometown of Wabush to St. John’s in 1999 to attend Memorial University. Adam and Nichols were childhood friends, so it was only natural they would re-unite on Team Gushue once Adam finished high school. Adam, 26, says he has eagerly been awaiting the beginning of the Olympics since the team qualified for the event. “I’m looking forward to experiencing the whole Olympics as an athlete,” he says. “I’m looking forward to seeing some of the other sports and just being part of Team Canada. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do in life, you’re all representing Canada and you’re all on the same team.” Adam, who has been curling since he was 13, receives almost as much notoriety as Gushue and Howard these days because of his decision to give his spot in the original foursome to the more
experienced Howard. It was a decision that Adam has received much praise for, but was also one that was difficult to make. “It wasn’t easy, but it was what was best for the team,” Adam says. “We talked it over and I offered up my spot and we can’t complain about the way it’s gone. I guess we knew what we were doing.” Adam’s teammates can’t say enough about the sacrifice he made. “I think it was amazing. Not many people would take it so well,” says Korab. “It happens on some teams, and the people who have to sit on the sidelines sometimes have a negative effect on the team. But Mike came right back the next day (after the decision was made to replace him with Howard) and it was like nothing happened. “The sacrifice he made, willingly, was really something. To be positive about it and continue to do everything he can to help … he’s just done an amazing job.” At the Games in Italy, Adam will scout out the rocks before the team’s matches, ensuring every member of Team Gushue has at least two rocks that act very similar to one another. He’ll also inspect rocks to see which ones, as Adam puts it, “act a little bit strange.”
He’ll also do any and everything he can to make sure Gushue, Howard, Nichols and Korab stay relaxed at the event. “I’ll make sure the guys are nice and loose,” Adam says. “I’m pretty good at carrying on and goofing around to make sure they’re in the right frame of mind. Sometimes I have to do some stupid stuff to make them laugh, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure we’re all having fun and enjoying the experience.” MARK NICHOLS Adam’s childhood friend, Nichols grew up in nearby Labrador City. Nichols says he can’t remember a time when he wasn’t into curling, and insists he has evidence to prove it. “I have pictures of me on the curling ice when I was probably one and a half or two years old,” Nichols says. “I started curling competitively when I was eight. I grew up at the curling club in Labrador City.” Nichols, 26, came to St. John’s in 1998 to attend MUN, and quickly began curling with Gushue. The two certainly weren’t strangers to one another, having faced each other in provincial curling matches on many occasions. In head-to-head games, Gushue topped Nichols in 1996 and
1998, while Nichols emerged the victor in 1997. “We crossed paths many times,” says Nichols. “We used to talk about playing together once I was out of high school.” As is the case with his teammates, Nichols says a big reason why they were able to win the Olympic trials was their close-knit relationship. He says the group spends almost as much time together away from the ice as they do on it. “We do pretty much everything together,” says Nichols. “Whether it’s going to a movie or playing pool, if you see one of us, the others are probably close by.” After winning the world junior title in 2001, Nichols says the team not only grew closer, but also more confident. “When we won the world juniors, we figured we had a chance (to go to the Olympics one day),” he says. “I always thought we were capable of it, but I didn’t think it would happen this fast.” Aside from the curling itself, Nichols says there are many other reasons to be excited about the Olympics. One thing he’s looking forward to is meeting other athletes and learning their stories. “Everybody’s paths are different, but also similar. It will be interesting to hear how they got where they have,” says Nichols. RUSS HOWARD A two-time former world curling champion, Howard brings years of experience to the youthful curling team. He joined the group last spring and immediately fit in — despite the fact he is old enough to be the father of his teammates. “There’s a little difference (in age),” Nichols says, laughing. “But Russ is just one of the guys. It doesn’t really See “It’s just been,” page 10
‘I always thought big’ Jeff Hunt of Corner Brook is best known on the mainland as owner of the Ottawa 67s. His best night — a sell out and a win By Darcy MacRae The Independent
T
he way Jeff Hunt sees it, he’s living his childhood dream. Since he was old enough to realize he would one day have to work for a living, Hunt wanted to own a hockey team. That dream became a reality in 1998 when he purchased the Ottawa 67s and turned a then-struggling franchise into the model major junior hockey team in the country. But before Hunt became owner of the 67s, he first had to earn his money. The
beginning of that story goes back to 1984 when Hunt moved from Corner Brook to Ottawa with his parents at the age of 19. Hunt — who also lived in Labrador City and Stephenville as a child — originally planned on attending university in Ottawa, but decided to work for a year beforehand to earn some money for school. He took a job at a carpet cleaning company but quit six weeks later and started his own company with his brother Alex. In the early days the company, called Canway, had its ups and downs.
“I was 19 years old staring a business, so I had a lot to learn,” Hunt tells The Independent. “Every day was just survival for the first couple of years. I wasn’t thinking much beyond the next day or next week, just trying to stay in business. “As we started to get successful and could see things happening in a positive way, you start to dream about what you would do after the carpet cleaning business.” Although Canway began with two employees in one city in 1984, 14 years later it was the largest carpet cleaning
company in Canada with more than 1,000 employees in 250 locations. The fact that it grew so big, so quickly, may be a surprise to some, but not to Hunt. “I always thought big to be honest with you,” says Hunt. “I always had big hopes for the business and always hoped I would be successful enough that I could be involved with hockey. “That was always my goal, even from the beginning.” The opportunity to be involved with hockey arose in 1998 when the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League went on the open market. Hunt had recently sold Canway to Sears, and used the money from the sale to fulfill his dream. Hunt knew owning and operating the 67s would be no walk in the park, especially since the team was in trouble financially at the time. “I thought of it as a project and a challenge because when I bought the team they weren’t enjoying a lot of success at the time, particularly in attendance,” says Hunt. “We were last in the OHL in attendance at the time (averaging 2,200 a game).” Despite the lack of interest in the team in 1998, Hunt was confident the 67s could be a major draw in Ottawa. “The more I looked into it, I was of the firm belief that it had to be successful with the calibre of entertainment that junior hockey is, as you can see now in St. John’s with the Fog Devils,” says Hunt. “I’m in an NHL market, so I thought the price point (of junior hockey) would always have an appeal to families and working people. “Not everybody can afford to go and make NHL hockey a regular part of their entertainment. I felt junior hockey had a real opportunity in Ottawa, it just needed maybe some new blood and a fresh start.” The first thing Hunt did was begin “a much more aggressive marketing campaign” targeted at youth. “My statement in the beginning was ‘I can’t guarantee that everyone will come to the 67s game, but I can guarantee that everyone will know they’re playing,” he says. Hunt tried to appeal to Ottawa’s young people by introducing a stylish third jersey featuring an angry killer puck shaking its fist and by unveiling a new theme song that was a hit with teenagers. “We tried to become more relevant to the young people in the community who weren’t really that aware of the 67s when I bought the team,” says Hunt. “At that time the team depended heavily on a long standing, aging fan base. My goal was to bring in a younger audience.” Hunt’s initiatives paid immediate dividends, as the 67s doubled their attendance in his first year of ownership. A few years later they were attracting crowds of close to 7,000, and by the end of the 2004-05 campaign, the 67s led the Ontario Hockey League in attendance with an average crowd of 9,300 — the second highest total of all 58 major junior hockey teams in Canada, trailing
Renee O’Brien Market Manager
Helping you is what we do. Jeff Hunt
only the Calgary Hitmen who average just over 10,000 a night in a bigger building. But just because the 67s are a hit again in the nation’s capital doesn’t mean Hunt can sit back and relax his marketing efforts. He says the team is facing constant challenges and must continue to come up with ways to stay on top. After all, he does have one of the NHL’s top teams to compete with in the Ottawa Senators. “It’s very tough. We don’t have a lot of low-hanging fruit to pick, we have to work hard for every fan we bring into the building, every corporate sponsor, and it’s not just the Senators (the team competes with),” Hunt says. “They’re the dominant team in the marketplace, but we have a pro football team (the CFL’s Ottawa Renegades) and a pro baseball team (the International League’s Ottawa Lynx, the AAA minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles), so we’ve got to always be creative and always challenging ourselves to maintain a presence in a busy market.” Hunt says along with running the 67s, he’s also among their biggest fans. He always tries to make time to enjoy each game, and says a perfect evening at the rink consists of two things. “My best possible night is a sell out and a win,” he says. Although he has a busy schedule in
Ottawa, Hunt still finds time to visit Newfoundland regularly. His last visit was in September, 2005 when the 67s played the Fog Devils in a pair of exhibition games at the Pepsi Centre in Corner Brook. Hunt says his wife Carol and kids Jay, 10, and Kelsey, 12 also enjoy travelling to the Rock, with the children getting a kick out of taking part in activities foreign to their hometown. “The last time they (Kelsey and Jay) were in Newfoundland, I took them fishing,” he says. “And that’s something they still talk about and remember fondly. “They know that’s where I’m from and they notice the uniqueness of Newfoundland when they’re there. They love Newfoundland, and I hope to take them there more often as they get older … Even though they were both born in Ontario, I think they do feel a connection to Newfoundland.” Hunt says although he hasn’t lived here for more than 20 years, he is still very much attached to the province. It is an attachment he tries to share with his family, friends and business acquaintances in Ottawa. “I love my time in Newfoundland, I’m proud to be newfie,” Hunt says. “A lot of people in Ottawa know I’m from Newfoundland. I’m trying to wave the flag up here as much as I can.” darcy.macrae@theindependent.ca
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FEBRUARY 5, 2006
10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
LIFE STORY
The prophet from Placentia
AROUND THE BAY “Nine steamers with crews aggregating 1,634 men prosecuted the seal fishery last spring. They brought back 180,459 seals, the fat of which was worth $297,422.” — The Family Fireside, February, 1928
RICHARD BROTHERS 1757-1824
YEARS PAST “An increase in the wholesale price of gasoline has been passed on to the retail consumer. The one-cent a gallon increase became effective at most service stations during the weekend as stocks purchased prior to the wholesale increase were used up. The new prices are 66 cents a gallon for premium and 61.9 cents a gallon for regular gasoline.” — The (Burin Peninsula) Post, Feb. 10, 1972 AROUND THE WORLD “A strike of street car employees (in Rome) began yesterday and was limited to one day’s duration, the demands of the men for increased pay to meet the high cost of living having been met by the company. The government in turn granted the companies the right to raise the fares one cent.” — The St. John’s Daily Star, Jan. 3, 1920 EDITORIAL STAND “’S funny! When fall and winter set in you gotta be careful what you touch in Confederation Building! You can get a shock! Static electricity. You can’t touch the elevator, metal chairs rails or anything like that. Summertime it’s OK. But it was so bad this fall that plastic elevator buttons had to be substituted for metal ones. Charwomen working there are careful to put down their pails of water before touching anything as water is a conductor of electricity.” — The Freepress, February 1973
By Jenny Higgins For The Independent
P LETTER TO THE EDITOR “Most of the trouble with parking congestion in St. John’s is that too many people bring their cars to work with one car to one man, and it’s a small wonder our limited space is quickly filled. It would be a lot better if public transportation was more reliable and faster. However, even if it were, many people seem to scorn the busses for some reason. It is very different in most big cities abroad where the parking and traffic problems are even worse than here.” — Daily News, Dec. 23, 1968 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “People are always ready with criticisms simply because I am a woman. Men are accepted at face value but women have to prove they are worthy.” Elizabeth Pierano, sports writer from England. — The Bell Island Times, Feb. 8, 1954
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rophet to some and madman to many, Richard Brothers is one of Newfoundland’s most bizarre historical fig-
ures. At 34, he declared himself the nephew of God. Two years later, Brothers warned the King of England to either hand him the throne or risk eternal damnation. The king chose to have Brothers arrested and declared criminally insane. Of neither royal nor divine descent, Brothers was born in Placentia on Christmas Day, 1757. His father, a former gunner in the Royal British Army, made a living as a fisherman. Brothers and his three brothers spent their youth fishing alongside their father. By the age of 14, Brothers had grown restless and followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the Royal British Navy. He stayed in the navy for 13 years, climbing to the rank of lieutenant with seniority before being honourably discharged in 1783. Three years later, he married Elizabeth Hassal. Things seemed well for Brothers — he had settled in London with his new wife and was allowed to collect a navy pension. But certain quirks soon emerged in Brothers’ behaviour that would transform the obscure military retiree into a notorious and potentially dangerous public figure. To collect his pension, Brothers — like all officers in his position — had to sign an oath of allegiance to King George III. Brothers objected, saying it was blasphemous to recognize the King as a “sovereign lord.” He refused to sign the oath and lost his pension.
DESTITUTE With no other source of income, Brothers quickly ran out of money. In 1791, his landlady sued him for unpaid rent. She won the case and Brothers was sent to a London workhouse. Upon his release in February 1792, Brothers settled in a district of London known as Soho. It isn’t clear whether he was still living with his wife at that point as over the years the marriage had steadily deteriorated. The situation wasn’t made any easier when Brothers wrote a series of letters to the King and ministers of England prophesying the death of Louis XVI and the king of Sweden. Brothers was arrested again soon after for fail-
ing to pay rent and sent to prison for two months. The experience made Brothers realize his finances were desperate, and he signed a power of attorney for his military pay — although only after the words “our sovereign lord,” referring to King George III, were removed from the oath. Freed from his financial worries, Brothers spent the next two years writing. He also grew increasingly delusional and imagined himself to be the nephew of God and direct descendent of King David. In 1794, Brothers published his prophecies in a two-volume set called A Revealed Knowledge of the Prophecies and Times, Book the First and Book the Second. In the preface to the first book, Brothers writes: “In obedience to the sacred command of the Lord God, whose servant and prophet I am, I publish this writing, that it may be translated into all languages, for the information and benefit of all nations.” One of Brothers’ prophecies stated that, on Aug. 26, 1795, the British government would be overthrown and, a few months later, George III would give Brothers his crown. George III chose to have Brothers arrested and charged with treason. Perhaps most disturbing to the King was how popular Brothers and his prophecies had become. His books sold well in England and abroad. Brothers had acquired a degree of public Memorial University Archives support in England and had become fashionable with some members of the country’s social elite. The circumstances surrounding his arrest and trial made his followers even more devoted — no one was allowed to attend the trial, there was no defense and no witnesses. Brothers was also held in a secret location. On March 27, 1795, he was declared criminally insane and confined to a criminal asylum. Brothers continued to write prophetic pamphlets, but many of his predictions failed to materialize and many of his supporters lost interest. After 11 years, Brothers was released from the asylum. Due to the charge of criminal insanity laid against him, Brothers was no longer eligible to draw his pension. Fortunately, two of his followers took him in. The destitute Brothers lived with a Mr. Busby for nine years before finally moving in with John Finlayson, a well-known lawyer, in 1815. He spent the rest of his life, which was largely uneventful, studying astronomy at Finlayson’s. Brothers died after complaining of “cholera, norbus and hectic fever” on Jan. 25, 1824. He was buried in a pauper’s grave in London.
‘It’s just been a blast’ From page 8 matter what his age is, he acts just like the rest of us. “He did so much to try and fit in with the team. He tried to learn everything about us.” Howard also chuckles when the topic of age difference is discussed. While he has been credited for helping lead the team to an Olympic berth, he says the four young men he joined deserve a lot of credit for their maturity and dedication. “Regardless of their age, they have great composure,” says Howard, who will turn 50 during the Olympic Games. “I don’t think I’ve been involved in any bigger game than the one against (Jeff) Stoughton (who skipped the Manitoba team the Gushue rink beat in the final of the Olympic trials), and the guys performed amazingly well. You start thinking about their age and you just have to pinch yourself.” Originally from Midland, Ont., Howard now resides in Moncton, N.B. His teammates say his experience in major curling events make him a calming influence on the rest of the group. “He’s been in just about every situation imaginable in curling and we know if we get into a tough situation, he’ll know how to handle it,” says Gushue. “We’re not going to stand there scratching our heads wondering what to do next … we can always lean
on his experience.” When Adam offered his spot to Howard prior to the Olympic trials, the veteran curler was worried the switch could lead to awkwardness on the team. But to Howard’s delight, he was welcomed with open arms by everyone, especially Adam. “It should have been (tough), but these guys’ attitude, they just accept you,” says Howard. “They’ve done a wonderful job of making me feel like a team player. But it’s been easy because we’re buddies, we’re friends. Since we’ve been playing, it’s just been a blast.” Although he has curled around the world, Howard has never taken part in the Olympics before. He came close a couple of times, but ultimately fell short at the trials. Now that he’s on his way to the grandest sporting event in the world, he’s looking forward to soaking up the entire Olympic experience. “The ambiance of being at the Olympics and being part of a huge team — Team Canada — and being part of the opening and closing ceremonies and being part of the excitement and drama of all the different events is going to be something,” Howard says. “We could be sitting in the lunch room and in will come a hockey player or a speed skater who’s just won a medal. Those will be moments that will last a lifetime.” darcy.macrae@theindependent.ca
INDEPENDENTWORLD
SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5-11, 2006 — PAGE 11
Heart of gold After a year out of the spotlight, a health scare, and a well-reviewed documentary, it’s clear — Neil’s still Young at heart Neil Young
Rick Wilking/Reuters
PARK CITY, Utah By Peter Howell Torstar wire service
H
is once-thick hair has turned steel grey and his sharp western hat now provides warmth as much as it makes a fashion statement. At 60, Neil Young isn’t attempting to fool anyone about the passing of the years, but neither is he resorting to cardigans and loafers. His all-black cowboy attire, set off with a silver string necktie, reminds a visitor of the anti-hero Paladin from the Have Gun Will Travel TV series of the 1950s and ’60s. But the most noticeable thing about the Canadian rock icon is his easy smile and relaxed manner. He’s rarely been comfortable around journalists, and previous encounters with him more than a decade ago were terse affairs, his answers blunt and his eyes concealed behind sunglasses. “Come on in!” he says, extending a welcome into the Western-themed Hotel Park City suite where he’s been holding court during the Sundance Film Festival. A picture window overlooks the snowy Wasatch Range, the tail of the Rockies. He’s sharing interview duties with Oscarwinning movie director Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs), the man who helmed Neil Young: Heart of Gold, an emotional concert movie that premiered last month, signalling Young’s readiness to
return to the public eye after a turbulent year cert after I had the operation, so what you mainly out of it. see is what you get.” The two friends are in high spirits, And what you see is a honeyed and pleased by the rapturous response to their homey look at a performer who is as movie and joking about aging, the ever- beloved for his intimate folkie side as for his Rolling Stones and why it is that Young has hard-rocking stadium alter ego. He’s capsuddenly become a raconteur, willing to talk tured on multiple cameras by Demme, the about his life, family and songs on stage. He restless rock lover whose 1984 Talking used to just let his lyrics and his guitar speak Heads concert picture Stop Making Sense is for him. considered one of the “We drugged him up!” finest of the genre. Demme quips, bringing The Ryman concerts “I could do this another smile from filmed were two months Young. indefinitely… Music is after the death, at age 87, Filmed over two nights of Young’s newspaperlast August at Nashville’s good that way. So we’ll man father Scott Young, storied Ryman who had been suffering Auditorium, the stage see what happens. The from Alzheimer’s disease. where Hank Williams In the movie, Young remStones keep rolling.” inisces about how his made his Grand Ole Opry debut, Neil Young: Heart father gave him a ukulele Neil Young of Gold is a life statement as a child. that very nearly had no “I didn’t know what to life behind it. do with it, but he said, Five months ago, Young underwent sur- ‘You might need this sometime.’” gery to treat a brain aneurysm that, left Young Sr. could not have suspected Neil untreated, could have killed, or paralyzed, would grow up over the following half-cenhim. The doctors tied off the aneurysm so tury to be a rock star of international well that his recovery was swift and he was renown, sharing the stage with such conleft without speech difficulties or other temporaries as Bob Dylan and Joni after-affects. Mitchell, and penning tunes both sweet “They did an excellent job,” Young says, (Cinnamon Girl, Heart of Gold) and sour with a palpable sense of relief. “They (Southern Man, Ohio). stopped it from doing anything to me. They When he debuted on the rock scene at end caught it and they tricked it. I did the con- of the 1960s, as both a solo act and as a
member of the politically aware bands Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the Toronto-born rocker’s plaintive yelp most often expressed his unhappiness with the state of the world. Little did any of his early admirers think Young would one day be performing shows, backed by his family and friends, where he’d be wistfully looking back on a life well lived. This is the same flannel-shirted, guitarcharging artist, remember, who famously sang about how “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Prairie Wind has a tune called “Here for You,” which Young wrote to his 21-year-old daughter Amber when she was preparing to leave home for college. “There was a time I used to write these kinds of songs for girls my own age,” he quips. The album and the movie are so emotionally charged, it raises the question as to Young’s career intentions. Is this a stocktaking or a leave-taking? “Yeah,” Young says, pondering the question for a long minute. “I don’t know. I don’t know what it is.” Demme interrupts with his own interpretation. “It’s a state of the heart. It’s not the state of the union; it’s the state of the heart. That’s what I see it as, literally.” Young doesn’t comment on that, but he does allow that he’s been looking at life a lot See “I was,” page 12
Smear tactics backfired T
rust overcame fear in the Canadian electorate. The negative attack-type campaign by Paul Martin’s Liberals, fomenting hatred and fear about Stephen Harper and his Conservatives, kept the Conservatives from a majority but the 124 seats they did achieve should provide stable government for several years. In the next election, the Liberals will not be able to use the politics of fear with any success since their false predictions about abortion and other social issues will not again be believed.
JOHN CROSBIE
The old curmudgeon A few illustrations: • On Dec. 3, 2005 in the Toronto Star, Martin predicted, “We would see him (Harper) and Bloc Leader (Gilles Duceppe), if they get enough seats, working together to dismantle this country that all of us are so proud of.” In fact, the success of the
Conservatives in Quebec — gaining 10 seats — will make it much more difficult for the Bloc to lead Quebecers into separation than ever before. • Martin the mendacious allied with Buzz Hargrove the hysterical, who labelled Harper a separatist. It was Martin who questioned Harper’s patriotism, suggesting Harper was not fit to govern. This was after Martin denounced personal attacks and “driveby smears,” which he continued to use throughout the campaign. • Martin, who claimed his values were superior to Harper’s, said Harper
“would act to change the present law on abortion,” despite knowing that the Conservative party’s policy convention had resolved, “A Conservative government would not initiate nor support legislation to regulate abortion.” • It was Martin who said on April 30, 2003, “I really think Canada should get over to Iraq as quickly as possible,” and later attacked Harper as supporting the U.S.-led invasion. • It was Martin who called the GST “a regressive and unfair tax on living” in 1993 and an “incredibly stupid, inept tax” in 1990. After promising to repeal
See “At least,” page 15
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it, his party kept it in place for 12 years and then even opposed the Conservative promise to reduce it by 2 per cent over several years. • Martin practiced the foulest and lowest campaign tactics observed in my 58 years of involvement in politics. Canadian voters have indicated they want a properly functioning, competitive, and healthy democratic system, which requires governments to change after several terms in office to prevent the sort of corruption, arrogance,
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12 • INDEPENDENTWORLD
DRL Coachlines gets rough ride in N.B. By Bruce Bartlett Telegraph-Journal
T
he Newfoundland-based bus line that transports cruise ship customers in Saint John is fighting to keep its licence to operate in New Brunswick. DRL Coachlines Ltd. appeared before the Public Utilities Board last week to provide evidence about why its licence should not be suspended, cancelled, or revoked. Officials in New Brunswick began taking a closer look at the company after it ran into trouble last summer
when the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board took away its operating licence, citing safety problems. DRL has appealed that decision and expects the matter to go to trial next summer in Nova Scotia. In New Brunswick, the PUB, which licences motor carriers, prepared a file showing failures by DRL to have its buses safety inspected as required, failure to obtain the proper vehicle plates for the province, and running buses in the province that were not properly registered. Last summer the Registrar of Motor Vehicles ordered DRL to have any bus
it brought into the province inspected within 24 hours. One bus taken to Universal Sales in Saint John failed its safety inspection for having leaking seals on its brakes and a bad universal joint on the driveshaft. The owners decided to take the bus to Moncton to have it repaired by their own mechanic and were fined for driving back and forth without having the inspection completed. DRL is currently fighting that ticket. Last summer the company only had one bus licenced for New Brunswick, yet on July 19 it had four vehicles on
the waterfront in Saint John to serve cruise ship passengers. Evidence was filed that DRL failed to provide information requested by the PUB for the licences for at least a month but then an official showed up the day the cruise ships arrived expecting to pick them up. The licences were not issued but DRL took passengers around the city anyway. In September DRL received another ticket for running an unregistered bus in New Brunswick. Javis Roberts, chief executive officer of DRL, first testified that it was on a run from Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island. When ques-
tioned about why the ticket was issued in Riverview, he said it might have been taking tourists on a side trip to St. Martins. Roberts in currently embroiled in a controversy in Halifax where a strip club has begun operations in a building he owns in Dartmouth. Sensations, which opened in midJanuary, is in a mixed residential neighbourhood located in a building that used to house a country music-themed nightclub. A decision on what to do about the future of DRL in New Brunswick has not yet been released.
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more intensely since his health scare. “Since that happened, I feel much more aware of my mortality. I realize that things happen and you don’t know about them. I was lucky. By accident, we caught this thing. It had nothing to do with the symptoms that caused us to go looking for it.” He’s not sure if he could tour behind Prairie Wind, his best-reviewed album in at least a decade. He may have said all he can say on the stage at the Ryman, where he played a well-worn guitar formerly owned by Hank Williams, which Young bought 35 years ago. “Well, you know, you never know what’s going to happen,” he says, wrestling with the idea of touring once again. “After people have seen (the movie, they’ll know) it’s a very sincere and original version of all this stuff. I was surprised by the emotion of it. I was pleasantly surprised and elated, actually, at the quality of the emotional communication we were able to get. “To go out and do it again would not be the same.” CSNY REUNION He clearly wants to hit the road, but his health may not be up to a lengthy tour. “You know, it’s a feel thing. We’ll just see how it happens … I have other things I could do.” Those other things include a possible Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reunion, for an album, a tour, or possibly both. “I have a CSNY album and tour that is out on the horizon, just a breath away from commitment. I know I’m going to do it; I just don’t know what the sequence of events is going to be.” One thing that won’t be holding him back is his age. He doesn’t see turning 60, which he did Nov. 12, as any reason for slowing down. “I could do this indefinitely. Willie (Nelson) is over 70, he’s out there doing it so we’ll just see what happens with me. “Music is good that way. So we’ll see what happens. The Stones keep rolling.” But the Stones, who are also in their 60s, don’t like to admit to getting older. Demme interjects with a joke about an old Stones tune: “I heard that Mick changed the title of that song to Let’s Take A Nap Together.” Young roars with laughter as he repeats the punch line: “Let’s take a nap together!” If the Canadian rocker is feeling mellow about his life and music, he still retains the passion for the integrity of his art. He had a hit in the late 1980s with This Note’s For You, a song about his refusal to accept commercial sponsorship, and he refused to perform at the Woodstock ’94 event because Pepsi sponsored it. “I don’t see any advantage in sacrificing the validity of the music to the corporate world. I don’t think it shores up people’s belief in the words.” WHERE’S THE BEEF? “I still feel as strongly about it as I did in the first place. I haven’t done any commercials and some places I play where there are signs all over, that’s not my problem. They’re not paying me. “And when I play a television show and it comes on afterward that this musical guest was brought to you by Budweiser or something, I’m going, ‘I never talked to Budweiser. I don’t have anything to do with them.’ You get (union) scale when you play those shows. You don’t get paid. So you know, they ‘brought’ you? What the hell is that? Where is the beef? They didn’t bring anything, man.” After more than 40 years as a composer and performer, it’s still all about the music for Neil Young. He loves to perform live, and his songs still mean something to him, which is why you have to believe he’ll be back on the road again, and for as long as he is able to. “When you don’t see me any more,” Young concludes, wishing his visitor a warm farewell, “you’ll know I’ve stopped caring about it.”
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTWORLD • 13
VOICE FROMAWAY
‘Something pretty stellar’ Corner Brook native Carolyn Hatch just published a book about one of the world’s foremost art deco designers By Stephanie Porter The Independent
I
n Carolyn Hatch’s day job she manages the more than 50,000 artifacts that are part of the Royal Ontario Museum’s anthropology collection. As if that didn’t keep her busy enough, as an “extracurricular activity,” Hatch researched and wrote a book on French art deco designer René Lalique — and was a consultant for the accompanying exhibition. “It was a pretty crazy process,” she admits. But the illustrated book is “something pretty stellar … and beautiful visually” and a great source of pride. Hatch left Newfoundland for Ontario eight years ago. In 2000, she graduated from the University of Toronto with a masters degree in museum studies, and began work at the Ontario museum — where she had interned during her studies — as a collections manager. “I’m concerned with the overall well-being of the artifacts,” she says. “I’m involved with the preservation, with moving them around … the artifacts are very vulnerable, both physically and culturally, and can be damaged if they’re not in the right environmental conditions. “With 50,000 pieces … it is on a massive scale.” Hatch was first introduced to the work of Lalique during her internship at the museum. Looking for a topic for her thesis, one of the head curators suggested she delve into their collection of the French artist’s glasswork — which she did. Lalique (1860-1945) started his career as a metalworker, and became known for his one-of-a-kind art nouveau jewelry pieces. Based near Paris,
The cover of Hatch’s book.
he hit the world market in 1895, successful in both his style and use of metal. “And then he started to experiment with glass,” Hatch continues. “When he mastered that medium, in about 1910, he abandoned jewelry and became very prolific as a designer of glass … it’s pretty amazing stuff.” As Lalique made the transition from metal to glass, he also moved from art nouveau to art deco. No longer making one-off pieces, he embraced the machine age and the opportunities of mass production. He made a wide variety of items, both decorative and func-
tional: figurines, vases, decanters, candy dishes, perfume bottles and more. “He was one of the most important world designers of the 20th century … had a very fertile imagination in terms of colour, design and shape,” Hatch says. “Not only a successful designer of glass, he was also a very astute businessman — the machines allowed enormous output, and he marketed it.” Fascinated by Lalique’s work, Hatch was also interested in the high society of the interwar years of the 1920s and 1930s. “It was the jazz age, the age of the
machine, the age of the automobile,” she says. “Women wore their hair short, they started smoking, they wore those flapper dresses and drank martinis. There was a consumer culture.” When researching her thesis, Hatch focused on Lalique and his work. A couple of years after graduating, she decided to reopen her files — and add to them. This time, she focused on the artist’s influence and the significance of art deco French modernism in Canada. She also investigated how the 100-plus works in the museum’s collection came to be in North America, including
department stores (Eaton’s and Simpson’s, for example) that imported and sold the work. Putting the book together was a longer process than Hatch expected. Her original manuscript went through a “crazy peer review process,” both internally in the museum, and externally. “I got wonderful coaching, and learned a lot,” Hatch says. “In the end, I’m pleased with the intellectual content. And the design and photography and layout are better than I ever imagined. It’s a beautiful aesthetic book.” Although Deco Lalique: creator to consumer is a scholarly, academic publication, Hatch says it is accessible to a general audience. An exhibition of Lalique’s work is currently on display at the Royal Ontario Museum and will remain on show until January 2007. Pleased with the result, Hatch says the process was exhausting, and admits she’ll wait a while before attacking a follow-up. Meantime, the 31-year-old says she’ll soon be “reevaluating” her professional situation, and isn’t sure where her career will take her next, whether it be more time at the Ontario museum or back to school for another doctoral degree focused in the decorative arts. As for a possible return to Newfoundland, she says it’s probably not in the cards. “I get back one, if not two times a year and I love it,” she says. “It’s such a beautiful and wonderful place … and there’s so much going on right now. “I would go home if I could. But for my career, I’m geared to work in a major city centre.” Do you know a Newfoundlander or Labradorian living away? Please email editorial@theindependent.ca
Avoid wishful thinking in search for fresh new face to lead party By Chantal Hébert Torstar wire service
and is losing ground even in their Ontario heartland. Over the years, they have become the re the federal Liberals about to agents of a national polarization that go down the same road as the has put increasingly heavy stresses on Parti Québécois? the federation. From the abrupt resignation of a As they have in opposition in the leader after an unexpected setback to past, the Liberals will be tempted to use the early withdrawal of the presumed the unity file as a wedge between them front-runners in the succession lineup, and the Conservatives. But the stakes the parallels between the two are eye- of the next unity episode are higher catching. than they have ever been and the marFor their own sake, the Liberals should gin of error smaller. make sure the similarities stop there. One of the consequences of Frank Last fall, the PQ’s consuming thirst McKenna’s decision to withdraw his for a fresh face led it straight to the name from the Liberal leadership list is untested André the loss of a candiBoisclair. It was a date who, having choice based, in no seen Canada go to small part, on magic the brink as a result As they have in thinking and pie-inof the Meech Lake the-sky demographcrisis, would have opposition in the past, been wary of leadics. The notion that a ing the Liberal party the Liberals will be winning referendum down a divisive was just around the path. tempted to use the corner of the next Another conseQuebec election was quence is to rekindle unity file as a wedge treated as a mantra. interest in the candibetween them and the dacy of former With that in mind, Boisclair’s preOntario premier Bob Conservatives. sumed power of Rae. Like McKenna, attraction on Rae is a veteran of younger voters was the constitutional deemed more imporwars and a rare tant than the many reservations he politician from outside the province inspired. who is streetwise in Quebec. Unlike After the wake-up call of last McKenna, he was an early supporter of month’s federal election, Quebec sov- the Meech Lake accord. ereignists may be poised to pay a steep The proposition that by looking out price for having preferred to listen to for all of Canada, Ontario was automatwhat they wanted to hear. ically looking after itself was first The same risks now attend the feder- revisited under Rae and found wanting. al Liberal campaign. Mike Harris and Dalton McGuinty both If the Liberals are to quickly grow followed suit. out of opposition, they too will have to Quebec’s intractable will to affirm its avoid sticking their heads in the sand of difference in concrete ways and the wishful thinking. They will, for changed Ontario paradigm are two funinstance, have to ask themselves damental realities that the federal whether they can continue to promote a Liberals have so far ignored at their vision of Canada that has no traction in own peril. Rae’s presence in the race francophone Quebec and in the West would force them to look both in the
A
face. A final consequence of McKenna’s decision to stay out of politics is that there will not be a New Brunswick duel for the hearts and minds of Canadians in the near future after all. Even before McKenna pulled his name off the Liberal list, Bernard Lord’s prospects as a future Conservative leader had
become more remote. Among other things, the election has revealed that Lord may have the shortest political coattails of any premier in the country (except maybe PEI’s Pat Binns). While Jean Charest’s blessing for Harper’s more open federalism gave the Conservatives a lift in Quebec,
Lord’s active efforts in New Brunswick translated into a measly one-seat gain for the Tories. Lord’s main federal asset always was his presumed potential to make inroads in francophone Quebec. In the wake of the election, there is no longer as much of a market for his services on that particular front.
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14 • INDEPENDENTWORLD
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTWORLD • 15
‘Right now, we have a problem’ U.S. looks to seal its borders with Mexico and Canada WASHINGTON By Tim Harper Torstar wire service
T
om Tancredo’s fence along the Mexican border will cost about $1 million (U.S.) per mile to build, he figures, but the wall he wants along the Canadian border would cost a bit more because of rougher terrain. In the 61-year-old Colorado Republican congressman’s ideal world, the U.S. is sealed off by walls to the north and south, illegal Mexican immigrants are sent home, would-be bombers stay in Canada, and his country can finally deem itself safe from terrorists and drug-runners. It may seem absurd on the surface, but it’s not totally fanciful. The U.S. House has already passed a bill permiting the Mexican fence, a proposal an indignant Mexican President Vicente Fox has branded America’s Berlin Wall. The Tancredo initiative is also a sobering lesson in how Canada can get sideswiped by the increasingly poisonous relations between Washington and its Latin American neighbours in this hemisphere. The problem becomes more acute when major elected officials in this country continue to occasionally take to the airwaves to spread the myth that the Sept. 11 hijackers entered the U.S. from Canada. As Tancredo says, once you seal off your southern flank, your problem becomes your northern flank. “Right now, we have a problem,” he says. “We all know the northern border is porous. People can come through it at their whim.” In effect, Canadian “problems” become American “problems” through geographical proximity, he believes. “If you have an unsecured border, then the policies of your neighbours become yours,” he says.
Polling firm recants results
O
ops. At first glance, it looked like significant news. Jan. 31, Montreal’s La Presse published a front-page story based on a CROP poll showing support for sovereignty had dropped significantly after the federal election. The next day, La Presse published a full-page correction and apology. CROP vice-president Claude Gauthier says the sample in the postelection survey had more non-francophones, more residents of Montreal and more women than the sample done before the election, significantly tilting the results toward federalism and against sovereignty. “If I had seen the final results, I would not have drawn the conclusion I did,” Gauthier says. “It was exaggerated.” Support for the 1995 referendum question on Quebec sovereignty with an offer of partnership to the rest of Canada dropped from 46 per cent to 44 per cent — within the margin of error — not from 49 per cent to 41 per cent, as reported. Support for Quebec becoming an independent country dropped from 40 per cent to 37 per cent — also within the margin of error — not from 43 per cent to 34 per cent. As a result, Gauthier says, it is not possible to say the election has had an impact on the support for sovereignty. “The difference doesn’t allow us to say that,” he says. “It was a stupid mistake not to have seen that the two samples were not the same.” — Tostar wire service
‘At least two years’ From page 11 excessive patronage and feelings of entitlement the Liberal party exhibited before the election. This can only be avoided with change, which encourages parties as well not to ignore solemn promises such as the Liberals’ pledge to abolish the GST in 1993. With a change in government, perhaps the present handgun hypocrisy and grotesque gun fantasies of the Liberals can also be eliminated and effective gun control and control of the streets for the innocent citizen can be effectively enforced. I predict the Harper minority government will be in power for at least two years, until some opposition party thinks it can win an election — not likely until the Liberal party revives itself and again believes they are the party that must run Canada. The Liberal falsehoods, slanders and hateful negative ads by then having clearly proven to be false and viciously improper, the Conservatives will be in a far stronger political position. Then not only the West will be in, but the truth will be in place as well. John Crosbie’s column returns Feb. 19.
Former Prime Minster Paul Martin with Mexico's President Vicente Fox and U.S.President George W. Bush. Reuters
“You have a very liberal refugee policy which makes it easy for people to come, especially from the Middle East. As a result it is easy for them to enter into the United States.” The U.S. Senate has yet to deal with the House security bill, but Washington says it will speed up the removal of illegal immigrants caught near the Canadian border, extending a program already in effect along the Mexican border. The so-called “expedited removal” frees up space at immigrant detention centres by deporting undesirables more quickly, according to the Homeland Security department. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the program is part of a countrywide effort to “implement new tactics throughout the U.S. in order to gain control of our borders.” With the relationship between Washington and
Mexico City now featuring bellicose rhetoric, gunfire at the border and allegations that Mexican authorities are running drugs into the U.S., it is instructive to remember how official Ottawa shuddered when incoming U.S. President George W. Bush made it clear where his international priorities lay shortly after taking office. It was that extended hand to the south, and two middle-aged men in cowboy boots trading quips at a Mexican ranch, that signalled a change in tone in Washington-Ottawa relations. It was only weeks after the Supreme Court handed him the U.S. presidency in 2001 that Bush headed to Mexico to glad-hand with Fox on his first official foreign visit from the White House. Months later, he prepared to welcome Fox to Washington for the first black-tie visit of a foreign head of state, saying, “I can’t think of anything
more important for our foreign policy in our hemisphere (than) to have good relations with Mexico.” Ten days later came 9/11, then the Iraq war and the end of the Bush focus in the hemisphere. Then came vigilantes at the border, a dead migrant, the discovery of tunnels for contraband and calls for The Wall. Now come July elections with leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leading, bringing the leftist lurch in the region to Washington’s doorstep. He has rejected Washington’s attempt to compare him with Venezuelan regional strongman Hugo Chavez, but he has called the Mexican Wall “absurd” while pledging he could work with the Bush administration. Early hope for an immigration accord, including a plan to create a guest-worker class for illegal immigrants in this country, passed as the Bush administration focused on Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill Tancredo backs, known as the Sensenbrenner bill for its sponsor, Wisconsin Republican congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, would jail illegal migrants for up to a year if they are caught in the U.S., and those who help them could be jailed for up to five years. The fence would build on a 24-kilometre test fence along the border at San Diego which is said to have reduced people and drug smuggling. But still the migrants keep coming. “One reason we don’t have tunnels being built between Canada and the U.S. is that people don’t need them,” Tancredo said. “There is a very easy pathway into the United States from Canada.” He says he believes the new Stephen Harper government may place more emphasis on border security, and not become part of the problem as has Fox. But what would his wall do for Canada-U.S. relations? “Good fences make good neighbours,” he says.
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
16 • INDEPENDENTWORLD
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INDEPENDENTLIFE
SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5-11 2006 — PAGE 17
Second chance
Averill Piers Baker is widely known as the mother of a certain St. John’s lawyer and wife of politician George Baker, but she was also once a world-class concert pianist. She left the piano to raise children, but then, during a fight with cancer, she swore to return. At 62, she’s playing again … and realizing her dream By Stephanie Porter The Independent
A
Averill Piers Baker
Scott Cook photo
verill Piers Baker, considered one of the top amateur pianists in the world, has her eye on a big prize. Baker will be in Paris later this month to participate in one of the most prestigious classical music competitions of her life. Just weeks shy of her 62nd birthday, she’ll be up against 99 other “outstanding amateurs” from around the world. “There’s a financial prize, but there’s also the other main prize that I want to win,” Baker tells The Independent from her home in Gander. “It’s a chance to perform Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 with a fabulous orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de la Garde Républicaine, they’re phenomenal. “Winning the Lotto 6/49 would be nothing compared to winning that and having that as a musical memory forever.” Having said that, Baker is quick to add, should she get “turfed out” in the first round, she will still have the noneto-shabby consolation prize of a few days in Paris. The comments seem to be typical Averill Baker: bubbling with excitement and optimism, but grounded. On her way to Paris, Baker will stop by The Rooms for a special Valentine’s Day performance. The concert is a fundraiser to establish a bursary in memory of Stephen Woodcock of St. John’s, best known for making and repairing string instruments. Baker’s selections for the concert include favourite pieces by Debussy, Beethoven, Brahms and Chopin (accompanied by the Atlantic String Quartet and bassist Frank Fusari). “I love every note of what I’m playing,” she says. “And the Chopin piece … it’s so sublime, so beautiful, the most hardened criminal couldn’t listen to that and not be moved.” It’s no surprise when Baker says she hasn’t lost a bit of the passion or delight in music she had when she was younger. “I haven’t lost anything, except a few pounds,” she says with a laugh. “I really don’t know when I’ll grow up.” She admits her enthusiasm is due, in part, to stepping back in the spotlight as a concert and competitive pianist after 25 years away. “I got a second chance, one I never thought I was going to get,” she says. “I truly believe, if you’re physically capable, and have your mental faculties, it’s never too late to do what you always really wanted to do.”
Baker, who says she has always loved to practice, made an early mark on the Canadian classical music world. She studied, on scholarship, at the University of Toronto, graduated from the artist diploma program in 1963, and became the youngest person ever to teach at the Royal Conservatory. The next 10 years she spent as a concert pianist, appearing on radio and television and with the Toronto Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and the CBC Symphony Orchestra. But she changed course in 1972, moving to Gander, and making the decision to devote her time to raising a family — she has four children and her husband, Senator and career politician George Baker, was frequently away on business. Music was never out of her life or home — all her children are competent piano players — but it was no longer going to be a public career. “I loved teaching part-time, loved the choirs I was involved with, loved raising my children,” she says. “I was a very happy and contented person, I was sharing music. “But I wasn’t teaching the kind of music that enriched my life.” In the mid-’90s, just as her children were moving out of the family home and into their own careers, Baker fell ill. She underwent surgery for cancer in 1996. The disease came back the next year in a very serious and life-threatening way. “It’s something else to get ill just as your nest is empty enough that you think about doing things for yourself,” she says. She has publicly said that it was at that time, faced with her own mortality, that she decided to revive her musical dreams. When she got strong enough, she determined, she would focus on getting her skills back to a level she could take to international competitions. Today, Baker says she’s feeling great. The only remaining side effect is some swelling in her right leg, caused by a lack of lymph nodes (removed during her cancer surgery), and managed through specific exercises and inversion. “Yes, I used to stand on my head for hours,” she says. “But I recently bought an inversion table, which takes the pressure off my head and neck … now I watch the news upside down every day.” And every day she practices. At least two hours, more if she’s getting ready for competition. These days, she tries to sit down for four hours daily, and wil, until she goes to Paris. See “It’s never too late,” page 19
LIVYER
Left out In need of an electrical engineer? Kevin O’Keefe may be your man By Ben Curties For The Independent
L
ast week’s snow day left Kevin O’Keefe with hours of shovelling to do on his Mount Pearl driveway, but the 59-year-old electrical engineer didn’t mind. He was glad for something to do during his forced unemployment, which is slowly approaching a forced retirement. It’s not that he doesn’t want to work; O’Keefe keeps an extensive list of the 300 applications he has sent out over the past three years. But he’s afraid his age and his history as a dockyard union leader may be keeping him from getting a job. “I’ve had interviews, but unfortunately that’s where it ends,” he says. “Maybe it could be age, maybe it could be personality, maybe it could from past expe-
rience. I don’t know. But it gets frustrating.” So the 26-year army reservist hunkers into his “command centre,” a crowded basement room where he reads newspaper classifieds, sends out resumes, and scans job sites. “I do it to keep my mental faculties in good shape in case someone calls,” he says. “I can bring 31 years of experience. I’ve seen people killed on the job, and a young person can’t relate to that. They’re just learning their skill; I can pass that skill on to people.” O’Keefe worked for Canadian National in its various forms from 1965 to 1996, working on everything from marine propulsion systems to locomotive engines. Over 25 years of union involvement, he went from being president of the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to
heading the Newfoundland Dockyard Trades and Labour Council. When the dockyard closed, he negotiated with government leaders trying to facilitate an employee takeover or at least ensure benefits for the 700 employees he represented. And when it re-opened under a private company, he wasn’t invited back. “The yard is still doing good work with good employees, but the employment level is down and some people never got an opportunity to go back where they spent their lives working.” When the army came calling in 1997, O’Keefe was happy to train new reservists at a military engineering school in Gagetown, N.B. He taught his young charges about mines, grenades, and booby traps for seven months of the year, and visited high schools as a recruiter.
Kevin O’Keefe
O’Keefe’s eyes light up when talking about his time as a warrant officer. He excitedly flips through photographs of his crew assembling artillery targets, and his walls are lined with memorabilia. The centrepiece sits above the stairs to the command centre: a framed plaque
Paul Daly/The Independent
featuring a combat engineering hymn. “We lay down all their rolling roads and cut down all their trees,” it reads. “And if the order ever came, we’d forge the raging seas.” See “Proud of,” page 22
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
18 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
GALLERYPROFILE
Guard rail
Meidner
Picasso
East Coast Expressions
BILL RYAN Visual Artist
B
ill Ryan didn’t pick up a paintbrush until six years ago. He’d always done drawing and sketching — and always had a great love of art — but he’d never taken an art class or tried to work in other media. Then one day he thought about purchasing some art for his home. “I always loved oil paints, and I just figured, you know, I can do that,” Ryan says. He bought some supplies and started in. His first works were re-creations of works by the masters — there’s a portrait of Van Gogh in his living room, and a startlingly accurate reproduction of Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters in his studio. The process of trying to copy is painstaking, he says, but it’s his way of developing new techniques and styles, and learning to pay close attention to detail. He fell in love with his new hobby immediately. “It captivated me right away,” he says. “And in order to fill the house up, every painting I’d do, I’d frame it. So I’d be paying $90 a pop for framing, for a painting I just sort of smacked down.” Although Ryan’s work has evolved substantially since he started, even his first pieces seem to have come naturally to him. He has a full-time government job and a family, but he makes time to paint by working late at night and keeping a regular Wednesday “painting night” with another artist. He’ll also bring his easel along with him on fishing expeditions, long drives, and walks. Now that he’s no longer copying others, Ryan says he prefers to work quickly and instinctively, with fast and deliberate brushstrokes. The resulting paintings have the energy and immediacy he’s searching for. When painting landscapes, Ryan tackles them outdoors and in the moment, completing, most times, an entire piece in one sitting. At the moment, though, he prefers portraiture or figurative work. The inspiration could come from someone around him, from a picture in one of his many art books, or just about anywhere else. “On one of our painting nights, I didn’t know what to do,” he says. “I picked up a book about Egyptian mummies, flipped through it, and a face caught my eye. I just use it as a base and go from there.” Ryan started painting with oils, and has little intention of trying anything else. “I love the look of oils,” he says. “I like to paint in one sitting, and it works well for that … I like thick, glossy oils, they’re juicy and rich. It’s the only paint I’ve ever really tried.” He may have his medium of choice, but Ryan says he’s far from locked into any one style. “I’m not out there, out for selling purposes,” he says. “I’m just into it at the moment because I’m really into it.” Bill Ryan’s work can be found at the Red Ochre Gallery, Duckworth Street, St. John’s. On contact him via e-mail, nayrab41@nl.rogers.com — Stephanie Porter The Gallery is a regular feature in The Independent. For information, or to submit proposals, please call (709) 726-4639, or e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 19
There once was a bard from St. John’s …
L
ooking for something to do? Are you a poet and think you know it? The City of St. John’s is now calling for nominations for its very own poet laureate. Nominations are due by the end of the month. The job comes with a modest stipend for squeezing out some mighty fine words on behalf of all of us who live within the city limits, and let’s hope the deal includes a parking spot at City Hall. We’re far from the first to be doing this. Cities as small as Sackville, New Brunswick, and as large as Toronto have been crowning poets for years. The province of Saskatchewan has one, and of course Parliament recently appointed the nation’s second official laureate, Pauline Michel. OK, I’ve never heard of her either. Never mind. The idea is noble and I’m happy to live in a country that finally got round to naming a laureate, even if I’ve never heard a single line she’s written. Of course, that was then, and who knows if Stephen Harper will stomp out poetry as a cost-saving measure. As George Bowering, the first Canadian laureate, once said, we really don’t need poet laureates but they give us the appearance of being a civilized country if we have them.
NOREEN GOLFMAN Standing room only Civilized? Well, God knows the city could use a little dignity. Bring it on. A laureate is on duty 24/7, called upon whenever a formal or informal occasion merits commemoration. Scheduled annual events like Memorial Day services, various parades, and the Gov.’s garden party come to mind. Unscheduled ones like spontaneous outbursts at City Council, George Street brawls, or confidential credit papers blowing down the street for all the world to see are a little more challenging. Indeed, even before he/she is named we are concerned for the poor poet laureate. Like guys who carry guitars, poets are hard to take seriously. The hurdle for any laureate, whose duty it is to celebrate the town through verse, is that the town is a wacky place, inviting satire or doggerel, not sonnets or odes. As soon as you settled down to pen some stately stanzas you’d find
yourself thinking about that guy in Nantucket. Reaching for solemnity is going to be the hardest part of the job. To be sure, the laureate will be tested to find just the right poetic form to capture the complexities of city life. He/she might first consider the haiku, so powerful in its economy, so expressive in its sparseness. Some examples spring to mind. heavy winter snow trapped behind lace curtains careless ploughs or icy roads cancelled tour no duff In his/her downtime the laureate could scheme ways of making poetry more public. Imagine partnering with Loblaws to get some rhyming couplets printed on plastic grocery bags (Now we lay us plans to reap, we pray the Lord our grounds to keep), or with Labatt’s to inscribe something catchy on beer bottle labels (Oh beautiful brew by thy silvery froth…). Or what about something memorable on traffic tickets? Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry you could not park in either…
Can’t you hear the possibilities? The laureate could commit random acts of poetry, showing up unannounced at protests or town meetings to brighten the mood and inspire the troops. He/she could develop his/her voice on Open Line, diffusing the rage with a well turned metaphor. And if writer’s block hit, he/she could recharge the brain cells by reminting famous poems for new purposes. And so to lament stupid development in the suburbs: consider Paradise Lost. To capture John Efford’s current feelings: I wandered lonely as a crowd. To describe council meetings: Jabberwocky. To summarize the fishery: Death be not proud. To reproach Newfoundland Power: When I consider how my life is spent. To express how the Premier sees the world: Song of Myself. It is almost too easy to riff on the possibilities. CBC Radio in this region has been running its own competition for laureates for several years. The role is currently occupied by poets laureate Christopher and Michael Pickard, who have been offering up some inspired and hilarious pieces of their own in the last few months. Surely, their verses on the flag flap will go down in the annals of satiric his-
tory. But the tone and tenor of their creative gestures underlines the point that it is really hard to do anything but lampoon our lives and everything around us. Will it be possible for the laureate to be serious or be taken seriously? The job should come with danger pay. Everything aside, the creation of this position is timely and encouraging. It underlines the city’s support for the arts and adopts a tradition at least as old as medievalism. Poets, Percy Bysshe Shelley famously said, “are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” By job description a poet laureate should defy this statement. Whoever is nominated for this position needs to think about the opportunity to offer analysis and sound commentary, not just mouth platitudes and kiss the ring of the king. Wit without reason, the poet Heine once said, is merely a sneeze of the intellect. Best of luck to whomever it is. May the muse be with you. Noreen Golfman is a professor of literature and women’s studies at Memorial University. Her column returns Feb. 19.
‘It’s never too late’ From page 17
Left-right: Steve Randell, Greg Burt, Rob Cook and Steve Browne
Bump on the record Popular on the local bar scene for years, Bump finally get their songs on CD By Stephanie Porter The Independent
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ump has been together, in one form or another, for close on seven years. But it’s just in the past eight months, when the band solidified as a four-man pop-rock group, that the musicians finally decided to record. Bump 104 is the result, a six-song EP released just before Christmas and receiving regular airplay on St. John’s radio stations. The members of Bump — Steve Browne, Greg Burt, Rob Cook and Steve Randell — have carved out a solid audience for themselves in the province over the years. They’ve made their mark on George Street, always drawing a crowd Wednesday nights at Greensleeves (“Over the hump with Bump,” says Browne with a laugh.) and wherever else they may play. They’ve performed in Ottawa, Halifax, across Newfoundland and Labrador, and throw an annual summer “Bumpfest” for about 300 eager listeners. “We all work, so it takes away the stress of being a full-time musician,” says Browne. “It was never our intention to join the rock-and-roll circus.” “We still love what we’re doing,” adds Randell. “If we don’t play one week, we’ll miss it, but we’ll be OK. We work hard, and we work smart, but … there’s no burn out.” Not anymore, at least. Bump started in the late ’90s, when
Browne was playing solo gigs along George Street. He met up with Cook, just back from British Columbia (Cook’s previous band, The Young Saints, had a top-10 hit in Canada and released one album), and the two decided to put together a duo. The pair frequented the music store Randell worked — and Randell, fresh out of a band called Biscuit (“That burned me out … I went back to a day job, I even sold all of my gear.”) eventually agreed to join in. Bump, the three-piece acoustic band, was born, and started to gather a following. But then Cook decided to go to law school, and left the province. Drummer Burt stepped in, Randell and Browne plugged in, and a three-piece electric Bump hit downtown St. John’s. “We did well, we played a lot of outdoor festivals, did some travelling,” says Browne. “We started writing more songs as a three-piece …” When Cook returned from law school in Halifax, the current Bump lineup was cemented. Not long after, with “oodles” of songs to choose from, they decided to get some of it down on disc. “We decided to do an EP, not because we have a brilliant marketing strategy, but because it just worked out that way,” says Browne. “We had six songs we all felt good about, whacked them on a CD and put it out.” Because 104 (named after the temperature of Browne’s hot tub) goes for about
$10, the band says it’s competitive, and selling at a good pace. And now that they’ve started the recording process, it seems they’ve no plans to stop. “We recorded an EP with six songs, we didn’t spent a lot of money on it,” Browne admits. “Next time, we’ll record a few more, spend a little more on the production side of it.” When pressed, Browne says he’d like to see the next Bump recording hit the streets by fall 2006 — he thinks the appetite is out there. He imagines a more collaborative approach in writing the next batch of songs, as well as slightly new direction with the music. “This EP is very pop/rock-y, but the next CD will be more Euro-Bump,” he laughs. “The bands we’re listening to today are bands like the Killers, U2, Coldplay. That’ll come through.” Meantime, the guys plan to hold on to their “other” careers, and keep steadily building an audience by playing their sets of modern cover songs and evermore familiar original songs around the town and beyond. “You’ve got to work harder for your audience here than anywhere else we’ve played,” says Randell. With the abundance of musical talent in this province, the band members say they never take their regular listeners for granted. “I can guarantee, you can’t suck in this town,” he says. “If you do, they’ll throw you off the stage.” For more, visit www.bumpmusic.ca
POET’S CORNER Dirge of the deep A boat went out the bay one summer’s morn, By three well-tried and hardy fishers manned; Three brave and stalwart fishers by the fierce Sea-breezes tanned. The evening saw that fishing-boat’s return: With listless, dragging sail she drifted on; Two sad and silent figures sat apart; Their mate was gone. And he was youngest of the men who sailed, The brightest where the merry jest was passed; We recked not that that morning’s cherry hail Should be his last.
Ah! many a fishing crew has come to grief When their taut bark was riding most secure, By squalls that strike, as strikes the ambushed foe, Subtle and sure. And yet, glad wavelets kiss the somber shore, Unmindful of the lost, brave fishermen, And then, as if the rocks rebuked their glee, Shrink back and again. They shrink as if but then aware of woe, Of heart awaiting loved ones from the deep— Of breaking hearts of wives and mothers doomed To wait and weep They go to seek the deeps of ocean caves, And ever ’till old ocean’s storms are o’er Beside the hardy fishers deep-sea graves They’ll sigh for evermore. By Dan Carroll, a poem taken from the 1937 Book of Newfoundland.
She admits suffering incredible stage fright when she was younger, so much so her teacher used to suggest medication — which she never did try. In 2004, Baker participated in the prestigious Van Cliburn International Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in Texas, and took second place overall, in spite of varying bouts of nerves. “My main weapon is now scolding myself,” she says. “I say ‘How dare you take yourself so seriously, when there are all sorts of people out there doing really important work,’ and ‘How dare you be afraid …’” Baker admits she suffers a guilty conscience — throughout her life, while sitting at the piano bench, she has been plagued with the feeling she should be doing something more “worthwhile”: volunteering, helping the choir, helping her children. As a result, Baker has helped organize or participated in a host of benefit concerts for causes she believes in, every-
thing from a recycling pick-up program in Gander staffed by disadvantaged adults, to a fundraiser for a young cancer patient intent on recording his first CD. She also donates all her winnings from competitions to charity. “If I counted up all the benefit concerts I’ve done, I feel I’ve been able to help, and still be selfish,” she says. “Like many, especially women, I have a sense of duty to everyone but myself.” After the concert at The Rooms, after the competition in Paris — but before the next Van Cliburn competition in 2007 — Baker is looking forward to a trip to Nova Scotia. While there, she plans to give her 90-plusyear-old aunt her first piano lesson. “As I’ve said before,” says Baker with a laugh, “it’s never too late.” A Musical Valentine concert featuring Averill Piers Baker, the Atlantic String Quartet and Frank Fusari will happen at The Rooms, Feb. 11.
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
20 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
IN CAMERA
Changing The Battery, an outport community at the base of Signal Hill in St. John’s, has been described as the poster child of Newfoundland tourism. Residents say the redevelopment of the Battery Hotel will change that, city hall says otherwise. Reporter Ben Curties and picture editor Paul Daly visited the Battery to get both sides. By Ben Curties For The Independent
T
he Battery in St. John’s has long been a place of struggle — against the French, against unemployment, against waves and wind and fire and avalanche. So the residents are not intimidated by their newest adversaries: ambitious developers and expansion-friendly city councillors. Perhaps they have never heard the old adage “you can’t fight city hall.” Council, for its part, would prefer to co-operate. Why choose between the high taxes that come from developing one of Canada’s few remaining major city harbour-front properties and the tourism dollars that come from a picturesque outport village if one could have both? But a compromise could prove as difficult to navigate as a cruise ship through The Narrows, as the battle between tradition and progress rages in The Battery. The latest struggle culminates on Signal Hill, where debate over the future of the Battery Hotel encapsulates concerns over the future of the area. It’s not that anyone wants the existing hotel to stay the same. The existing site is, at the very least, a little run down, and it’s certainly not a symbolic hilltop fortress against the invasion of modern development. But residents are afraid of what may take its place, especially where recent proposals from Hotel California owner Rick Butler are concerned, and especially when Butler got an exemption from the city’s development guidelines. “I’m not against a hotel there, or with redeveloping the current hotel,” says 15-year resident Chris Brookes. “The current hotel’s not the prettiest thing. I just think if development takes place it should take place according to the rules and regulations city council put in place and spent a lot of our money developing. I don’t feel they should rush out and exempt the first developer who walks along with a bag of money.” Though the guidelines are not law, residents were under the impression that they had to follow detailed specifications regarding height, motif, and disruption of views. If Butler’s proposed $300-million, 200-room glass hotel-condominium
project were to follow the guidelines, it would have to stick to six storeys like the existing hotel — rather than the 10 stories he’s planning. Since the city exempted Butler’s proposal on little more than an “artist’s sketch,” residents have come up with their own satirical “proposals” with computer-doctored photos of eight-story clapboard apartment buildings and wooden skyscrapers. But the jokes belie an uneasy fear: if the guidelines no longer stand, then anyone could put up the next big building. “The rest of us have to live under (the guidelines), and I think we should unless we’re going to go and develop the whole area,” says Brookes. “If we’re going to develop the whole area, we should all go out and develop our places and turn it into the Monte Carlo, I guess. I’d be sad to see that on one hand, and on the other hand I’d make a million dollars and retire a happy man.” One sketch didn’t have residents laughing. When architect Robert Mellin, chair of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, unveiled a serious rendering based on the little information available from the proposal, it showed a building that stuck out above the historic Battery like a massive, terraced spaceship. The image helped spur St. John’s residents to sign a 1,400-signature petition urging the city to follow its guidelines and to constrain the new hotel to the size of the existing structure. Counsellors decided to put off voting on another exemption — this one a regulation restricting the building’s “footprint” or size. They also tied the exemption to approval of the building’s look and height, guaranteeing the council maximum flexibility. “We’re waiting for all the detailed information that he would have to give to the city before we will even consider proceeding any further,” says deputy Mayor Dennis O’Keefe, promising a public meeting before any final decision. “The ball is entirely (Butler’s) court.” So what exactly did the exemption exempt Butler from? According to O’Keefe, the city couldn’t proceed with any discussions about the proposed hotel’s height until it exempted the hotel from the guidelines covering the
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 21
Batteries Above: photo illustration by Robert Mellin
existing Battery. “The Battery guidelines study only permits up to six storeys, and the zoning in that area is commercial office hotel, which permits up to 10 storeys,” O’Keefe says. “So he (Butler) needed to go more than six stories. But the whole concept was that the building couldn’t be any higher than the existing building. So in order to even consider that as an option it had to be exempted from the Battery guideline study, because the study limited it to six.” That sounds like back-peddling to Brookes. “I guess somebody can buy a place like that and go to the mayor and the councillors and say ‘Exempt me from the guidelines.’ And the mayor and the councillors will say ‘Sure b’y, would you like an exemption from all the other city guidelines as well?’ and they’ll do it. And then there’ll be another fuss, and maybe the mayor, as an act of personal courage, will ask the guy a favour not to build it up so much.” Mayor Andy Wells says residents are over-reacting. “This is just human nature,” Wells says. “There’s always an element that thinks profit is a pornographic word and they’re fundamentally against anybody who’s involved in the property-development business. There’s always some who wish the city was frozen in a mold and they don’t want to see anything change in the city. And there’s also a lot of people who are well-intentioned and are just concerned, and that’s the group that I’m most concerned about.” Wells says he’s not going to be party to any redevelopment of the Battery that will make the situation worse. He says he’s asked Butler to retain a local architect who is familiar with the site and the development regulations in order to try to come up with some kind of design that will satisfy everybody. “Everybody agrees that it would be worthwhile to redevelop the Battery or tear it down and put something new there,” he says. “But something new cannot be worse than what’s there.” That said, Wells says he’s not a fan of the Battery guidelines and isn’t necessarily in favour of regulations restricting what a landowner can do with private property. He wonders why one area of the city should have different guidelines than another. Brookes says the guidelines are a wonderful example of 21st century thinking. The documentary maker says before the Battery guidelines came out, he and his wife, a musician, had to scrounge enough money to buy the house in front of theirs when it went on the market in order to prevent someone from building a larger house
that would ruin their view and property value. “I remember thinking wow, if only (the guidelines had) been in place a few years earlier we wouldn’t have had to mortgage our entire future to do this,” Brookes recalls, adding there’s more at stake than just views and property values. “It’s the best neighbourhood I’ve ever been in here,” he says. “It’s a real neighbourhood with a real sense of community. People talk about going into town as if it’s a separate place, and it feels like we’re in a separate place, like we’re in a small outport community here. People are close. They know each other. They help each other. That’s the quality I fear will change the more property values go up.” Brookes says many residents have seen assessments skyrocket on houses their families has owned for generations because of increased development and demand. It’s a phenomenon the mayor describes as people being “house rich and income poor.” “I don’t know how you address that because you can’t have differential mill rates based on income,” he says. “I don’t know of any cases of anyone in St. John’s have been driven out of their home by rising taxes,” Wells adds. “That wouldn’t be a scenario that I’d like to contemplate or have to deal with.” However, Wells says he’d rather have the problems associated with rising property values than with declining ones. “I don’t think you should ever be concerned with rising property values because I think it’s an indication of economic growth and a viable community,” he says. From a free-market point of view, development on such a spectacular location is as inevitable as erosion. But Brookes says nothing is inevitable as long as city hall has a choice. “They will make it inevitable by the kind of policies they pursue,” he says. “It doesn’t happen by accident. I don’t think it’s a natural march of progress. If the city wants to put itself out to have the Empire State Building on the Battery, I’m sure they can do that. But I’d prefer they don’t. “We’re the poster child of Newfoundland tourism,” he adds. “You can walk into a travel agency anywhere in the Western world and you’re going to see that photograph of the outer Battery and the golden sunlight and there’s a dory going by. The slogan used to say ‘Where in the world would you find a place like this’, and if that’s the plan to get tourists to come here and spend their tons of money, why would you want to put skyscrapers in front of it? You’d have some pretty pissed-off tourists when they get here.”
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
22 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
‘Proud of being a Newfoundlander’
Read twice, cut once
From page 17
NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the eating path
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sit at a cluttered desk, the contents of a briefcase scattered across the table, and reach for a pen and paper. I look for my battered but handy fountain pen, which I still use. It looks pretty good: the gold arrow and nib are still in working order and I can still find refills for it in St. John’s. The pen is important to me because I learned how to write with it. The fountain pen is a beautiful tool. Held correctly, words seem to pour from the tip, almost unguided. Handwriting is becoming a lost art form … much life knife skills. There was a time when a little man and a cart and a large stone wheel would come around to the communities and sharpen knives. It was a skill and a necessity in days when there was a good chance the kitchen knife was the only one for the family. A good knife, like a good pen, should be an extension of the owner’s personality and specific to the task at hand. No two hands are created equally, same goes for knives. Some — like my handcrafted, handforged Japanese Chef’s knife — are very expensive. Others I picked up cheap, but they still do a great job. One of my daily drivers is a molybdenum knife I bought in Toronto. It’s small (7 inches long) but fits comfortably in my hand and is great for daily use. Take my advice when looking for a kitchen knife: never buy a serrated blade for anything other than slicing bread. A small serration tears and does not cut. If you are after a saw blade, I suggest a bread knife with a moderate scalloped blade. It’s per-
fect for slicing bread and sandwiches and helps cut tomatoes cleanly. Leave the serrated blades alone for anything else. A good quality French knife with a full tang (metal that runs the full length of the knife and through the handle) will last, if maintained with a steel, a lifetime. A good knife can, and will, cost more than $100. Consider it an investment in your culinary journey. Look for a stainless steel blade, which allows the edge to remain sharp with use and, as its name implies, resists food stains. Ceramic knives and carbon steel knives are available but the former is like buying a Ferrari — cheaper to buy new than to repair — and the latter is like a Fiat — requiring constant maintenance … and it still rusts. For manufacturers, I would stick to the ones with a reputation for quality. The biggest manufacturers of serious hardware are: Wusthof (pronounced VOO-stof, German); Henckels (German); Global (Japanese); Sabatier (French); and Sanelli (Italian). These manufacturers are all very serious and make knives for the culinary professional but all have different characteristics. The best course of action is to go to a store that services people in the trade. They have the expertise to point you in the right direction. Also, don’t be afraid to ask to give the knife a dry run. Try the knife in your hand.
Is it too big, too small, or too heavy? The best advice is to get the biggest knife your hand will use comfortably. When buying your tools, don’t be afraid to mix and match manufacturers. Buy the best tool to give you the best performance and you will never be disappointed. Whatever you decide, always buy a honing steel to maintain the sharp edge. As for a steel to maintain your edge, remember diamonds are forever and a diamond steel will hone for a lifetime. A simple draw down the blade after each use will keep it sharp. A sharp knife is a safe knife. So let’s be safe out there. Nicholas is an erstwhile chef and current food writer now eating in St. John’s nicholas.gardner@gmail.com
But for O’Keefe, the orders stopped coming. He was forced to retire when the mandatory military age was 55, and when it was moved to 60 he was already 59. “It’s poor timing, and I’ll have to blame that one on my mother and father,” he says. “If I was 55 last year I’d still have another 5 years of work.” Undaunted, O’Keefe enrolled at the College of North Atlantic and got an advanced diploma in safety engineering. He was rewarded with one six-month contract, and then … nothing. “It’s a younger person’s work environment, and you’re older so you’re excluded,” he says. “I know several people who were called in and told their services were no longer required, and the next week there’s a younger person doing the same job that they were doing.” O’Keefe thinks companies who only hire young may be missing out on valuable loyalty and experience. “The person who’s 55, 56 is going to work with you or until he retires,” he says. “The young person today has no commitment to the employer. He’ll be there for two weeks and gone again. With due respect to young people — well educated and the like — their main concern is to get a job that pays twice as much as any other job so they can pay off their student loan.” He spends a lot of time listening to call-in radio shows, and he’s sick of hearing about young people who have had to leave the province to get work. “There’s more to life than a young person 22, 23, who’s unemployed and he’s a fisherman, and he’s going to go up to Alberta and work in the tar sands. What about his father who works in the fishery? There are people over 50 who have lost their jobs and can’t afford to live because they’re supporting a family and they can’t get work.” And so, 59 years after he was born in St. John’s, O’Keefe is reluctantly considering finding work on the mainland, which he calls “going to Canada.” There are few things keeping him here, aside from his close relationship with his sister and brothers (one of whom is St. John’s deputy Mayor Dennis O’Keefe). He is divorced, his daughters have nursing jobs in Paradise, and his son is a personal chef for American millionaires like Ellen DeGeneres. He has no unemployment insurance, and despite his best efforts as union president, his dockyard pension is rather small. He keeps looking for work here, for now … “I was born here and I’m proud of being a Newfoundlander,” he sighs. “As much as you like to travel a short distance, when you’re away, what do you face? You face your room and that’s it.” He still has his Legion involvement, and he might be able to help out with the cadets. He even muses about repeating his 2005 city council bid. But that’s at least three years away, and there are a lot of hours to fill when you only sleep five hours a night. Good television movies are few and far between, especially when what you really want to do is work. “When you can be doing something and competing with people on the job and making the company look good by getting good work done, you feel a little bit left out.”
EVENTS FEBRUARY 5 • The Avalon Unitarian Fellowship’s regular Sunday service starts 10:30 a.m. at the Anna Templeton Centre, Duckworth Street. • Genetic researcher Kathy Hodgkinson leads the final public discussion on health research, 2:30-4 p.m. at the Fluvarium. She will be joined by bioethicist Dr. Daryl Pullman. • Aliant Winterlude family fun day at Bowering Park, 1-4 p.m., 576-8518. FEBRUARY 6 • Public forum Teacher stress and working conditions: implications for teaching and learning, 7:30 p.m., Inco Innovation Centre Lecture Theatre (IIC-2001), Memorial University. • Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador monthly event with Patrick Warner reading There, There and JoanneSoper reading from A Cold-Blooded Scoundrel. 8 p.m., LSPU Hall, 753-4531.
FEBRUARY 7 • Sherry Ryan at the Grapevine, Water Street, 10:30 p.m. • Open studio at the Anna Templeton Centre dye studio every Tuesday evening, 7-10 p.m. With Susan Furneaux, dye technician, 739-7623 to book space. FEBRUARY 8 • Folk night at the Ship Pub hosted by Rick Barron and Kevin Evans, 9:30 p.m. • Local doc Stealing Mary: last of the Red Indians at Empire Theatres, 7 p.m. • TaDa events presents Cats, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 8 p.m. Continues until Feb. 12. • Food Security Network general meeting, 7 p.m. at E. B. Foran Room, City Hall, 739-5775 or fsnl@firstcity.net • Wessex Society lecture, Canon Dr. Frank Cluett on the topic Canon George Earle: educator, churchman, and Newfoundland humorist, Hampton Hall, Marine Institute, 8-10 p.m.
FEBRUARY 9 • MUN Cinema series: The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico, 7 p.m., Studio 12, Avalon Mall. • Mount Pearl’s annual Frosty Festival begins. Visit www.mountpearl.ca for schedule of events. Festival runs until Feb. 19. • Deadpan Alley presents The Full Monty, directed and adapted for the stage by Janet K. Graham. Runs until Feb. 11, 8 p.m., LSPU Hall, 7534531. • St. John’s Storytelling Circle, Crow’s Nest, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 685-3444. • Newfound Music mini-festival: concerts, seminars, workshops, discussions, and lectures on modern music. Concerts at D.F. Cook Recital Hall, Memorial University, 8 p.m., 737-4700. Continues Feb. 10. FEBRUARY 10 • Boyd Chubbs, Rose and Thistle, 6-9 p.m.
FEBRUARY 11 • A musical valentine featuring pianist Averill Piers Baker and the Atlantic String Quartet at The Rooms. Funds raised will go towards establishing a bursary honouring Steve Woodcock. • Acting workshop: Shakespearean text workshops with Danielle Irvine will be offered starting Feb. 11 in St. John’s to help interested actors get the most out of Shakespeare’s text? Classes will be scheduled in a combination of group work and individualized sessions over four weeks, leading to a final performance. E-mail sbts@nfld.com. COMING UP • Youth and adult showcases at Mount Pearl’s Frosty Film Festival, Feb. 12, 59 p.m., Empire Theatres Mount Pearl. Applications and short film (25 min. max.) from young filmmakers welcome.
For more, e-mail frostyfilm@aamp.ca. • Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador will be hosting a free province-wide epilepsy question and answer forum and teleconference with two of the province’s most knowledgeable neurologists. For more information, call 722-0502. IN THE GALLERIES • Where Wonder, What Weight by Will Gill and Beth Oberholtzer, The Rooms. • Humble Goddess by Nicole Pitcher, Craft Council Gallery, Devon House. • FLUX and the alchemy of motion: celebrating travel photographer Ryan Davis presents new images from Southeast Asia, China, and India, The Sprout Restaurant. • Exhibitions by screenprinter Daryl Vocat (Ontario) and video artist Catherine Ross (New York), Eastern Edge Gallery.
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5-11, 2006 — PAGE 23
Image from Target Marketing ad campaign
Targeting Ontario Province’s new advertising campaign aimed at central Canadian market By Ben Curties For The Independent
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ith a small budget to work with, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism has chosen to focus its unorthodox new advertising campaign on “sophisticated travellers” from Ontario. Noel O’Dea, president of St. John’sbased Target Marketing and Communications, says 80 per cent of the campaign’s “tiny” $8-million budget is earmarked for Ontario, where they felt the province could get the most for its money. “Our research has clearly indicated that (Ontarians) have the greatest interest in visiting Newfoundland, the best fit with the unique experiences that Newfoundland has to offer, and the largest number of people with the desire to travel off the beaten track,” O’Dea says. “That’s where our best
• Province’s tourism industry worth $800 million. • Government’s total annual tourism marketing budget $8 million or 1 per cent. • Eighty per cent of tourists to Newfoundland come from mainland Canada, with 40 per cent from Ontario, 40 per cent from the Maritimes and 20 per cent from everywhere else. • Fifteen per cent of tourists come from the United States, and five per cent come from international markets. Inset image: Video still from Target Marketing’s “The Edge”
opportunity is.” Futhermore, he says the campaign’s two-minute “mini-movies” are aimed at sophisticated and experienced Ontarian travellers who have no liveat-home children and who are tired of “plastic” conventional tourist destinations in Mexico and Florida. “They’re seeking out more unusual places and experiences off the beaten
track,” he added. O’Dea lists other ideal markets with a large number of similar travellers, such as Boston, Europe, and Montreal, but says the campaign lacks the funding to target all of them. He says the provincial government spends less than other provinces, and even spends less than cities like Montreal. O’Dea’s criticisms are surprisingly
candid considering the TV campaign is Target’s first project since winning a five-year contract as Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism’s agency of record last spring. He says that while the current premier has added more dollars to the budget every year, “it’s still a very small portion of what is needed if Newfoundland and Labrador were to be truly serious about developing the tourism industry.” Judy Sparkes-Giannou, who chairs the Tourism Marketing Council, an industry-based advisory group, says the industry is more than ready for some more marketing dollars. “It’s very disappointing to us that we’re still so under-funded,” says Sparkes-Giannou, who is also the president of Maxxim Vacations. “Added investment in tourism does provide a tremendous return,” she See “Tourism,” page 24
‘Steady as she goes’ Province’s music industry worth $35 million — and rising By Ben Curties For The Independent
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ewfoundland and Labrador’s music business continues its modest growth at a time when much of the global industry is in decline, according to local executives. “I would say it’s steady as she goes,” says Tony Ploughman, assistant manager and principal purchaser at Fred’s Records music store in downtown St. John’s. “People often ask how we’re affected by downloading and the evolution of portable music but the local industry is vibrant and flourishing and
that’s probably the most essential aspect of the industry from where we stand right now.” In business since 1972, Fred’s Records specializes in local artists. “We’ve always been anxious to take in local product, whether it’s Great Big Sea or someone like (emerging artist) Danny Keating, working as an individual without any distribution,” Ploughman says. In many other markets, local music is consigned, literally, to a small section of music stores for its hipness factor or as some sort of public service. But in this province, local music is an industry
mainstay. “The local industry is very strong because of local interest and local buyers,” Ploughman says. If local music is the industry mainstay, traditional music may be the mainstay of local music. Lyle Drake, president of the traditional St. John’s record label Avondale Music, says local traditional music sells two to four times more than any other genre of local music. He attributes the sales to a continued local appetite for traditional music and See “We buy our own,” page 25
Dennis Parker
Paul Daly/The Independent
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Tourism ‘under-funded’ From page 23 adds. “It’s not like roads or education. It’s not infrastructure-related. It generates a lot of money to take on infrastructure projects.” Even Tourism Minister Tom Hedderson admits he’d like more money for marketing. “There never seems to be enough,” he says. “There’s so many markets out there, but it’s such a fantastic investment. This is one of the industries I feel can help us in our diversification throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.” Hedderson says the province upped its tourism-marketing budget to $8 million from $6 million this year, half of which will go towards the new campaign. “Many say it should be $16 million or $24 million, because if you’re successful in marketing, obviously you’re successful at garnering people to come into the province and to partake as visitors,” he adds. A 2005 government publication entitled The Economic Review pegs tourism dollars coming into Newfoundland and Labrador at $800 million a year. That means that by its own estimates, the province spends one per cent of its tourism revenue on tourism marketing. According to Hedderson, 80 per cent of tourists to Newfoundland come from Canada, while 15 per cent come from the United States and five per cent come from the international market. Of the Canadian tourists, he says 40 per cent are from Ontario and 40 per cent are from the Maritimes, with 20 per cent coming from the rest of the country. “To get to all of those markets would cost millions and millions of dollars because you want to do a good job while you’re at it,” Hedderson says. “We look at targeting those areas where we’re going to get the biggest bang for the buck.” “Don’t get me wrong,” he adds. “We’re still targeting the rest of Canada and the United States. These are TV ads, but we’re still in magazines, in trade shows and brochures, and our online stuff is going throughout the world.” Hedderson says the new ads will also reach the rest of Canada because they are being played on Ontario-based national networks such as Global and specialty channels like Discovery and Bravo! Reaching American and international markets would be too difficult under the current budget,
Sparkes-Giannou says. “Most Europeans don’t know where Newfoundland and Labrador is, and there’s an awful lot of Americans who are very challenged. We’ve just spent no money building our destination awareness in those markets, so for us to go in there with any sort of advertising campaign would be a complete stretch of anybody’s imagination.” However, she warns the province needs to spend more even in Canada. “If we defer much longer we’ll really be missing the boat,” she says. “Our Atlantic partners have really realized the benefit of increased investment in the tourism industry.” Even more ominously, she says American marketing is on the rise in Canada, with some states spending $30 million in Ontario alone. However, she is hopeful the new campaign’s unique format will help the province’s ads stand out in an ever-growing crowd. Rather than opting for a typical whale-and-iceberg postcard shot montage, the ads have a sense of narrative that she says will evoke an emotional response and a truer sense of Newfoundland’s unique character. “This is Newfoundland, it’s not Disneyland,” O’Dea agrees. “We need to be true to who we are. If we are comfortable in our own skin, it means we can show our people, our culture and our natural environment the way they are. It’s the differences with other places, not the similarities, that attract people here.” The five two-minute vignettes are meant to unfold like thematic chapters over the next three months. One spot called “Placenames” deals with the province’s love-related town names, such as Cupids, Heart’s Desire and Heart’s Content. The campaign’s limited budget means the full spots can only run on one night each, after which they will be pared down to 30-second and 60-second versions. The first ad, entitled The Edge, debuted in January, and features a grizzly looking man walking along an outcropping in Bonavista as waves crash and dramatic music plays. As the traveller looks over the cliff, a narrator says, “The people from the Flat Earth Society believe that this place is one of the four corners of world, the very edge of the earth. Well that’s just foolishness ... isn’t it?” Viewers are then shown the provincial flag and directed to the ad’s online home at www.newfoundlandandlabradortourism.com.
Talk of the town
Auditor general’s report was all over the news last week as media outlets picked it to the bone By Alisha Morrissey The Independent
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uditor General John Noseworthy peeked into various provincial government nooks and crannies last year, sniffing out some outlandish spending and even more examples where public money may be better spent. The following is a summary of his report:
INCONSISTENT COMPENSATION PRACTICES Noseworthy’s report says he’s been investigating the same issue of inconsistent pay packages for government workers since the early 1990s. The report points out there is no policy in place and no consequences for senior officials who continue to take higher benefits than allowed. The report says some Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Memorial University employees have far larger salaries than their government counterparts. Other benefits like sick leave, travel allowances and computer purchase plans are offered to some workers and not others. Some stipends for deans and department heads at Memorial University ranged between $600 and $25,000. The Central West Health Corporation paid $48,000 in overtime to eight managers. Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Chief Richard Deering was given employee benefits, including medical and life insurance, CPP and EI totaling more than $17,000. MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY The university had a long list of problem areas. Because of legislation enacted in 1993 allowing Memorial to keep its books closed to the auditor general, this is the first review of the university in 12 years. • The university isn’t required to adhere to rules imposed on other government departments or agencies, which Noseworthy deems unacceptable. • Benefits including forgivable loans, free tuition and free memberships are available to staff — inconsistent with other government departments and agencies. • Staff recruiting doesn’t follow government practices. • The university has 500 active credit cards with a total credit limit of $3.1 million. Annual purchases range between $8 million and $10 million. • The university had five thefts in two years — one involving $90,000 in student fees. • The $17.4 million INCO Innovation Centre was proposed to be built for $10 million from INCO, with $3 million to be used for operation, but the money was spent on the structure, meaning Memorial will have to pay the $3 million in operation costs. SECONDED POSITIONS A seconded position is defined in Noseworthy’s report as “the assignment of an employee to another existing position, for a temporary period of time.” In his report, Noseworthy says seconded positions are used on a long-term basis, against policy. Half of such workers were in place longer than the recommended three years and seven were filling seconded positions for between eight and 13 years. More than half of the positions were filled with no job competition, four of them were appointed to management positions — three without a job competition.
Snowbirds precision flying team fly over Parliament Hill.
Jim Young/Reuters
Talking about Canadians How others see us: moose, mountains, Mounties By Curtis Rush Torstar wire service
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he tourism industry in Toronto has stalled after recovering from the SARS crisis in 2003, hotel and tourism officials say. While international tourism is actually rising, fewer people are coming to Toronto from the U.S. border states, they say. “Unfortunately, when they think of our country, they only see the age-old stereotypes of the three Ms — moose, mountains and Mounties,” says Rod Seiling, president of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association. Seiling says the downturn in visitors from the U.S. is related to many factors, including increased border security, fuel costs and currency exchange rates. He says occupancy in Toronto hotels is projected at 67 per cent in 2005, one percentage point above that in 2004 but still below 2000 levels when Toronto hotels were 71 per cent full. Bruce MacMillan, president and CEO of Toronto Tourism, says that a renewed government
investment is needed to market the city. The provincial government’s $30 million Ontario Tourism Revitalization Program was successful in rebuilding the industry after the city was hit by SARS. That program ended in 2005 and both Seiling and MacMillan are urging another $30 million commitment. They are also anxious to meet with the new tourism minister whenever the Conservative government announces its new cabinet. Seiling and MacMillan are also calling for the Canadian Tourism Commission to receive $100 million towards marketing the country. Currently, the CTC gets about $78 million. MacMillan says the city is no longer attracting as many of the “rubber-tire market,” those U.S. visitors who are within a six-hour drive of Toronto. It’s not a product problem, but a marketing one, Seiling says. Officials are hopeful that the world premiere of the stage production The Lord of the Rings this spring will help attract more U.S. visitors.
FUEL STORAGE Noseworthy calls for Environment Department improvements in registering, inspecting and enforcing rules for oil tanks. The report says only 3,125 of the estimated 7,000 oil tanks are registered. Government’s database isn’t being used to its full potential in that it’s not used to asses risks of leaks or to schedule inspections. The province couldn’t provide information on how many of the more than 3,000 registered storage systems needed to be inspected in 2005. Abandoned oil tanks aren’t being removed. LABRADOR TRAVEL A $350-million pot to be used to indefinitely operate the Labrador ferry service will be empty by next year, the report says — only nine years after Ottawa gave it to the province. About 63 per cent of the fund and its interest have been used for construction of Labrador highways. The report suggests the expected increased highway use hasn’t happened and as a result ferry costs have gone up to $17.7 million in 2005 from $14.6 million in 2004. Noseworthy says the province will have to pay the annual projected $18 million difference after 2007. CENTRAL WEST HEALTH CORPORATION Noseworthy’s report says he has “concerns” with the corporation’s financial practices. The report identifies a long list of issues, including paying seven employees more than $100,000 for
John Noseworthy
Paul Daly/The Independent
unused sick leave, double pay for overtime shifts worked during the 28-day public sector strike in 2004 for employees supposed to be making time and a half, and the purchase of six cars — without public tender — from a board member’s business at a cost of $55,475. Another list of inappropriate expenditures included moving costs that saw the purchase of a digital camcorder, wide-screen TV, a cellphone and global positioning system. NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM The review claims the Health Department isn’t ensuring costs are kept down. Drug spending went up 92 per cent in the last nine years to $101.9 million, despite the number of claims decreasing by 17 per cent over the same period. PERSONAL CARE HOMES The auditor general’s report says licensing rules weren’t always followed by the 24 personal care homes reviewed by his office (7 homes were operating without a licence) and fire, safety, environmental and health inspections weren’t always carried out within the required annual period (13 homes didn’t have proper inspections). Noseworthy also pointed out that some homes didn’t have adequate staffing and performance indicators aren’t established for personal care homes in Newfoundland and Labrador. BOARD MONITORING The four community services boards have unfunded liabilities totaling $36.3 million, up 83 per cent from 2001. The St. John’s Regional Health and Community Services Board made up 46 per cent of the total. The same board had longterm debts to an outside creditor totaling $850,000 without government permission. HOUSING CORPORATION The computer-purchase loan offered through the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation isn’t offered in other government departments and Noseworthy’s report points out the program has a level of risk involved. Since 1989, the corporation has handed out $1 million to more than 200 employees to purchase 538 computers. One employee who received a loan didn’t buy a computer with the money. A senior official was fired and two others suspended as a result. THE CONSTABULARY The police force raised a number of concerns. • The ratio of members to administrative staff is 4:1 — a little less than twice the national average of 2.7:1 — meaning officers are doing too much paperwork. Further, there’s no monitoring of how much administrative work is being done by Constabulary members. • Overtime costs are projected to be $2.7 million, up from $2.1 million in 2004 and $1.1 million in 2003. • The average number of sick days is up to 13, suggested to be linked to overtime. • More than 21,000 closed cases weren’t reviewed in a timely manner. • Inventory including computers and office furniture was lost or misplaced. • The force doesn’t have a mileage, fuel or maintenance log for vehicles. 911 EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICE Newfoundland and Labrador is the only Atlantic province without complete coverage of 911 services, Noseworthy’s report points out. Only 40 per cent of the population has access to 911 services and there is no service in Labrador. MUNICIPAL ASSESSMENT AGENCY The report shows property value assessment isn’t being carried out in a “timely, complete and consistent manner.” Nearly half of the 20,055 properties sold in the last three years weren’t inspected and almost 75 per cent of the inspections weren’t done on the inside of the properties. As well, travel and other employee expenditures were not on the level. Airfare and meals were paid for spouses as well as board members and employees. Some per diems — spent at functions where meals were already provided — totaled $348; golf fees for staff and employees were paid; liquor for conferences and golf functions were picked up; and costs for staff Christmas dinners and lunches totaled $4,257. VACANT/SURPLUS PROPERTIES Noseworthy’s report says government isn’t managing its properties well. • There are 62 vacant/surplus buildings on 27 sites, including 5 buildings that have a significant amount of unused space, all with an estimated value of $183 million. • Government doesn’t have a long-term plan in place for the buildings. • Operating costs for the buildings average $573,000 for the past five years. • Environmental remediation would cost $5.87 million for nine vacant/surplus buildings. • Demolition costs are pegged at $6.23 million for 12 vacant/surplus buildings.
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 25
‘We buy our own’ From page 23 to tourists in search of keepsakes, noting that he sells 90 per cent of the albums he distributes during the July to December tourist season. “I think when tourists are here, they look for traditional music rather than pop music,” he says. “It’s part of what we are, and when people come here they want to experience the traditional music, the Irish flavour, the kitchen party. Most of them will end up at something that is probably more touristy where the traditional music is being played. They hear that and they want to take that back.” While Avondale Music has found success in niche marketing, another local company, Landwash Distribution, has seen strong growth through diversi-
ty and expansion. After eight years of distributing Newfoundland artists across the genre spectrum, Landwash expanded to the rest of Atlantic Canada in 2002. “If I was to be relying strictly on the Newfoundland market where I started out, it would be very difficult,” says president Charlotte Story. “You wouldn’t survive. The talent out here is incredible, but the problem is we live on an island.” And local success can cut both ways. Drake estimates that due to the regional nature of the music, 90 per cent of his sales are made locally. “In Newfoundland and Labrador we buy our own,” he says. It’s quite good here. I honestly don’t think we’re doing great when it comes to outside of the province.
“It’s very hard to get people outside of the province to actually stock the music on an ongoing basis,” adds Drake, who does 90 per cent of his marketing in Newfoundland. “They will in cases like Great Big Sea or something, but we really don’t have much of a national market for most of our groups that are in Newfoundland.” But Dennis Parker, a local blues musician and executive director of MusicNL (formerly the Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador), says he has seen an increase in the success of local exports like rockers The Novaks and Hey Rosetta! “I think we’re holding our own,” he says. “We do get glimmers now and again with artists like Great Big Sea who are able to break out on a national basis and people like Ron Hynes who
have never huge numbers but are very accepted on songwriting ability.” Parker and MusicNL did a strategic survey in 2001, and determined that Newfoundland’s music industry contributes $35 million to the province’s gross domestic product (GDP). In turn, he says the province has been tremendously helpful in doling out grant money to help musicians with export challenges such as touring and attending out-of-province industry showcases. However, Drake says local artists still face a number of unique challenges, such as limited venues to play. He also says they are not immune to industry-wide problems such as the rise of canned music, karaoke, and music downloading, which even affect the traditional artists he distributes.
DAVID OLIVE
I
n the corporate trial of the century that begins this week, the prosecution would not appear to suffer a lack of evidence. The late, unlamented Enron Corp. has been subjected to a more thorough forensic examination than any corporate carcass in modern times. Bad news, one has to think, for Enron architects Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, successive CEOs of what was America’s seventh-largest company when it collapsed in 2001, erasing what remained of its $68 billion peak in market capitalization in the largest bankruptcy filing to that time. For all its pretence to having reinvented itself from a Midwestern natural-gas pipeline operator into an Internet-age trader, Enron was scarcely known to most Americans before its Dec. 2, 2001 bankruptcy filings. The managerial incompetence at Enron was of epic proportions. But what none of the zealous probing over the past five years of this historic corporate fiasco has shown is the sort of determined, persistent thieving and other criminality at the CEO level that has been proven or alleged at WorldCom, Tyco International Inc., Adelphia Communications Corp., Qwest Communications International Inc., HealthSouth Corp. and Hollinger International Inc. The globetrotting Lay, a PhD economist who founded Enron in 1985, had by the mid-1990s assumed an ambassadorial role, dispensing charity widely in Houston and elsewhere, glad-handing with heads of state and lobbying in D.C. for the post of U.S. treasury secretary. Lay was simply AWOL during the climatic years of Enron’s chicanery. And Skilling, 52, who effectively ran Enron from 1997 when he was appointed Lay’s second-in-command, was a high priest of managerial theories untested in the real world. The Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School was a compelling salesman but had a powerful aversion to detail. In their dealings with Skilling, subordinates soon learned to gloss good news and not bear bad news at all. The erratic Skilling, something of a head case, was repeatedly on the verge of quitting the company in the late 1990s — to Lay’s utter bafflement, given Skilling’s self-regard as a master of the universe. Skilling greeted the news of his longsought 2001 appointment as CEO with dread, and abruptly quit the post in August of the same year. Just a few months later, as Enron was spiraling out of control, Skilling begged an astonished Lay to take him back as commander-in-
Former Enron executives Ken Skilling (left) and Ken Lay are in the midst of their trials in Houston.
Reuters
Enron: culpable, or just gullible? chief. Middle managers dared not speak truth to power for fear of having their slice of the annual bonus pool slashed by the sponsors of uncertain ventures, who were in charge of divvying up year-end bonuses. Elsewhere, over-caffeinated, overcompensated young turks known as “developers” were compensated immediately and lavishly once they’d secured a client, partners and financing for a multibillion-dollar contract to build a third world power plant or water utility. They then vanished once the deal papers were signed. That countless of their ventures were financially wonky and Enron lacked the personnel to guide a project to
completion was of no concern to them. On any given day, Enron was America’s largest corporation that had no idea what its cash position was. In the fall of 2000, a junior employee discovered under the desk of a minion in the Enron Energy Services division hundreds of uncashed cheques worth about $10 million (U.S.) from utilities trying to pay their bills to Enron. That year, Fortune named Enron America’s best-managed company, supplanting General Electric Co. SHAKEN CONFIDENCE Yet Skilling’s vaunted trading operation was chronically undercapitalized and vulnerable to the first significant loss
of confidence by outsiders that came along. Which occurred in late 2001 when Enron’s disclosure of over-stated assets prompted a flight of capital as bankers hastily withdrew their funding. And well before that, Enron’s dealmakers had committed the firm to a diversification regime more bizarre even than the feckless misadventures to which most major corporations occasionally succumb. The real crime is the sustained stupidity of Enron as it plunged into dozens of unfamiliar realms, including cement manufacturing; a money-losing British water utility; a gigantic, nowmothballed power plant in India; a fleet of Nigerian barges; and a mercifully aborted pay-per-view Internet porn ven-
“If you go on any site for downloading and see the amount of activity, it’s incredible,” he says. “You can go online on see virtually every song Shanneyganock has done.” “People don’t consider that there’s anything wrong with downloading for free,” he adds. “They don’t think that it’s someone’s livelihood that they’re stealing.” However, Story says the Internet is helping to diversify the industry and increase artist exposure. While many of Landwash’s titles are swapped online, the company’s website allows for easy online purchase and offers samples of her artists’ music. “You’ve got to change with the times,” she says. “Like any industry, you can’t just sit back and rely on your old ways.”
ture — schemes by which Enron accumulated more than $10 billion (U.S.) in writeoffs. But while deceit was rampant at Enron, it was overwhelmingly of the self-delusionary kind, the type common to Vegas habitués certain that their luck is about to turn, or a White House that has convinced itself it really is winning a distant war. In that context, it will be difficult for the U.S. government to prove that Lay, an unflagging optimist, had come to realize his life’s work was nearing the end when in September 2001, 66 days before Enron filed for bankruptcy, he told employees in an Internet forum that, “My personal belief is that Enron stock is an incredible bargain at current prices.” Those words form the basis of the government’s case against Lay, who is charged with seven counts of fraud and conspiracy to prop up Enron’s share price. But it can be argued that Lay’s job as chief spokesperson for the company was to calm the waters. “Had [Enron] instead hired the chief operating officer of IBM to take over during that time, that person would have made roughly the same statements,” professor John C. Coffee Jr. of Columbia Law School told the New York Times last week. “Those statements are sort of what is expected of the captain of the ship.” The case against Skilling, charged with dozens of counts of fraud, insider trading and conspiracy, is that he was part of the same effort to illegally deceive investors, and that he pocketed millions of dollars in stock-option gains while in possession of troubling information about Enron not available to the public. The challenge for prosecutors here is that the law is fuzzy about the discretion of executives and directors in determining if certain information is or is not “material,” or relevant, to investors. In any case, Skilling’s legal team will counter with examples of propitiously timed stock sales in advance of bad news at scores of blue-chip companies untainted by scandal. It is, after all, a common practice, as investors in Nortel Networks Corp. well know. At least in the court of public opinion, Corporate North America will be on trial in Houston as the trial unfolds. It’s no small irony that Enron boasted one of the corporate world’s most elaborate codes of ethical conduct, personally written by Lay, son of a Midwest Baptist preacher. Lay nonetheless made copious family use of Air Enron, put family members on the payroll, compelled Enron to favour suppliers owned by his relatives and committed adultery with his secretary. Neither was Skilling in touch with reality-based business fundamentals. “We were changing the world,” Skilling said. “We were doing God’s work.” — Torstar wire service
26 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
200511-1534-CB
Location: St. John's, NL
Mobile Computing Analysts Ad #: Mobile Computing Analysts-CB
Charles River Consultants has provided Technical Help Desk Support, Application Development and High Definition Imaging personnel to Major Corporations for long-term assignments for over twentythree (23) years. We are currently searching for two additional Mobile Computing Analysts. Responsibilities include: • Mobile and Remote Access Platform System Configuration • Work in conjunction with the Mobile Remote Experts group to identify and resolve issues with remote remediation efforts to patch and update remote machines • Trouble Shooting remote connectivity issues • New and Emerging Technology Evaluation/Piloting • Off-Site Conference Remote Access Solutions and Support • Training users on procedures and policies, as well as the use of Firm's remote access tools • Train divisional helpdesks on supporting all remote access methods and tools • Mobile System and Technology Administration • Advises client users on the capabilities of client Mobile Computing and Remote access capabilities and recommend the best fit for their requirement - Supporting Dial up, Broadband, VPN, Citrix, and various other remote technologies • Administration of authentication tools such as SecurID and Active Directory • Application support including but not limited to Windows XP, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and various other browsers, VPN, Firewall, and Antivirus software • Supporting high profile clients including top level executives and managing directors • Supporting wireless devices such as RIM Black/Blueberries • Assisting users with the post cloning process to configure freshly built machines to connect properly and carry over their settings from regular profile.
Skills/Qualifications • Computer Science Degree or Diploma in Computers preferred - Certifications would be considered an asset • Minimum of 5 years experience required • Extensive knowledge of the following: • Windows XP • VPN • Broadband(DSLCableISDN) • Active Directory • Wireless (802.11 b/getup/IP) • Blackberry • Candidate has to pass security background checks, including financial • Documentation experience with a minimum of 5 - 10 years business experience
Please email résumés with salary range expectations to hrtech@crc.net and include Mobile Computing Analysts-CB in the subject line.
PRODUCT ENGINEER Rutter Inc. is a publicly traded (TSX:RUT) global enterprise providing innovative, 21st century products and engineering solutions to multiple sectors, including marine operations, oil and gas, defence and aerospace. To support ongoing work and upcoming initiatives, we have an immediate requirement in our Research & Development (R&D) department for a Product Engineer. PRODUCT ENGINEER – VERIFICATION Reporting to the Director of Research & Development, the successful candidate will be responsible for independently applying electronic hardware and software test theories and principles to verify product performance. In this key position, the successful candidate will be required to write programs to validate product functionality; execute test cases and gather statistics to allow for analysis of test data; analyze test data to identify incorrect behavior and potential causes; isolate and reproduce errors and identify root causes; report bugs for action and resolution by project team; develop and maintain testing documentation; research and develop new test techniques and strategies to maximize efficiency; and generate accurate product documentation for user manuals and training material. A self-starter who enjoys working in and contributing to a culture of information sharing, cooperation and team effectiveness, the successful applicant will also possess: • A relevant university degree, preferably in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a computer-related discipline. • Excellent documentation and communication skills, in addition to fluency in spoken and written English. • Skills in a Windows and Unix environment – scripting, system administration, and software development (C/C++) are considered assets. • Excellent troubleshooting skills and ability/desire to suggest improvements in order to meet customer needs and expectations. • Innovative, independent thought combined with the ability to work in a collaborative team environment. Rutter offers a very competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, which includes an Employee Share Purchase Plan and profit sharing through a progressive bonus system. This is an exceptional opportunity for professional growth within a publicly traded company. We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Rutter is an equal opportunity employer.
Please forward your resume (in confidence) on or before February 17, 2006 to: Product Engineer – Verification
Rutter Research & Development 22 Pearl Place St. John’s, NL Canada A1E 4P3 Email: careers@rutter.ca
Financial Advisor Ad #: 04-227-CB
Financial Consultants Ad #: CB-02-012409
Location: Halifax, NS, Canada; • Company URL:http://www.lfs.ca Contact Name: Bruce Brinson, Managing Director • Contact E-mail: bruce.brinson@LFS.ca
Be Daring! Join the LFS Team! Laurentian Financial Services (LFS) is part of Desjardins Financial Security, with assets of over $80 billion, the 6th largest financial services organization in Canada . We are a Canadian leader in the financial services industry with a dynamic coast-to-coast network, comprised of 43 financial centres and more than 1,100 associate partners. LFS is a full service financial services provider with access to multiple insurer and investment fund products. Our track record is based on the quality of support services delivered to associates with a company wide commitment to professionalism. We believe in listening to our associate's needs for providing the products and tools needed to maximize their value in meeting clients' financial planning needs. Due to our exceptional growth we are looking for individuals to join our financial centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the role of Financial Advisors. Join the LFS Team and improve your business by: • Staying independent, while maintain access to a multi-disciplinary team and qualified experts • Receiving financial backing to purchase viable blocks of business • Having access to multiple insurers and products and more than 60 mutual funds and segregated fund companies • A competitive pooled compensation bonus structure and immediate vesting • Incentive plans based on multiple insurers' products, mutual and segregated funds • New associate training and mentoring programs which are unique in the industry • Market planning and support • Business continuation support • Leading edge technology
We are looking for people who are: • Entrepreneurial • Problem solvers • Out-going • Commitment to quality • Hard working • Professional • Service oriented • Computer literate • Committed to continuing education and personal development • Experienced in sales (an asset but not necessary)
Investors Group Financial Services has been a leader in Canadian financial planning for over 75 years. With a solid reputation and market leading systems and support, Investors Group is looking for driven, business-minded professionals across Atlantic Canada who are only satisfied with the best life has to offer. Key Qualifications include: • An outgoing, confident personality • A strong sense of independence and desire to succeed • A professional demeanor • A proven track record of success • A natural instinct for networking and building relationships • A dedication to professional development While not required, the following advantages would be recognized: • Professional designation from or current enrollment in the Certified Financial Planners Council of Canada program • Experience in the financial services industry • Completion of licensing for mutual funds and insurance Successful Financial Consultants with Investors Group can expect the limitless financial rewards and personal freedoms that come from independently operating their own business. Together with the finest support systems in the industry, their level of success is determined by their own activity. There are also management opportunities available for the right candidates. To find out what your true potential is, send your resume and cover letter quoting reference #CB-02-012409 to:
Interested individuals are invited to apply directly to Bruce Brinson, Managing Director via e-mail at bruce.brinson@LFS.ca quoting Ref#: 04-227-CB.
Consultant Resumes Kim Jordan Suite 1409, Purdy's Wharf Tower 2 1969 Upper Water St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3R7 Fax (902) 422-5334
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 27
Financial Advisors Ad #: 04-227-CB
Management Ad #: JAN09M-CB SS Subway Ltd established in 1986 with the first Subway restaurants in CANADA, is now hiring:
Location: St. John's, Gander, Marystown and Bay Roberts, NL, Canada Company URL: http://www.lfs.ca Contact Name: Geraldine Sturge, Senior Administrative Assistant Optifund Branch Manager Contact E-mail: geraldine.sturge@LFS.ca
• Location Management
Be Daring! Join the LFS Team!
• Assistant Managers • Night Management
Laurentian Financial Services (LFS) is part of Desjardins Financial Security, with assets of over $80 billion, the 6th largest financial services organization in Canada . We are a Canadian leader in the financial services industry with a dynamic coast-to-coast network, comprised of 43 financial centres and more than 1,100 associate partners. LFS is a full service financial services provider with access to multiple insurer and investment fund products. Our track record is based on the quality of support services delivered to associates with a company wide commitment to professionalism. We believe in listening to our associate's needs for providing the products and tools needed to maximize their value in meeting clients' financial planning needs. Due to our exceptional growth we are looking for individuals to join our newly established financial centres in St. John's, Gander, Marystown and Bay Roberts, NL in the role of Financial Advisors. Join the LFS Team and improve your business by: We are looking for people who are: 1. Staying independent, while maintain access to • Entrepreneurial a multi-disciplinary team and qualified experts • Problem solvers 2. Receiving financial backing to purchase viable • Out-going blocks of business • Commitment to quality 3. Having access to multiple insurers and products and • Hard working more than 60 mutual funds and segregated fund companies • Professional 4. A competitive pooled compensation bonus structure • Service oriented and immediate vesting • Computer literate 5. Incentive plans based on multiple insurers' products, • Committed to continuing education and mutual and segregated funds personal development 6. New associate training and mentoring programs • Experienced in sales (an asset but not necessary) which are unique in the industry 7. Market planning and support Interested individuals are invited to apply directly to Geraldine Sturge, 8. Business continuation support Senior Administrative Assistant Optifund Branch Manager via e-mail 9. Leading edge technology at geraldine.sturge@LFS.ca quoting Ref#: 04-227-CB.
for their multi-unit operation in St. John’s, Mt. Pearl, Paradise. Successful candidates would have experience in the food service and/or hospitality industry, demonstrate mature business judgement, and hold strong problem solving and communication skills.
Responsibilities may include: Maintenance of all standards relevant to the franchise. Financial record keeping & banking. Marketing Human Resources Cost Control
Competitive Remuneration may include: NEW Progressive Salary & Quarterly Bonus structure Health & Dental Insurance ADD & Life Insurance Health & Fitness Benefits Flexible Scheduling Professional Development Training benefits To arrange a confidential interview, please forward your resume and cover letter, quoting JAN09M-CB, to: SS Subway Ltd Human Resources Dept. 25 Kenmount Road, Suite 204 St. John’s, NL A1B 1W1 Or by email subway@nfld.net
Financial Advisor Ad #: 04-226-CB
Location: St. John's, Gander, Marystown, Bay Roberts, Corner Brook, NL Company URL: http://www.lfs.ca Contact Name: Paula Coulson, Director of Recruitment and Training Contact E-mail: paula.coulson@LFS.ca
Be Daring! Join the LFS Team! Laurentian Financial Services (LFS) is part of Desjardins Financial Security, with assets of over $80 billion, the 6th largest financial services organization in Canada . We are a Canadian leader in the financial services industry with a dynamic coast-to-coast network, comprised of 43 financial centres and more than 1,100 associate partners. LFS is a full service financial services provider with access to multiple insurer and investment fund products. Our track record is based on the quality of support services delivered to associates with a company wide commitment to professionalism. We believe in listening to our associate's needs for providing the products and tools needed to maximize their value in meeting clients' financial planning needs. Due to our exceptional growth we are looking for individuals to join our newly established financial centre in St.John's, NL in the role of Financial Advisors. Join the LFS Team and improve your business by: We are looking for people who are: 1. Staying independent, while maintain access to • Entrepreneurial a multi-disciplinary team and qualified experts • Problem solvers 2. Receiving financial backing to purchase viable • Out-going blocks of business • Commitment to quality 3. Having access to multiple insurers and products and • Hard working more than 60 mutual funds and segregated fund companies • Professional 4. A competitive pooled compensation bonus structure • Service oriented and immediate vesting • Computer literate 5. Incentive plans based on multiple insurers' products, • Committed to continuing education and mutual and segregated funds personal development 6. New associate training and mentoring programs • Experienced in sales (an asset but not necessary) which are unique in the industry Interested individuals are invited to apply directly to Paula Coulson, 7. Market planning and support Director of Recruitment and Training via e-mail at 8. Business continuation support paula.coulson@LFS.ca quoting Ref#: 04-226-CB. 9. Leading edge technology
Customer Service Ad #: MB0601274321
We've got people talking! Now hiring for opportunities in customer service! Inbound calls only! What would you say to $8.50/hr to start and the potential to earn even more based on your performance? TeleTech, the leading global provider of customer care solutions, offers this, plus good benefits, an internet café, and your own headset! If you have proven customer service experience, MS Windows skills, scheduling flexibility, and the ability to obtain a criminal abstract, Let's Talk! Please join us… We are hiring for full time positions! Learn about our worldwide operations and discover the many advantages of being on the TeleTech team. We're also hiring for a Talent Acquisition Manager, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Training and Quality Manager, and Operation Supervisors! As one of Mount Pearl's largest employers, we offer great pay, excellent benefits including health, dental, life, retirement, and tuition reimbursement programs - to enthusiastic, service-focused professionals who go the extra mile to satisfy our customers. Comprehensive benefit plans are available after a brief waiting period. Apply online to: www.hirepoint.com Act quickly… these newly created opportunities are sure to fill up fast!
YOUR FUTURE STARTS HERE… …AND NOW.
EDI Administrator Ad #: EDI CB
Charles River Consultants has provided Technical Support, Application Development and High Definition Imaging personnel to major corporations for over twenty-five (25) years. We are currently searching for an EDI Administrator for St. John's, Newfoundland.
Explore local opportunities with the leading global provider of customer care solutions—TeleTech. Your future can start right here…right now.
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES
The EDI Administrator responsibilities include: • Analyze, design and develop specifications for enhancements and extensions with EDI application interfaces and maps. • Coordinate EDI testing and trading partner implementation initiatives. • Coordinate with application development and DBA functions to ensure availability and reliability of EDI systems to meet business demands. • Ensure that EDI - related production and procedures are maintained and executed, including development, change requests, and enterprise integration projects. • Experience interacting with clients to ensure all issues are resolved in a professional and timely manner. Required Skills and Experience: • Combination of education and several years of experience in the EDI field. To apply, please email résumés with salary range expectations to hrtech@crc.net and include EDI CB in the subject line.
INBOUND CALLS ONLY in a professional and fun work environment. Start at $8.50/hour with the potential to earn more based on your individual performance! Requires proven customer service experience with strong communication, problem solving, and computer/Windows skills. Must be able to work flexible hours and obtain criminal abstract.
We're also hiring for a: • Human Capital Manager • Talent Acquisition Manager • Training & Quality Manager • Operation Supervisors
As one of Mount Pearl’s largest employers, we offer great pay, excellent benefits including health, dental, life, retirement and tuition reimbursement programs to enthusiastic, service-focused professionals who go the extra mile to satisfy our customers. Comprehensive benefit plans are available after a brief waiting period.
TeleTech accepts applications for all positions at:
www.
.com
Act quickly...these newly created opportunities are sure to fill up fast! Equal Opportunity Employer
28 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 When Paris is blooming 4 Crazy About ___ (William Weintraub) 8 Multimedia disk 13 ___ Spear, Nfld. 17 Newspaper income source 18 Animation 19 Hirsute 20 Mine entrance 21 The art of arguing 23 S. American range 24 Reputation 25 Spanish water 26 Come together 28 Author Audrey (Real Mothers) 30 Spanish Mister 32 Jacques of song 33 Makeup artist? 34 Covers 35 Author Miriam (A Complicated Kindness, 2005 GG) 36 Author David Adams ___ (Mercy Among the Children) 40 Don’t just seem 41 Mob 42 Yemen’s capital 43 Bird once native to Nfld.’s Funk Island: Great ___ 44 ___ shorts 46 Licit 48 Part of eye 49 She wrote Deafening
51 Off one’s trolley 52 Rested on knees 53 Iffy 56 Cream (Fr.) 58 Young salmon just returned to fresh water 59 Cattle operation 60 Phial 61 On again 63 Wood-working tool 64 Gretzky’s milieu 66 Throb 70 N. Zealand parrot 71 Beautiful (Fr.) 72 Moon of Uranus 74 Funny ___ (Shyam Selvadurai) 75 Intensify 77 Glasses, briefly 78 French infant 79 Musical conclusion 80 Syrup source 81 Cabbies’ targets 82 Certain vegetable oil 85 Do a hue anew 86 Dune stuff 87 Of all time 88 Augmented fifth, e.g. 90 Unfortunate happening 94 Ager of parents? 95 Motel alternative 96 Sound of pride? 97 Shriek of alarm 98 Drops the ball 99 Beethoven wrote “for” her
100 Not one 101 Modern: prefix DOWN 1 A ___ of Glass (Jane Urquhart) 2 Ruckus 3 Resident of P.E.I. 4 Arboreal primate of Madagascar 5 Pelvic bones 6 ___ la Ronge, Sask. 7 Protected in case of accident 8 An Audience of ___ (Joan Clark) 9 Italian poet Alighieri 10 Go by horse 11 Natural resource 12 Spiritually symbolic 13 Sask. town with Lesia, Ukrainian girl (roadside statue) 14 Garden party? 15 Kind of fine cotton 16 Summers on the Saguenay 22 Swelled heads 27 Stair post 29 Sunk fence 30 Thick slice 31 Cork’s country 32 Author of Carolan’s Farewell 33 Peanuts character with blanket 35 Not yesterday or tomorrow
36 Roof timber 37 Author Edeet ___ (A Wall of Light) 38 Affairs of honour, once 39 Roller ___ 41 Rabbit cage 42 Didn’t sink 45 Chop finely 47 White poplar 48 Apartments 50 Eaves dropper? 52 Shrimp-like crustaceans 53 Oryx and ___ (Atwood) 54 Netherworld (myth.) 55 Soldier from Down Under 57 Leaf gatherer 58 Uses adhesive 60 Battery inventor 62 French spice 64 Migraine 65 Like some small dogs 67 Scottish port 68 Hamlet’s infinitive 69 Spud’s buds 71 Soft, shapeless mass 73 Study anew 76 Oak seeds 77 Rider’s seat 78 Strike up the ___ 80 Some French parents 81 To make in Montréal
82 Ballet leap 83 Done with 84 Taunt
85 Caribbean griddle bread 86 Read lines, in a
way 89 Whole: comb. form
91 Dove sound 92 Society page word 93 Short boxing defeat
WEEKLY STARS ARIES - MAR 21/APR 20 A problem with a friend escalates this week, Aries. Avoidance is the best remedy for this situation. Give it a few days for everything to cool down before you revisit. TAURUS - APR 21/MAY 21 Expect a few bumps along the way this week, Taurus. Things aren't bound to be easy where work is concerned. A surprise project catches you off guard. GEMINI - MAY 22/JUN 21 Make an effort to be more organized or else responsibilities might get jumbled in the days to come. Those relying on you will be disappointed if you don't come through. CANCER - JUN 22/JUL 22 A new job is working out better than you had expected, Cancer. Continue to put forward your best efforts and you will be rewarded in
the long run. Be careful; the boss is watching. LEO - JUL 23/AUG 23 You're ready to tackle anything that comes your way, Leo. Expect more work than you're used to since others recognize your eagerness to get the job done. VIRGO - AUG 24/SEPT 22 Those close to you have noticed a change in your personality and attitude, Virgo. They're not happy with the new you. Consider if your new persona is making enemies. LIBRA - SEPT 23/OCT 23 You've been taking advantage of too many people as of late, Libra. Sooner or later they're bound to catch on to your antics. Reciprocate with something nice for a loved one. SCORPIO - OCT 24/NOV 22 An overachiever, once again you've taken on too many respon-
sibilities, Scorpio. Learn how to delegate work, or else you're going to end up overrun and stressed out. SAGITTARIUS - NOV 23/DEC 21 A business venture that seems too good to be true is actually legitimate, Sagittarius. Just do your research before you plunge ahead with your plans. CAPRICORN - DEC 22/JAN 20 An argument with a family member gets even more heated when talk of relationships gets added to the mix. Instead of getting all fired up, cool down by ignoring inflamatory words. AQUARIUS - JAN 21/FEB 18 When a spouse or partner is feeling under the weather this week, Aquarius, you're called upon to pick up the slack around the house. Don't worry; you can handle it. PISCES - FEB 19/MAR 20 Someone wants to help you out,
Pisces, but your pride is causing you to push this person away. Be more open minded. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS FEBRUARY 5 Christopher Guest, comedian (58) FEBRUARY 6 Axl Rose, singer (44) FEBRUARY 7 Ashton Kutcher, actor (28) FEBRUARY 8 Seth Green, actor (32) FEBRUARY 9 Joe Pesci, actor (63) FEBRUARY 10 Laura Dern, actress (39) FEBRUARY 11 Brandy, actress/singer (27)
Fill in the grid so that each row of nine squares, each column of nine and each section of nine (three squares by three) contains the numbers 1 through 9 in any order. There is only one solution to each puzzle. Solutions, tips and computer program available at www.sudoko.com SOLUTION ON PAGE 29
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 29 Solutions for crossword on page 28
Solutions for sudoku on page 28
579-STOG 77 Harv Harvey ey Road
Stoggers’ Pizza The center tower of General Motors Corp. World Headquarters, Renaissance Centre, is seen at night wrapped in a vinyl Super Bowl XL sign in Detroit Feb. 2. The sign covers 677 windows, is 21 stories tall and measures more than 24,700 square feet. Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Super Bowl glitz among Detroit’s ruin By Dave Feschuk Torstar wire service
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tepping outside Ford Field in Detroit last week, you could have been briefly convinced that this much-maligned city gets an awfully bad rap. A scattering of restaurants looked happening and appetizing. Shiny Cadillacs and immaculate Hummers lined the curbs. Freshly paved streets suggested ongoing renewal, not longtalked-about decay. But downtown Detroit, save for small pockets of prosperity abutting its crown-jewel football and baseball stadiums and its trio of casinos, is an eerie ghost town. A short walk from the site of the 2006 Super Bowl, the urban landscape is startlingly bleak. Building after building is vacant or dilapidated or both. Window coverings appear to come in two varieties: iron bars or plywood sheets. And the few souls who populate the streets stand on street corners or loiter outside the liquor stores that are the only hubs of commercial activity. Larry Jones, exiting a liquor store on the notoriously poverty stricken Cass Corridor, bows his head in mourning for his down-and-out hometown. Like the hundreds of thousands who fled to the suburbs in the wake of the the 1967 riots, Jones doesn’t live here any more. He still comes into the city every day to
drive a taxi. “I’ve got a daughter,” he says. “She’s 14 years old. I don’t like the city. I don’t like what goes on in the city. (In the suburbs) my daughter can walk the streets without getting molested. Poverty. Prostitution. Drugs. There’s desperation out here. This is the ghetto.” Last week there was gluttony next door to the ghetto. The high-rollers who propel the NFL’s uber-party arrived in private planes and travelling in SUV limousines. While the NFL likes to call the Super Bowl an undeclared national holiday, many residents of Detroit will be excused if they were not in the mood to party hard. Recently, the Ford Motor Company, controlled by the dynastic American family that is hosting the game at their eponymous stadium, announced its intention to eliminate up to 30,000 jobs and close 14 plants, including one in nearby Wixton, Mich., and another across the river in Windsor. It was only the latest in a long line of economic punches to the Motor City’s collective gut. One in three Detroiters lives below the poverty line. The 2005 unemployment rate, 14 per cent, was 2.5 times higher than the national average. The local organizing committee talks of the game’s economic impact in the hundreds of millions, but it’s clear that
millions have been spent to prepare the city for its few days in the spotlight. Graffiti has been scrubbed away. Many of the abandoned buildings, including the original headquarters of Motown Records, which had been long turned over to the prostitutes and the addicts, were demolished in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. Ron Scott, a local antiviolence activist, says the city’s homeless population, estimated at anywhere from 12,000 to 40,000, has been encouraged by police to stay away from the bustle. “They were told they’ll be hurt if they don’t get out,” Scott says. “(Police) are sweeping the dust under the rug.” There is too much dust to hide. Blocks from the epicentre of last week’s festivities, there are houses with holes in them. It wasn’t always so. More than 2 million people lived here at the postwar peak. But what made the city thrive — the automobile — facilitated the ensuing exodus to the surrounding area, which continues to thrive. More than 4 million people live in metropolitan Detroit, which extends to leafy Dearborn, but only 900,000 live in the city where, to the surprise of some visitors, there does not exist a shopping mall of significance. As one customer at a hot-dog stand outside Ford Field said last week, “Nobody down here has the money to shop.”
The“best The “bestpizz zzain in town” is
BACK!
30 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
Raptors might have a Pape star Coach impressed by prospect’s ‘energy, hustle’ By Doug Smith Torstar wire service
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ape Sow came from about eight feet away, with lightning quickness compared to any other centre the Raptors have employed in many seasons, and swatted a shot into the second row of seats. It was the kind of instinctive, athletic play — albeit just one moment in a recent game — that is the reason the raw second-year project has become one of the more intriguing parts of the team’s construction and why he is rendering Rafael Araujo more inconsequential with each passing day. Sow, who is more like 6-foot-8 instead of the 6-foot-10 the team lists him as, has wrested away the starting centre’s job from the ailing Araujo with a combination of raw skill and unlimited energy, excellent athleticism and bas-
ketball instincts that belie his small stature compared to the behemoths who often patrol the paint in NBA arenas. “All teams need a guy who can come and play defence and rebound and bring energy,” Raptor coach Sam Mitchell says. “Some nights, I don’t need a guy to come out looking to score every night, I need a guy who plays defence, to rebound, do the dirty work, take the tough fouls, set the picks. “When Pape is out there, there are certain things we know we’re going to get: we’re going to get some energy, some hustle, he’s going to get on the floor. What you hope is it kind of spreads throughout the other guys on the floor.” Now, before anyone lionizes Sow and nominates him for the hall of fame, it must be pointed out he’s very much a work in progress and too short to be a
centre for too long in the NBA. But if he keeps showing the kind of hustle and determination he has over the past few weeks, he’ll have earned himself a spot in the regular rotation, even when Araujo returns. “He’s been bringing a lot of hard work, he’s real physical down low as you can see,” says Chris Bosh, who now has the luxury of a quick shot-blocker behind him on defence. “He can block shots from the weak side. That’s something we needed, a guy who’s going to bang with people, rebound and play a little defence and block shots.” Much was made of Sow’s recall from the National Basketball Development League (the D-league, for short) about three weeks ago when it was evident the only significant minutes he could possibly play would be in place of Araujo, the rock-solid centre who moves with the
OF THE
DEVIL WEEK
Chris Bosh speed of lava compared to Sow. And when Araujo’s sore shoulder landed him on the inactive list, Sow got his opportunity and ran with it. He has been solid, if unspectacular, but has given Toronto the kind of athleticism in the middle the Raptors will never get from the guy he replaced. Sow’s biggest attribute is his hustle.
England’s unsolvable coaching dilemma By Cathal Kelly Torstar wire service
PIER-ALEXANDRE POULIN left wing
and current Portugal manager proved he is all that the Swede is not — a sound tactician, inspiraven Goran Eriksson’s lengthy death spiral tional leader and steely manipulator of talent. might be amusing to watch from afar, but it With Brazil in 2002, Scolari chose to hinge the can’t be much fun for the England team midfield around an unknown — Kleberson. The that’s going down with him. Whether he’s being Atletico Paranese man’s greatest asset was his caught rogering the receptionist or trying to stillness in a midfield that was constantly rolling explain away another baffling loss, never has a forward. Kleberson looked so authoritative in his football manager who came so highly recom- non-playing playing role he hoodwinked mended disappointed so badly in so many ways. Manchester United into frittering away a king’s Finally, the Football ransom on him that summer. Association has put the inept Credit Scolari for creating the Swede out of his misery. illusion. Whether he’s being However, it won’t be done simIn building his England team, ply. Eriksson will leave, but not Eriksson seemed to rely on the caught rogering the until the World Cup ends. To back pages of The Sun — that is, confuse things further, the FA the man of the moment, receptionist or trying picking plans to name Eriksson’s sucregardless of suitability or chemcessor before the tournament istry. Role players like Spurs’ to explain away begins. Michael Carrick are ignored in When Eriksson was hired in another baffling loss, favour of flash players like 2000, fresh off an Italian chamChelsea’s Joe Cole, who adds never has a football pionship with Lazio, he was freneticism but little purpose to touted as a sporting genius. England’s problem midfield. What he turned out to be was an manager who came so Scolari also has a ruthless average tactician with a tendenstreak the affable Eriksson lacks. highly recommended He pushed aging, but popular, cy toward listlessness. He’s also what the tabloids call a disappointed so badly striker Romario out of the Brazil “swordsman.” team. Meanwhile, Beckham Somewhere between the lingers in the England side a year in so many ways. dippy TV presenter, the secreor two past his sell-by date. In tary that Eriksson might have Euro 2004, Scolari benched star dated at the same time as his FA boss and a disas- fullback Paulo Ferreira for missing a coverage. trous loss to Northern Ireland, the illusion wore Whenever Rooney blows a gasket, Eriksson thin. shrugs and assumes the expression of a man conThe FA stood by him until he broke the law of templating a sudden rise in home heating costs. omerta that binds the locker room. A newspaperScolari is creative while Eriksson seems incaman posing as an Arab oil baron lured Eriksson pable of invention. When Portugal trailed in its into jabbering about David Beckham leaving Real Euro quarter-final with Eriksson’s England, Madrid (“he can’t see things going to be better”), Scolari substituted underachiever Helder Postiga Wayne Rooney’s temper (“he’s come from a poor for veteran star Luis Figo. After Postiga’s header family”) and Rio Ferdinand’s commitment (he’s tied the match, Eriksson could find no similar “lazy sometimes”). inspiration. England lost on penalties. The Australia and PSV Eindhoven manager Guus Brazilian’s weakness is his lack of English. But Hiddink leads the pack of favourites to succeed Hiddink’s lack of Korean didn’t hurt that side on Eriksson. Other names popping up include former its miracle run to the World Cup semifinals. Celtic manager Martin O’Neill, Bolton boss Sam Whatever the FA decides, no one can help Allardyce and Charlton’s Alan Curbishley. England this summer. It’s too late for that. Perhaps the best man for the job is the manager “He must have a skin like a rhino,” Eriksson who foiled Eriksson at two major tournaments — says of his successor. And more sense than one, Luiz Felipe Scolari. In so doing, the former Brazil let’s hope.
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Age: 17 Hometown: St. George de Beauce, Quebec Height: 6’4
“He’s been bringing a lot of hard work, he’s real physical down low as you can see”
He’s shown an ability to block shots from the weak side, leaving his man if someone beats Bosh or someone else on the other side of the paint to cover up for a teammate. It means that someone will have to have Sow’s back but, so far, his teammates seem to sense when he’s going and protect him. Work that’s not always pretty, but necessary. “One thing about Pape, he’s got a lot of work to do and he has to get better, but one thing you know is that he’s coming,” says Mitchell. “When he gets there, you don’t always know what’s going to happen but he’s coming. He’s going to come and contest shots; he’s going to come and try to take charge. “The thing is, he has to be more aware of is where he is on the court, especially when he’s going to try to step in and take charge.”
Weight: 200 lbs
Acquired: Poulin was the Fog Devils’ 10th choice in the QMJHL expansion draft Last year’s team: Levis midget AAA (Quebec) Last year’s stats: GP – 53; G – 12; A – 30; Pts – 42 Fog Devils first: Poulin picked up his first point as a Fog Devil, and first point in the QMJHL, when he assisted on a Sébastien Bernier goal on Sept. 26, 2005 versus Lewiston Prospect status: Poulin is ranked 16th among QMJHL skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau for the 2006 entry draft
DEVIL STATS NAME Scott Brophy Oscar Sundh Luke Gallant Nicolas Bachand Zack Firlotte Wesley Welcher Marty Doyle Olivier Guilbault Ryan Graham Sebastien Bernier Matt Fillier Pat O’Keefe Pier-Alexandre Poulin Anthony Pototschnik Jean-Simon Allard Rodi Short Ivo Mocek Josh McKinnon Kyle Stanley Jonathan Reid Paul Roebothan Matt Boland
POS. C LW D RW D C RW RW LW D LW D C RW C D LW D D LW RW D
# 12 10 6 23 5 14 43 21 16 44 27 11 18 24 4 15 9 8 3 n/a 19 26
GP 47 36 49 50 50 51 51 51 40 50 41 35 51 45 46 18 26 25 48 2 11 26
G 18 10 16 22 8 16 10 12 11 6 5 3 4 7 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 27 35 26 18 26 13 16 10 11 15 8 10 7 3 6 2 2 1 1 0 0 0
GOALTENDER
W
L
GAA
S.PCT
Ilia Ejov Brandon Verge
11 6
16 11
4.18 4.32
.883 .883
PTS 45 45 42 40 34 29 26 22 22 21 13 13 11 10 8 3 2 1 1 0 0 0
‘Best of both worlds’ From page 32 win or a championship victory, Oates could easily be placed in an awkward position at the rink. However, Oates maintains he’s been fortunate to have good teammates who understood the situation they would put him in if the celebrations got out of control. “Over the years people have been pretty respectful of my position and not putting me in awkward positions,” Oates says. “People respect what you do, and try not to put you in those situations.”
Stats current as of press deadline Feb. 3
Devil of a time on the road From page 32
HOMEGROWN “Q” PLAYER Robert Slaney Ryan Penney Colin Escott Chad Locke Brent Lynch Brandon Roach Mark Tobin
HOMETOWN Carbonear St. John’s St. John’s St. John’s Upper Island Cove Terra Nova St. John’s
TEAM Cape Breton Cape Breton Gatineau P.E.I. Halifax Lewiston Rimouski
GP 47 11 33 15 26 48 51
G 3 1 4 3 3 15 21
A 4 3 9 3 1 28 16
PTS 7 4 13 6 4 43 37
GOALTENDERS Ryan Mior Roger Kennedy Jason Churchill
HOMETOWN St. John’s Mount Pearl Hodge’s Cove
TEAM P.E.I. Halifax Saint John
W 16 8 13
L 28 3 28
GAA 4.00 3.88 3.78
S.PCT .895 .872 .903
Considering the numbers Oates has put up in senior and junior hockey over the years, he has often been asked if he ever considered travelling to the mainland to play when he was in his 20s. Oates admits he may have had a shot at playing some high-level hockey — the type that would have put a few dollars in his pocket — but has no regrets about the path he chose. “I’m 43 years old and I’m eligible to retire in two years,” Oates says. “So I’ve had the best of both worlds.” darcy.macrae@theindependent.ca
would be tough to watch either player sit on the bench for a prolonged period of time, but that’s what’s necessary if the Fog Devils are going to distance themselves from Saint John and PEI. For the record, I really don’t have a preference — both goalies are good enough for the job — just as long as one of them is handed the title. The last item I see as crucial to the Fog Devils’ post-season aspirations is the club’s play at home. To date, St. John’s has played very well at Mile One. Their .696 winning percentage (8th best in the league) on home ice has kept them afloat in their inaugural season and is the chief reason they are in a playoff position today. If they want to secure a post-season berth, the Fog Devils had better keep it up. After this weekend’s games with Bathurst (results not available prior to press deadline), the Fog Devils have 10 remaining home games in the
regular season, with Chicoutimi, Victoriaville, Saint John, PEI and Halifax all coming to town for two-game sets later this month and into March. By my estimation — and we all know how accurate I am, except for that time I predicted the New York Mets would make the playoffs — the Fog Devils could and should win at least eight of their remaining 10 home games. This would allow them a little more leeway on the road just in case the whole neutral-zone-trap idea doesn’t work out. All things considered, the Fog Devils are a good bet to make the playoffs in their inaugural campaign, a feat that has to be appreciated. By the time late March rolls around, I fully expect to be watching playoff hockey — Quebec-league style — in the provincial capital. Darcy MacRae is sports editor of The Independent. darcy.macrae@theindependent.ca
FEBRUARY 5, 2006
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 31
By Darcy MacRae The Independent
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hings have certainly changed for Wes Welcher in the past 12 months. A year ago, Welcher was fighting for a spot on the fourth line with the Moncton Wildcats, and playing a role that required little offensive thinking. These days, the 18-year-old enjoys a much bigger role with the St. John’s Fog Devils, centering the club’s second line and seeing action on both the penalty kill and power play. “It’s totally different this year,” Welcher tells The Independent. “Last year, my role was to go out and finish my checks and try to switch the momentum. It wasn’t a scoring role — I was told ‘You’re not here to put the puck in the net, that’s what the first two lines are for, just keep the puck out of our net.’ “This year, I’m expected to put the scattered puck in the net.” Welcher, a Paradise native, arrived in Moncton with much higher expectations, since he was the Wildcats’ first-round pick — 14th overall — in the 2004 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League midget draft. Things never panned out in Moncton for Welcher, however, and at the end of the season he was left unprotected for the Q’s expansion draft. Welcher was still living in Moncton — in order to finish the school year — when the Fog Devils selected him in the expansion draft. He arrived at his billet family’s house for dinner one night and knew by the looks on their faces that his days in New Brunswick were over. “After school I went to work out and got home around 5:30. My billet family was acting a bit weird, so I was wondering what was going on. Then they told me I was picked (by the Fog Devils),” Welcher says. “They didn’t say much more about it, so I went and checked it out on the Internet, and sure enough the Fog Devils picked me up.” Welcher was excited about the news, but also a bit disappointed. After all, Moncton had already been awarded the right to host the 2006 Memorial Cup, a tournament Welcher was looking forward to playing in. “Anyone you ask coming into the Q, their short-term dream is to win a Memorial Cup,” says Welcher. “But it (coming to St. John’s) gives me a new opportunity with the Fog Devils, and hopefully before my years are up in the Q I can help bring the Memorial Cup here.” Moving back home has obvious benefits for Welcher, not the least of which is the chance to once again live with his family in Paradise. “I knew that would be a positive, knowing what your mom is cooking and sleeping in your own bed with your own pillow,” Welcher says with a chuckle. Moving home has benefited him on the ice as well. While he still plays a gritty game that involves plenty of work in the corners and in front of the net, Welcher is also showing some offensive flair. Already this season he has greatly surpassed the six points in 49 games he accumulated as a rookie in Moncton, having picked up 29 points — including 16 goals — in the Fog Devils’ first 51 games (stats prior to Saturday’s game with Bathurst). Welcher says he’s a better player this year than he was during the 2004-05 campaign with the Wildcats, but also says his increased production is a result of St. John’s general manager and head coach Réal Paiement showing faith in him. “It’s just Réal has been more than fair to me this year, and I think I speak for a lot of guys on the team when I say that,” says Welcher. “He gave me a chance — more of a chance than I had last year.” Another factor in Welcher’s offensive upswing is the addition of winger Ryan Graham to the Fog Devils’ roster. Welcher and Graham were linemates two years ago for the St. John’s midget AAA Maple Leafs, combining with cur-
Wes Welcher
Paul Daly/The Independent
Change of scenery
Suiting up for Fog Devils has done wonders for Wes Welcher’s hockey career; Paradise native fully recovered from fractured spine suffered three years ago rent Fog Devil Paul Roebothan to from the most dangerous forward trio in the provincial midget AAA league at the time. Since Graham was acquired from Gatinueau prior to Christmas, he has played left wing on a line with Welcher at centre and Olivier Guilbault on right wing, giving St. John’s the solid second line they had been searching for since
the beginning of the season. “I was pretty excited when I heard Ryan was coming to the team,” says Welcher. “We had a great year together in AAA. And we’re good buddies too, always hanging out in the summer time. It was good to hear another good friend was coming to the team. “Olivier brings a lot to our line — he’s got a good shot, has some speed and
really sees the ice well.” The fact that Welcher rebounded from a less-than-ideal situation in Moncton to become a key member of the Fog Devils this year really shouldn’t come as a surprise — he has overcome bigger obstacles before. Just three years ago he was diagnosed with a fractured spine, two dislocated discs and a pinched nerve when he was
injured in a soccer game. The injury occurred during a routine play when Welcher jumped to head a ball, and then collapsed to the ground when he landed. By the next morning he couldn’t get out of bed, and eventually was placed in a body cast for two months. He had to sit out the entire 2002-03 hockey season as a result of the injuries. Welcher also had to try and keep the injury a secret during the 2003-04 campaign so major junior scouts wouldn’t be scared off. “I sort of kept it on the down low, but it’s to the point now that everything’s been healed up for that long that I’m not threatened by it anymore,” says Welcher. The scrappy centreman shows no ill effects of the injury when he takes to the ice as a Fog Devil, and is so nonchalant about the issue that most people would never guess he suffered such a serious injury just a few years ago. Instead Welcher insists he has more pressing matters to worry about, such as the Fog Devils’ ongoing road woes. During a recent road trip, the club dropped three of four games and suffered one-sided losses to Bathurst and Moncton by scores of 11-3 and 10-0 respectively. Welcher says the entire team is baffled as to why they continue to struggle away from Mile One and adds he can’t pinpoint the exact reason they have only managed three road wins this season. “If I had the answer, I’d make sure to let the guys know,” Welcher says, laughing. “But I’m afraid I don’t have the answer.” Welcher says as bad as the losses in New Brunswick were, the team has to move on and focus on securing a playoff berth. He says although many of the players are young and inexperienced, the Fog Devils have the necessary experience to get over such defeats. “There’s going to be some tough times, as you can see from some of the games we played in the last couple of weeks,” says Welcher. “But we have some great leaders in Vergey (Brandon Verge), Broph (Scott Brophy) and Marty Doyle stepping in.” darcy.macrae@theindependent.ca
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INDEPENDENTSPORTS
SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5-11, 2006 — PAGE 32
Eddie Oates
Paul Daly/The Independent
Moving on
Eddie Oates can still play senior hockey, but says time right to move into coaching By Darcy MacRae The Independent
E
ddie Oates has had to make some adjustments this hockey season. Normally at this time of year Oates would be gearing up for the stretch run of the senior hockey season as one of the province’s more experienced and accomplished players. Considering he has won five Herder Memorial Trophies and sits second in all-time scoring for the Avalon East Senior Hockey League, it’s little wonder Oates’ teammates looked to him for guidance and leadership. It’s not that Oates isn’t leading the troops into action this year, it’s just that he’s doing it from behind the bench instead of on the ice. “There comes a time and a place where you have to say ‘I had my day at this, now I’m going to help from a different perspective,’” Oates tells The Independent of his decision to give up playing and take on the role of head coach of the Conception Bay North Cee Bee Stars. Oates originally made the move from player to head coach last season, but when the Cee Bee Stars faced a player shortage half way through the year, he decided to put his hockey gear on for one last run at the Herder. Although he was primarily a forward in the past, Oates suited up on defence for CBN, and helped the team win the Avalon East Senior Hockey League title as a player/coach. “It’s not an easy thing to do — playing and coaching at the same time,” says Oates. “It’s hard to focus on both.”
Rumours recently flew throughout the was afraid to enter and no opponent too big senior hockey ranks that Oates was about to to tangle with. once again come out of retirement and play The individual battles and big-game wins for CBN. But the 43-year-old says the were two of his favourite aspects of the rumours are false, and he fully expects to game, and ones he will greatly miss. stay behind the bench for the duration of the However, as head coach of the Cee Bee 2005-06 campaign, despite the fact several Stars, Oates says he can still use his competplayers have asked him to reconsider his itive nature to help the team win. decision. “As a coach you still So far Oates has been able have an impact on the to resist the invitations to outcome of the game,” “As a coach you return to the ice with the Oates says. “So I don’t team. But he admits there are mind just concentrating still have an impact times he’d like nothing more on coaching.” than to lace up the skates and on the outcome of the And it’s not as if stepstart throwing some checks. ping behind the bench “We played the Shore in a game. So I don’t mind full-time is a cakewalk couple of crucial games, and for Oates either. As a just concentrating I wanted to be out there,” coach he receives some Oates says. “At the end of the credit when his team on coaching.” day I always want to be out wins but almost all the there, because I have a great blame when his team Ed Oates passion for the game. I love loses. One of the biggest the game and love competing challenges Oates faces … it’s hard to bang and crash is attempting to implewhen you’re behind the bench.” ment systems and strategies on a team full Oates never considered himself an overly of players who can rarely make it to every skilled player through the years, although practice. those who played with and against him “We have guys who are involved with would most certainly argue the point. He post-secondary schooling, and trying to get says his work ethic and willingness to be a everybody out to practice can be frustrating, team player are most responsible for his 354 especially when you’re going over the career points in the Avalon east league. power play and penalty kill,” says Oates. As was evident during last year’s Herder “But I guess every team has to deal with finals between CBN and the Darren that.” Langdon-led Deer Lake Red Wings, Oates The Cee Bee Stars currently sit in second was always a hard-nosed player. He enjoyed place in the Avalon east, trailing Southern taking the body and battling opponents in Shore in the battle for first. Even if CBN front of the net. There wasn’t a corner he ends the season in second place, Oates is
still confident they will push for a second straight league title. Considering the Cee Bee Stars have recently added Craig Mercer to the lineup, welcomed Derrick Kent back from a broken hand and will soon see Chris Bartlett return from injury, Oates has reason to believe his team can win another Avalon east crown. “We like the position we’re in,” says Oates. “We think we’re a solid hockey team.” Besides being in position to compete for yet another Herder, Oates has other reasons to smile. Having recently celebrated his 43rd birthday, Oates is now just two years away from being eligible to retire from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Having been a police officer since he was 20, Oates has occasionally had to deal with teammates and on-ice foes while in the line of duty. He admits sometimes people wanted to use their relationship with him — even if they hardly knew Oates — to get out of a jam. “My name always gets thrown around,” Oates says of people who will pretend to know him when attempting to talk their way out of a speeding ticket or similar fine. “And a lot of times, although I may know the name, I don’t know the person. But that’s something you get used to and you just laugh it off and carry on. “I’m a police officer, that’s my chosen career, and I try to carry myself in a professional manner.” Considering a hockey locker room can sometimes become party central after a big See “Best of both,” page 30
Out of the fog … and into the playoffs
I
f the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was a horse race, right about now would be the proper time for the overzealous announcer to yell “and down the stretch they come.” With less than two months to go in the regular season, several teams are jockeying for home-ice advantage in the playoffs. Others are simply hoping to qualify for a post-season berth. As far as the St. John’s Fog Devils are concerned, it’s safe to say they are in the latter group. St. John’s, PEI and Saint John are in the midst of a dogfight for the final two play-off positions in the eastern division. The good news for
DARCY MACRAE
The game local fans is that of the three teams, the Fog Devils have played the best thus far and are ahead of their competitors —albeit just barely — in the standings. But if St. John’s is to hang on to a playoff spot, a few areas of concern must be addressed. The first thing in need of fixing is so obvious a polo fan could pick it out: the
Fog Devils have to start winning more on the road. St. John’s did win in Lewiston during their last road trip, but the victory was followed by three losses, including a 10-3 blow out in Bathurst (Jan. 27) and an 11-0 hammering in Moncton (Jan. 29). I wasn’t at either of the contests but I’m willing to bet Réal Paiement will eventually have the game tapes buried deep in a secret underground lair so no hockey fans will ever again witness the horrific events of those nights. I’ve never been a fan of the neutralzone trap, but I’m beginning to think maybe the Fog Devils should start
using some form of the system on the road. Heck, St. John’s can dump the puck in at centre and line five skaters across the red line if they like, just as long as it keeps games close enough to possibly steal a victory here and there. At this point I’d be willing to try anything while playing on the mainland — even utilizing the most mind numbing, boring strategy ever introduced to the sport. Another area that has to be looked at is the club’s goaltending. Not that their goaltending is a problem, because the Fog Devils have two good netminders in Brandon Verge and Elia Ejov. The
issue for me is that St. John’s has not identified either young man as their No. 1 goalie, choosing instead to split time in the crease between the two. I’ve never liked two-goalie systems and have always been a firm believer that you have to declare a starter and a backup. By giving your No. 1 guy the majority of starts, he has a chance to build his confidence and get on a roll. Every hockey fan knows a hot goalie can carry a team on his back for weeks at a time, and I think both Verge and Ejov are capable of that. I know it See “Devil of a time,” page 30