2006-09-22 by The Independent

VOL. 4 ISSUE 38

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ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2006

VLTs ‘drenched in politics’

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OUR TERMS

Chief medical examiner withholding information on suicides, professor says IVAN MORGAN

university professor writing a book on the impact of video lottery terminals on Atlantic Canadians cannot get gamblingrelated suicide information collected by this province’s chief medical examiner. In fact, Dr. Simon Avis won’t even return his calls. Peter McKenna, associate professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, suspects revenue generated by the machines is making the provincial government reluctant to look into the problem. Last year, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians pumped over $122 million into VLTs, from which the province collected over $73 million. While there is anecdotal evidence of gambling-related suicide in the province, there are no hard numbers. McKenna says Avis’ office is collecting the statistics, but will not make them available. “The fact that (the information) is not being released suggests that this is too sensitive, too political, too tricky for the government to deal with it, and that’s the politics of it,” McKenna tells The Independent. “VLTs are drenched in politics. “When I first called (Avis’ office), they said that they were collecting that information. Then, when I specifically asked for the numbers, they kind of clammed up and gave me the quick brush-off, and basically said, ‘if you have any specific requests put them in writing and send them in an e-mail to Dr. Avis.’” McKenna sent an e-mail within half an hour. That was last June. Since then, he’s written an additional e-mail, and phoned the examiner’s See “It was embarrassing,” page 2

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Everybody else ended up at the end of a rope, or drowned, or with their big rusty blade in their back. Peter Easton died … with his big pot of gold.” — Author Jason Crummey See page 17

OPINION 2

Independent welcomes columnist Patrick O’Flaherty STYLE 21

Diva dogs and pampered pooches IN CAMERA 8-9

Guest photo essay by Justin Hall SPORTS 29-30

Sea-Hawks mens soccer season off to promising start Life Story . . . . . Paper Trail . . . . Shift . . . . . . . . . Classified . . . . .

10 10 25 32

Top right: Independent editor-in-chief Ryan Cleary (standing) moderates panel discussion with (clockwise) Gus Etchegary, Andy Wells, Roger Grimes, Brian Dobbin, Ray Guy, Nancy Riche, Peg Norman, Maura Hanrahan and John Crosbie. Paul Daly/The Independent

‘Discontent’

Bloc party, Senate reform, political overhaul, panel agrees Confederation needs shakeup STEPHANIE PORTER

t’s a question of power and influence: how can Newfoundland and Labrador have its voice better heard on the national political stage? As the first topic tackled for Our Terms, a six-part look at the Terms of Union (past, present and future), The Independent’s panel of experts had much to say about politics and the Terms. It’s a broad-ranging topic, and the discussion moved even further, from an evaluation of separation to pushing for an American-style Senate, a bloc

Newfoundland party, more MPs … and that’s just warming up. Although the idea of independence was discarded (the people of Newfoundland and Labrador aren’t interested — not yet), panelists — with the exception of John Crosbie — agreed there is something wrong in the Canadian federation. “There is so much discontent, no matter who you talk to and what political party they’re affiliated with,” panelist Peg Norman said. So the question became: how do Newfoundlanders and Labradorians regain a sense of control of their own destiny within Canada? The Terms of Union guarantee a couple of key political tools for the province — six Senate seats, and

seven seats in the House of the Newfoundland and Labrador Commons (the number of which is MPs work together, throwing partisubject to change, but never to fall san differences aside to focus on a below the number of senators). program specifically tailored to the When the Terms were signed, goals of Newfoundlanders and there were 262 seats in the House, Labradorians. Eventually — and meaning Newfoundland and this is an idea Grimes put forward Labrador held 2.7 per cent of the in The Independent over two years total. If the province were to have ago — perhaps a “Bloc the same proportion of today’s 308 Newfoundland” party would run. seats, it would be allotted eight, In lieu of that, more co-operation maybe nine, MPs. between members from the While every extra seat might be province seems to be in order. some help — particularly in a “We might have a chance of minority government situation — exerting some influence,” Andy all generally agreed that even three Wells said of the bloc idea. “’Cause or four extra representatives in we’d have seven votes that we can Ottawa wouldn’t “mean a row of sell, b’ys … if the price is right.” beans,” as Roger Grimes said. More important, it seems, is that See “The name of the game,” page 2

‘Terms of Staying’

he Independent asked a panel of diverse experts — and personalities — to meet for an afternoon to discuss Newfoundland’s Terms of Union with Canada. The discussion, moderated by editor-in-chief Ryan Cleary, explored — but wasn’t limited to — five categories: politics, fisheries, oil and gas, finances and transportation. Former Liberal premier Roger Grimes, entrepreneur (and NDP candidate) Peg Norman, St. John’s Mayor Andy Wells, writer Maura Hanrahan, businessman Brian Dobbin, commentator Ray Guy, retired politician John Crosbie, activist Nancy Riche and fisheries advocate Gus Etchegary took part. The three-hour debate was candid, thoughtful, and at times heated. A number of perspectives and solid ideas surfaced, all worth further examination. Each week for the next five weeks, The Independent will pub-

lish excerpts from the discussion. Elsewhere in the paper, reporters look deeper into some of the topics touched on during the gathering. This week, the topic is politics — and the talk is all over the map. Comments have been edited for clarity and length. Ryan Cleary: The Terms of Union guaranteed us six members of the Senate and the Terms of Union also guaranteed us seven out of 262 MPs. There are 308 now. So how do we improve our relationship with Canada in terms of the House of Commons and the Senate? Nancy Riche: What is the percentage (of seven MPs) from 262 and what would it be of 308? But it seems to me, this would be an opportunity to talk about proportional representation as an electoral system, a parliamentary system Cleary: I was thinking in terms of the Senate for example, was it

Clyde Wells who talked about a Triple-E Senate and that was one way to make up for any inequities in terms of political representation. John Crosbie: What difference would it make if we had three or four more members? … it doesn’t change the distribution of power in Canada. Ray Guy: It’s three or four new jobs … Maura Hanharan: It’s three or four people with new ideas. The more people we have up there the better. Crosbie: There’s no new ideas under the sun. Riche: So what’s the point of the exercise? Crosbie: I wonder what is the point of the exercise. I don’t see the Terms of Union have any relevance in Newfoundland today. They had some relevance when they were being negotiated, which was the time to get whatever terms you wanted — except we went about it

ass-backwards, voted first and were given the Terms later. Brian Dobbin: That’s a good point — we should get the terms before we vote next time. Crosbie: Canada has changed so much since 1949 … the whole system of equalization and transfer of funds from Ottawa to the province has changed since 1949, they couldn’t even imagine it back in 1949. Just about all the money that comes to us today doesn’t come to us from the Terms of Union but from various policies put into place in the past 57 years by different political parties. Cleary: There’s been a lot of bitching and whining about our place in Canada … I think we should make a conscious effort to make things better. The purpose of this is to get people talking … Peg Norman: It would be more the Terms of Staying as opposed to See “Ray Guy,” page 5

2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

A sign of weakness Patrick O’Flaherty says banning hakapiks won’t win over the zealots

ast spring, when animal rights groups started warning Newfoundland tourist operators to expect a boycott, one outfitter contacted me. He asked me to answer the anti-seal hunt e-mail he was getting. I was intrigued and agreed to do it. The letters were from Europe, the U.S., and Canada. They were mostly torrents of abuse — directed not just at sealers — but at Newfoundlanders generally. We were heartless baby killers, stone-age barbarians, a disgrace to Canada and the civilized world. We resembled American slaveowners or Nazis in the Holocaust. Many writers seemed driven by real hatred. They sent off these vicious e-mails to people they didn’t know without fear of challenge or retaliation. They wouldn’t have sent them to, say, Jews, Muslims, AfricanAmericans, Quebeckers, or Inuit. If they did, they’d be accused of racism by the influential bodies speaking for those groups. But it was all right to send them to us. We are on a remote corner of the continent, we aren’t abo-

PATRICK O’FLAHERTY Guest Column riginals, nobody cares about us, nobody rushes to our defense. We are an acceptable target … so they think. The e-mails were amazing and I wondered how to deal with them. I decided to try and respond rationally to each one, centering on its main point or argument, pointing to defects in reasoning or knowledge. A few of the people I wrote were taken aback to find somebody in Newfoundland who could string three sentences together. They had been led to think we were all illiterate. Relentless defamatory comment by the likes of Paul Watson has done real damage. What did I accomplish? Not much, if anything. Perhaps I triggered a flutter of conscience in one or two minds. What an irony it is that men who

played such an honoured part in our history, the Newfoundland sealers, should have their good name defiled. Their toil and suffering counted for nothing! Only a shadow of the once-great seal hunt is left, and I’ve talked to some local observers who think it’s doomed. The contents of the e-mails I read reveal the power of the forces against it. So what do we do? I was impressed with the premier’s performance in the TV encounter with the McCartneys, and I know a small sum earmarked to defend the hunt is in the budget. But the provincial government has to do more. We can’t count on Ottawa to keep the hunt going. Making concessions like banning clubs and hakapiks won’t win over these zealots. Compromise will only be interpreted as a sign of weakness. We have to learn from the down-anddirty tactics of the enemy. They must be taught to think twice before attacking us. If we defy them and fight hard,

they’ll respect us. They’ve used, or threatened, boycotts — so can we. Boycotts of our fish or tourist establishments can be met by government-sponsored counter-boycotts. We’re a small economy, but we still matter. If the EU bans the hunt, let’s find ways to hit back. I recently heard a Swede prating about the hunt on the radio. If he thought his words might affect the sale of Volvos he mightn’t be so quick with his lip. If the French — whose country Newfoundlanders fought and died to defend — take more steps against us, let’s send back their wine. Government control of liquor sales is an instrument we can use. Government advertising could be withdrawn from local radio stations broadcasting American Humane Society propaganda. My letter-writing experience this past spring was gloomy, but not hopeless. All the shallow arguments put out by the animal rights groups should be answered, repeatedly, firmly, and logi-

cally. Then publicized. We need a journal to present scientific and other prohunt argument, and to challenge contrary opinion, to be distributed throughout the world. Government could fund such a publication. Monuments can be built along the northeast coast and Southern Shore to honour the great sealing captains and heroes of the past and mark the tragedies that occurred in the hunt. Let it not be said of this generation that we wouldn’t stand against the peddlers of lies and their collaborators who have blackened the good name of Newfoundland. As for Paul Watson, the sealers themselves might want to deal with him the next time he sets foot in the province. A good dunking in St. Anthony harbour or Quidi Vidi in February or March would be a just payback for his vile slanders. Patrick O’Flaherty’s latest book is Lost Country: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland, 1843-1933 (2005). His column returns Oct. 6.

cated by experts who tell us suicide rates are difficult to measure and the causes of suicide are very difficult to quantify.” She says the corporation is taking steps to confront the issue of problem gambling. “Responsible gambling initiatives and responsible gambling tools are built into all level of our products,” says Dyke. McKenna says people need to be fully informed to understand the issue of gambling-related suicide. He says the impact of VLTs on society has yet to be fully understood by the public. “When you’re looking at where the government is getting their money from gambling, it’s VLTs — full stop. That’s

the cash cow,” says McKenna. “They are looking at the dollar signs, but nobody is looking at the costs to society — to individuals. Can you actually put a price on somebody’s life?” He wants to know why the examiner won’t grant him access to his research. “They are public servants. They are working for the interests of the public in the service of the public — why is this information not being released? “The people of Newfoundland and Labrador should be able to know what the impact of VLTs is on the population. And it is a factor in suicide and that should be publicized.” Dr. Avis’ office did not return calls to The Independent. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

‘It was embarrassing to the government’ From page 1 office. He has received no response. “Unprofessional? Yes. But the more important question is why? Because the information is too sensitive?” McKenna’s book, which he says will be published in late 2007, investigates the politics surrounding the decision to implement, introduce and install VLTs throughout Atlantic Canada. It looks at the interest groups and stakeholders who have been involved, the reasons the machines were introduced, and the opposition and public criticism that have since developed in response. He says it’s been difficult collecting data from all of the provinces. He says

Nova Scotia doesn’t collect the figures anymore. “They stopped in June 2004, and it stopped largely for political reasons because it was embarrassing to the government,” McKenna says. “The numbers there had shown over an 18-month period roughly there had been 10 suicide deaths linked to gambling.” Newfoundland’s statistics are similar, he says. “I have seen figures for Newfoundland and Labrador in the four or five per year range that are specifically linked to gambling.” Even those numbers may not be accurate. McKenna says relatives and friends are often reluctant to state on the record why their loved ones committed suicide.

“There is a tremendous culture of shame around gambling, and addiction, and suffering and suicide in some cases. People don’t want to air that, people don’t want to make that public. They don’t want to talk about it in any sort of public fashion,” he says. “Unless somebody comes forward from the family to acknowledge it or unless there was a note left behind which clearly identified it is difficult to say with any certainty that gambling was involved.” A spokesperson for the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Paula Dyke, says gambling-related suicide is complex. “One suicide attributable to problem gambling would be one suicide too many,” says Dyke. “We’ve been edu-

‘The name of the game’ From page 1

federal system to make a difference for Newfoundland and Labrador. The There was also a general consensus provincial government was charged that the Canadian Senate, as it current- with the brunt of responsibility, from ly exists, does not work. Crosbie explaining “the Newfoundland psyche” (Conservative) and Nancy Riche to presenting politicians with the (NDP), in a rare moment of agreement, strength and determination to make a called for the abolishment of Canada’s difference. highest house, others Other ideas were called for reform. floated: would pro“Smallwood was … a Panelists see the portional represenTriple-E Senate tation better reflect major influence and (equal, elected, effecthe needs, and got a hell of a lot out tive) as an improvevotes, of ment over the current Newfoundlanders of Ottawa, which is the and Labradorians? model, generally regarded as powerless Should we have a name of the game.” and outdated. In par“professional govticular, most were in ernment” (in Brian John Crosbie favour of the idea of Dobbin’s words), having an equal numwith appointed ber of senators from each province, bal- cabinet ministers in their portfolios for ancing out some of the perceived five years at a time? imbalance in the Commons. Opinions also divided on on strategy Crosbie believes an elected Senate — which political game should the would cause a deadlock — but most province play: negotiate more from others would agree with Senator Bill Ottawa (“Smallwood was certainly a Rompkey, who told The Independent major influence and got a hell of a lot the Triple-E Senate is not only prefer- out of Ottawa, which is the name of the able, but may prove a necessity (see game,” said Crosbie); or stop asking story, page 5). the feds for help and focus on our own But it is not just up to those in the abilities (“Isn’t that like a 35-year-old

man bragging about the allowance he receives from his father?” Dobbin replied). In the end, the panelists showed little appetite for changing the Terms of Union to deal with Newfoundland and Labrador’s political weight — or lack thereof. The only constitutional change they advised was in the arena of Senate reform, which could offer the province a more substantial voice. The other main point was finding a way to work within the structure of the current Canadian parliamentary system: the seven MPs must speak with one voice; the people must elect provincial politicians who will make themselves heard — not for the country’s entertainment, but for change. And, as The Independent will explore in coming weeks, a majority of panelists believed the way to a proud Newfoundland and Labrador in control of its own destiny, is to take on more responsibility and control of the resources the province brought with it into Confederation. The Independent welcomes input and opinions on the Terms of Union series. Please e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3

SCRUNCHINS

A weekly collection of Newfoundlandia Anyway, one of the scenes had the Queen and her hubby, Phil, in Town in the early 1950s preparing to board a ship for home following a crossCanada tour. Fishermen on the dock were good enough to give the royals a box of saltfish. “That’s when they had codfish,” went the sad commentary … we could always whip up a blueberry duff if the royal couple dropped by today.

Burial of K of C victims after December 1942 fire.

St. John’s was featured on the History Channel Sept. 15, but the story was a tragic one. The show, Disasters of the century, focused on the Dec. 12, 1942 Knights of Columbus Hostel fire on Harvey Road in the capital city in which 99 people died. The gripping story was reenacted with local actors, and included interviews with relatives of people in the fire, as well as commentary from local experts/characters of today. Many people believe the fire was set by German agents who had come ashore on a U-boat, although that theory has never been proven. An inquiry later ruled the cause was not accidental, but carefully planned arson. Described as one of the “swiftest and deadliest” indoor fires in Canadian history, the story also concentrated on the heroism that played out that Saturday night. Even though one-third of the 400 or so peo-

ple in the auditorium were women, only 12 of the 99 who perished were female. “The men, heroically, did whatever they could to get the women out,” said one of the people interviewed. “After that we realized war was everywhere,” said another, the wife of a survivor, “not only across the Atlantic but in our own little town.” A memorial to the victims has been erected on the K of C hostel site, not far from the Tim Horton’s behind the Cop Shop. You can’t miss it from the set of stairs that seem to lead nowhere … POP TARTS Moving on to another channel … Pop-Up Royals, a three-part CBC mini-series on TV this week, was billed as an affectionate look at a dysfunctional family: the royal family. Scott Thompson reprised his Kids in the Hall role of Queen Elizabeth II.

ON THE REBOUND A study released recently by the Conference Board of Canada predicts Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon will lead Canadian cities in economic growth this year. The board expects Halifax and St. John’s will pace Atlantic Canada, posting growth of 3.2 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectfully. According to the report, “St. John’s is

rebounding from two weak years, thanks in part to increased provincial spending by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.” Thank God for government to keep us going … RUNNING HOT The Globe and Mail carried a story earlier this month about how builders in St. John’s are getting a taste of Calgary’s housing market. According to the report, housing prices in Calgary rose the highest, at 4.6 per cent. But then St. John’s displaced Edmonton as the city with the second-largest gains. Prices in St. John’s rose 2.9 per cent, the Globe story read, their largest monthly jump since July 2001. Builders in Town cite rising labour rates for the higher July prices. It’s thought builders on the East Coast have to pay their workers more to keep them from pulling up stakes and heading west. Craig Foley of Gibraltar Homes says he pays his workers above the local average to keep them here. “My guys are happy and don’t want to migrate but everyone else is finding that when it comes to plumbers and electricians, they can’t find anyone,” he said. “Everyone seems to be going to Alberta or Fort McMurray.” Bet the A&W isn’t as good out that way … ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca

Learning about yourself

MANDY COOK

n instructor at Memorial University says some women are being incorrectly told by health professionals that breast self-exams do not work. Anne Kearney, assistant professor at the School of Nursing and Faculty of Medicine, will publish her findings in an upcoming edition of the Journal of Public Health Policy. Kearney says some Canadian health professionals may be discouraging women to perform breast self-exams because of a report based on inconclusive evidence. A 2001 report released by a Canadian taskforce on preventive healthcare concluded breast self-exams caused “unnecessary visits to the doctor, unnecessary follow-up tests such as biopsies and unnecessary anxiety.” It recommended Canadian physicians not teach women breast self exams as part of their routine care. Given that clinical breast examination by a trained health professional is not well studied, breast screening would largely fall to mammography. “I think it is reasonable to assume that women are being taught less how to examine their breasts or being discouraged from examining their breasts or being told that it comes with some harm, which is what (the taskforce) recommended,” says Kearney. “It takes the power away from women to care for themselves in a way that they feel is most appropriate. I really feel it is condescending to tell women not to examine their breasts.” Kearney says mammograms cause the same negative effects of unnecessary tests and anxiety, with the addition of exposure to radiation. She says women should be taking an all-inclusive approach of self-exams, yearly mammograms and clinical exams. Gerry Rogers, breast cancer survivor and director of the documentary My Left Breast, says she discovered a lump in her breast in 1999 during a self-exam. She says she disagrees with studies that say the exams teach women to be afraid of their bodies. “I think it’s irresponsible to not encourage women to do breast self exams,” she says. “This notion that it creates hysteria, that it creates unnecessary mammograms. And that’s not true. Women don’t order mammograms — their doctors do. I think it’s smart and savvy to know how to do your own breast self exam. It’s responsi-

DA DA DA DUM A&W celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a My Favourite Memories contest, announcing the winners across Canada this week from more than 25,000 submissions. John Evans of St. John’s was a regional winner. “We loved the Kenmount Road location in St. John’s because of the personable servers who delivered meals to the car window.” Remember that? Evans wrote about how, growing up, he and his childhood friend would often eat breakfast at the Torbay Road restaurant, a breakfast meeting that became a tradition. They’ve since moved away. “So much in our lives has changed over the years. But with this special tradition, whenever we are all in Newfoundland, it’s so nice to be able to come home to A&W.” Evans won a meal for himself and 20 of his friends … wonder if he’ll get the burgers delivered to the car window?

IN THE HUNT Newfoundlander Jeff Hunt is one of three bidders for the Canadian Football League’s return to Ottawa. According to a recent story in the Ottawa Sun, Hunt, the popular and successful owner of the Ottawa 67s, is also the front for the Toronto financial services company, Golden Gate Capital Corp., which submitted a letter of interest this past week. Hunt is described in the story as a transplanted Newfoundlander and a pillar of the community. “Upon selling the largest carpet cleaning company in Canada, he emerged as one of the most successful junior hockey owners ever,” the story read. “Hunt has turned the Civic Centre into an arena where 10,000 fans show up to watch a team that used to attract 1,500, at the same time taking the 67s to three Memorial Cups (winning one) in his eight years.” Maybe the Fog Devils should call him up …

Medical journal report by Memorial professor says women should regularly self-examine for breast cancer

Gerry Rogers

Paul Daly/The Independent

ble to do it. It’s a way of loving yourself, of knowing your body.” Sharon Buehler, a St. John’s epidemiologist, says health professionals are not claiming breast self-exams should be scrapped. She says women should take advantage of public health initiatives such as the Breast Screening Centre in St. John’s where they can receive individual instruction on performing exams. “If doctors were to teach each woman breast self-exam, it would take approxi-

mately 10 minutes per patient,” says Buehler. “Doctors just don’t have time.” Kearney thinks breast self-exam is essential, especially among younger women, whose breasts tend to be lumpy and therefore should know what their breasts feel like regularly. Rogers agrees. “I think BSE is really, really important — particularly for younger women because often younger women aren’t getting screened regularly for breast cancer,” says Rogers. “Often for younger women

they’re much more advanced before there’s any intervention because it doesn’t automatically come to mind that there’s something going on … it’s simply a way of taking care of yourself.” Kearney says the women used in the clinical trials the taskforce based its findings on were poorly instructed in technique, attendance during the trials was low, there was no individual instruction and there was no follow-up on whether the women were examining themselves

regularly or correctly. Kearney also says the merit of breast self exams were evaluated without including other screening methodologies, such as mammograms and clinical exams by a health professional, which is not recommended. Kearney’s article will be published in the October Journal of Public Health Policy. mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

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4 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

From page 1 the Terms of Union, because there’s so much discontent, no matter who you talk to and what political party they’re affiliated with. Crosbie: It’s total fiction there’s a big strong feeling in Newfoundland we should be independent. Now I didn’t have a vote, but I worked against Confederation. But I’m for it now, because we’ve done damn well out of Confederation, astoundingly well. We could never have imagined the benefits … Dobbin: We couldn’t imagine a TV set when we entered Confederation. I take exception to that. Gus Etchegary: How in the name of God can you make that kind of statement, John? Just take one important resource (the fishery) since Confederation — it’s been destroyed. Crosbie: You think it would have been any better if Newfoundland had been in charge of its fishery? It would have been worse, if that’s possible. Andy Wells: I take your point, but I think we would have had more possibility of making changes within the House of Assembly than in Canada. That’s all I can say, other than that you’re right. Hanrahan: The right to self-determination doesn’t depend on competence or proving that you can govern yourself … it’s just given to people, automatically … Dobbin: There’s never been a provincial government that had the structure to make the kind of decisions that have to be made for this to be a growing economy. Our political structure doesn’t fit well for an island of 500,000 people. We have a premier who is elected in a riding by 4,000 people and they’re running a government. We have ministers who are put into a portfolio that they don’t understand and when they do, two years later they’re shifted. Cleary: What do you recommend? Dobbin: Professional government. If you elect the premier and the premier could select his ministers and those ministers had five years to actually do things. Riche: It’s called the U.S. … Cleary: Mr. Grimes, you’ve talked about Newfoundland and Labrador MPs forming a bloc … you’ve been there, you’ve talked to the feds head to head. Are you still in favour of that? Grimes: The numbers game we talked about earlier, the seven out of 262 versus seven out of 308 doesn’t mean a row of beans. Seven that are going to be elected, along with your senators that are appointed, if they’re going to be a Newfoundland and Labrador team, spend their time in Ottawa trying to get people to understand our psyche and how we feel about being part of Canada and whether we feel we’ve been treated fairly or not instead of being involved in partisan politics, you have a concerted effort to get the Newfoundland view across in Ottawa … In my experience of 20 years in politics, it’s left to whomever the minister happens to be in the federal cabinet and whether they have any political influence. Guy: Loyola Hearn! Christ! Help us! Grimes: Take offshore oil and gas now, we wouldn’t be where we are in that sector unless John Crosbie had some real influence in the federal cabinet at the time. Because they weren’t going to do it for us. The only way you’re going to get some equal voice is one that federal

Ray Guy: ‘Why don’t we join India?’ “We put the hand out looking for the handout, that’s what we value. We value the UI; we value security.” John Crosbie politicians run from all over the place, from all parties, which is a constitutional reform. The only one we even dare talk about is Senate reform … My view of (the Senate) is if you’re not going to do something about it, you should abolish the damn thing. At least equal … Dobbin: My point was: why do we go to Ottawa all the time like a sick child to his father saying, well I need this and I need that? Guy: Because that’s what we are. Dobbin: No, we’ve got a lot more strength than that. Crosbie: All provinces utilize their positions as underdogs and they all attack the federal government looking for more. That’s the system. We do it, P.E.I. does it, even Ontario is now … Hanrahan: It seems like we’re drowning in cynicism here … so maybe we have to start with a preamble: we value self-sufficiency; we value diversity. Crosbie: Oh, we don’t value that at all. We put the hand out looking for the handout, that’s what we value. We value the UI; we value security. Guy: The baby bonus! Ha! Riche: We value some equality and equity in the country, which is where UI came about … that was part of the egalitarian thing. Guy: When Joey Smallwood signed (the Terms), some reporter asked him,

“Mr. Smallwood, how did you feel?” He said, “I feel the same way some future prime minister of Canada will feel going up Capital Hill in Washington in the U.S.” … I say we make an inclination to go towards the States. It was done before. I know it’s hard to predict these days beyond five years, but China and India are going to be top dogs in the world in 20 years, the States is going to be peevish and paranoid and they might blow the whole thing up … Wells: Instead of Liberals and NDP and Tory going to Ottawa, if we had a Bloc Newfoundland, call it what you want, six or seven MPs with a program, this is what we want, given that we’re likely to have minority government … we might have a chance of exerting some influence. Cause we’d have seven votes that we can sell, b’ys … if the price is right. Cleary: Do you agree with that, Mr. Grimes? Grimes: Absolutely. That’s been my view. Guy: Is there any chance in hell of an Atlantic Bloc? (Chorus of “No”.) Wells: You’re not going to get a better deal in Canada when you’ve got 1.6 per cent of the population and you send seven MPs, most of whom are useless, off to Ottawa and you appoint six useless senators. If you accept the premise you’re going to stay in the country, what’s the mechanism whereby you can get more power? Grimes: You can’t ignore the Canadian political system and be part of Canada, so you’ve got to be as influential as you can within the system. So if you take your seven members and say … we’ve got seven votes up here folks that are going to vote for issues that are good for Newfoundland and Labrador within Canada … Wells: And here’s our program … Etchegary: I agree with you, but the

“I can see a situation emerging in the next 20 years where we won’t need Canada.” Andy Wells fact of the matter is … unless you’re a strong minister and can control those senior bureaucrats, you haven’t got much hope. Hanrahan: It’s more complex than that … just the fact there is a Bloc in Quebec really benefits Quebec. Crosbie: It’s not the federal members that are all that important; it’s how influential as well the provincial government is. Newfoundland has been very lucky since 1949 — nearly all our premiers … have been major actors on the federal scene. Not because we’ve had seven members, but because of the force of their personality and determination. Smallwood was certainly a major influence and got a hell of a lot out of Ottawa, which is the name of the game. Peckford was quite influential too … known across Canada and vociferous and a goddamn nuisance … Dobbin: I find there’s an awful lot of entertainment but not an awful lot of weight. Crosbie: It’s not the bloc or how many members you’ve got in Ottawa, it’s how effective is your provincial government, how effective is your premier, can you persuade Canadians in general that you’ve got a good case and you’re not being treated properly. Dobbin: If we get back more resources and more territory, screw Canada! Just change our own policies, is all we need. Hanrahan: Do you ask for them back or do you take them back? Cleary: Nancy, if you could do anything politically to make this better, what would it be? Riche: I’d have proportional representation, No. 1, which begins to remove some of the partisan stuff … that the parties, whatever percentage (of votes) the party gets, they would get that number of seats. Everyone talks about how unfair the system is, and how everybody likes to play the underdog … We would be more fairly represented. Wells: How would that help us? We wouldn’t have more MPs … it seems to me, we’re going to have another minority. And if we’ve got a bloc of seven seats, that seems better than three Liberals and three Tories or whatever that are up there fighting among themselves. Hanharan: How about a block of 12 seats? Wells: I’d take a block of 50 seats, that’s not going to happen. If anything, we’re going to lose seats. Hanrahan: The Terms of Union is supposed to be a living-tree document. I work for organizations that have used the Terms successfully in litigation and land claims negotiations. They’re a useful tool and if anyone thinks this is all a waste of time and we’re all hopeless people, you should just go home out of it. Crosbie: The Bloc are up there with 48 members and how much influence to they have? Hanrahan: The upper echelons of the bureaucracy are very amenable to Quebec because the Bloc is there and

they are worried about separation. Cleary: Mr. Wells, what would you have? Wells: I’d have the U.S.-style Senate. (Two senators from each state.) Crosbie: I don’t want an elected Senate, I don’t want an effective Senate … it’s hard enough to govern Canada now with all the differences. If we get an elected Senate, that can feel justified in going their own way and making their own decisions … this would bring deadlock to the House of Commons. I would sooner see the Senate abolished, though they do some good work. Riche: I agree with John Crosbie. (Laughs.) Better write that down. Wells: I think we have a better shot at making our presence felt … That may make Canada dysfunctional. That may be a good thing, from our perspective. Crosbie: Where Newfoundland is or isn’t has nothing to do with the Terms of Union, it has to do with how effective we are in the system. Cleary: We are not effective within the system. Crosbie: We are! Jesus Christ, look at the record since 1949 of what we have gotten from mainland and the rest of Canada. Hanharan: Come on, that’s a charity model. Cleary: Does anybody here believe in separation? Hanrahan: The threat of separation is a useful tool. Norman: If I had my druthers, we would be independent. Guy: Separation … no, if we separate we’ve got to go with something. I don’t think we can sit out here and scratch our arses. Besides, Newfoundlanders are leaving … Grimes: I don’t believe it’s the answer. Wells: Emotionally, but practically it’s not there … not yet. But I can see a situation emerging in the next 20 years where we won’t need Canada. Dobbin: No, no one here would vote for it. Etchegary: I’d use the threat of separation right to the hilt. Crosbie: We were separate before, and we gave it up because it was too difficult for the ordinary person. You had to work like a maniac to survive. Why would anyone vote to separate? This is all St. John’s bullshit talk. Guy: I agree with John Crosbie! I say the most conservative people are the poor people. They’ve got so little and they can lose it if they disturb the status quo. Riche: Maybe some people disagree with separation … maybe we want to be part of a bigger country. Maybe we want to change the values of a national body — 450,00 or 500,00 people are not going to change the world … Guy: Maybe we should join India. Riche: I spent just as long in Ottawa as John Crosbie did. I worked just as hard on UI from where I was sitting as any bloody MP. I like being part of Canada. I like what we believe the values of Canada are. What are the terms we would write today, if we were joining Canada? What happened in 1949, happened in 1949. With the exception of John, none of use were there. Guy: I was there, 10 years old, and very alert. Riche: But we also understand that they were so damn poor … I’ve asked people, their husbands were buried with Joey Smallwood’s picture in the casket. I think in many places in the Terms of Union, we sold out. But somewhere in my brain I understand. We were going begging, or at least that’s the way Smallwood negotiated … I’m not sure where I would have been in 1949, I might have been leading the charge to go with the U.S. I think we made the right decision, I think we got a bad contract. Norman: But isn’t it sad our initial link to Canada was based on poverty? Riche: Look at what the UK was doing to us. Look at who sold us to the Canadian wolf. Cleary: Time to move on to the next category. Wells: Did we get anywhere on politics? Wells and Grimes are going to form a bloc? Grimes: There you go. Guy: We didn’t talk about the little squarehead fellow we’ve got now. Any consideration of where he’s going and what he thinks? Cleary: Who? Guy: I mean of course, Premier Williams. Lead us! Crosbie: He’s taking us to the fights. We’re the fighting Newfoundlanders and so to get their support, you fight with everybody that you can come across. Cleary: I don’t think that people have talked about changing the Terms of Union in terms of politics. I think the biggest thing I’ve heard today is the bloc, proportional representation, U.S.style … it’s about working within the system and making your seven members work for you. Guy: What would Canada be in 20 years? If we’re going to hook ourselves into Canada, what’s it going to be? The Dominion of Alberta? Wells: I hope it bes without Newfoundland. Guy: Aha! That it bes without we.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5

Canadian Senate, American style Labrador Senator says Senate reform possible without constitutional amendment

OUR TERMS By Ivan Morgan The Independent

abrador Senator Bill Rompkey says the Senate should be reformed to a more Americanstyle, Triple-E system in which there are an equal number of seats for each province, no matter the size. “It’s not only a benefit — I think it’s a sine qua non (a necessity),” Rompkey tells The Independent. “I don’t see how you could elect (senators), unless you do a comprehensive reform of the makeup of the Senate itself to give us power at the centre.”

Currently this province has five Senators (one seat is vacant) of 105 in the Senate. Quebec and Ontario each have 24, and the remainder belong to the other provinces and territories. Under the American system, each of the 50 states, regardless of size, is represented by two Senators. The Harper government has proposed Senate reforms, which do not require constitutional amendment. Bill S-4, introduced in May of this year, proposes a term limit for senators of eight years. A new bill in the fall will introduce a process for electing senators. Rompkey says he has no problem with the term limits, but wonders about Senate reform that preserves the status quo. “The point is, I think, that you can’t

really elect a Senate without making it equal and effective. If you do that you simply freeze inequality and inequality is wrong,” he says. The original Triple-E Senate proposal, put forth by Reform Party leader Preston Manning, called for a Senate that was effective, equal and elected. Manning argued that simply abolishing the Senate would guarantee rule by central Canada. He claimed his proposal would provide a more balanced representation for all the regions of Canada, with 10 elected senators from each province. Achieving this would require constitutional change, including a change to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Terms of Union. Few today think this is an option. “I think everybody agrees that you can’t open up the Constitution,” says

Newfoundland and Labrador: appetite for bloc party? OUR TERMS By Mandy Cook The Independent

ormer premier Roger Grimes has said the formation of a Newfoundland and Labrador “bloc”-style party — modeled after the Bloc Quebecois — is just “a matter of time.” Although the province has yet to see such a party, Grimes maintains there is momentum behind the idea and predicts a unified, federally-recognized Newfoundland and Labrador party whose representatives vote as one, will one day materialize. “It’s a seed that I think is still continuing to germinate,” he tells The Independent. “It’s a fair distance away from being a reality, but every time there’s a conflict I think it gains a little bit more momentum, at least I hope it’s gaining more momentum because I think the concept would be a healthy one for us.” Grimes says the province should be represented by seven federal MPs who vote together on issues pertaining to the well-being of Newfoundland and Labrador. Currently, the province’s Members of Parliament are divided along party lines, consisting of three Conservative and four Liberal representatives. “The seven seats are so small and

insignificant out of the 308 (total seats in the House of Commons),” says Grimes. “People say, ‘Why don’t we have seven votes up there who all run just as the Newfoundland and Labrador Party?’ Particularly in the minority government circumstance that’s been there twice in a row now and looks like it might continue for a time or two.” Stephen Harper’s current minority is vulnerable to strong opposition when attempting to pass legislation. At this point in Canada’s political history, Grimes says the legislature is ripe for a small, but potentially effective, bloc party to effect change in Ottawa. “If there’s a minority like we’ve seen, (a vote) will only pass through the House of Commons if some members of other parties also vote for it,” he says. “Then your seven votes become critically important.” James McGrath, former lieutenant

governor and federal minister of Fisheries, says a bloc-style party would be both good and bad, but is ultimately a futile gesture. “It’s a bad idea because it is still only going to give us 2 per cent of the vote,” he says. “And it’s a good idea because we’ll have someone speaking up for Newfoundland … in the final analysis, you’ve got to send up strong members of parliament.” McGrath also points out questions in Question Period are allocated on the basis of party. With so few MPs, Newfoundland and Labrador would only be able to raise issues a couple of times a month. “The cards are stacked against us,” he says. “We don’t have enough members to count … the Bloc Quebecois has 50 seats.” Grimes believes a bloc vote can work. He says if a bloc party were to form and successfully send its members to parliament, it might change how politics are run — even perhaps dropping the number of seats from 12 to seven in order to receive federal funding. Most of all, he says a bloc party would be a fundamental improvement in Newfoundland and Labrador’s place in the constitutional system of Canada. “It’s good for democracy because it gives a real say and a bigger say to the other voices that are there other than the ones who happen to be the government at the time.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

Lining up Liberals across the province declare support for federal leadership hopefuls By Ivan Morgan The Independent

iberal sources have provided The Independent a glimpse into which candidates prominent local Liberals are supporting in the upcoming federal leadership race. Sources say early indications show a large number of provincial delegates are supporting either Michael Ignatieff or Bob Rae, with some support for Stéphane Dion, Gerard Kennedy, Scott Brison, and Ken Dryden. The Ignatieff team (led by Paul Antle) and the Bob Rae team (led by Walter Noel) are working hard to elicit support for their candidates. With Ignatieff and Rae seeming to hold the lead — but with a sizeable number of delegates committed to less popular candidates — a lot of observers are interested in secondballot choices. Sources also offered a riding-byriding breakdown of delegate support. A Liberal party official says 386 delegates have registered from this

“I am looking at who I think would be the best leader, not just of the party, but of the country.” Siobhan Coady province — not including ex-officio delegates. In St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, the majority of delegates will be supporting Ignatieff, with a few for Dion and at least one for Bob Rae; St. John’s East will be a split between Ignatieff and Rae; former Avalon federal candidate Bob Murrow is rumoured to be supporting Ken Dryden, and sources say he can deliver most of his delegates to the Dryden team. Bonavista-Gander-Grand FallsWindsor MP Scott Simms, who

worked for Gerard Kennedy, is expected to bring most of his delegates to Kennedy’s team; Humber St. Barbe-Baie Verte MP Gerry Byrne is rumoured to have signed on with Ignatieff, as has Labrador’s Todd Russell. Random-Burin-St. George’s Bill Matthews appears to be undeclared. Siobhan Coady, businesswoman and former federal Liberal candidate, says she was a Carolyn Bennett supporter until Bennett dropped out of the race. Bennett declared her support for Bob Rae, but Coady hasn’t yet committed. “I am looking at who I think would be the best leader, not just of the party, but of the country,” she says. With so many people in the race, a lot of delegates will find themselves in Coady’s undecided shoes. Lobbying for delegates among the weaker candidates is heating up. The leadership convention is scheduled for Dec. 2 and 3 in Montreal at the Palais des Congrès. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

Rompkey. “Once you open up the tional change. The idea was raised by Constitution, you are getting into Meech former Senator Phillipe Gigantès. He Lake and Charlottetown, and nobody proposed senators could be elected by will go near it.” each provincial legislaRompkey says he ture. The prime minister “Once you open sees more problems would then simply the Constitution, with the Harper govappoint the person recyou are getting into ernment’s approach — ommended by the legisand says his observalature. Meech Lake and tions are academic, not “That way you truly Charlottetown, and partisan. legitimize the person,” “There are a whole says Rompkey. “You can nobody will go series of other quessay he is elected because near it.” tions as well,” he says. he is elected by the leg“What does ‘election’ islature. Bill Rompkey mean? Is it universal “It’s possible to find suffrage? Does everysomeone that everyone one get the vote?” in Newfoundland and Labrador would Rompkey says there’s a model for support. I can think of half a dozen.” electing senators that avoids constituivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

St. John’s Board of Trade

Public-Private Partnerships Conference 2006 Wednesday, September 27, 2006 Capital Hotel, Kenmount Road, St. John’s, NL The Board of Trade's first-ever conference on Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) will seek to raise greater awareness in the private and public sectors of the risks and benefits of P3s, and will help separate myth from reality when it comes to what P3s can (and cannot) accomplish and where they make sense in infrastructure and service projects. • Are there opportunities for P3s in Newfoundland & Labrador, and if so where may they lie? • What action needs to be taken by various levels of Government to optimize P3 opportunities? By the Private Sector? • What are the biggest risks in PPPs and in conventional procurement projects? • Why take the risks of P3s vs. conventional procurement? • What policies need to be implemented or changed to make it happen, and what conditions need to be in place?

For registration and a full conference agenda visit: www.bot.nf.ca/PPP.pdf or call 726-2961

6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

‘Delusions of grandeur’ E

very now and then I find myself longing for a good old-fashioned speech. Newfoundlanders are the best at them, or at least we were. There isn’t a politician today who could pack a Legion hall or school gym like they used to, although that’s not fair to say when so many people have gone and left us. It’s a job these days to fill a porch around the bay. The best part about a John Efford speech was the build up to it. The Shearstown Brass Band was a sight to see barreling through a crowd at the Bay Roberts Lions Club, huffing and puffing and blowing the house down. Constituents, even larger ones, practically dove, rollers and hairnets first, off the stage into the waving sea of people. The thought alone of John Efford appearing before them drove them into a frenzy … like ’e would. The event was always a well-oiled machine in terms of planning and execution. Upper Island Covers were getting Efford elected to office long before Craig Sharpe was but a gleam in the camera’s eye. That’s not the way it was with John Crosbie, the old curmudgeon himself. He showed up, usually late, and shuffled to the podium with all the gusto

RYAN CLEARY

Fighting Newfoundlander and elegance of a crooked sloth with its eyes glued shut. Crosbie came to life when he took the podium — no script, just a few points on a scrap of paper he jotted down on the way. He was funny when the occasion called for it, and cutting. From a reporter’s perspective, it’s hard to take notes when in the fits. Richard Cashin was another favourite of mine. He had a habit of getting worked up on stage and going off his head, arms flailing and spit flying. He was more than entertaining to watch … from a dozen or so feet away. Earle McCurdy, into whose hands the fishermen’s union torch was passed, doesn’t have the same stage presence. The Life of Earle just isn’t as captivating. Brian Tobin always had perfect hair in public, but that’s because he would sneak off the campaign bus and beeline it to the bathroom for a peek in the mirror before making his grand entrance. Tobin’s blow dryer more than

made up for the substance shortage. The greatest speeches in our history, as far as I can tell, were given in the late 1940s as a lead up to Confederation. The debate over Newfoundland’s future was intense — with Joey on one side and Peter Cashin (a relative of Richard’s) on the other. The bareknuckle debate was broadcast live to the masses on VOCM, ratings the Moon Man will never reach. A Joey quote from the Newfoundland National Convention, which helped decide our future post commission government: “Our danger, so it seems to me, is that of nursing delusions of grandeur. We remember the stories of small states that valiantly preserved their national independence and developed their own proud cultures, but we tend to overlook the fact that comparison of Newfoundland with them is ludicrous. We are not a nation. We are merely a medium size municipality, a mere miniature borough a large city.” Across the floor of the Colonial Building, Mr. Anti-confederate himself, Peter Cashin, had this to say: “No, it will not be for these things alone that our people will spurn this offer for them to sell out the land of

“We are not a nation. We are merely a medium size municipality, a mere miniature borough a large city.” Joey Smallwood their birth. I say our people will win through because of other, greater things. They will triumph, emerge from this ordeal, because there are still in this country such things as pride, courage and faith — pride in the great traditions which have come down to us through centuries of independent living; courage to face up to life and hew out our individual fortunes; and, finally, faith in our country and in the great destiny which I am convinced lies ahead of us.” You don’t hear speeches like that today. When politicians get up before the Board of Trade these days they’re usually reading from a prepared text, words that trained professionals put in their sock-puppet mouths. Gone is the

passion and spontaneity, the message from the heart. Today there’s more talk of a Bloc Newfoundland as a way to push Newfoundland and Labrador’s political agenda forward, but that will only work with the birth of a new party. Asking Conservatives, Liberals and NDPers to put Newfoundland first ahead of party politics is like asking a seal to kiss a cod — the temptation to rip out its guts and puree the liver before its eyes is much too great. The bloc is certainly working for the Quebecois. We may only have seven seats (there’s an argument, under the Terms, for as many as nine), but they could work for us in the case of another federal minority government, which it will likely be. Control of the fishery and offshore oil and gas would be a great target to start with. If we are going to work within Confederation, which, grudgingly, may deserve another shot, we might as well try and make the system work for us. As always, our success in Ottawa will ultimately depend on strong leadership, and a talent for rallying the troops. Speak now, or forever hold our peace … ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca

YOUR VOICE ‘Malicious intent’ Dear editor, I’d like to voice my agreement with the sentiments expressed by Myles Higgins in his Sept. 15 letter to the editor (Newfoundlanders: cheap labour and cannon fodder). The following two sentences struck me for their precision in summing up the root of the problems facing Newfoundland and Labrador since Confederation: “For decades the people have looked to Ottawa, yet Canada’s leadership is so far removed, both physically and culturally, that the solutions thrust upon us are rarely those we need or want. Due to Ottawa’s meddling, our economy has been stunted and corroded from day one.” His comments are particularly well timed as The Independent embarks on a review of the Terms of Union with Canada, that have defined so much of the Newfoundland and Labrador experience over the past 57 years. Our once most valuable resource, the fishery of the Grand Banks, has been destroyed and yet the federal government has not taken any steps to end the most destructive practices — particularly foreign overfishing and the use of

trawl nets, which disrupt and destroy the ecosystem that all fish species are dependent on. In fact, indifference is not the issue here; the issue is outright hostility to conservation measures. For those who think there’s no malicious intent towards this province on the part of the current federal government there is no need to look further than Stephen Harper’s refusal to consider aiding the provincial government in creating fallow-field legislation (which would force the oil companies to negotiate fairly). Resources that we surrendered to the federal government under the current Terms of Union are now being denied us through mismanagement and destruction but also through leaving us with our hands tied in negotiations. Without question the Terms of Union need to be renegotiated in order for Newfoundland and Labrador to solve its own problems. We cannot do so when two of our most important industries are under direct control and supervision of a foreign political power thousands of kilometres away. Stephen Penney, Montreal, Que.

‘There is a greater story here’ Dear editor, I read with some interest Ivan Morgan’s recent story on defaulted Canada student loans (Millions in default, Sept. 15 edition). My son went to two private schools. What education he received from either of these institutes was precious little. They are good at taking advantage of some of societies’ lost and almost lost, giving them unmarketable training and at the same time charging them for tuition and fees far in excess of comparable training at any of the province’s trade schools. Private schools exist because the trade schools can only accept a limited number of students. My son did not graduate high school and didn’t qualify to enter the College of the North Atlantic, but the private schools accepted him on the basis of an aptitude test they designed, administered and scored, saying he showed above-average intelligence in mathematics. He flunked high school because of the math. He had ADHD and flunked three times between elementary and high school. He only entered the College of the North Atlantic after he went through a sponsored program

aimed specifically at children with learning disabilities. He now has a high-school diploma and has finished the classroom portion of the first-year mechanic program. He is employed in the field. Meantime, he has a $10,000 student debt, has been harassed to death by Rocky’s Broken Kneecap Collection Agency (the provincial crowd tasked with collecting these defaulted loans), and his grandparents have been harassed. My son is not trying to avoid repaying, but the school he paid all this money to gave him precious few skills to earn sufficient income to repay it. It will be years before he can, but he swears he will. And my son is only one of thousands in the same boat and you would be frightened if you knew how many of them, like my son, were high school dropouts for various reasons who were shown a chimera at the end of the tunnel, accepted into post-secondary training without a secondary education. There is a greater story here. One of disadvantage kids being taken advantage of for the sake of corporate profit. Derek Hayter, St. John’s

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 Independent News Ltd. in St. John’s. It is an independent newspaper covering the news, issues and current affairs that affect the people of Newfoundland & Labrador.

PUBLISHER Brian Dobbin EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Cleary MANAGING EDITOR Stephanie Porter PICTURE EDITOR Paul Daly PRODUCTION MANAGER John Andrews

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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

The view from upalong

o Ryan Cleary believes in war. Attempting to understand the Sept. 10 column, A war that’s just, penned by The Independent’s editor-in-chief, one is left with a sense that such views could easily absorb a dose of historical fact combined with a dash of mind-broadening. Comparing overfishing in Newfoundland to the war on worldwide terrorism reminds me of a bizarre Calgary Herald columnist that once compared the Holocaust to the Newfoundland seal hunt. It defies logic. First, if the editor opposes Canada’s presence in Afghanistan, he should do so by presenting facts, especially since he claims to believe in war. Canada’s appeal around the world stems from our reputation as liberators, freeing and helping oppressed people in both world wars and cold-war conflicts. Our “peacekeeping” roles are very recent and pale in comparison to our past military achievements and history. Canada is not a neutral country. We are willing to fight and die for our way of life and our values. Newfoundlanders know this as much as any Canadian. Tommy Ricketts might take exception to the claim that Afghanistan is not our war. Ricketts, along with many other Newfoundlanders who we call heroes, gave their lives thousands of miles away fighting to protect our way of life. Ryan Clearly can write his views in this paper because these people succeeded in preserving our freedom. But make no mistake, our freedom is once again threatened, not because of your editor’s claim that our “Maple Leaf has been mulched with the Stars and Stripes,” but because we are a free, democratic and rich nation and therefore targeted by extremists who oppose our way of life. We are lumped in with the likes of England, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, etc. … and yes even the United States. Not bad company. This war is very real and we are in it whether Mr. Cleary likes it or not.

FRANK HALL Guest Column

“Canada is not a neutral country. We are willing to fight and die for our way of life and our values. Newfoundlanders know this as much as any Canadian.” Second, on the fishery, war is about strategy. If you decide to fight you should do so with a goal of actually winning. The difference between Iceland and Newfoundland was not war — it was messaging. Iceland sent the message that they meant business. They were committed. They would not back down. Indiscriminate captains from nations that disregard quotas and the environment will sail to waters where they will encounter the least resistance. Hence Iceland won. Brian Tobin turbot tussle was a TV commercial that may have launched the Tobinator but it sent a disturbing message to the world: Our laws have no teeth. Laws with no teeth are called guidelines and guidelines will not stop overfishing. Which brings us to Ottawa: A favourite pastime for many Newfoundlanders, politicians and particularly for this paper, Ottawa bashing is always a convenient and popular way to justify our situation. I challenge the editor-in-chief to look beyond the blaming game that only maintains the status quo. While accepting the fact Newfoundland has been hard done by in the past, he can play a role to set new courses for the future. Example, regardless of Cleary’s feelings for the Harper gov-

ernment, a competent and fair examination of the new prime minister might reveal facts that could work in Newfoundland’s favour. A founder and policy architect for the Reform Party, Harper is a western Conservative and therefore different from most prime ministers before him. He is not fond of programs that hand out tax dollars in business subsidies as previous governments have done for decades. He is also not fond of central control of regional resources and other wealth generating tools that provinces depend on for their existence. Harper is a provincial rights person. In other words, let provinces have the tools to generate their own wealth and then leave them alone (i.e., Alberta or say Newfoundland?). Oil and gas is a good place to start. Alberta owns and controls its oil and gas as does Saskatchewan and Manitoba. As John Crosbie pointed out in a 2005 Ottawa Sun article, the subsoil rights to oil and gas and other minerals were granted to these provinces by the Government of Canada in 1930. Without running the risk of claiming to know the thoughts of the federal government, clear political philosophy of the current prime minister that supports provincial rights combined with a clear legislative precedent that has handed resource rights to provinces could build a strong case for Newfoundland taking sole control of its oil and gas industry. Promoted properly, such proposals could receive a sympathetic ear in federal circles. Of course controlling your destiny has down sides. It makes bitching and complaining about big brother a little more difficult. However, fulfilling the dream of finally controlling our resources would be worth the sacrifice and without going to war. Perhaps even the editor-in-chief would agree. Frank Hall is a Newfoundlander living In Chelsea, Que. He is president of Holinshed Research Group, a research and software applications firm in Ottawa.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7

The flaw in our collective psyche A

nation defines itself — at least in part — through its collective history. The Japanese, for example, don’t teach their children much about the more unpleasant aspects of Japanese actions in the Second World War. Nations such as Germany wrestle with how to account for the Holocaust. In Spain, a new generation of young people are trying to learn the truth about the Spanish Civil War. Seventy years later, young Spaniards are facing conflict with the oldest of Spain’s citizens, who have lived for decades with unspoken truths of neighbours killing neighbours. In Rwanda, the memories of atrocities are still fresh — one wonders how Rwandans will ever be able to face each other. Luckily in our little neck of the woods we don’t have such great scars in our history. The treatment Beothuks received at the hands of the earliest settlers is not our proudest moment, but we know of it, we teach it to our young people, and it is discussed and debated. Yet many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have a collective trait that I have always thought odd. I refer to the

IVAN MORGAN

Rant & Reason

retro self-loathing so many of our fellow citizens indulge in. What is it about our collective psyche that so many of us feel the need to blame ourselves for our troubles? I went to school in Ontario for five years, where I studied Ontario history. While boring, it was presented in history books as a logical progression of hardworking, thrifty and sensible people, deserving in their rise to great prosperity. They love themselves and it showed. People from Ontario I knew spoke of their politics and history with pride and, when they talked to me, with a certain condescension. We were taught Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were “brought into” Confederation “for their own good.” I can still recall not just the words, but the tone, of my Grade 10 geography teacher, who was

YOUR VOICE Two Canadian cents worth Dear editor, You posed a question, basically asking if joining Canada was the right move. The short and simple answer is yes. Various other questions arise, to which I think the answer would be no. Would the country of Newfoundland and Labrador have the social and economic infrastructure it has now, or even at all? Would the country of Newfoundland and Labrador have the 320-kilometre limit, thus the offshore oil, without the resources of Canada? Would the inshore fishery still exist? (Be it environmental, or economical, we would have proceeded on the same path of trading away fishing rights — especially to a more powerful France vs. Newfoundland and Labrador, compared to an almost par France vs. Canada.) Would the Churchill Falls power plant exist? (Even if the power plant did proceed under the country of Newfoundland and Labrador, what makes people think we would have a better deal?) The one thing that leads me to believe that Newfoundland and Labrador would not survive as a country today is its lack of business spirit. In fact, your paper is a prime example. This paper had to go broke

before people woke up to it. (You have but one real competitor for the area, which contains about 40 per cent of the province’s population, but most businesses do not want to sponsor or advertise.) How many people/businesses who are more qualified for a job/tender have lost it to a person because of nepotism and cronyism, and the person/business is barely qualified to do the job? (The level in this province is unbelievable.) I have lived in three provinces, and two states of the U.S., and in all those other places, and in cites/towns half the size of St. John’s (just the city, not the area) have two to three times more small businesses. (Do not argue the cost of transportation when we have let the railroad collapse, and support seasonal transportation to Argentia.) Let me pose this question: how many people have gone car shopping/browsing on Sunday? I’ve seen plenty, and been one of those browsing on Sunday, but not one lot is open — and those whom I have talked to on the lots ask the same thing … “Why are they not open today?” Just my two Canadian cents, Sean Kean, St. John’s

Open-line shows should tackle ‘real issues’ Dear editor, I usually listen to open-line shows, read newspapers and political blogs, chat in coffee shops, chat with my political friends inside and outside elected status, and any other venues of daily news, trying to stay abreast with all that’s happening in our province. Lately, in particular, I’m tuning out the radio talk shows. Every time I tune in as of late it’s the same old same old … complaints about us (Newfoundlanders) being called “newfies,” or Canadian Idol, or dog attacks, or — here we go again — the Portnoys. Now these issues are worthy to talk

about as a “side dish,” but to hang on like a bad rash is a different story. All those people calling into the open-line shows should direct their energy at the dire issues such as this present government (I mean Danny, the one-man show) and his total neglect regarding out-migration, fishery closures, roads in a shameful state, health care, education, and on and on. Yes, if the call-in complainers harnessed even a fraction of their concerns to the real issues we would truly be a force to be recognized. Roger Linehan, St. John’s

An act to improve aid Dear editor, I would like to draw attention to bill C-293, a.k.a. the Development Assistance Accountability Act, soon to be voted on in the House of Commons. This bill needs to be passed in order to improve our delivery of aid to developing countries. It does not actually ask for more aid, but rather guarantees any foreign aid we are giving is being given with the needs of the poor in mind, and not with an ulterior political motive. The bill would require that all foreign aid contribute to poverty reduc-

tion, take into account the perspectives of the poor, and be consistent with Canada’s international human rights obligations. Currently, for example, a school could be built in a developing village with the provision that the school must buy all its supplies from Canada, rather than buying them locally. Bill C-293 will be voted on this September and it is imperative that it be passed to finally provide much-needed accountability and transparency for Canada’s foreign aid. Simon Silk, St. John’s

not very good at, or interested in, geography. I remember sitting in class simmering with resentment as he made the other students snicker at the pathetic shape Newfoundland was in when we (meaning they) “let us” join. I didn’t speak up because I knew he was right. That was how I thought. That weird collective self-loathing — which I have long since cured myself of — still rears its head in Newfoundland politics. You don’t have to go too far when talking about Newfoundland’s past, as we have been doing lately about the Terms of Union, before you get a lecture on how pathetic, desperate and miserable we were, and how lucky we were to join Confederation. It’s like a real life version of Monty Python’s Four Yorkshiremen sketch, where four cigar smoking men sit around in tuxedos sipping brandy and trying to out-do each other’s tales of hardship growing up. How bad was it? The Great Depression was bad for almost everyone — there was global

misery and suffering. It left a scar on the conscience of many cultures, but — and this is only my impression — Newfoundlanders seem more inclined to tie all the woes of the province to that collective memory. We joined Canada because … Yes, we sold out to Confederation, but we had to because … Sure Joey was a crook, but he brought us … We have all heard excuses for our province’s condition that start like this. In the face of Japan’s calculated historical denial, Spanish generational confrontation or the self-satisfied recount of victories that was the history of Britain and Canada that I was raised on, the Newfoundlander’s penchant for wallowing in self-loathing has always been odd to me. I have heard prominent Newfoundlanders say the most outrageously negative things about their home and fellow citizens. Paradoxically, all of them claim to be passionate Newfoundlanders. Many would have you believe that it is their passion for this place that breeds their poor opinion of their collective history. Go figure.

The lessons of history are what we infer from what we know. There are no immutable moral lessons in history, history just is. To quote Homer Simpson: “It’s just a bunch of stuff that happened.” How people view their past colours how they view their future. Not that I want to pick on any group, but the Newfoundland New Democrats constantly applaud and honour their predecessors. One could look at their political history and see decade after decade of humiliating loss and stagnation at the bottom of the political barrel. That’s not how they see it. Was life hard in Newfoundland in 1949? You bet. It was tough in northern Ontario too. Four years after the war, life was no party in most of Europe either. Is it me, or do Newfoundlanders seem to think themselves, because of their imagined humble beginnings, somehow beholden to Canada for the prosperity the rest of the world also enjoyed in the latter part of the 20th century? Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

FAN CLUB

It was a hero’s welcome for Craig Sharpe at the St. John's International Airport as fans young and old cheered the young man from Upper Island Cove. Sharpe took second place in this year’s Canadian Idol contest. Paul Daly/The Independent

Winners all Sharp as a tack is Craig, in song, he can really do no wrong. Our Idol did us very proud, He will stand out in any crowd!

Second-best or runner-up, in our eyes, he has won the cup! Just as Rex did so last year, it wouldn’t hurt his star career.

A voice most angels would dear to own, has wooed the judges and is now well known. His future is secure for sure, our boy will shine beyond our shore.

Kudos for a job well done, that’s well-beyond his years to run. There is no shame in losing out, When all are winners in this bout. — Bob LeMessurier, Goulds

Separation point Dear editor, Everything I have come to understand about abusive spousal relationships indicates that the reason the spouse stays in the relationship is because she is frightened of the financial consequences of leaving. He has made her feel inadequate and has conned her into believing she can not survive on her own ... so she stays and puts up with the abuse and hopes and prays he will change his ways. Of course, he never does, and he never will give up the control he has over her. Life becomes living hell for her and their children, but she stays. She puts up with the abuse, living in a state of denial as to what is really happening to her and her family. Her children leave, as soon as they are old enough to get away from this damaging environment. She finds herself helpless and alone once more, with the abuser. Then one day, something comes over her and for whatever reason, she

gets the courage to leave. She leaves the spacious house and financial security for a basement apartment and a sales clerk’s job in a box store. Soon she feels alive again. She slowly gets her confidence back and starts over and becomes once again a very peaceful, joyous, financially independent and contented person with strong ties to her family and friends. On her way back to becoming that strong, proud independent woman. Is our relationship with Canada any different? Was our marriage not arranged by London and Ottawa in 1948? Were we not promised a better material life with baby bonuses, oldage pensions, etc. Soon after the marriage, the relationship changed ... it became outright abusive and offensive — from refusing to intervene in the Quebec/Churchill Falls rape, to the absolute destruction of fish stocks on the Grand Banks, to national Canadian newspapers referring to us as “the newfie joke,” and threats from the

PMO (remember Scott Reid). Oh yes, the latest is that he took her car (Air Canada) away from her to restrict her movements. So who is the abuser and who is the abused? Who is the villain and who is the victim? It seems that the Margaret Wentes of this world cannot see the cuts, bruises and scars on her face and the real psychological damage done to the victim by years of such ill treatment. While I acknowledge there is some truth mixed amongst the things that Margaret Wente said in an article in The Globe and Mail about a year ago, she completely failed to identify the villain who has turned this once strong confident and independent woman into the ailing, dependent, fragile woman that Wente sees today. Life as a divorcee can be quite enjoyable and rewarding ... ask the next Icelander you meet. John Andrews, St. John’s

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9

IN CAMERA

Over the next several weeks, some of Newfoundland and Labrador’s bestknown photographers will contribute a selection of their work for publication in The Independent. For our second guest photo essay, St. John’s-based photographer Justin Hall submitted a series of photographs he took as the Peacekeepers’ Memorial Statue was installed on Queen’s Road in St. John’s. The statue of a life-sized blue beret created by artist Gerry Squires was unveiled earlier this summer.

‘Always been fanatical’ By Stephanie Porter The Independent

ustin Hall took his first darkroom course at age 10 at the YMCA in Hong Kong, and “that was it.” Born in England, Hall moved around quite a bit during his childhood. He says he started taking pictures — and getting them developed — at age seven or eight. After being introduced to the wonders of the darkroom as a pre-teen, his career path was pret-

ty much set. “I take pictures because I have to,” Hall tells The Independent. “It’s a need, an urge that’s always been there.” But it wasn’t always so easy to convince his parents of his vision. After that first course at the Y, Hall immediately “wanted an enlarger and a darkroom. But my parents wouldn’t get them for me … so I built myself an enlarger.” He used a pine box, a light bulb, a paper towel tube and an old camera for a lens. If he put a nega-

tive in place and moved the whole thing around just so, the image would eventually come into focus. “It was very rudimentary and it would burn if I left it on too long … you had to be quick because there was no ventilation in the box. But it worked.” Hall’s parents soon accepted their son was serious about his hobby — that, or they were concerned about their home burning down — and for his next birthday he was given a proper enlarger. “So that’s what I’ve always been kind of fanatical about,” he says, with a shrug.

At 11, Hall and his family moved from Asia — then the centre of cheap, cutting-edge camera technology — to Carbonear (“I was young and adaptable”). Even as equipment evolved and photography became more automated, Hall preferred to stick with his trusted, manual-focus cameras. He went to school at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, but says “it was kind of useless … there were good people around and good advice. But I didn’t learn anything technical; I’ve always used

fairly cheap, basic cameras.” That is, until digital technology became accessible. Hall was one of the first professional photographers in St. John’s to fully embrace the new way of working. He’s since developed a great eye for colour, detail, and the possibilities offered by careful computer manipulation — he can layer or combine images he never could in the darkroom, with delightful results. Some of the results are hanging in his house — St. John’s harbour filled with four identical cruise ships; three images of his son, sitting in a row on a sidewalk; a 180-degree view of Bannerman Park. “I liked the darkroom when I was a kid, when I was doing stuff for myself,” he says. “But for professional and commercial work, I didn’t like it, it was always a big mess. “I took a lot of criticism for that (going digital) —

betraying the craft. Even using colour, because when I went digital, I went colour. That’s not because of the artistic nature of black-and-white photography, but colour processing was difficult and the technology wasn’t very good until the late’80s. You couldn’t work with it like you can with black and white … it was too restrictive and tedious. “But with digital, the colour is there — so go for it.” There was another bonus to the new way of working: instead of spending his time segregated and surrounded by chemicals in the darkroom, Hall could stay in the light of day. “My youngest kid (now age 7) has cerebral palsy,” he says. “And it’s a great boon for me to be able to sit on the computer in the same room as him and work on pictures as well. That’s kind of secondary, but thinking back on the advantages, that’s

there.” Hall has two other sons, aged 18 and 21. The 21year-old seems to be following in his father’s footsteps — sort of. While Hall has dabbled in film work for years — learning all he knows through the Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Cooperative (NIFCO) — his eldest is attending film school in Paris. Hall has made “a couple of videos, short little experimental films,” and he’s done shooting as part of larger, documentary projects. Most recently, he worked with Anne Troake to capture a dance project on a beach near Rocky Harbour. “I shoot parts of films, the weird little parts,” he says, laughing. Hall is also a drummer, but isn’t playing much these days — “it’s a hard life, late nights, loud music. The next day is hard too …” His photography work is generally focused in the arts: he works with theatre, film, TV and musicians.

“That’s just closer to the kind of work I do naturally,” he says. “And I do a lot of dance stuff. I like to shoot rehearsals — they’re more interesting. Not that the performances aren’t interesting, but it’s all planned out. In rehearsal, people are doing things no one has planned. It’s a series of accidents.” But when he gets down to it, Hall says he’ll “just take pictures of anything.” Last year, he and his mother put on a bright and sumptuous two-person exhibition of floral and botanical work, which was new territory for him. The photos on these pages were captured “almost by fluke,” as Hall happened on the Peacekeepers Memorial Statue being set in place on Queen’s Road, downtown St. John’s. “I like the historical aspect of photography, that you’ve captured something in time that won’t happen again,” he says. “But I don’t have any boundaries.”

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

PAPER TRAIL

LIFE STORY

AROUND THE BAY Several complaints have recently been received that youngsters are raiding apple trees. The young people responsible for these doings are liable to a charge of theft. Parents should advise their children regarding this type of thing and advise them to KEEP OFF property belonging to other people. — Springdale News, Sept. 15, 1965 YEARS PAST Extract from private letter received from Harbour Grace, dated Sept. 5, 1851 “There is good prospect for tradesmen here this season, especially carpenters and masons, a great number of buildings being in progress of erection. The Sons of Temperance are going ahead here like a house on fire … The Order is doing a great deal of good here, for it has already been the means of reforming numbers who were fast passing to destruction … Temperance is a great thing for Newfoundland, and is much wanting among the fishing population.” — Banner of Temperance, Sept. 13, 1851 AROUND THE WORLD The US wins on 5 points out of the 7 points submitted to the International Court of Arbitration in the Newfoundland fisheries dispute with Great Britain. Great Britain wins points one and five. The decision was handed down today. — The Evening Herald, Sept. 7, 1910 EDITORIAL STAND Thomson Newspapers Ltd.’s performance in its dispute with the 35 printers and editorial workers at the The Evening Telegram is all too typical of outsiders’ contempt for Newfoundlanders. To get the paper out the company flies in 6 to 10 mainland workers — paying for their airfares, meals, hotel bills and rented cars — and replaces them with other mainlanders every two weeks. In its North American operation alone, the company made $56.5 million in profit last year, up $9 million from 1977, but it refused to pay The Telegram printers the same wage earned at Dicks and Company or Robinson-Blackmore — two much smaller companies. The company’s power is vast and its interests reach around the globe, but we can still show them who’s boss. By canceling his or her own subscription each Newfoundlander can force the company to respect us or face the possibility of another newspaper taking over the evening market. Alone

Bell Island Examiner Sept. 14, 1956

against The Telegram we’re powerless. With your help we can shut it down. — Signal, Sept. 21, 1979 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Sir – Being a young man working in St. John’s, I have noticed the ugliness of many women in town. These women need an expert “Western Bay Beauty Treatment” which is sure to do something to unclog those dusty pores, brighten up scraggley hair and improve townie faces. First you need the hair washed and adorned with a perfumed concoction made from codfish and halibut oil. Second you need a facial bath in salt water taken from Doctor’s Cove in Western Bay. Third, to unclog your pores you need a bath in perfumed urine from young cows. Fourth, to curl the hair, you need bones from the legs of young billy goats. This beauty treatment was passed down to me by my great grandmother and I am sure that all young ladies in St. John’s will be pleased now that I pass it on to them. Charles Edwin Slade, Western Bay, C.B., Nfld — Town Crier, September, 1973 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Our special correspondent from Burgeo, who is on staff of the News, estimated Mr. Mott’s majority at 100. He proved himself a very capable and correct observer. For a man to strike the majority so closely is very unusual. Throughout the campaign the News has been very careful to give reliable information, and it has proved correct. Blind guessing and shrieks of fabulous majorities are mere folly.” — Weekly News, Sept. 20, 1894 mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

‘The baggage of character’ Businessman, politician and poet Hughie Shea By Ivan Morgan The Independent

ne of the glories of Newfoundland politics — and there are many — is the humanity, passion and breadth of the personalities that constitute its rich fabric. It is diminishing to refer to someone like the late Hughie Shea as merely “colourful.” Poet, writer, philosopher, politician, entrepreneur and passionate Newfoundlander come closer to describing the man. Hughie Shea may only be a footnote in the history of Newfoundland politics, but like so many “footnotes” before and since, he was a remarkable person, prodigious in energy and passion. Shea was born and raised in St. John’s in the 1930s and 40s, part of a large family. He was educated at St. Patrick’s Hall and the University of Indiana, and his career included military service, with time served in Egypt with the federal government’s department of External Affairs, as well as in Newfoundland with the department of Forestry and Fisheries. He also ran a successful grocery for years in Kilbride.

Sinfonia Number One Peter Gardner conductor

An NSO Mystery—

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the Great Mozart Hunt! George Zukerman bassoon Ron Halder actor

Sat. Sept. 23, 2006 Cook Recital Hall, St. John’s—8pm Performances for schools in the Arts & Culture Centres: Sept. 19, Grand Falls-Windsor; Sept. 20, Corner Brook; Sept. 21, Stephenville; Sept. 22, Gander. These hour long shows will be during school hours, however members of the public may be admitted depending on availability. Contact your local Arts & Culture Centre for details. Are there works of Mozart yet to be discovered? Is there a score of a missing concerto lying somewhere in a Salzburg attic? The Great Mozart Hunt is on! This fascinating evening features the legendary Canadian bassoonist George Zukerman tracing the disputed origins of a mysterious bassoon concerto that the master may have penned. Single Tickets: $25/$21 St. John’s only

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Shea first came to public attention as a candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party in May 1970. An article from a May 1970 edition of The Evening Telegram quotes Shea: “In the past 10 years Newfoundland has descended into a political, social and economic quagmire under the tremendous weight of a topheavy Liberal government.” While Shea didn’t win, he established himself as a political presence. It was time for a change, and he wanted to be part of it. The preface to a book of Shea’s poetry, published shortly after his death in 1994, says, “A relative newcomer, he quickly became known as a powerful speaker who was equally adept at getting his message across in the convention hall or on the roof of his car.” He did win the Progressive Conservative nomination in St. John’s South over the incumbent MHA, Rex Renouf. The “Kilbride Curio” went on to win the next election as the PC member for St. John’s South. It was to be a stressful time for Shea. He quickly became disillusioned with Frank Moores’ Tories. Friend Ken Mercer says Shea was disappointed that Moores “didn’t give him any time and was dismissive of him.” Power hung in the balance, with 21 seats for the Tories, 20 for the Liberals, and 1 for a member of the New Labrador Party, Tom Burgess. Long time premier Joey Smallwood refused to resign power, claiming there was no clear winner. While both parties courted Burgess, Shea “spent more than one night walking the floor of the living room in Kilbride,” pondering his future. After much agonizing, he crossed the floor to sit with Smallwood’s Liberals. This would have been disastrous for the Tories were it not for the resignation of another Liberal MHA. The next year the province was plunged into another election. Shea was dogged by rumours he had been “bought” to cross the floor. When asked about Shea, Premier Frank Moores, campaigning in Bonavista, said, “You have to admire a man who wins a seat, crosses the floor, gets a new car and a new house all in the same year.” Outraged, Shea’s supporters demanded he sue. He refused. The political damage, and the surge of antiLiberal sentiment, crushed all hopes of Shea’s re-election. In 1976 he wrote a book called Shea’s Newfoundland Seduced, outlining his version of events, and denying ever taking a cent. The book is equal measure passion, poetry and rage at the political culture in Newfoundland. Ken Mercer and Bob Rumsey, another long-time friend, say there is “no way” Shea took money for crossing. Politically wise or not, they say, it was conviction that motivated him. No formal charges were ever laid. Shea ran again, as a Liberal, and lost. He tried his hand several more times at politics, but was unsuccessful. He returned to business, opening a store on Field Street in St. John’s called “Shea’s Ripoff.” Comedian Rick Mercer (son of Ken) wrote about working for his godfather Shea in the July 2001 edition of Readers Digest in an article called My First Job: “When asked about the name he confessed, ‘All corner stores rip you off. Might as well be honest about it.’” Long-time residents of Field Street remember Shea’s “Field Street Days” when the street would be cordoned off and there were games and food provided. Ken Mercer says the Ripoff “didn’t work out financially” and for a while Shea sought employment on the mainland. He was the proprietor of a popular restaurant on Quidi Vidi Road called, in typical Shea style, Hamburger Hell. Wherever he set up shop, one thing was certain — his personality was a draw. Garrulous and with a deep passion for people, “customers were never more than a temporary distraction” for Shea, according to friend Bob Rumsey. Mercer says Shea “was an unlikely politician. He came to politics with the baggage of character.” Mercer says in a way his friend was like Joey Smallwood. “He didn’t care about the money — politics and a love of Newfoundland was in his bones.” Mercer and Bob and Gerard Rumsey compiled and edited a book of Shea’s poetry. In it are reflections on politics, life and death. Poems range from the humourous outrage in On Receiving a Hot Water Bottle For Christmas to The Fox, The Gull and Me, an ode to Terry Fox’s courage, based perhaps in part on the loss of his own son, Cleary, to cancer in 1983. Hugh Shea died in 1993. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTNEWS • 11

VOICE FROM AWAY

‘Alligators shouldn’t trouble you either …’ Newfoundland-born Greg Whelan, now living in Brazil, explored the many sides of piranha during recent ‘winter’ holidays

By Greg Whelan For The Independent

uiabá, “gateway to the Pantanal,” as the city is labelled for the tourism trade. Here I am again in the airport, unfortunately leaving the gateway this time. The city is also called the “heart of Brazil” because of its midwest interior location — not exactly in the Amazon rainforest, but not that far from it either. It’s also only an hour’s drive away from a fantastic, incredibly beautiful natural area called the Pantanal. It seems to be relatively unknown in Canada. Before I came to Brazil I’d never even heard of it, not even in my days at the MUN geography department. The Pantanal is hailed as “the largest remaining wetland on Earth,” home to alligators, piranhas, jaguars and hundreds of other things that creep, crawl or fly. It’s especially known for its bird wildlife, including Tuiuiu (pronounced two you you), egrets and almost extinct beauties like the stunning blue hyacinth macaw. The Pantanal region stretches across two Brazilian states and part of Bolivia, and is about the size of France. I say it’s unfortunate to be leaving through the gateway because there are two citizens, of Cuiaba’s nearly one million, that are very dear to my heart. My kids, ages 7 and 5, little “Branadians” (their mother is Brazilian). I wish I could be here with them more often, but divorce and distance have determined otherwise. Since I now live in the state of Sao Paulo, these (almost) monthly long-weekend trips have to suffice for now. And holidays, of course. On the topic of holidays, Brazilians know how to do them the right way. Labour legislation states that every worker is entitled to one month of holidays per year. In July of this year, I took the Branadians out to the Pantanal for a few days on my “winter” leave. (Even after 10 years in the southern hemisphere, it still just doesn’t seem right to say the words “winter” and “July” in the same sentence.) To be truthful, Cuiabá is a bit of an anomaly. Brazil is a tropical country, thus nice and sunny all year, but even other Brazilians say, “Man, that place is hot!” when referring to this city. In fact, they say you can tell the Cuiabanos in hell — they’re the ones complaining of the cold. The Pantanal is a little better but not much cooler than Cuiaba. But I digress. The Pantanal wetlands are not your everyday tropical rattling bog. Quite an enchanting place. Where else can you go fishing for piranha, see alligators lazing around on the side of the road, do a night safari by car, horse

ride through the savannah brush, and then go back to an air-conditioned hotel ranch house and drink piranha soup? On this last trip, the ranch owner took us all out in his little boat, decked out with bamboo fishing poles, refreshing drinks in the cooler and even little cutup pieces of steak bait for the savage little meat-eaters (not the kids, the piranha). “You can put your hands in the water while the boat’s moving but not a good idea to do it when we’re stopped,” the ranch owner told us. The only thing we dared put in the water after that were the meat chunks, on hooks, and they worked fine. My son got a great kick out of plucking a half-dozen or so slippery little carnivores out of the water, and even I managed to land a few. A few years ago, however, on a trip to a different Pantanal lodge, myself and my babies were having a dip in the little river nearby, and one of the workers was standing in the water beside us, hauling out fish after fish with his bamboo rod. I asked him what he was catching. “Oh, just piranha,” he replied matter-of-factly. My protective fatherly instinct immediately kicked in and I asked if we should be swimming there. “Naw, they don’t usually bother people,” he said. “Same with the alligators you see downstream a bit. They shouldn’t trouble you either … probably not good if you have an open cut, though.” They don’t usually and they shouldn’t left a lot of room for doubt in my mind, but … So there I was, candidate for negligent father of the year award, plunging my kids into piranha and alligator infested waters, like a bad Discovery channel stunt. But, much to my huge relief and surprise, the guy was right. Nothing happened. My boy was actually throwing mudballs at the alligators to try to get a reaction out of them. So I still don’t know why then, this time, the other guy said to not even put our hands in the water. I think they use the “piranha legend” to charm the tourists sometimes. Especially the red, gringo ones like me. Wonder what trouble we can get into next “winter” holidays? The plan is to take the kids to Newfoundland when the caplin are running. That should be a laugh. Or will that be too lame for them? I mean, how scary can a caplin be? Greg Whelan is a Newfoundlander living in Brazil, working for a multinational company in the area of environment, health & safety. Do you know a Newfoundlander or Labradorian living away? Please e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca

Pedestrians stop by to use public phones in the town of Caceres, near the capital city of Cuiaba in Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The booths are shaped like an Ibis (L), a wading bird of the heron family, and a Blue Macaw, one of the wetland region's most endangered species. Authorities designed the unique phone booths to reflect the heritage ot the Pantanal, the world's largest undisturbed wetlands in the world; and to promote tourism.

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SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS

Lord’s demise bad news for Harper By Chantal Hébert Torstar wire service

Prime Minister as he strives to convert his minority government into a majority and a potential problem for his week’s New Brunswick his leadership if he fails. election ended in the demise As Prime Minister, Harper will of one of Prime Minister most notice the absence of Lord’s Stephen Harper’s closest allies. The voice in the ongoing debate on rebalnext provincial vote could change the ancing the federation. Even before very nature of his first term in office. Monday’s New Brunswick election, Unless he takes his government Harper could barely count his provininto a fifth year, Quebec’s Jean cial allies on the fingers of one hand. Charest will be the next premier to go From the Prime Minister’s perspecto the polls. From all indications, that tive, taking Lord out of the mix can election will be as fiercely fought, only make a difficult provincial table and its outcome as tough to call, as even more adversarial at a time when the New Brunswick vote that termi- he is about to be called upon to find nated the Conservative reign of pre- an elusive middle ground between the mier Bernard Lord on Monday. conflicting interests of Ontario and A return to power of the Parti Quebec, and between those of the Québécois would wreak havoc on have and have-not provinces. Harper’s federal-provincial agenda. It In this matter, Manitoba’s Gary could also make the issue of who Doer and Quebec’s Charest very would best stand for Canada in anoth- much formed a triumvirate with Lord. er Quebec referendum one of the top His defeat is also their loss. ballot questions in the next federal And then, as federal party leader, election. Harper may have In such a contest, cause to feel that if it is too early to Lord was going to After a heartbreaking lose, it might have know how Harper would stack up been better if he had defeat, it is much against his yet-to-bedone so resoundingchosen Liberal ly. too soon to know opponent. While the N.B. Team for team Conservatives were if Lord will join though, the current defeated in Monday’s his predecessor Liberal Quebec cauelection, they hardly cus — even in its the kind of Frank McKenna and suffered depleted post-elecrout provincial partion shape — has become yet another ties left behind by more presence in the past premiers such as New Brunswick province than the Richard Hatfield and government’s obFrank McKenna political tease. scure Quebec lineup. endured in their days. Compared with By winning the the scale of the popular vote, Lord repercussions nationally of a federal- probably preserved a political future ist defeat in Quebec, the demise of for himself in federal politics, should the New Brunswick Conservatives he want one. amounts to a mere inconvenience for If Harper fumbles the ball and fails the minority federal government. to translate his fragile minority into a Still, Lord’s defeat is a loss to the majority in the next election, if he

Bernard Lord in St. John’s,

Paul Daly/The Independent

cannot build on his nascent Quebec base, Tory power-brokers are bound to come calling for Lord to throw his hat in the federal ring. In fact, they may not even wait that long to court the defeated premier. In Quebec Conservative circles these days, reviews of the Prime Minister’s performance are increasingly critical. Over the past three months, Harper has lived up to some of the worst fears of many Quebec Tories by alienating much of his prospective audience in the province.

Almost to a man and a woman, the Quebec Conservative establishment did not support Harper for the leadership of the new party in 2004. Neither did the bulk of the progressive wing of the Canadian conservative movement. At the time, Lord was the dream candidate of many of its members, particularly in Quebec. After a heartbreaking defeat, it is much too soon to know if Lord will join his predecessor Frank McKenna and become yet another New Brunswick political tease. Having

flirted with federal overtures twice already, he already has quite a record on that particular front. But it is a safe bet that, as he ponders his suddenly wide open future, Lord will be keeping a keen eye on how Bob Rae, a failed premier in his own right, fares in the federal arena. That may also be of some interest to Charest — another endangered premier who happens to have studiously maintained his federal connections and who may need to reactivate them too soon for Harper’s own good.

Canada sends its dead home

ike the cargo carrier into which four more Canadian bodies were placed ever so gingerly last week, the soldiers who carried them tried to pack away their grief in a single, stoic ceremony. Not all armies are tasked with complete emotional self-restraint. But then, not all armies find themselves under the burden of a mission whose success depends entirely on winning over a civilian population into which a ruthless slice of hell has managed to embed. Thousands of bicycles pass the Canadian Battle Group as it goes about the business of securing the volatile Kandahar region. On Sept. 18, one of them blew to smithereens, its middleaged Afghan cyclist killing himself, along with Cpl. Shane Keating, 30; Pte. David Byers, 22; Cpl. Keith Morley, 30; and Cpl. Glen Arnold, 32. Monday’s suicide strike was as hard a hit as any the Canadian Battle Group has taken in the struggle for southern Afghanistan. Harder still for having erupted in the Panjwaii district west of Kandahar, the very ground only just reclaimed by

Canadians in a two-week drive hailed by a senior NATO commander as a “historical feat of arms.” However many hundreds of insurgents fell at Panjwaii — few doubt the Canadian-led Operation Medusa took full advantage of a rare moment in which the lesser-armed Taliban chose the unsound approach of standing its ground — it would seem likely to happen again. Instead, the suicide attack appeared to signal a return to invisible threats from unlikely suspects. Another chilling reminder that firepower, not even the Leopard tanks soon to be added to Canada’s arsenal, is likely to staunch fully the Canadian bleeding, let alone get the job done. “I would prefer that the NATO armies accept a rate of casualties in the course of going out and talking to people rather than sustaining a higher rate of casualties by simply making war,” said Guillaume Fournier, director of a European think-tank. “The more you fight, the more you lose. Even if you win, militarily, you lose, politically,” he said. — Torstar wire service

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and Memorial University present

F.W. ANGEL MEMORIAL LECTURE 2006 Canadian astronaut Julie Payette SPACE EXPLORATION – AN ASTRONAUT’S PERSPECTIVE Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006 at 7 p.m. Reception to follow Inco Innovation Centre, Room 2001 Memorial University, St. John’s campus Admission is free Parking is available in lot 17 for $2.00 or free parking in Lot 15.

INDEPENDENTBUSINESS

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2006 — PAGE 13

Paddler’s paradise The couple behind Red Indian Adventures have been leading expeditions on the Exploits River for nine years. They still wonder where everyone else is By Janine Taylor For The Independent

aul Rose guides a white-water rafting group down river, the huge oars of the raft anchored beneath his knees and the cloudy sky mirrored in his sunglasses. “There’s something about moving water,” he muses out loud. “The relentless pull of the current to the ocean … ” Paul and Joy Rose, who own and operate Red Indian Adventures, have had nine successful summers guiding their clients on the Exploits River in kayaks, rafts and canoes. And the season isn’t over yet — there’s several weeks of paddling ahead, a chance to check out fall colours and wildlife. Based in Aspen Brook, halfway between Badger and Grand FallsWindsor on the Trans Canada Highway, the guiding operation is a draw for both tourists and locals. The couple estimates about 50 per cent of clientele are Newfoundlanders, mainly from the Avalon. “But this past summer we have had many new clients from the central area, almost all of whom came upon recommendation from others,” says Paul. “This is very good because it’s repeat business we can depend on.” A trip inside the front door of the

Roses’ striking wooden home offers visitors a view of photos of clients on excursions and adventures. Two magazine covers featuring a smiling Joy in a canoe, being circled by a large whale, are also on display. The heavily wooded property has a rock-lined path which leads to a floating dock on a calm section of the river. You feel as though you are the only ones there, and you probably are. “In nine years, I can count the number of canoes we have seen on one hand (other than our own),” says Paul. “If this resource was in Ontario, there would be hundreds of white water paddlers and several paddling shops.” Red Indian Adventures is the only outfitter of its kind on the Exploits River, and offers day trips and overnight camping trips. Clients can choose to use canoes, kayaks or rafts. Groups can also

sign up for sea kayaking trips on Notre Dame Bay. The Exploits River is Newfoundland’s largest, running 150 kilometres from its headlands at Red Indian Lake to Exploits Bay near Bishop’s Falls. The two main falls are the Grand Falls and Red Indian Falls, but there are a number of other rapids such as the Badger Chute and the Red Indian Rattle. According to Paul, Grand FallsWindsor boasts a “big water class III-IV canyon that provides excellent hydrology for kayaking, rafting and canoeing.” He and Joy love to paddle the worldclass canyon and play in the white water, and he’s bewildered that they’re really the only ones doing so. The Roses would like to see more people paddling the Exploits. “If hydroelectricity projects are ever brought back into discussion, which I am

“In nine years, I can count the number of canoes we have seen on one hand (other than our own). If this resource was in Ontario, there would be hundreds of white water paddlers and several paddling shops.” Paul Rose, Red Indian Adventures

sure they will be, it would be nice to have the support of a large paddling community,” Paul says. He’s involved in initiatives focused on preserving the river and the local environment — Paul serves on the Sustainable Forest Management Committee and the Concerned Citizens’ Committee for Exploits River Dam Prevention, and acts as vice-president for the Exploits Valley Tourism Association. Paul and Joy have a passion for what they do. Paul says the business grew out of a need to be on the water. “By running a rafting company I get to spend every day on the river, and that is the only thing that keeps me content,” he says. Paul and Rose are both certified instructors with experience in such places as the Grand Canyon. They’re adept not only at manoeuvring demanding waters, but at inspiring interest in their sport and sparking meaningful conversation among clients as they drift through the calmer sections of the river. Paul and Joy are eager to share their belief that we learn from even the most negative experiences. They are risk-takers by nature, pursuing their deepest goals as a way of life. Photos by Paul Rose. For more information, visit www.redindianadventures.com or call (709) 486-0892.

Test your supermarket savvy

ere’s an opportunity to have some fun while learning more about how to save some of your hard-earned money at the supermarket. The exercise is simple. Your options are only yes or no. The correct answer to each question is yes. Maybe or sometimes is a no. Be honest — after all, you’re testing yourself. There are 15 questions. 1. Do you plan your major meals before shopping? This is not about menu planning — it’s an invitation to purchase an adequate amount of food at each shopping trip. Why? If we have to go back to the market, chances are we’re going to buy more than just the thing or two that we ran out of. 2. Do you use Canada’s Food guide? Consider the quantity of food you buy to avoid throwing food away. If you’re

AL ANTLE

Your Finances a family of four. you don’t need a 20pound dinner ham, particularly if your family won’t go for leftovers. Canada’s Food Guide is the perfect diet with an ideal balance of vitamins, minerals, fiber … if we’re shopping with cost as our bottom line, we win the nutritional war by default. 3. Do you shop around advertised specials? This isn’t about how many ways we can suffer chicken during the week it’s on sale. But consider the option of stockpiling items with a long shelf life when on sale.

4. Do you make a list of needs as you run out? Making a list as you run out the door to the market is a no, although any list is better than none at all. An as-yourun-out list will be much more reflective of the items you actually need. Besides, most of us can only remember seven items at a time. 5. Do you stay within a specific budget when shopping for food? Most say this is impossible, but actually, it’s easy. Take good old-fashioned cash to the supermarket — not debit cards, not credit cards and not cheques. If your weekly food budget is $80, take four $20 bills. Count the items in your cart and allow an average of $2 per item. 6. Do you read ingredient lists? Know the likes and dislikes of your family and the likelihood of throwing out food. How many of you have thrown out a

$10-$12 pasta meal — meat and cheese included — because of a bottled pasta sauce with mushrooms? And you knew full well: “Dad, we hates mushrooms.” 7. Do you shop alone? It’s estimated that each child at the supermarket costs parents $23. But this one’s also about partners and the love and affection we demonstrate through food. So if you’re a softie for the love of your life, leave her or him at home! 8. Do you shop on an empty stomach? You don’t need a major meal before shopping. And you can shop on the way home from work on paydays. But you do need to be free from hunger pangs — a $2 coffee and muffin before you shop may save you $40 in cash. 9. Do you depend on convenience foods? If Libby’s cooks your beans, and the supermarket makes your salads,

then they’ve both cooked your goose. It’s been estimated convenience foods, ounce for ounce, cost almost four times as much as preparing the thing yourself. 10. Do you consider cost per serving when buying protein? Look at the bigger picture and consider wastage, shrinkage, bone and fat. You pay for all of these. Many of us are aware of cost per serving without even knowing it. Take the Christmas turkey, which goes from hot to cold, to hot sandwiches, to cold sandwiches, to a casserole. The result: a really low cost per serving. 11. Do you consider volume and its practical use? You’re a young couple just starting out and yet you purchase like your parents did, mayo in a 1.5-litre bottle, pancake syrup by the gallon and See “Shopping scores,” page 14

14 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

Shopping scores From page 13 juice by the puncheon. Chances are most of this will have to be thrown out. 12. Do you have a favorite market? We save a lot of time if we know the store we’re shopping at. In unfamiliar territory, we tend to browse and pick up things we neither need nor want. Floor staff is a thing of the past at most supermarkets, which only adds frustration. If

we know our surroundings, we avoid this too. 13. Do you only buy what’s in front of your nose? The most expensive products are typically merchandised at the eye level of an average adult. If you take the time to look up and down on any supermarket shelf you’ll usually find equal quantity and quality for a lower cost. And check out the location of the sugar-laced cereals — they’re not

at mom and dad’s eye level. 14. Do you shop mid-week? I’ll bet you’re more tired on Saturday than Wednesday. So on Wednesday you’re willing to extend a little more into shopping. As well, it’s not unusual for stores to be out of advertised items as the week progresses. 15. Finally, do you evaluate the value of shopping at more than one supermarket? It makes little sense to drive more

than five kilometres to save a few pennies. However, it’s worth the drive, if the savings is a few dollars. A savings of hundreds of dollars is definitely worth a hike. Ask yourself how much you’re saving, and how long the trip will take.

10–12 Good shopper 8–10 Fair Below 8 You’d better be rich Next time I’ll serve up important things to consider when using credit cards.

YOUR SCORE Tally up your score — remember, the correct answer is yes. 12–15 Excellent shopper

Al Antle is executive director of the Credit Counselling Service of Newfoundland and Labrador. His column returns Oct. 6.

Corp. who earned her MBA from the University of Toronto in 2003. “It’s an easy stereotype to present the MBA as an ultra-competitive person who has a drive to get what they want whatever the cost. ... We’re a big group with a fairly diverse background.” Shankaran says colleagues in her MBA program had a lot to lose and so would be less likely to cheat than others. MBA degrees, for example, can cost more than $80,000 and students

often have to give up careers to pursue one. “I think you’re more accountable because the stakes are higher. It costs you more to take time off and you’re hoping for a big return on this investment.” Most MBA programs require business and personal references and a screening interview before candidates are admitted. The programs also include courses in business ethics.

Other reasons why MBA students might cheat include increased workloads and stress, adds Larry Wynant, associate dean of programs at the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey School of Business. “There is also employer pressure to get high marks,” he says. “The past few years there has been tremendous pressure to get jobs, because the employment outlook has not been as rosy (for MBA graduates) as in the past.”

MBA students likelier to cheat 56 per cent surveyed acknowledge dishonesty By Sharda Prashad Torstar wire service

ho says cheaters never prosper? MBA students in Canada and the United States are more likely to cheat than students in other disciplines because they believe it is how the business world operates — and because they believe their peers cheat, according to a new study. The study found 56 per cent of graduate business students admitted to cheating in the last year, compared with 47 per cent of non-business students. More than 5,000 MBA students from 11 graduate business schools in Canada and 21 schools in the U.S. took part. Jim Fisher, vice-dean of MBA programs at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, says he’s not surprised by the results, since MBA students are highly competitive and have a high need for achievement. “There is a propensity for those types of behaviour.” To dampen the impulse to cheat, students at Rotman must sign a form every time they submit course work for grading to ensure they comply with academic honesty policies. When MBA students work in teams, they also must sign forms stating that they didn’t cheat, nor did their teammates.

Over the past year, less than a handful of MBA students at Rotman were caught indulging in some form of academic dishonesty such as plagiarism. Such behaviour results in a grade of zero, and students can fail as a result. The study, Academic Dishonesty in Graduate Business Programs: The Prevalence, Causes, and Proposed Actions, was conducted by management professors at Rutgers, Washington State and Pennsylvania State universities. It will appear in the next issue of the Academy of Management Learning & Education Journal. “Those numbers are probably underreported,” says Donald McCabe, lead researcher on the study and business strategy professor at Rutgers. Since the survey was voluntary, more dishonest students were less likely to fill out the survey, and those who did complete it may have under-reported how much they cheated, McCabe says. The study suggests MBA students were more likely to cheat than others because they were focused on “getting the job done, versus how they got it done. They will suggest, in the business world the emphasis is on getting the job done at any cost.” Not everyone agrees that’s the case. “I’m not surprised to see something like this printed,” says Anita Shankaran, a consultant at Sapient

Oil trades near six-month low Pump prices seen stable, even falling; natural gas less than 50 per cent of its high By Tyler Hamilton Torstar wire service

nergy investors may be feeling some pain, but lower natural gas prices and another big slide last week in the price of crude oil bode well for motorists and homeowners as colder weather approaches. Light sweet crude for October delivery plunged $2.14 (U.S.) or 3.4 per cent to $61.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the biggest fall since May 15 and the lowest closing price since March 21. In just two months, oil futures have dropped more than 20 per cent since hitting a record $78.40 a barrel on July 14, thanks to a weak hurricane season so far, the perception that geopolitical tensions have eased somewhat, growing crude inventories and a U.S. economic slowdown. Falling gasoline prices helped keep inflation under control, Statistics Canada reported yesterday. Cheaper heating oil will also bring relief to industrial, commercial and residential users as cold weather sets in, though the prices are all relative, says Avery Shenfield, senior economist with CIBC World Markets. “Gasoline and heating oil look like a bargain compared to a few months ago, but they are hardly cheap by historic standards,” says Shenfield, adding that the short-term relief shouldn’t be confused with the long-term outlook. “As more and more Chinese drivers are competing against North Americans for the supply of gasoline, we’re going to be living in an era of expensive petroleum prices.”

Lower natural gas prices are also expected to benefit homeowners and businesses during the heating season, based on the assumption of a mild to moderately cold winter. “North America is blessed with ample storage of natural gas, and that is currently depressing current prices but also prices in the futures market for delivery of natural gas this winter,” Shenfield says. Natural gas for October delivery rose yesterday 6.4 cents, or 1.3 per cent, to $5.006 per thousand cubic feet on the New York Mercantile Exchange, still down more than half of the past year’s high. But that’s after touching a two-year low of $4.65 — down about 60 per cent from the high. Mother nature has played havoc with investors, who gambled that another bad hurricane season would reduce supply and drive up prices. It didn’t happen, and hedgefund managers such as Amaranth Advisors LLC and MotherRock LP are paying the price and feeding the market’s volatility. But investor pain is translating into consumer relief — at least for those not locked into a longterm fixed contract. Union Gas Ltd., which has 1.3 million gas customers in southwestern Ontario, received approval yesterday from the Ontario Energy Board to decrease its natural gas rate by 4.14 cents, or roughly 11 per cent, per cubic metre for the last three months of this year — though the new rates will still be slightly higher than this time last year. Nora Stewart, an associate with Calgary-based petroleum consulting firm Sproule Associates Ltd., says we’re

“As more and more Chinese drivers are competing against North Americans for the supply of gasoline, we’re going to be living in an era of expensive petroleum prices.” Avery Shenfield, CIBC World Markets entering the “fall shoulder season” and it’s not unusual to see prices softening. “I think the price is going to be less than last winter, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say we’re going to have cheap gas this winter. It’s always a question of weather,” Stewart says. For its part, Enbridge Inc. did not apply for a rate reduction this quarter, though it is hoping the regulator will approve a slight decrease in its natural gas delivery charge. Also, the utility requested that its gas supply adjustment refund be increased next quarter to 11.56 cents per cubic metre from 6.2 cents. The adjustment increase, which would translate on average to a $104 refund for residential customers, means Enbridge paid less for natural gas during the previous quarter than it expected to pay based on a 12-month forecast at the time of rate approvals.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 15

Pharmacies feel pain By Dana Flavelle Torstar wire service

ne out of every four prescriptions is filled outside a traditional drugstore as more consumers pick up their pills while doing their weekly grocery or other general household shopping, Statistics Canada says. Because the market for drugs is “exploding,” Canada’s drugstore chains continue to enjoy higher sales. But their share of Canada’s $20 billion market for drugs, which includes vitamins and other health supplements, is eroding as more supermarkets, warehouse club outlets and discount department stores add pharmacy services, the report says. More competitive prices may play a role, some analysts said. Dispensing fees for prescription drugs can range from a low of $4 at warehouse club outlets to a high of $12 at major drugchain stores in Toronto. Supermarkets and general merchandisers generally fall somewhere in between, around the $7.50 mark. As well, larger retail chains can negotiate better prices for non-prescription drugs, which makes it difficult for smaller, independent pharmacies to

compete, analysts say. But the main motivation seems to be convenience. “The trend toward one-stop shopping may have drawn some customers to the food and general merchandise stores, especially for non-urgent drug needs,” author Guillaume Dubé suggests in his seven-year overview of the industry. The study, called Competing for the Retail Drug Market, found: • Sales of drugs in Canada are rising at the rate of 7.9 per cent a year, on average, faster than the overall market for all other retail goods, to a total of $20 billion last year. • Drug sales in supermarkets doubled to $2.8 billion, while tripling in general merchandise stores to $1.8 billion. • Drug sales in drugstores rose by half to $15.4 billion. • While drugstores still accounted for 76.9 per cent of all sales in this category last year, that was down from 84 per cent seven years ago. • Grocery stores remain the second most popular spot to buy drugs, with a 14.1 per cent market share, up from 10.3 per cent seven years earlier. General merchandise stores are gaining fast, with 9 per cent of the market last year, compared to 5.5 per cent in

the earlier period. The figures for both the grocery and general merchandise channels are likely understated, the federal agency cautioned, because in Quebec all pharmacist-owned stores are classified as drugstores regardless of where they’re located. Canada’s drug retailers are fighting back through a variety of strategies. Shoppers Drug Mart, the country’s largest chain, has been adding new departments and entering its competitors’ turf. “At the Shoppers Drug Mart up the street here, you can get milk, eggs and a printer cable,” says Ed Strapagiel, a retail analyst with Kubas Consultants Inc. in Toronto. Last week, Shoppers signed a deal to distribute Clinique products, a “real coup” for the drugstore retailer. The highly profitable prestige cosmetics business was once the exclusive preserve of major department store chains. The bigger impact of all this competition has been on smaller, independent drug retailers, said Gregory Antrobus, a retail consultant with the J.C. Williams Group in Toronto. “You have fewer independent pharmacies than you did 10 years ago,” he says.

Demand, rather than price increases, accounts for most of the boom in the drug market, Statistics Canada reports. Prices for drugs have risen at a slower pace than inflation, the agency noted. An aging population, new drug therapies and changes in health care procedures have created higher demand for

drugs, according to the report. Prescription drug sales are growing 9 per cent a year, faster than the rate of sales for over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and other health supplements. Canadian doctors wrote 395 million prescriptions last year, for an average of 12 per person.

Chrysler layoffs loom

aimlerChrysler is cutting production in Canada and the United States because it can’t sell enough gasguzzling vehicles — even with incentives. The slumping auto giant says its models, particularly pickups and sport-utility vehicles, are piling up at dealer lots so it must reduce shipments and production. Tom LaSorda, chief executive officer for the Chrysler Group, acknowledges the company has already waited too long to curb output, which will affect some assembly plants and thousands of workers. He also says the company will move aggressively to align output with demand in efforts to curb mounting losses. That raises the spectre of shift losses and possible permanent closings next year, but LaSorda said there were no current plans for such action. The company had cut shipments by 90,000 vehicles in the third quarter and will trim another 45,000 in the fourth quarter, leaving it 16 per cent lower than a previous second-half target of 840,000 vehicle deliveries in North America. Business plunged in the U.S. this summer despite heavy discounting and other incentives. LaSorda would not identify plants that face temporary shutdowns, but the Canadian Auto Workers confirmed about 3,700 employees will be on layoff when the company halts production at the Brampton assembly plant during the weeks of Nov. 13 and Nov. 20. Leon Rideout, the union’s plant chairperson, added the company has tentatively scheduled further temporary stoppages for the weeks of Jan. 29, Feb. 5 and March 12. The moves mark the first time the Brampton plant has cut output since it started building the popular Chrysler 300 in January 2004. The plant also assembles the Dodge Magnum wagon and Charger sports car. All three models are gas guzzlers which have been declining in popularity this year because of soaring prices at the pumps. Last week, Chrysler Group said its third-quarter loss would soar to $1.52 billion (U.S.) — more than double previous forecasts. — Torstar wire service

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cDonald’s of Canada has postponed plans to begin voluntarily disclosing on its packaging the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrates and salt in its food. The company says it’s waiting until it has finished making improvements in some of its menu items, citing the difficulty of finding a substitute for the trans-fat heavy oils used to cook its french fries, as an example. The revelation comes amid renewed pressure on all Canadian fast-food chains and food processors to provide more information to consumers on the nutritional content of their products. The House of Commons was expected to debate a private member’s bill last week proposed by Scarborough Southwest MP Tom Wappel that calls for tougher food labelling laws. “The purpose of my bill is to provide information to Canadians that they can use to make healthy food choices,” Wappel, a Liberal, told the House when he first introduced the bill two years ago. McDonald’s says it provides nutrition information now on its website, as do most other major fast-food chains in Canada. “Diet-related disease is a big problem. Health care costs are a big problem. Providing diet-related information on menus is a really efficient way of reducing disease and reducing health care costs,” says Bill Jeffery, national co-ordinator for the Centre for Science in the Public Interest. The restaurant industry is fighting the bill, saying it would add a level of cost and complexity that few operators could manage. “The bill is unworkable and does not reflect what our members are hearing from their customers,” says Jill Holroyd, communications and research director for the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association. Restaurants aren’t like factories that turn out identical items, she said, and customers often want their meal customized. To expect them to provide nutrition information on every single item is unrealistic. Some 26 major restaurant chains, representing 40 per cent of the $50-billion-a-year fast food industry, have already agreed to voluntarily add a line on their menu that says nutrition information is available upon request, she noted. But Jeffery suspects there’s another agenda. “The companies probably harbour this fear that if people realized there are 1,000 calories in a large milkshake they won’t buy as many of them,” he says. — Torstar wire service

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INDEPENDENTLIFE

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2006 — PAGE 17

By Anshuman Iddamsetty For The Independent

o author Jason Crummey, pirates conjure up more than images of lost treasure, scurvy, and Johnny Depp. Though it’s hard to argue their impact on pop culture, the wildeyed Crummey insists there’s more to piracy than the rolling of Rs — for Newfoundland, it’s the story of how our province was shaped. “This is the story of the people of Newfoundland,” Crummey says. “This is their story, the hardships they endured, this is our history, (and this) is our heritage.” From Englishmen to Inuit and Basques to Beothuk, Crummey says his recently released book Pirates of Newfoundland traces the diverse lives of all the cultures that settled the province amid an age of swords and swashbuckling. “(Piracy) in Newfoundland is intrinsically tied to the origins of

Digital illustration by John Andrews/The Independent

In a new book, Jason Crummey argues pirates helped shape Newfoundland and Labrador culture Newfoundlanders,” says Crummey, who spent a year researching his book by piecing together rich folklore with scarce historical documents. “Deadman’s Pond, Gibbet Hill — These are the stories I grew up with, because my family has lived here a long time. A lot of (research) was for my personal fulfillment; it was important to me as a Newfoundlander to tell the many, many tales I heard as a child and to present the hardships and sufferings our forefathers had to endure.” However, this innately New-

foundland aspect of pirate lore is absent from the mainstream ideal of the common salty dog. Crummey acknowledges the disconnect in the modern perception of buccaneers and high-seas adventures. “There’s Pirates of the Caribbean, The Pirates of Penzance … But nobody has ever dealt with (Newfoundland) before. Probably because people in the United States and England aren’t particularly interested in us,” he says. “But three of the 10 most famous pirates in world history were from Newfoundland.” According to Crummey, Newfoundland began its affair with piracy as a strategic stepping-stone towards the New World. The island was pockmarked with small, natural harbours that served as bases for hundreds of pirates feeding on the trade routes from Europe. The small, yet dispersed, populaSee “Placentia was,” page 19

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

18 • INDEPENDENTLIFE

GALLERYPROFILE

ouise Sutton leads a double life. On the one hand, she has a family and goes to work every day. On the other, she’s a professional painter who is completely and utterly consumed by her paint palette. When describing her passion for seascapes and abstracts, Sutton’s eyes shine and narrow in focus. When she’s alone with her oils, she attacks the canvas with relish. “I like to paint really fast, you see, and get the whole gesture down really quickly before I start fine-tuning anything,” she says. “I never use a paintbrush. I just wipe my hands and I wipe off the knife and I can go back at the same paints and come back in again.” Sutton’s abstract work Chance is a sumptuous blend of colour, symmetry and light. Circular elements radiate in every direction,

LOUISE SUTTON Visual Artist but the picture waxes left to right from dark to light — with a gentle red-toned S-curve parting the two. Light wells up from the corner, threatening to blot out the dark tones, while spots of red and blue balance and catch the eye. Sutton says most of her abstract work comes from somewhere within, from parts unknown. “Sometimes I start with an idea, but a lot of abstracts paint themselves,” she says. “I almost feel like it’s trying to straighten a crooked picture. I put a bit here and a bit there. I don’t know why I go back and put another bit there but all of a sudden it will

come to a place where I like it or not. And a lot of things of course do go in the garbage.” A native of Trepassey, Sutton’s seascapes are raw and ragged, much like the cliffs surrounding the seaside home of her youth. The indent of her knife in the canvas reveals the physicality of Sutton’s technique, but her colour choices — warm rust covering a rock face or robin’s egg blue on a grassy hill — soften and heat the scene. The rocks that line the inlets and points of land rise off the canvas true to form in peaks of paint. Sutton says the ocean is a source of inspiration she returns to repeatedly. “I love watching water,” she says. “I’ll watch water for hours. The physical landscape really inspires me, weather — like a few days ago, when we had the hurricane. The aftermath of that was really inspiring because the water was so foamy white. Such

a heavy ocean.” Twenty years ago, after years of stopping and starting because of schooling and daily interruptions, Sutton made a commitment to her art. She says whether she’s “mad at it or falling out with it or loving it,” she is wholly compelled to paint. “I don’t know why I need to paint, because I think you can’t know ‘why’ you need to do something,” she says. “But I know I need it and I know I’m so fully alive when I’m with it, I’m fully alert and I need it and I crave for it and I can’t wait to go at it!” Louise Sutton shares an exhibition with Greg Bennett at the Leyton Gallery of Fine Art, St. John’s, Sept. 30 to Oct. 29. — Mandy Cook mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

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

A baker’s dozing MARK CALLANAN On the shelf For Maids Who Brew and Bake: Rare and Excellent Recipes from 17th Century Newfoundland By Sheilah Roberts Flanker Press, 2003. 150 pages.

hile there are many methods one can employ in reviewing a work of poetry, a novel, a memoir, a biography or the like, there is only one honest way to review a cookbook: you are professionally bound, at some point in the process of writing and hurling crumpled balls of paper at the wastebasket, to attempt a recipe or two. Two is for the brave; one, the meek of heart. Only epically proportioned heroes or reckless gastronomes—Odysseus, say, come back from Troy with an appetite whetted by years of wandering without a decent meal—should attempt any more

than two at a single sitting. Being neither garbage disposal unit nor Gilgamesh, I recently read through Sheilah Roberts’ entirely charming cookbook and selected a single recipe so that I could try it out—and having tried it, relate the outcome of my efforts in this review. We’ll get to the matter of food poisoning and its root cause in this current case a little later on. For now it’s best to stick with the facts as they appear in print. For Maids Who Brew & Bake: Rare & Excellent Recipes from 17th Century Newfoundland (a boastful title if ever I’ve read one) is a collection of recipes recorded in old English manuscripts that, by Roberts’ own admission, “might have been eaten by families in Newfoundland at that time.” Here you can find out how to make “sallets,” “broath,” “umble-pye” and a great many other things to please the palate and tantalize the tongue. The recipes are interspersed with period directives on the art of cooking, eating, and avoiding zoomorphic behaviour at the table (for some reason, it was considered downright rude to

“scratch your limb, after the fashion of a mole, as you sit down”). Tongue coyly lodged in cheek, Roberts includes several male-authored discourses on perfection in the female gender. It is helpful to know, for instance, that one shouldn’t trust a housewife adorned with “toyish garnishes” but instead seek out a mate who is “far from the vanity of new and fantastick fashions, as neer to the comely imitations of modest matrons.” What gentlemen there are left in this world should note that if their meals haven’t been “cook’d with care and diligence” and are not “apter to kill hunger than revive new appetites,” then they’re just not getting their patriarchy’s worth. Thankfully, Roberts has left the original recipes intact so that we can benefit from their “rather unique turns of phrase.” For clarity’s sake, she includes her own “translations” of each recipe, but the real joy is in reading the original. Jean Paré could only dream of writing a line like “oil and water make no true unity.” Still, Roberts’ versions provide a wel-

come and much-needed hand. I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t know exactly what to make of “a gigot of mutton” without her help, despite the fact the recipe’s author thoughtfully defines it as “the leg splatted and half part of the loin together.” The final aspect of For Maids Who Brew and Bake, which I have yet to mention, is a series of contextualizing pieces that describe Newfoundland in its salad days. Adopting a loose, conversational tone, Roberts takes us through brief histories of Cupids, Ferryland and several other Newfoundland communities. Throughout, we are treated to quotations from the likes of Richard Whitbourne and John Guy — though neither sees fit to counsel us in matters of food preparation — thereby adding to the pleasure of the book. All in all, it’s a veritable feast. But the proof is in the pudding, as they say. And while I was joking earlier about the food poisoning, I must admit my efforts were “apter” to kill appetites than hunger. I made bread. It has the approximate density of osmium. I think maybe I didn’t let it rise long enough, but as I’ve

never made bread before, I’m not certain about that. Just don’t ask me what it tastes like — I’ve yet to find anything fit to pierce its carapace. Could be I’ll have to borrow a reciprocating saw. And judging from the fact that our ancestors wouldn’t have had that particular tool at their disposal, I’d say their bread probably came out a tad more palatable than mine. We wouldn’t be around otherwise. Mark Callanan’s column returns Oct. 6.

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SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTLIFE • 19

POET’S CORNER Summer studies 1

Summer studies 2

The children smell of bogwater, spruce bark, wild rose pollen, pondering equators around planets, fishing questions scrambling over brambly land, at night watching slugs mate and stars shoot.

secrets revealed: insides of dried sea urchins, beached mermaid’s purses, water strider layovers, fox scat By Alison Dyer www.thesquidink.blogspot.com

Black Dahlia confounds Movie about one of L.A.’s great unsolved mysteries reveals another: why couldn’t the filmmakers get this one right? The Black Dahlia Starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, and Hilary Swank 121 min. * 1/2 (out of four)

wight “Bucky” Bleichert (Hartnett) is an LAPD police officer patrolling the beat in 1946, when he crosses paths with Sgt. Leland “Lee” Blanchard (Eckhart) during a massive brawl between service men and Zoot-suiters. Familiar with the reputation that follows the accomplishments of the senior officer, Dwight has no inkling that by the time the new year rolls around, Blanchard will be his partner on the job, and his best friend. While their relationship couldn’t be any tighter, on a stake-out in early 1947, Blanchard pushes Dwight out of the line of fire during a gun fight. Suddenly, Blanchard graduates from “best friend and mentor,” to the guy who saved his life. That same day proves to be critical in more ways than one, for behind the building they have been watching, someone discovers the mutilated body of a young woman, soon to be dubbed the Black Dahlia by the press. Although it’s quickly determined that this isn’t related to Dwight and Blanchard’s case, the senior officer becomes obsessed with the investigation, which negatively affects his work and consequently, his relationship with his partner. Whether he wants to or not, it seems inevitable Dwight will be dragged into the mystery as well. The Black Dahlia is based on a novel by James Ellroy, one of a series he wrote that ends with L.A. Confidential, which was adapted for the big screen almost a decade ago. Comparisons between the two are inevitable, and it’s likely the superb work done on the previous film somehow affected the approach taken on this one. We still need more, however, to explain this film’s deficiencies, and fortunately, there is a rumour circulating that a better, much longer version of the picture has been cut down to the almost indecipherable mess that exists today. While this doesn’t let The Black Dahlia off the hook, at least it helps make more sense of an otherwise baffling approach to filmmaking. L.A. Confidential successfully copied much of the film noir style common to American films of the 1930s and ’40s. In all likelihood, director Brian De Palma, a stickler for detail and style, set out to trump his predecessor, and create the definitive modern film in this fashion, right down to the tone and inflection in the voices of the actors. As a result, this motion picture provides a visual treat at almost every turn. Lighting, composition, the occasional cool De Palmaorchestrated shot that travels unbroken for a long time, stunning sets, costumes, and locations effectively recreate this part of the world from not so long ago. We wonder if this attention to detail and the craftsmanship displayed on the screen has diverted attention away from the finer points of the film’s other elements. For a two-hour length, The Black Dahlia tries to jam too much story into too little time. Aggravating the situation is the fairly pedestri-

Josh Hartnett is Cop Bucky Bleichert in The Black Dahlia

The ubiquitous Scarlett Johansson is nearly perfect in her role as Kay Lake, Blanchard’s girlfriend. an pace of the first half-hour, leaving the end of the film feeling rushed, overly melodramatic, and almost overwhelmingly incomprehensible. Along the way, actions and reactions of the characters don’t make as much sense as they should, for we have not been provided with the information we need to understand the characters’ motivations. Both Hartnett and Eckhart are up to the demands of their characters, with Hartnett in particular doing a fine job of carrying the film — that is, if there actually is a better, longer version of it out there somewhere. His Dwight is steady yet contemplative, better suited to three hours of drama than 90 minutes culminating in a half-hour frenzy.

The ubiquitous Scarlett Johansson is nearly perfect in her role as Kay Lake, Blanchard’s girlfriend. While the camera loves her, her performance is just shy of what it should be, and it’s unfortunate this film couldn’t wait another couple of years for her to catch up. Hilary Swank, on the other hand, is fantastic as a Dahlia look-alike, and does too good a job near the end, when she channels every femme fatale from 60 years ago. She gets it right, if we actually were watching this in the 1940s — but for this brand-new century, we’d rather skip the historical accuracy of thespian style for something a little more accessible. Those of us who follow these real crime TV programs are sure to be familiar with the Black Dahlia case, arguably L.A.’s most high profile unsolved murder. Despite the title, this film (and one would assume, the novel) has little to do with the real event; it simply uses it as the centre of fictionalized storylines. Unfortunately, there are too many of these stories running through The Black Dahlia, which seems more dedicated to honouring the film noir style than producing an engaging cinematic version of Ellroy’s book. Tim Conway operates Capital Video in Rawlin’s Cross, St. John’s. His column returns Oct. 6.

Placentia was ‘biker bunker for pirates’ From page 17 tion of Newfoundland at the time furthered the pirate cause. “There was no governor. No army to repel them,” says Crummey, “even if there was a lieutenant governor in Placentia or St. John’s, there was nothing they could do about a pirate in Burgeo. “Black Bart for example, made Trepassey his base of operations for two weeks in 1720 … Openly dealing with local merchants and wasn’t caught.” These geographic qualities helped boom an age of lawlessness that birthed many Newfoundland figures. Infamous ‘Pirate Admiral’ and Newfoundland folk legend Peter Easton is one such icon. “Peter Easton had a pirate navy of over 1,500 men. He was followed by Henry Mainwaring, and they’re the two most popular,” says Crummey. “Everybody likes (them) because they’re the only two pirates that came to a good end. “Everybody else ended up at the end of a

rope, or drowned, or with their big rusty blade in their backs. Peter Easton died … with his big pot of gold.” Legends aside, Crummey points out the importance of these figures, and how they tie back to the history of Newfoundland. “The truth of the matter is, (Easton) did bring colonists to Newfoundland. He left settlers … This is a documented fact from John Guy’s paperwork in 1612. “There (are) a lot of people from this province, who swear they are descended from Peter Easton’s crew through folklore — again, stuff their grandmothers told them as children. They believe.” Along with Easton were other popular folkloric figures such as the Irish princess Sheila NaGeira, considered to be the first woman to give birth in Newfoundland. “She may have existed as the myth goes, but regardless … (Sheila) represents a great number of Jacobian-era women that were kidnapped and traded in the New World. That’s how many of the early wives came to Newfoundland.” Piracy, Crummey suggests, was one of the

main methods of colonization. “Many of my ancestors came here from boats — they stayed here in 1680 instead of going back to the Black Death, their class society and Elizabethan charity.” The many towns of Newfoundland may have even been sculpted by the brutish activities of corsairs and buccaneers. “The (mythical) Sheila NaGeira moved to Carbonear, for the protection a larger community offered from piracy.” Many communities were sympathetic to specific bands of pirates. “Placentia was a biker bunker for pirates from 1662 to 1713 … Ferryland was the same.” Chuckling at the recent Sept. 19 celebration — “International Talk Like A Pirate Day” — Crummey stands firm on piracy’s contribution to the history of the people of Newfoundland, even if all that remains now of the dangerous, cutthroat life is a trip to the Peter Easton pub. “Part of the reason I wrote this book,” he says, “was because there was something missing — the true story of our ancestors was just never told adequately before.”

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SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

20 • INDEPENDENTLIFE

Stranger in a strange land I can hardly believe that it is only a fortnight … since we left England. It seems such a long time … — Lady Hope Simpson, 17 February, 1934

was 12 when I first saw Newfoundland, from the deck of a ferry at dawn. The air was cold and sharp and foreign, like the feeling in my stomach. It seemed that the monolithic cliffs of Port aux Basques were growing straight up out of the black water, ancient and alien, with their arms crossed against me. I suddenly — and ridiculously, to a self on the outskirts of childhood — felt I was supposed to scale them, or find the magic words that would make them kneel and let me pass. The gut, which never lies, said something heroic was necessary before I could gain entry to this new land, new life. I’ve been reading Peter Neary’s White Tie and Decorations, a collection of Sir John and Lady Hope Simpson’s letters from Newfoundland. Hope Simpson was commissioner for natural resources during Commission of Government (1934-1949). A shameful era, Mother England taking an adult offspring by the scruff and treating it like a wayward child. I’ve read Neary’s book before. My first encounter with the Hope Simpson’s observations were a comfort to me. “They (the people of Newfoundland) are practically serfs and have no traditions — no moral impetus.” (Sir John Hope Simpson, Feb. 17, 1934.) Oh yes, moaned the part of me that was disgusted by this place — and afraid of it — by the time I’d been here a week. For years, Lady Hope Simpson’s husband and I shared a common dream — a rescue vessel. “I often wish we could leave this place by the next boat.” (May 14, 1935.) His would take him to England, to the green fields of Dorset where he could bury Newfoundland like a bad dream. Mine would return me to the carefully quilted landscape of Nova Scotia. I’d fall on my knees in front of the pear tree beside the big white Annapolis Valley farm house and listen to the clink of china cups on china saucers, the soft accents and gentle conversations of my moth-

SUSAN RENDELL

Screed and Coke er’s people drifting out the open window like the second movement of a sonata. Let the apple air wipe me clean of codfish and crude talk. When I was 17, I bolted for the Valley. After two years at Acadia University, I beat it back to St. John’s with my tail between my legs. Nova Scotia had changed in my absence; the people were all wrong, they were strangers; the landscape was like a thick blanket on a warm night. I remained in Newfoundland, but mentally I was always on the periphery. Making the best of it, waiting. For this place to straighten out, to act like a province. To become civilized. That’s the dragon I needed to slay; my heroic quest. It kept me unhappy in a place I ended up loving but could never accept. I was slumming with a beautiful but ragged-arsed stable boy. And then one day I got it. Maybe Sir John and Lady Hope Simpson would have gotten it too, if they’d hung around long enough. Over 30 years after I stepped off the ferry, a radical switch in consciousness knocked the serpent out of my heart and left me free to marry my soul to Newfoundland with a clear conscience, and a clear head. Newfoundland is a country. Even now, when I say this to myself, I feel like someone just told me the earth is round. I like how I feel; the relief, the exhilaration — the rising up of this place like Atlantis from the dark bottom of my mind. PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING It’s said perception is everything. I can vouch for that. Everything that was wrong with this place, all that chafed and rankled, seemed ridiculous and backward and crazy, was a phantom of my own mind. I had been looking at Newfoundland not as it was, but as a deficient counterpart of the rest of North America. The title of one of my grade school language books was Words Are Important. Words are everything. Even God is referred to as Logos, Word, because thought and language are as inseparable as the dancer and the dance.

God imagined creation and then spoke it; the galaxies are His magnum opi, each star a sonnet; the goldenrod under this window an adjective in an eternal story. Ideas and words are the root of everything the human world has created, from hamburgers to the Holocaust. My idea of Newfoundland was blurred by the social and cultural expectations I brought from Nova Scotia. Had I been told Newfoundland was a country, not a province, I would have been able to make that synaptic leap long ago. If my family had moved to Italy, I would have expected different food, language, morals and mores. And I may not have liked all of them, but I would have been prepared to accept the differences. Countries are like people, whole and entire; all the parts, good and bad, can’t be untangled; you have to murder to dissect. Words and ideas have nearly destroyed Newfoundland. The innocent language of the Beothucks did no harm. But then the Europeans, and eventually the North Americans, came with their jackboot definitions: summer fishing grounds, Empire outpost, colony, have-not province, Newfies. The Hope Simpsons were well meaning. Sir John worked hard to save the savages from themselves. And also, to give him his due, from their masters, the merchants. His wife eventually fell for the raggedarsed stable boy too. “She [Lady Hope Simpson] loves this island and, above all, the view from our bedroom window over the harbour, with the myriad schooners coming and going through the Narrows.” (June 1, 1936.) But it just wasn’t England. In a recent issue of The Independent, someone remarked they were glad people were returning for a certain reunion this year, now that St. John’s has become “so beautiful.” The proper term is “whited sepulcre” — a gleaming crypt with a rotting body inside. Underneath the gloss is the corpse of a culture. I love this country now more than I ever have. In the aching and guilty and hopeless way you love your mother when’s she’s dying. Susan Rendell is a freelance writer and editor living in downtown St. John’s. srendell@nf.sympatico.ca

John Hope Simpson (top) outside Buckingham Palace the day he was knighted; Mary Jane Barclay and John Hope Simpson on their wedding day, Sept. 29, 1900.

EVENTS SEPTEMBER 22 • Festival of the Sea continues, with concerts, lectures and other events until Sept. 24; for a full schedule of events, please call 576-8106. • The Nordic Beat, Elimination Dance and Mark Bragg, The Breezeway, Memorial University campus. • Isla Grant in concert, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 8 p.m.

Heavenly Creatures 3rd Annual

SEPTEMBER 23 • Away: An Evening with the Faerie Folk by storyteller Dale Jarvis at the Hiscock House Provincial Historic Site, Trinity, Trinity Bay, 7:30 p.m. SEPTEMBER 24 • Avalon Unitarian Fellowship regular Sunday service, 10:30 a.m., Anna Templeton Centre, Duckworth Street, 726-0852. • Caillou’s Big Book Club, Gander Arts and Culture Centre, 2 p.m. (709) 2924520. • Quidi Vidi Rennie’s River Development Foundation’s annual Rubber Duck Race, 3 p.m., Herder Bridge, Rennie’s River, St. John’s, (709) 754-3474.

novel, The Custodian of Paradise, 7 p.m. at Chapters, 70 Kenmount Rd. , St. John’s. • Writers Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador presents Wise Women and Words, until Oct. 1. Readings and workshops at the Deer Lake Motel and Deer Lake Public Library, (709) 6354090, pageone@nf.aibn.com. IN THE GALLERIES • Art and Architecture, by Cynthia I. Noel, Balance Restaurant and art gallery, 147 LeMarchant Rd., until Sept. 30. • Saucy Boats and Knotty Baskets, clay works by Linda Yates and David Hayashida of King’s Point Pottery, Craft Council Gallery, until Oct. 6. • Etcetera, wearable art accessories by 15 craftspeople, in the Craft Council annex gallery, Devon House, until Oct.

6. • Land, Sea and Sky, a joint exhibition by Toby Rabinowitz and Bonnie Leyton at the Leyton Gallery of Fine Art. • Works by Jim Miller and David Wright, Ocean Road Gallery, Terrance on the Square • Masterworks of NineteenthCentury French Realism and Giddy-Up! on display at The Rooms, www.therooms.ca/artgallery. • Randy Hann, new works, Gander Arts and Culture Centre art gallery. ALSO • Creativity Central: fun activities for parents and kids (ages 4-8) at the Anna Templeton Centre for Craft, Art and Design, Duckworth Street, St. John’s. Each class has a different focus and theme. Sundays, 2-3:30 pm, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Nov. 12 and 26, 739-7623.

SEPTEMBER 25 • Caillou’s Big Book Club, Grand Falls-Windsor Arts and Culture Centre, 2 p.m. (709) 256-1082. SEPTEMBER 26 • Theatre Newfoundland Labrador presents The Known Soldier by Jeff Pitcher, Gander Arts and Culture Centre, 8 p.m., (709) 256-1082. SEPTEMBER 27 • Folk night at the Ship Pub, St. John’s, with The Pickett Line, 9 p.m. SEPTEMBER 28 • MUN Cinema Series presents The Mistress of Spices, Studio 12, Avalon Mall, 7 p.m. www.mun.ca/cinema • Newfoundland Historical Society lecture and book launch. Jo Shawyer, Alan MacPherson, Shane O’Dea and Christopher Sharpe on the topic of Four Centuries and the City: Perspectives on the Historical Geography of St. John’s, 8 p.m., Hampton Hall, Marine Institute, St. John’s. SEPTEMBER 29 • Wayne Johnston will launch his latest

Wayne Johnston

Jerry Bauer photo

INDEPENDENTSTYLE

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2006 — PAGE 21

Diva Dogs A fur coat just isn’t what it used to be — not when doggie highlights and nail polish are now options for today’s fashionable dog owners

On Chloe (above): fuschia-coloured ears by The Furr Factory; model’s own polo shirt.

By Mandy Cook The Independent

one are the days when pooches were relegated to the backyard, tethered to a slapped-together doghouse. In the wake of Paris Hilton and her teeny chihuahua Tinkerbell, more and more dog owners want their canine companions to not only be included in all aspects of their lives, but to live the same lifestyle by looking as

good as they do. Dolling up doggies into “live accessories” is a niche market that some local businesses say is a cash, er, canine. The Furr Factory, at 602 Water St. in St. John’s is a “dogspaw” geared specifically for people who want to pamper their pet. Pamela Skanes has been in business since July and says there is a steady stream of four-legged customers through her lime green and fuchsia doors. Skanes provides the typical bathing

and nail clipping services for her canine clients, which start at $40 for small dogs, but it is the specialty services — colouring, highlights and nail polish — she set up shop for. It is a practice she believes local owners will embrace. “It’s a new service I’m offering,” she says. “I have an awful lot that are interested and I think it’s just going to be one day they’re going to take the step and say, ‘I want them coloured today.’ “It’s a total new thing, nobody’s prob-

Paul Daly/The Independent

ably seen anybody else’s dog done like it so I think it’s just going to be something that grows slowly.” Besides the high-pressure hydromet bath the dogs enjoy at Skanes’ “spaw,” dog owners can have their furry friends’ ears dipped in a rainbow of hues — from hot pink to red to purple. And why stop there? Skanes can add highlights to enhance the look. And don’t forget the tail — that gets a vibrant dose of colour, too. Not to mention puppy nail polish.

And cologne. To the uninitiated, it’s hard to understand owners who spend hard-earned cash on their pets instead of themselves. Skanes says it has to do with the special relationship people have with their dogs. “In this day and age, people’s dogs are their children,” she says. “And I understand that because my dogs are my children. I think that’s what it is. People

called her to see how she made it. “Oh, fillet American. I would just keep it simple,” she told me. “Émincé, salt, pepper and lots of garlic. Also capers and top with a raw egg and parsley.” “No frites?” I asked, thinking about the famous Belgian double-fried frites with their golden and crunchy exterior and creamy insides. “Much too heavy. I’d have it on baguette.” So I present to you a recipe for steak tartare. I changed it slightly to use fresh mayonnaise instead of fresh raw egg on

its own. The texture remains the same and the taste is out of this world.

See “She’s like ny child,” page 23

Raw meat on a plate For his birthday, Nicholas Gardner chopped up a decadent treat

y birthday started at 7 a.m. While most people look forward to sleeping in and relaxing on their birthday morning, I had bread on my mind. Not any bread mind you, but Parisian loaves from Georgestown bakery. I don’t like birthdays — never have. As a child, my sister enjoyed parties because her birthday was two weeks earlier, still in summer, and lots of kids attended. Mine came after school started, so reeling in a houseful of children is a lot like herding cats — darn near impossible. This year I thought that I would have a

NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the Eating Path party of sorts. To entice my invited guests, I thought I would have something different and have a tasting of Bordeaux wines, specifically from the St. Emilion region. What was my choice of food? Ahhh. I am allowed a decadent treat once a year and its name is steak tartare. For those of

you who are cringing, yes, it is a mixture of the freshest, raw (as in not one ounce is kissed by flame) beef, seasoned and bound with a raw egg mixture. For those who love it, it is heaven on a plate. For those who think that this is a gastro disaster, I can assure you I have had it on numerous occasions and I have not once fell ill. I first had this traditional dish in its native country, Belgium, when I was 14 or so, while visiting my great aunt Molly. She was a trained cook — and a great one too — so in preparation for this treat I

MOLLY’S STEAK TARTARE • Mayonnaise • 1 egg • 1 clove of garlic • 1tsp Dijon mustard • Lemon juice • Canola oil • Salt and pepper. In a food processor add the egg, musSee “Outdated,” page 22

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

22 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE

DRINK

Adult drinking games By Nicholas Gardner For The Independent

arties are difficult sometimes to plan — especially for someone as picky as I am. Everything must be just right to make the event special and memorable. That is why I just had the best birthday weekend ever as I planned my own wine tasting. Wine tasting is not as daunting as you might think. There are few rules, and there is little preparation needed. To have an evening of tasting, you need some glasses, some wine and some friends. When choosing the wine, think about what might be fun for all your guests — after all, enjoyment is paramount. Try some of these ideas: Old vs. new: a classic showdown where you pit old world producers (Italy, France, Germany) against the new world (Australia, U.S., Canada). Choose a true “battle grape” like Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay and see which one comes on top. Pick the best: choose several wines from the same grape type but at different price points. Cover the bottles with paper and let your guests rank them. Then see who can get them all right. You might

TASTE

Paul Daly/The Independent

find that the $20 bottle is liked more than the $30 bottle. Matching: a grown-up variation on the childhood game. Pick several wines and cover the bottles and hand out cards with tasting notes found on the Internet. See if you can match the notes to the wines tasted. It is more difficult than it sounds. The blind tasting: this is a good one to try for the expert tasters. Pour samples of a wine, but do not tell guests the type of grape, or if it is old world or new. The

object is to use the keen sense of taste and smell to decide where it came from. It is more like a Holmsian investigation; use anything other than cheating to deduce your answer. For the tasting, I chose St. Emilion wines from the Bordeaux region of France, almost all of them being found at the local liquor stores. While the wines were specifically chosen to compliment the food of the evening, it was also going to be a blind matching event.

The wines were: Pierre Coste 2002 (NLC $20.21), Château Haut Badon Grand Cru 2000 (NLC $24.96), Château Franc Grace-Dieu Grand Cru 2001 (approx. $35), Château Beau-Séjour Bécot Premier Grand Cru 2001 (NLC $95.95). Every wine was good but the BeauSéjour Bécot was outstanding — silky and supple. It was divine. Just as I hoped it would be. The truth is you don’t have to spend

hundreds of dollars to have a good time. Each person can bring a bottle to spread the cost. With wines starting at every price point imaginable, and pretty good wines to boot, you can have a night of adult drinking games at any cost. When in doubt, ask the staff at the liquor store, they’ll point you in the right direction. Have fun and try a tasting — just remember, a hangover is definitely included. nicholas.gardner@gmail.com

In medium bowl, stir together bell peppers, juice, oil, parsley, garlic, mustard and pepper. Place cheese in small, shallow bowl. Poke it full of holes with fork. Pour marinade over it, with solids mostly mounded on top. Cover and marinate in fridge at least 2 hours or overnight. Pre-heat barbecue to medium. Place

piece of foil on grill and poke holes in it with skewer. Or put barbecue tray on grill. Place cheese on foil or tray. Spoon any stray marinade from bowl on top of cheese. Heat until cheese starts to bulge around edges and centre is soft, about 15 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.

Just say cheese By Susan Sampson Torstar wire service

arbeque season isn’t quite through yet: here’s an appetizer for the grill that looks and tastes great, yet can be prepared with little effort. Serve this with crackers or crusty bread.

BARBECUED MARINATED BRIE • 1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped • 1/4 green bell pepper, finely chopped • 1 tbsp each: lemon juice, olive oil • 1 tbsp chopped parsley • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1 tsp dijon mustard • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper • 8 oz (225 g) wheel of brie

Outdated but elegant dish From page 21 tard and garlic and process until blended and slightly foamy. Add the juice of half a lemon and purée. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil slowly to create an emulsion. Stop once it becomes thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside in the refrigerator. TARTARE 500 g freshest available beef tenderloin, all sinew and fat removed. Remember, you are going to eat this raw. • 1 shallot, finely minced • 1 clove of garlic, minced • 2 tbs capers, without juice • Worcestershire sauce, to taste • Salt and pepper, to taste

Did you know that one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime? Mental illness and addiction are more common than you think, yet ignorance and the stigma associated with these diseases often prevents those who need it most from getting help. To learn more about mental illness in Canada, visit www.miaw.ca. Face it. Mental illness concerns us all.

Take two glass bowls, one larger than the other, and in the largest one, add some ice. Add a little pinch of salt to keep the ice from melting. Put the smaller bowl on top. This is to keep the beef mixture as cool as possible while you work. Cut the beef into fine strips, across the grain. Stack the strips into piles and cut them into julienne (sticks). Then cut the julienne meat into small cubes. They should be like little jewels. Add capers, then add a tablespoon or two of the mayonnaise and mix it in. Add Worcestershire sauce to taste and season with salt and pepper. Taste the mixture and re-season if necessary. It should be creamy and luxurious. Traditionally, this dish is served with French fries, but I prefer baguette. As an accompaniment, a decent bottle of red wine is always a good idea. While I chose wines from the St. Emilion region to capitalize on their soft tannic structure, a more strongly structured wine would also provide a good pairing. Pinot Noir from France or a Cabernet Merlot blend from the U.S. would be good choices. Steak tartare is elegant in its simplicity — if somewhat outdated as a dish. It is just a vehicle for good bread in the form of the soft, pillowy insides of freshly baked baguette. Sometimes the simple things are the best things. Nicholas is a freelance writer and erstwhile chef living in St. John’s. nicholas.gardner@gmail.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 23

‘She’s like my child’ From page 21 today, their dogs are in their living rooms when they have company over. They’re not down in the basement or outside. Their dogs are looking pretty and they’re part of their lives.” Jessica Vitch, 23, hasn’t yet brought in Coco Chanel, her Maltese puppy, for

a radical makeover, but she fully endorses doggy wardrobes. While Coco sports a stylin’ Free Nfld. stretch T-shirt from Living Planet, her owner echoes Skanes as to why she splurges on her pooch. “She’s like my child,” Vitch says. “I give her everything I can even though I’m a student.”

At The Doghouse, a supply shop for cats and dogs on Duckworth Street, there’s an entire wall of clothing options for the discriminating shopper. Employee Faith Warren says their line of Razzle Dazzle pink tulle collars with pompoms flew off the shelves, while Char Franey’s “Dressed to the KNines” hand-knit sweaters from Torbay

DETAILS

Sugar Cane Lane Sugar Cane Lane on Water Street, St. John’s, is filled with bulk candy for every tastebud, locally made treats, and a full display case of fun and funky retro toys for kids at heart. Clockwise from right: tin robots, $34 each; Dashboard Jesus, $9.99; lunchboxes, $25; the stores front window is filled with fun, colourful, and sugary treats. Paul Daly photos/The Independent

I am student, hear me roar T

he first day of school is a monumental occasion for parents and their children. It’s a time of change and transition, marking the beginning of a long journey from kindergarten to graduation. Meeting new people in an unfamiliar environment can be a bit overwhelming for a five-year-old. It’s difficult to tell who takes it harder — the parents or the kids — and maybe there’s a few tears shed between the two. Yet along with all the nervousness, I remember experiencing another butterflies-in-the-stomach emotion: excitement. Especially in the first few years of my education, the night before a new grade was always spent preparing. Opening up new packages of pencils, paper, and picking out the customary new outfit (you just had to look your best). The novelty kind of wears off after a while, but there was always that little bit of anticipation. Lying in bed before my first day of university I didn’t know what to feel. In my last year of high school, I decided to learn to swim before I was in the position to drown, and registered for a course at Memorial. I’ll admit I felt like an imposter wandering the halls of MUN. Even though I had all the proper documents and had paid tuition, I couldn’t help but think I didn’t belong. I carried my Memorial University bookbag that I bought when I was nine. What the bag said at the time I purchased it had mattered little, but on that day last year with that bag I could pretend to be a real university student.

LEIA FELTHAM

Falling Face First It’s like when you put on your parent’s shoes and carry around their briefcase and somehow in your child mind doing this makes you a grown up. I thought I must have looked as ridiculous as I did so long ago when I stumbled around in my mother’s high heels, but I went unnoticed. I was just another face in the crowd of equally lost kids in shoes too big for them. The course turned out to be very interesting, and I enjoyed it more than I had expected. I hoped being a fulltime student would be more of what I had already experienced. I kept telling myself “you’ve done this before, it’s no big deal now,” but underneath there was a nagging that it was different this time. I’d get to the edge and be too scared to jump. It didn’t go too badly after all, but I did sleep in. There were no new clothes, and I may have even worn the same pants as the day before. I was that tired I couldn’t tell. Surprisingly enough, I found my way to my classes and was only reasonably late. I did almost manage to wind up in a residence, and after that I gave up attempting to navigate the tunnels, and the skywalk became my best friend. I’ve learned the important lesson that when in doubt of where you’re going, don’t follow random groups of people in hopes that they may be head-

ing towards where you need to go. Overcoming shyness and asking directions saves a lot of time. One of the hardest parts of the university experience thus far is being faced with so much choice. I determine what direction I want my education to take, and I constantly ask myself if what I like is the same as what I’m good at. I thought I’d be an English major, but after spending over a grand in tuition, another $500 in books, concerns about money began to creep into my thoughts. I hear a lot of people these days talking about moving away where the jobs are, or doing this particular course because of the nice salary. I see and feel the temptation, but where does happiness factor into that? Dreams are for sale and the prices are dropping fast. My feelings right now are torn and I’d almost go as far as to say I’m disappointed. In grade school the teacher would notice if you weren’t there, and generally you’d make an effort to show up to avoid the impending wrath of teachers, principals and parents. You got in trouble for skipping school often because they cared. I’m not saying university is not the same, but sometimes I feel like I’m going to get lost in a very large system. There are thousands and thousands of students, how am I supposed to stand out? What will make me unique? Am I any more than a ninedigit number? A tiny voice inside of me says “ I’m so much more. I’m Leia and I don’t want to disappear.” I hope that voice gets heard.

are becoming popular. Warren says customers don’t hesitate to spend from $18.99 for the ballerina collars to $200 for a full rain outfit consisting of coat, booties and hat. Warren expects their selection of Halloween costumes to be as popular as last year and can rely on their mainstays of rainwear and smart, tartan kerchiefs

to remain top sellers. She says it’s not just owners who embrace the canine accoutrements, either. “The dogs love it,” Warren says. “They have personalities just like people. They know when they put their clothes on they get attention. They’re not stupid.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

24 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE

A plague of European trends on its pestilent way By Cathal Kelly Torstar wire service

f you look toward the eastern sky, you’ll see the trends coming. Like a meteor shot from Europe, they’re headed toward you, with equally devastating results. And if history is our guide, it’s only a matter of months before everyone at the multiplex on cheapie Tuesdays dresses like, sounds like and does all the things I saw in Europe this summer. And that is terrifying. First of all, there are the capri pants. In Venice’s heaving St. Mark’s Square, my wife and I played a little game we call “Spot the North American.” I won every time. Why? Capri pants. Designed to be worn by lanky female supermodels, they are invariably seen on the Continent adorning stumpy German plumbers

on vacation. European men will not tour without them. (Also, American families always include a sadistic pre-teen son who’s running around trying to kick one of the square’s famously tame pigeons.) Of course, you can’t wear your ridiculous half-pants without an equally silly-looking pair of sandals. So the burghers of Mitteleuropa have reached into their collective past. While we continue to wrestle with the oxymoron that is the “sports sandal,” Europeans have re-adopted the Roman centurion look. These days, no self-respecting street vendor will brave the midday heat without a complicated-looking foot wrapping that involves interlaced string twining up around the ankle and a droopy coverlet over the big toe.

To complete the look, there’s your man purse. I’m on record saying that a bag carried by a man is, by definition, not a purse. But I saw some distressingly pocketbook-sized carriers hung on very dainty leather straps being transported by men around the high streets of at least two European capitals. And the sight has made me doubt myself. For now, vacationing North Americans are holding the line with their cargo shorts, white trainers and fanny packs, but the capri-pant, strappysandal, man-purse plague is only two summers away, tops. For the younger set, there are the piercings to look forward to. Sure, you’ve seen piercings before. But over there, even the popped-collar squares look like they’ve been caught in an explosion at a nail factory. Below-the-lip, above-the-lip, over-

the-nose — all of the above, please. One cool cat standing in front of me at the cigarette kiosk had a barbell inserted in the back of his neck, poking out on either side of his spine. Guess he doesn’t fly much for business. So if you’ve been arguing with your daughter about that micro tube top, wait’ll she shows up with a metal shaft the size of a thigh bone driven into the space between her eyebrows. And when it happens, thank the EU. While they sit around the beaches waiting to be hit by lightning, Europe’s teens are busy adjusting their ring tones. If it were only them, it might be bearable. But in Europe these days, a ring tone is like a peculiar scent: everybody’s got one. So you should not be surprised when the banker sitting beside you at

a Viennese café is summoned to the phone by 50 Cent’s Wanksta. Appalled, yes. Surprised, no. On the speedboat to Venice, the purse belonging to the Romanian grandmother sitting beside me erupted repeatedly in Madonna’s Hung Up. She slept through the racket like a hibernating grizzly, but I could feel my fillings coming loose. This is the most disturbing trend of all. Perhaps we might give this one a miss. We never really bought into the texting fad (which now accounts for 40 per cent of Finland’s GDP). But something tells me that there is a Sean Penn-esque meltdown somewhere in my future when I’ve heard the remix of the new Paris Hilton supersmash emanating from one too many jacket pockets. It may even involve a serious battering with my man purse.

Women cook to own beat New wave of top female chefs commanding their kitchens with daring and dignity By Joanna Smith Torstar wire service

ike a sergeant major, Lynn Crawford addresses her troops, assembled before her in half-moon formation in the expansive, bustling kitchen at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel. “So!” bellows Crawford. “What’s it like working for a woman chef?” It’s a question relatively few in high-end restaurants have the opportunity to answer. Crawford is an exuberant, highly respected and wellknown executive chef in the luxury hotel chain. But after spending the majority of her quarter-century career moving up through the ranks, she is the only woman at the chain worldwide to hold that position. Of the 31,355 chefs counted in Statistics Canada’s 2001 census, only 6,420 were female. When you contrast that with the number of cooks, where the gender split was nearly 5050, it becomes clear there are plenty of women in professional kitchens.

They just aren’t the ones in charge. Recently, Crawford and other highprofile women chefs in this city took time out of their hectic schedules to reflect on the reason for the lack of women in positions of power. They do believe strongly that things are changing. Just as countless women have left the hearth to become doctors and lawyers, they are also finding their niche behind the professional stove. “I really don’t like boys in the kitchen,” Signë Langford says. “I always hire women,” continues the former artist and medical underwriter who now “feeds the fabulous” in Toronto’s upscale Amber. “Because it still is kind of a man’s world and I don’t think guys like taking orders from me.” One guy who came in to apply for a job balked when the manager introduced her as the chef. “He looks at me and says, ‘Her? Really? The chef?’ And (the manager) goes ‘Yes’ and he goes ‘No! Woman?’” she recounts.

Chef Nadia Santini's poses in her Dal Pescatore restaurant in the northern Italian town of Canneto Sull'Oglio. Santini is one of three female chefs of a total of five cooks in Italy who have won the coveted Michelin three-star award. Italy has 226 Michelin-starred chefs and 60 are women — the highest number in any European country. Daniele La Monaca/Reuters

“You’re fired already!” Langford yells. “If you’re going to disrespect me that obviously before you’ve even submitted your resume, then you’re going to be second-guessing everything I tell you and I don’t have time for that kind of yak.” The self-taught chef has heard hor-

ror stories from friends who did have to put up with some machismo on their way up. “The yelling and the screaming, the throwing of the pots and pans, cussing. Coke here, alcohol there, flared tempers, racial slurs,” recalls Winlai Wong, executive chef at Monsoon Restaurant. “You know what happens, right?” Wong assumed her position at Monsoon just three months after her first daughter was born. “I had really bad postpartum, so I knew I had to work,” she says. “I was pumping milk and putting it in the fridge — during the film festival. That was quite the challenge,” she says, laughing about how she had to yell, “Don’t touch that!” a few times when her kitchen staff reached for it by mistake. Suzanne Baby recently looked around the University of Toronto’s Hart House Gallery Grill, where she has been executive chef since 1996, and called it “a blessing.” The restaurant — which did not allow women to dine there unaccompanied by Hart House members until the late 1970s — is always closed for the summer. “That really helps me to recharge my batteries and get reacquainted with my family,” says Baby, who has two children, 11 and 14. “I think everyone should have as much time off as I do.” She knows not everyone does. She remembers finding it really tough to work six or seven days a week — often double shifts — when her children were small. “It boils down to choices and priorities. I think if anyone does take a serious look at the industry, they realize the hours are very long. If you do want to take your time and settle down and have kids — it’s not very family-friendly.” Sara Karby, the young pastry chef at the industrial-chic Crush Wine Bar on King St. W., knows she might have to take a serious look at her schedule when she’s ready to have

children. “You have to make sacrifices,” says Karby. “I don’t want to be a mom who’s never at home.” Right now, she comes in at 7 a.m. and sometimes doesn’t leave until 10 p.m. If the number of women enrolled in George Brown College’s Baking and Pastry Arts program is any indication, the dessert menu is one place where women are making their mark. Ninety per cent of the program’s students are female, says Donna Sanche, one of the teachers. The numbers were reversed 20 years ago, when women accounted for 10 per cent of the students. In the college’s culinary school as a whole, female students now account for 60 per cent of the class. But women are flocking to the pastry courses because specializing in desserts is a way to climb the ladder and earn higher salaries earlier in one’s career, Sanche says. And since pastry chefs are usually left to their own devices and have all day to create their masterpieces rather than the minute-by-minute pressure of hot plate service, the baking section tends to be a calmer part of the kitchen. Many women chefs believe any kitchen where estrogen rules the roost is naturally more tranquil and collaborative. “Women are more nurturing, more understanding, more patient,” Wong says. “There’s no yelling or screaming in my kitchen. It’s very calm.” Still, these powerhouses are anything but pushovers. “I am a perfectionist and I’m never harder on anybody than I would be on myself,” Langford says. “I’m think I’m pretty aggressive, think I’m pretty domineering. But I’m not unreasonable, I don’t think, in the way I run my kitchen. I just want the people who are working with me to do a good job. “If there isn’t someone who’s firmly and fiercely in control, it will go to sh—,” Langford says.

Fall for flats NO ONE IS ALONE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER. Behind every person who is touched by cancer, there is a growing force fighting all types of cancer in communities eve r y w h e re. The Canadian Cancer Society is leading the way through research funding, information services, support pro g rams – and we advocate for healthy public policy. Together, we’re growing stronger. To volunteer, donate or for more information, visit cancer.ca or call 1 888 939-3333.

There’s a David and Goliath battle brewing in footwear trends this season — the humungous platform versus the demure ballet flat. While designers are touting shoes with stratospheric soles as the latest and greatest thing to hit sidewalks, thank heavens there’s an array of flats to choose from to give your feet some

reprieve after vertigo-inducing heels. Which will emerge the winner by season’s end? The lowly flat is definitely the front runner. Just look at iconic pictures of Audrey Hepburn in her gamine flats in the Gap window displays. Years later, flats are still the height of chic. —Torstar wire service

SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2006

Markelangelo and the sistine quarter panels

What’s new in the automotive industry

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nce upon a time I lived in a little house with a big shed. I ran a body shop during the summer and painted cars for fun. I always had something to work on and people naturally gravitated there. I’d put on some tunes, start sanding down a rusty car and suddenly I was surrounded by beer-drinking buddies laughing up a storm. I certainly didn’t get much done when they showed up but I got even by writing stories about them to a national newspaper as a shed correspondent. Not in a Newfierthan-thou kind of way, but respectfully, for homesick Newfs reading about the b’ys carrying on back home. MARK I was totally devotWOOD ed to the arts — sculpting cars, paint- WOODY’S ing them, and writing WHEELS about the scene. Markelangelo, as I was known. Directly across the street from me, however, was a young buck who cornered the market on something so far fetched even I had to admire his foresight. He too was devoted to sculpture and painting. One fine February he skidded a small shed up to his house and announced his intentions. “I’m going to paint it purple inside and mount florescent lights waist high,” he said. “That’ll cut down the shadows while I’m carving surfboards.” He called it the Love Shack and badged his company Buzzard Boards. Apparently he and very few others rode the waves off Bonavista on gorgeous hand-built boards. They lived the typical outport surfer life that few people know about and enjoy. “They’re the same size waves as California,” said one enthusiast from Boston, “except there’s only a couple of your buddies riding it instead of 100 fighting over it.” Surely this was the promised land. A friend of mine bought a fishing shack in Bonavista and finds solace from the rigours of research and teaching to watch superfine local athletes engage in the time-honoured ritual of tempting the waves on stuff their buddy built. I, on the other hand, concentrated on rebuilding cars from basically the same material as the surfboard, expandable foam insulation, a vast improvement over the usual standard of body-filler. While Love Shack was cranking them out across the street, I was researching and developing new technology. I filled the rocker panels on both sides and two rear-quarter panels on a car with Buzzard Board-quality foam. While the tunes boomed and the b’ys roared I crawled under and worked on the Sistine Quarter Panels, painted it overhead, and wrote about it. To critical acclaim, both my neighbour and I were world famous for about 50 feet. We both had excellent underground subculture enterprises and the neighbourhood went through a kind of renaissance that was only appreciated after it was gone. Buzzard Boards and Skish Research and Development enjoyed brief exciting business lives and drifted off like a perfect ring of smoke from a Cuban cigar. We cast off our carefree, entrepreneurial youthful ways to tend to our growing families and moved on. I closed a running theater of about 500 shows in the shed and the Love Shack proprietor pulled up stakes too. We both moved into bigger houses with smaller sheds. Similar lives, yet different. I ceased the sculpture and painting but continue to write about the good times while he sits on the board of a company listed on both the New York and Toronto Stock exchanges. No matter which board the b’ys are sitting on, Buzzard or otherwise, he’s a good kid. His passion lies in the most beautiful hand-crafted surfboards the world has ever known — while mine is writing. Passionately. Mark Wood of Portugal-Cove St. Philip’s is also on the board of a local company.

Power and Style: No trail is too rugged for the all-new 2006 Jeep Commander. The only seven-passenger Trail Rated® Jeep, this newest member of the Jeep family. navigates paved roads and uncharted paths alike. Three class-leading four-wheel-drive systems are ready for whatever adventures await, while Commander's available Quadra Drive II® with electronic limited slip differentials provide confidence both on-road and off. Available at Dodge City Royal Garage. Pricing starts at $27,985. Photo taken at the easternmost tip of North America — Cape Spear. Paul Daly photos/The Independent

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26 • INDEPENDENTSHIFT

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

Past 20 years unkind to Canadian racing It was twenty years ago today, Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play …

looked so good. It’s 2006 now, and things are still looking good on the driving/racing side. Guys like Tracy, the late was listening to that wonderful Beatles record Greg Moore, Patrick Carpentier, Alex Tagliani, from the ’60s the other day and the first line of Jacques Villeneuve — the list could go on and on Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — have made Canadians proud. (Well, most of the got me to thinking: time …) What’s happened to Canadian motor racing in And the future looks bright for young tigers like the last 20 years? Robert Wickens, Daniel Morad, Kevin Lacroix and So I took a look. a host of others apparently on their way to stardom, In September, 1986, domestic auto racing in thanks to the efforts of the national governing Canada was in top gear. Two huge international body, ASN-Canada-FIA (Paul Cooke), and the events — the F1 Grand Prix in Montreal in June Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship — and the first Molson Indy in Toronto that among others. July — had the motorsport nation But on the racing front, those four disbuzzing. tinctly Canadian road-racing champiAnd five distinctly Canadian racing onships went the way of the Dodo in the series were alive and doing very well ensuing 20 years and the last of the allindeed. Canadian series, CASCAR, was purYou had the Player’s-GM Challenge chased in recent days by NASCAR and (featuring showroom stock Chevrolet although it will still operate in Canada, Camaros and Pontiac Firebirds and starits strings will be pulled in Daytona ring drivers like Robin Buck, Scott Beach from now on. NORRIS MCDONALD Maxwell, Peter Lockhart, David White So what happened? and modified dirt track star-turned paveOK, three of those series — the GM ment terror Tony Corcoran) and 66 cars Challenge, Porsche and the F2000 — would show up to race. were sponsored by tobacco companies. That’s right. Sixty-six cars. We know where they went. Honda pulled There was the Rothmans-Porsche the plug on its series — used primarily to Challenge for stock Porsche 944s. A paltry (!) 29 market its Civic brand — when it felt the promocars were entered and drivers like Richard tion was tired. (It was revived briefly a few years Spenard, Bill Adam and Kees Nierop would fight ago to head off a possible Toyota-supported series each other back-and-forth, hammer and tong. and then cancelled again). The Honda-Michelin series was in full swing, Novotny did all he could with CASCAR but pulling entries of 35 cars, and the Canadian reached a point where the only way it could grow Tire/Export A F2000 series had 25 car-and-driver was to become part of NASCAR. combos. Several attempts to start a unique, all-Canadian Although Tony Novotny had incorporated CAS- championship, were made — notably the Canadian CAR in 1981, it was not yet in full swing in ’86. It Champ Car Light Series in the late 1990s — but was on the cusp, however, of greatness and would none could be called successes. go on in the ensuing 20 years to become Canada’s To discuss some of the reasons for the decline of biggest and best national stock-car racing series. Canadian racing, and where we should — or could Canadian racers were turning heads back then, — go from here, I talked to six people who know too. Following on the heels of George Eaton, Gilles their way around the sport: Lee Abrahamson, proVilleneuve and Eppie Wietzes (road racing) and prietor of the Dunnville Autodrome and founder of Vic Parsons, Earl Ross and Trevor Boys the short-lived Champ Car Lights series; F. David (NASCAR) came Alan Berg, making his mark in Stone, retired Toyota executive; Jerry Priddle, F1 (Osella) and this 17-year-old kid from vice-president of marketing at Mosport; Ralph Scarborough named Paul Tracy, who won the last Luciw, who came up with the concept and ran the Can Am series race ever held in Canada that year. Honda series during both of its existences; John Scott Goodyear, Ludwig Heimrath Jr. and all Graham, motorsport promoter and entrepreneur sorts of other guys (David Tennyson, et al) were (the Moosehead Grand Prix in Nova Scotia), and starting to come into their own. And Horst Kroll Brian Stewart, one-time Formula Vee and Formula won the very last Can Am championship. Ford Canadian champion and currently a team In the words of the late racing historian, Robert owner in the Indy Pro League (the IRL’s support J. (Bob) Brockington, Canadian racing had never series). Abrahamson was the most outspoken. He said flat-out that a lack of leadership at the national level has seen Canadian motorsport sink so far that it’s unlikely there will ever again be a national series. “We have no future,” Abrahamson said. “We have no leadership at all. We can trace the demise of motor racing in this country to the day when ASN split from CASC (Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs; 1990). “They (ASN) are only interested in the Indy and the F1 races. There has been no movement whatsoever to encourage the formation of any kind of series.” Luciw, on the other hand, is optimistic about the future. “These things are cyclical,” he said. “I have a feeling that there’s a growing interest in motor racing in this country again. I think the purchase of CASCAR by NASCAR is a good thing because it will awaken corporate interest in motorsport. I think this will lead to a resurgence.” Both Priddle and Graham noted that as well as the tobacco money disappearing, the beer money dried up too. Both said Molson and Labatt were huge supporters of Canadian racing in the `80s and `90s but both are now foreign-owned and the interest in auto sport as a marketing tool just doesn’t seem to be there anymore. And, interestingly, both were of the opinion that for a successful series to be launched and to survive in today’s world, it would take active involvement by a manufacturer and both wondered about the new GM Camaro and whether or not marketing plans for it might include a race series.

TRACK TALK

ENTERTAINMENT CHOICES But Graham said the approach to potential sponsors has to change. “One upon a time, if I told ABC Corp. that I’d put their name on my car, that would just about do it,” he said. “But today, if I ask ABC Corp. for serious money, I have to tell them specifically how I will represent them and how I intend to compete with the Maple Leafs and the Blue Jays and all the other entertainment choices that are out there.” Priddle noted, also, that in order for any series to succeed in 2006 that there would have to be TV coverage and “the sports television landscape has changed.” “Back in the ’80s, TV would use motor racing to fill a void in their programming schedule. They made money by selling advertising. That’s all changed. Now, if you want to get motor racing on TV, you have to pay for it and that’s changed things considerably.” Stone thinks the demise can be traced to marketing — that there was a period in which the people involved in the sport didn’t know how to market it (and themselves) properly. “Lots of companies were — and I think are — interested in auto racing but they weren’t ‘pitched’ correctly. Although it’s changing, there are still people in the business who don’t know how the corporate world works. “They don’t understand that a business plan is put together in June and July and the money is allocated in September and October and that when January rolls around, the plan is executed. “People in motorsport still go to these companies in January and are surprised when they’re told there’s no money available. They don’t realize they’re almost a year late.”

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTSHIFT • 27

ou know those stickers you see person drive your shop trucks. You probon big transports that say, ably don’t have a large fleet of vehicles “How’s My Driving? Call 1- yet, so it’s still personal. And if you have 800-Big-Brother”? an idiot employee out there wreaking I’ve called those numbers havoc in your name, it’s costbefore to report that a driver is ing you business. doing a really nice, safe job. I There is a local building figure people only call to comsupply company I will never, plain, so I like to try and even ever use, because one of their things out when I can. These are drivers almost pushed me off about the only stickers I don’t a local road while doing 100 mind on cars. km in a 60 km zone. We Truly. I don’t care whom you measure a person’s driving voted for, I presume we all ability by how many acciLORRAINE SOMMERFELD would like to end breast cancer, dents they’ve had; perhaps and your religious affiliation we should develop a way to should be like your underwear factor in how many they’ve something between you and caused. those you know best. When With the proliferation of some U.S. schools came out cell phones, it’s a wonder any with “My Kid is An Honour Student” a of these hugely identifiable crappy drivwhile back, I did see the only bumper ers even bother anymore. When somesticker I’ve ever liked: “My Kid Can one’s actions are endangering the lives Beat Up Your Honour Student.” Pride of others, as a responsible citizen I feel it goeth and all that. is my duty to call provincial police from There are times, however, that I just my cell phone as my boyfriend drives. have to shake my head. People driving Once I figure out my norths and souths, work vehicles like morons, cutting in I report the offender using words like and out of heavy traffic, speeding and “suspect” and “a danger to others.” tailgating all while having their employMy only sadness is that I can’t stick er’s name emblazoned on the truck in around for the inevitable showdown as letters two feet tall. they pull the culprit over. I want to shake If you’re a small business owner, it’s my head in disgust and say, “Book ‘em, already really, really hard to let some Dann-o” as they lead the perp away in

POWER SHIFT

cuffs. My sister Liz is the queen of citizen’s arrests. Seriously. The police should carry her around in their cars with them. She misses nothing, has an eye for detail that borders on the obsessive, and a sense of justice that would put Batman to shame. The fact that she screams “Citizen’s Arrest! Citizen’s Arrest!” in your ear as you drive is a little annoying, but it gets the job done. People with vanity plates should be stellar drivers, as far as I’m concerned. It’s way too easy to remember you, folks. If you leave the scene of an accident and you have BIG BUNS across

your plate, someone is going to remember. The same goes for people in red Porsches checking into the local No-Tell Motel for an afternoon indiscretion. Some things are more memorable than others. Companies invest a great deal of money to make memorable logos, and use eye-catching colours. If you drive for Pizza-R-Us and nearly hit my kid as he walks on the sidewalk, I’m going to be making a call to your boss for all the wrong reasons. I like “How’s My Driving?” stickers. I’d like them for many other parts of my life. I’d like to have “Did I Use the Tongs

In The Bulk Section? Call 1-800-StoreManager” slapped on some people. Or “Did I Pretend My Dog Didn’t Leave That? Call 1-800-Dirty-Bugger.” How about “Is The Fact I Won’t Turn Off My Cell Phone Bugging You? Call 1-800I’m-More- Important-Than-You.” Ah, but there is really only one sticker I’d seriously like to have. When my 14year-old son is out with his friends, I’d like to slap a bumper sticker across his butt: “How Are My Manners? Call 1-800Mom.” www.lorraineonline.ca

Targa Newfoundland 2006: another successful event

arga Newfoundland 2006 came to an official close Sept. 16, hosting its awards gala at the St. John’s Convention Centre. The management team, the competitors and a special guest, The Easter Seals, were all in attendance. The evening began with a special speech from Targa Newfoundland President, Robert Giannou. In his speech, Giannou gave thanks to the thousands of volunteers that give their valuable time to make Targa Newfoundland a reality. “Without our volunteers we could not make Targa Newfoundland happen,” said Giannou. Giannou also went on to say that Targa Newfoundland will go forward and that there will be a Targa Newfoundland 2007. Easter Seals ambassador and special guest of the evening, Jonathan Pittman, gave an emotional speech to all in attendance last night as well. “When people look at me in my chair, they don’t see the kid in the chair, they only see the chair that I am attached to and that sucks as much as blowing an engine on the last leg of the race,” said Pittman comparing his experiences to that of the competitors in Targa.

The biggest story of the night was the donation made to the Easter Seals. Through a silent auction, the auctioning of two Targa 2007 entries, and several donations made from competitor’s teams, Targa Newfoundland raised over $40,000 for the

Increasing value all in the detailing

elling a previously owned car? Want to get more for it? Mike Stone of Dents and Stones in New Brunswick says: “Take it to a professional detailer and increase the value of your car.” According to the expert, first impressions are everything. “A potential customer will stop to look at what appears to be a well maintained vehicle. A well maintained vehicle will attract more buyers.” He says the first thing people notice is the vehicle exterior. Have scratches, dents and stone chips removed. With reconditioning, these can be removed and the paint can be restored for a lot less than an expensive paint job. Small dents can be repaired with fillers and painting. For the interior, nothing says neglect like a dirty interior. Professional detailers not only vacuum carpets and seats, but with the use of special equipment and products can bring back to life a well worn interior. “Good detailers pay attention to areas often missed or neglected by everyday cleaning, adding a new freshness,” he says. “No one wants to buy a car that has odours. Professional detailers have the knowledge and capability to remove even the worst of odours.” The engine compartment is one area that is often neglected. Many people are nervous and uncomfortable with cleaning the engine area. A clean engine compartment will give a potential buyer that extra bit of confidence. It’s much easier to spot a leak from a clean engine. A professional detailer can offer these and many other added touches to your vehicle. Detailing your vehicle will result in more dollars in your pocket whether trading or selling privately.

Rave reviews for Audi The additional width of the 2007 Audi TT is winning favourable reviews, with test drivers praising its more impressive stance. “It looks properly planted when it’s stopped, and it looks tough in motion,” says Automobile magazine’s Robert Cumberford. “The new version is bigger, lighter, and sleeker when seen from behind,” he says. The vehicle looks heavier and more solid than the original, but it is actually lighter thanks to the extensive use (69 per cent) of aluminum in its structure.

Winter trunk essentials As the air turns chilly, it’s a reminder to check your emergency supplies kept in your automobile. Besides standard emergency items like flares, jumper cables, flashlight, tow strap, fresh water and a first-aid kit, you should include a blanket, a warm hat, boots or sensible shoes and extra pairs of socks, instant hand warmers, coolant, a shovel, a floor mat or grip pad for traction, kitty litter or sand, ice scraper, sunscreen and lip balm with sunscreen, compass, small tool kit (screwdriver, wrench, pocket knife), whistle and candy/nutrition bars.

Easter Seals. Targa Vice President Scott Giannou said: “It is great to see this type of support for such a worthy charity and we are proud to be a friend of The Easter Seals.” There were many awards presented to many

competitors for their accomplishments this year and throughout the years. The Gold Targa Plate, awarded to teams winning the division for three consecutive years, were handed out to the teams of Jim Kenzie and Brian Bourbonniere of Ontario, Richard Kimber and Brian O’Kane of the UK and Joe Butler and Wayne Manuel of Newfoundland. In the open division, Rick Macleod and Steve McKelvie of Ontario finished in third, Robert Pacione and Brian Maxwell, also of Ontario, took second place, both finishing behind the Open Division winners, Jim Kenzie and Brian Bourbonniere. In the Modern Division, the team of Keith Townsend and Jen Horsey of Ontario took top honors winning the division ahead of Mark Swain and Mike Bell and Bruno and Mario Criveller finishing in second and third respectively. The Classic Division winners and overall winners of Targa, Glen Clarke and Evan Gamblin of Ontario took the top prize holding off the teams of Jud Buchanan and Jim Adams of Ontario who took second and Roy Hopkins and Adrienne Hughes of the United States who finished in third.

28 • INDEPENDENTSHIFT

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 Walked on 5 Maclean’s, e.g., for short 8 Grow pale 12 Rich and influential sort 17 It may precede a migraine 18 Eggs 19 Like a desert 20 Got up 21 ___ of the valley 22 Decoration 24 Genius club 25 Door openers 27 Set on fire 28 Tone deafness (2 wds.) 29 Loll 31 Cool drink 32 Bass brass 33 Look at 34 Work secretly 35 Milk container 36 Lindsay of Hockey’s Hall of Fame 39 Stretch of Mediterranean coast (2 wds.) 43 Bird once native to Nfld.: Great ___ 44 “The final frontier” 46 Run ___ (wild) 47 Bay near St. John’s, Nfld.

49 A tenth (as an offering) 50 Sault Ste. Marie, for short: The ___ 51 Capital of Tahiti 52 Ghost 54 Hostile stare 56 “I’ve got it!” 57 Escaped: at ___ 58 Add sugar to 60 It soars above the melody 62 Nucleic acid 65 Gin partner 66 Changing 67 Sesame ___ 68 Mennonite sect 69 Goalie Patrick 70 Dispositions 72 UK network 73 Tidal whirlpool off Deer Island, N.B.: “Old ___” 74 Wind dir. 75 Catch 40 winks 76 Cut covering 78 Sass 79 Shining 82 French 85 Vets’ club 87 Weeps 89 Ancient Greek epic 90 Attractive to metal 92 Whit 93 Chef’s workplace 94 French girlfriend

95 Little rascal 96 Norwegian saint 97 Copier stuff 98 French thinker? 99 VIA unit 100 Anger DOWN 1 Speech 2 Spoils 3 Lowest deck 4 Dawn 5 Meadow bellow 6 Ms. Lavigne 7 Hoods hanging together 8 Genealogy focus 9 Sharp ridge 10 Eat on white linen 11 Saguenay summer time 12 African desert 13 Sports venue 14 Have a ___ to pick with someone 15 Greek mountain 16 Endure 23 It keeps you healthy (4 wds.) 26 ___ who? 28 ___-of-war 30 Your brain, in techspeak 32 N.W.T. hamlet, briefly

34 Spot 35 Roast beef au ___ 36 Raggedy 37 Sound rebound 38 Consider 39 Fuel 40 I love, to Caesar 41 Originating in animals 42 Become mature 43 Piece of cake! (4 wds.) 44 Square one 45 ___ pong 48 Anesthetic, once 51 Repair a tear 52 Geranium or ivy 53 Tapestry 55 Hawaiian neckwear 58 Cut 59 Where baby grows 61 Quote 63 Born (Fr.) 64 Want ___ 66 I do, e.g. 67 Largest Great Lake 69 Steal 71 Powder 73 Bag (Fr.) 74 He signed the contract 76 One in chains 77 Apple drink 78 Legal 79 Soul

80 Garlic sauce 81 Gold or silver 82 Meat of the matter

83 Woman’s voice 84 Maned cat 85 Limping

86 Of the ear 88 Ump’s cry 90 Rug

91 First aid tech.

WEEKLY STARS ARIES (MAR. 21 TO APR. 19) Travel plans could be interrupted by the re-emergence of a workplace problem that was never quite fully resolved. Deal with it at once, and then take off on that well-deserved trip. TAURUS (APR. 20 TO MAY 20) Aspects favor cultural activities for sensuous Bovines. Attend a concert or an art show. Better yet, create something yourself (a poem, perhaps?), and dedicate it to someone special. GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) Respect any doubts you might now be feeling about a new situation. They could be reflecting your inner awareness that some essential information might be missing. Check it out. CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)

It’s important to start the new month with as clean a slate as possible. Either complete all those unfinished tasks or pass them on to others who would be more than happy to take them on. LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) This is a good time to cut down on expenses and tame that urge to splurge. Applying some financial discipline now could help the Big Cat ride out a possible monetary crunch later on. VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) Money matters are dominant this week. Recheck your accounts and make sure they’re up-to-date. Also, pay more attention to personal issues before they become major problems. LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) You might be tempted to employ the same tactics as your adversary,

but that could backfire. Better to use the same balanced approach that has worked for you before and could again. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) A changing workplace environment could stir up confusion as well as apprehension. Best to ignore the rumors and get the facts. You could find that the changes bring positive elements. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) Communication is easier this week, with people ready and eager to hear what you have to say. Also, check for possible technical problems before you start your new project. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN.19) Aspects favor change for the usually traditional Goat. Opening your mind to possibilities you had ignored could lead you to make

decisions you once considered improbable. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) Making personal as well as professional adjustments to changing conditions might be easier with more information explaining the hows and the whys of the situations in question. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MAR. 20) With a growing tide of positive reactions to buoy your confidence, this could be the right time to put the finishing touches on your new project and get it well and truly launched. YOU BORN THIS WEEK: You have a gift for setting an example of quiet, calm reasoning in the midst of chaotic conditions. (c) 2006 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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 31

INDEPENDENTSPORTS

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2006 — PAGE 29

Coach Scott Betts and the Sea-Hawks soccer team.

Paul Daly/The Independent

Sea-Hawks on top Memorial University’s men’s soccer team shooting for Atlantic University Conference title By John Hogan For The Independent

t’s been 23 years since a team from Newfoundland and Labrador has won the men’s Atlantic University Conference soccer title, but with a solid mix of veterans and rookies, this year’s version of the Memorial University Sea-Hawks want nothing less than a championship. Head coach Scott Betts, in his 10th year leading the team — after six years as an assistant — knows the competition in the Atlantic University Sport conference is tough. The focus early on in the season is simply to gain a playoff spot. Once that happens, Betts believes any team, including Memorial, can win it all. “So far this season it looks like there is real parity in the league,” Betts tells

The Independent. “A number of teams have experienced a substantial turnover within their rosters. The league appears to be very young and so I would anticipate a real variety in results throughout the season. I expect us to be very competitive in every game.” But Betts chooses not to rank his opponents or pick favourites — he says doing so is “only setting yourself up for disaster.” The 2006 Sea-Hawks include several players in their fifth and final year of eligibility. Included in this group is central mid-fielder Steve Croft, who believes his team has as much a chance to win as any other. “There is no doubt in my mind we can win,” says Croft. “With the good combination of experience and youth we can compete with everyone in the league. We have the ability to compete with and beat any team in the league.

Whether we do or not is up to us.” As Croft says, a major hurdle for any university soccer team is having to come together quickly. The majority of Sea-Hawks players participated with the various Challenge Cup teams in the Newfoundland Senior Soccer league this past summer. SEASON CHANGE With the university season starting just a week after the Challenge Cup season finishes, the players must immediately adjust to new teammates, a new system and a new coach. “It was kind of hard for everyone to learn a new system after playing with their club teams for the entire summer,” he says. “But we’ve managed to come together quickly as a team. We’ve managed to secure some points early, too, which is helpful. We know we are only going to get stronger as the season

moves along and as we play more together. Even after four games, you can already see that the guys are getting used to other people’s habits and tendencies.” As for the rookies, Ryan Yetman, Zach Wade, Chris White and Andre Le have established themselves and managed to win starting jobs with the SeaHawks. Betts points out that four of 10 position players, excluding the goaltender, are being filled by rookies. Betts says he has complete faith in his young stars, more so than any other crop of rookies he has had in the past. After two weekends of play (as of Sept. 22), the Sea-Hawks sit tied atop the standings with Dalhousie University, having collected two wins, a tie and a single loss after four games. Memorial currently leads the league See “To be happy,” page 30

The ATV debate Paul Smith says ‘poor man’s helicopter’ a handy hunting tool, if environment is respected and rules followed

just walked in the house after washing off my quad. It was caked with mud, bog, blood and caribou hair — remnants of a memorable and successful day hunting the Newfoundland backcountry. Cleaning up my off-road beast is a down and dirty business, nothing like shining the family car for a Sunday drive. To begin with, only a catastrophic event like hydroplaning or a collision with Mr. Moose could possibly render the old grocery hauler to such a condition, both of which I take the utmost precaution to avoid. Anyway, back to my quad. The

PAUL SMITH

The Rock

Outdoors numerous nooks and crannies of its drive train and suspension were stuffed with a witch’s brew-like mixture of black mucky bog, grass and sticks. Here’s a hint: driving the front wheels up on a set of mechanic’s ramps makes hosing off and handpicking debris from the front end

much easier on a hunter’s weary back. Naturally the same is true for the rear. A word of caution: use power washers with extreme care. The high-pressure jet spray makes short work of caked on dirt but can bestow havoc on seals, boots, and electrical connections. I play it safe and stick with the garden hose and hand picking. BOG-FREE ENGINE Be sure and get all that bog cleaned away from the engine, exhaust manifold, and muffler. This stuff dries to a very combustible solid fuel that could ignite on your next outing. It’s prudent

to carry a small fire extinguisher strategically located for quick access. When I finally got all the functional stuff clean — or at least free of debris — I mixed up a bucket of regular carwash water and did some cosmetic sponging. I had a little extra spic and span in me this morning; I broke out the Spray Nine and elbow grease. The almost new Arctic Cat actually looked new for a change. You never know, my wife and I might take a Sunday rail-bed ride before my next hunting trip. When ATVs rapidly gained recreational popularity in the 1980s, I was

steadfastly, almost narrow-mindedly, critical. Although they were excellent utility machines suited for farm work and firewood hauling, their insurgence into the hunting world would prove disastrous. This was how I felt and I argued my position at every opportunity. We were meant to hunt on foot. An older and wiser co-worker, who was very seasoned in the outdoors, had quite a different perspective that led to a gradual mellowing of my view. He referred to ATVs as helicopSee “Poor man’s helicopter,” page 30

A stunning collection of photography from the portfolio of The Independent’s own Paul Daly. Available this fall. To preorder your copy, contact

Boulder Publications at 895-6483

30 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS

Provincial marathon record broken

ourse records were set by the male and female winners in the Newfoundland provincial marathon held Sept. 17. Caroline McIlroy set a new record as the fastest female in Newfoundland and Labrador to run a certified Athletics Canada marathon (42.2 km) course locally, with a time of 2:48:27. The overall winner, William Fitzgerald set a new course record for the males, running in 2:36:33. The race began 7:30 a.m. at the Reid Centre in Mount Pearl. The finish line is in Bowring Park. Fifty-two runners completed the full marathon course; 86 ran the half-marathon distance. The top three times in each race were: Marathon (women) 1. Caroline McIlroy 2:48:27 2. Marie Decker 3:09:41 3. Joan Hartery 3:34:46 Marathon (men) 1. William Fitzgerald 2:36:33 2. Bill Pomeroy 2:56:58 3. Garrett Handrigan 3:03:41 Half-marathon (women) 1. Jennifer Murrin 1:33:06 2. Christiane Martin 1:36:30 3. Laura Pomeroy 1:36:54 Half-marathon (men) 1. Brian Norman 1:19:53 2. Glen Noel 1:22:45 3. Art Meany 1:25:47 The races were presented by the Nautilus Running Club. All finishing times are available at www.nlaa.ca.

Esk’s Gass fined

he Edmonton Eskimos announced last week that linebacker A.J. Gass has been fined an unspecified amount by the CFL for kicking Hamilton receiver Brock Ralph during a game last weekend. The Eskimos said they had been informed of the fine early yesterday, although the league hadn't yet made an official announcement. In the dying seconds of Hamilton's 27-22 home win over Edmonton on Sept. 16, Gass became so incensed at a low block by Ralph that he kicked the Ticats receiver. — Torstar wire service

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

The colours of Clinton Memorial’s soccer captain overcomes penalty shot loss and gets back to scoring By John Rieti For The Independent

linton Edwards wheels into the penalty box, sneaks behind a defender and with one decisive flick of the head scores the game’s first

goal. Relief floods over the Sea-Hawks and the crowd, and the cold sun shining on King George V field lights up their smiles. It’s Edwards’ third goal in four games this season, and more importantly, the game-winner. The set of home games against the UPEI Panthers Sept. 16 and 17 was the first chance for fans to see one of the best sides MUN has ever assembled – a mix of experienced veterans and promising rookies. But the team has a lot to bounce back from, especially the damage done by a loss in a penalty shootout to end last year’s playoffs. In the quarter-final loss to the Cape Breton Capers last season, both teams took five penalty shots. Edwards went first, and painfully watched his shot get stopped. The Capers wouldn’t miss, scoring on all five, and the Sea-Hawks’ season was over. “I haven’t taken (a penalty shot) since,” says Edwards. When asked if he fears taking another one, he’s quick to respond. “Not at all, next time I take one … I guarantee it’s in the back of the net,” he says. Missing a penalty shot can be devastating. Some players never regain the confidence to take another. Edwards, however, is a perfect example of the resilient athlete. Until he scored the first goal, the game on Sept. 17 hadn’t been easy for him. During the first half, Edwards’ streaking runs along the sidelines were shut down. On one play he was thrown to the ground after trying to spin past his defender. No foul was called on the play, but after some grimacing, Edwards went right back to attacking. Although coach Scott Betts plays him as a sweeper, describing Edwards’ game is effectively the same as explaining the entire game of soccer. On offense he streaks down the sidelines, but often cuts to the middle of the field, causing mass havoc for defenders. He takes corner kicks, and is a constant threat to smash in a goal. He also passes the ball like a midfielder, smartly setting up players and helping his teammates. “It’s easy playing with these guys,” he says of his striking counterparts. Playing alongside Edwards is rookie Chris White. The pair not only share similar haircuts, but have very similar offensive styles as well. When White punches in the second goal of the game fans get a glimpse at the future of MUN soccer, one highly influenced by Edwards. Although Edwards seems to be purely an offensive weapon, he was named to the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) all-star team last year as a back. Not

Clinton Edwards

Paul Daly/The Independent

even all the way back, like the games he spent playing goalkeeper last season while starter Jon Douglas was suspended and backup Matthew Peddle was injured. “I’ll do anything for the team,” says Edwards after the game. But did he enjoy playing in goal? “Definitely not.”

Edwards says the team is just starting to figure each other out. “You really don’t know each other at the start of a season,” he says. As a fourth-year player and team captain, he is expected to unite the team. “I have to be a leader, especially to help the young guys.”

‘Poor man’s helicopters’ From page 29 ters for the poor. My friend maintained that rich and privileged outdoor enthusiasts had long enjoyed wilderness cabins for hunting and fishing because they could afford float planes or helicopters to get them to their weekend getaways. Now we less financially fortunate hunters and fishers could get miles away from the main road without Iron Man athletic capabilities. He reminded me I would grow older and less agile, but I might still like to get back in the country.

Breathe through a straw for 60 seconds. That’s what breathing is like with cystic fibrosis. No wonder so many people with CF stop breathing in their early 30s.

BIG STAG TRANSPORT So who was right? Well, this morning I washed my Arctic Cat— the quad I used yesterday to harvest a caribou many kilometres from the road. I’m older but I can still walk and I love to hunt on foot. But I certainly couldn’t have carried that big stag out without mechanical aid. While back in the country, I met a 68-year-old hunter who just last year underwent open-heart surgery. Thanks to his ATV he could still hunt caribou and enjoy the outdoors. I know another man who is disabled in both legs but hunts rabbits from his quad. I’ve conceded ATVs play an important and legitimate role in hunting, if used responsibly. First off, ATVs should never be used to pursue

Paul Smith is a freelance writer living in Spaniard’s Bay, enjoying all the outdoors Newfoundland and Labrador has to offer. flyfishtherock@hotmail.com

Solutions for crossword on page 28

‘To be happy is to be perfect’ From page 29

Please help us. Solutions for sudoku on page 28

1-800-378-CCFF • www.cysticfibrosis.ca

or chase down game. My notion of ethical ATV hunting is utilitarian. We drive back in the country on a designated trail, park our machines, and then hunt on foot. If we’re successful, we return to our quads and use them to transport the meat to the road. I suppose a purist could argue that if an animal is too far in the county to pack out via human locomotion, it should stay there. A part of me still agrees with this philosophy. Maybe I’m a backslider, a victim of “if you can’t beat them — join them.” But planes and helicopters have always been legal for transporting game, even in designated wilderness areas where ATVs remain illegal. Few issues are black and white. Logging companies continue to build access roads that sacrifice wilderness and wildlife for prosperity. I guess it’s OK for us common folk to use our “poor man’s helicopters” to get to our cabins and do a little hunting. But please, respect the environment and play safe. Wear your helmet and stay on designated trails. In Newfoundland, hunters are only permitted off designated trails to retrieve game.

in goals, having scored 10 in the first four games. Betts refers to striker Clinton Edwards as the team’s leader. Edwards is no stranger to winning teams, having been part of the St. Lawrence Laurentians championship Challenge Cup teams over the past several years. Betts also feels his defenders have a nice combination of speed and toughness, and players such as Jeremy Babstock and Croft will be able to out-work anyone throw at them. Despite being on top of the table, Betts still demands more. “Presently we have two wins, one tie and a loss,” he says. “I can’t say I am happy with that. To be happy is to

be perfect, otherwise you have had letdowns and that just isn’t good enough. “Quite simply, we have made mistakes in games that have cost us the result. While I am happy with some individual performances, we have a loss and a tie so there is work to be done and there just isn’t time to sit and enjoy any single victory.” The Sea-Hawks have three upcoming road games, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, against Dalhousie, Acadia and St. Mary’s. “This is a make or break series of games for our season,” says Betts. “After this, you can be sitting good or all of sudden struggling for a playoff spot.” For up-to-date Sea-Hawks schedules and results, visit www.mun.ca/athletics

SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 31

Can Hurricanes pull it off again? By Damien Cox Torstar wire service

t wasn’t difficult this summer to find multiple football magazines projecting the Carolina Panthers to be at least a participant in this year’s Super Bowl, if not the outright winner. But try to find a hockey publication, or a broadcaster, who believes the Carolina Hurricanes will hoist the Stanley Cup again next spring. The football Panthers, based in Charlotte, N.C., have made it to the big game before but never won it. Yet they’re supposedly champions in waiting. The Canes, who call Raleigh home, followed up a tremendous regular season with a thrilling triumph in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final over Edmonton just three months ago. But they’re supposedly not a prime contender this season. “That’s okay. A lot of people picked us to miss the playoffs entirely last season,” says Canes GM Jim Rutherford. It is easy to forget what a good team this was last season — not to mention a profitable one for the first time since moving south — from October right through that final game. With coach Peter Laviolette squeezing every possible ounce of performance out of his lineup, Carolina roared to a 112-point regular season despite losing prolific winger Erik Cole partway through the campaign with a fractured vertebrae in his neck. Then again, it’s also easy to forget just how close they came to being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Montreal. If not for an accidental Justin Williams high-stick on Saku Koivu, the playoffs might have gone a very different way. But the Canes survived, flattened red-

hot New Jersey in the second round, battled through Buffalo in the conference final and then topped the Oilers. They won’t go down as one of the greatest teams to ever take the ice. But they were the best team in the chaotic first year of the NHL salary cap era, a turbulent time that left clubs like the Maple Leafs gasping for air. “I don’t see why our team would take a step backwards now,” says Rutherford. Doug Weight and Mark Recchi left via free agency to St. Louis and Pittsburgh, respectively, but neither was an absolutely crucial component in winning the Cup. Goalie Martin Gerber is in Ottawa, but he was supplanted by Conn Smythe Trophy winner Cam Ward in the playoffs. Defenceman Aaron Ward and winger Matt Cullen were the key players lost, both to the Rangers via free agency. The other main problems for Rutherford and Laviolette are serious shoulder injuries to winger Cory Stillman and defenceman Frantisek Kaberle. Stillman’s out until November or December. Kaberle may not be back until January. Or later. Even if Eric Staal and Rod Brind’Amour duplicate their seasons, the absence of Cullen, Stillman and their offensive pizzazz will be substantial. Maybe Andrew Ladd’s ready to be a full-time scorer. Rutherford also brought in Scott Walker, Shane Willis, Brad Isbister and Trevor Letowski, all capable if unspectacular vets. Conveniently, the defending champs will go into the season without being touted as favourites to win it all, which might even allow them to sneak in under the radar again. Their 0-2 North Carolina football brethren should be so lucky.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Tie Domi announces his retirement. Mike Cassese/Reuters

Domi’s farewell to arms By Paul Hunter Torstar wire service

ombastic, always fearless, frequently self-promoting and even iconic, the word retiring has never been used to describe Tie Domi. Until now. After a career that included some 270 NHL fights — some breaking his body though it was the Maple Leafs that ultimately broke his spirit — Domi punched out for good Sept. 19 after 16 seasons. Even a vicious uppercut couldn’t beat back the ravages of time. But this warrior wasn’t carried out on his shield; instead he went out on a satellite dish. The 36-year-old will join TSN as a broadcaster, now using his hard-headedness for ratings instead of rampaging. Domi’s farewell to arms was, surprisingly, understated. While it seemed odd that a fourth-line winger would require a press conference to say goodbye, that it drew almost as many reporters as he had career goals says much about Domi’s star power in this market. Love him or hate him, and there was rarely middle ground, you could never argue his popularity. But Domi’s send-off went deeper than the teary-eyed photo op we knew was coming since about mid-way through last season. He used the gathering to publicly patch up any ill-feelings that may have festered towards the Leafs after they bought him out of the final year of his contract. He finally conceded that his vicious elbow on Scott Niedermayer in the 2001 playoffs was the “stupidest thing” he’d ever done in his life, though he was less contrite on the Ulf Samuelsson mugging earlier in his career. And he admitted that, even if the Leafs hadn’t terminated his contract, he still might have retired, his body unable to handle the ravages of a game, especially with its emphasis on special teams, that was passing him by. “I tried skating a couple of weeks ago and, you know what, if I was playing this year, the way I felt on the ice, we still might be having this press conference today,” he said. “I have no

regrets.” It was the kind of grace and modesty his critics would say was too rarely present in a career that was often about aggrandizing Tie Domi. Seeing Domi this way and not as the blowhard whose influence on a franchise exceeded the explainable for a five-goal scorer, it was easier to understand why team captain Mats Sundin had pushed management to bring the enforcer back for another season and why several of his teammates — including Sundin, Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker — were on hand for his send-off. In the end, the guys he’d stood up for during what really was a remarkable career, stood up for him. “If I could have a career in professional hockey, then every kid can dream the dream,” said Domi, who, despite being only 5-foot-10, repeatedly took on the fiercest of opponents, making himself one of the most beloved Leafs in the process. And though he didn’t go out on his own terms, that potentially ugly parting didn’t drive a rift between him and the organization. “I’m not bitter. I’m not Dave Keon. But I played here a long time,” said Domi. “I really think Dave Keon has to get off his horse and face the facts. He’s loved in this city and this country as a Maple Leaf and it would be a shame if he never comes back here (to honour) his jersey.” Several of the Toronto brass, including general manager John Ferguson, attended the press conference though Domi will have no official connection with the franchise. Domi said some teams expressed interest in him as a player, but he said he wasn’t interested anyway. “I had to have closure and I had to have closure as a Toronto Maple Leaf,” he said. “You are bitter for a couple of days but life goes on. I couldn’t see myself going anywhere else. “I’m not bitter at the Toronto Maple Leafs at all. Business is business. I was very fortunate to be here a long time. “To become a household name in this city is something that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”

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INDEPENDENTCLASSIFIED FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2006 — PAGE 32