VOL.5 ISSUE 26
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ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JUNE 29-JULY 5, 2007
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WWW.THEINDEPENDENT.CA —
$1.50 HOME DELIVERY (HST included); $2.00 RETAIL (HST included)
BUSINESS 13
LIFE 17
More renos at Canada’s tenth busiest airport
Painting Prescott Street with Jean Claude Roy
A LOSS COMPOUNDED
Power options ‘No longer do we have to go the Quebec route’: premier IVAN MORGAN
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deal between Newfoundland and Labrador and Rhode Island for the purchase of Lower Churchill power makes an undersea transmission route more viable, says Premier Danny Williams. He says such a route — which would bypass Quebec — gives the province more options in the development of the Lower Churchill project. “The undersea route has always been a personal preference of mine — just a personal preference — for all the obvious reasons,” Williams tells The Independent “And we have to make sure it works from a cost perspective. It will probably never be cost-equivalent to an overland route through Quebec. However, if we can get good, secure contracts down there, and as prices escalate and over time … you know, we think it’s a good way to go because it gives us options.” The memorandum of understanding between Rhode Island and the province was signed during the conference of New England Governors
and Eastern Canadian Premiers June 27 in P.E.I. Options to deliver the power include an underwater east and south route; a fork through Quebec that leads down through New Brunswick to the northeastern United States; or across Quebec to Ontario. “No longer do we have to go the Quebec route and have to go into Ontario,” says Williams. “Where we’ve got the demand and we’ve got the prices, this is becoming very, very viable.” The premier says the province also has options when it comes to buyers. “The minister of Environment for Nova Scotia and the premier of Nova Scotia came to me during these meetings and said, ‘Don’t eliminate us from this. You can land in Cape Breton, that’s a shorter route, and we’d be interested in transporting our power down to the bigger market — New York and Boston and that,’” Williams says. “People want this power.” New Brunswick has also expressed interest in having Lower Churchill power fed through their province. Williams says the Rhode Island MOU is opening up all these See “Rhode Island,” page 2
Under investigation Independent article spurs police review of St. John’s lawyer BRIAN CALLAHAN
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harges were never considered against the lawyer who advised the Parsons family in the hours after Matthew Churchill was struck and killed by a hit-andrun driver two years ago. But now — two years and four months after that March evening, and almost seven months after Robert Parsons was convicted — the police are investigating that lawyer, Keith Rose, and the role he played. The RNC made the decision after The Independent reported two weeks ago that a complaint had been filed against Rose with the Newfoundland and Labrador Law Society. The complaint, filed by Churchill’s father, Rod, includes transcripts of testimony at Parsons’ trial that showed Rose advised the Parsons family not to report the accident to police right away. Witnesses testified under oath that
the family were instead told to leave the home and meet Rose at his office in the morning. Rose was giving the Parsons family legal advice during that time; Bob Simmonds would later take over the case and defend Parsons at trial. “We read the article, and as a result of that information we are doing a review to see if a charge is warranted,” RNC Const. Paul Davis tells The Independent. “The review is an investigation, yes.” Parsons testified he drank alcohol before the crash, but it could never be determined how much because he didn’t come forward as the suspect driver until three days later. Thus, no drinking-related charge was ever laid. Nor was the death ever found to be his fault. Parsons was charged with failing to stop and help at the scene of an accident where he knew, or ought to have known, someone was hurt or See “Rose,” page 2
Within hours of Gail Hollahan’s son’s sudden death, rumours had spread — by word of mouth and Internet — that 14-year-old Lance (photo in hand) died from an overdose of the drug ecstasy. According to Lance’s family, the teenager actually suffered from a rare and fatal heart condition. See story on page 4. Paul Daly/The Independent
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “My safest bet in housing, I sometimes think, would be a large cardboard box on the Health Sciences parking lot.” — Columnist Ray Guy. See page 5
Mink disease may finish off already endangered species: conservationist By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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Potential ‘disaster’ for pine marten
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he island’s endangered pine marten may be facing a new threat — Aleutian disease. The province recently announced the outbreak of the extremely contagious, and often fatal, viral infection that affects mink and related animals in at least one commercial mink farm in the province. All mink farms in the province are under voluntary quarantine and the entry of more mink has been suspended. “My concern with the Aleutian disease is that it may spread to the pine marten, because marten and mink are close family animals,” says Newfoundland and Labrador Wildlife Federation executive director Rick Bouzan. “We may lose what we have left of this endangered subspecies of pine marten. “I see disaster here. It’s written all over it.” Common in other parts of the world, this is the first time the virus
has been reported in the province. Bouzan is concerned it will spread from commercial farms to the wild mink population and then to the tiny remnant of the endangered pine marten population. Dr. Hossain Farid, a professor of animal breeding and genetics at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, has been studying the Aleutian virus for decades. He says is it possible the pine marten could be susceptible to the virus. “They’re very similar (mink and marten), so it is possible that they could get infected,” says Farid. “But if they are lethal to them, we don’t know.” He says the virus moves easily between farms and wild animals, as many creatures are attracted to commercial farms by the feed, waste and other potential foods. Even a mosquito, says Farid, can transfer the virus. He says Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources has evidence of the virus infecting its marten populaSee “It could be banal,” page 2
2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
tion. “They have a pine marten as well,” Farid says of Nova Scotia, “and I was told by them in no uncertain terms that they found at least one pine marten that was infected with the virus. They tested that.” Unfortunately, Farid says, the lack of research on wild animals’ response to the virus leads to guessing. He says it’s known the virus is very contagious, has a variety of strains, passes between animals easily and can become more dangerous each time it crosses species. Farid says it can be assumed every related wild animal in Nova Scotia is infected with Aleutian, possibly including cats and mice. Dr. Hugh Whitney, veterinarian with Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Natural Resources, says the pine marten could be at risk, but cautions it is too early to say what the impact will be. “It could be banal, or it could be significant,” says Whitney. “It would require the mink and the marten share habitat, or there be infected farms in the area — none of which we’ve confirmed. It is one of the many questions that come up in this. We’ll be following all of them to see where they take us.” Whitney says the province is trying to establish whether this outbreak has spread to the province’s wild animal population, or whether it originated in the wild. “We’re only a couple of weeks in to all of this,” says Whitney. “We have to get the virus typed and all sorts of work has to be done before Pine marten we can get close to understanding that.” Whitney says he will be working with wildlife agencies interested in studying wild animals — “They don’t do enough research before they particularly mink and marten — but the depart- do it,” he says. “They just forge ahead as if ment won’t investigate the animals themselves. there’s nothing to it. If there’s a buck to be made, They will be working with Wildlife to help somebody footed somebody’s political bill, and answer any questions they would have on the hey, you know, you got to pay the piper now, potential impact on wild species as well as “help- right?” ing us all understand whether it went one way or He says the province doesn’t listen when the other.” groups like his try to warn them of the implicaWhitney says the department’s focus is on the tions of their actions. commercial mink industry, supporting their need “So we have concerns, but sometimes talking to get rid of the virus and get back to business. to our government, if I may be blunt and not Bouzan, who was active in the late 1970s in sound crude, is like pissing into the wind. If the fight to protect the pine marten’s habitat from we’re going to make an error here, we should err logging, says the provincial government doesn’t on the side of the endangered pine marten.” properly study the impact that ventures, like mink ranches, can have on the province. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
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know it’s hard to take, but developing the lower Churchill is going to require we sit down with Hydro-Québec and cut a deal. Yes, the same Hydro-Québec we hold in such contempt over the upper Churchill power contract. I know we like to talk about going it alone and doing our own thing and developing the power for our own use and so on. But we have to come to the realization that economically developing the lower Churchill will mean moving power west — and that means through Quebec. Like it or not, the government of Quebec, through Hydro-Québec, will be involved with this deal, if it should ever get done. I say if and not when because a deal on the lower Churchill is going to be a tough sell for any provincial government. Our best option for selling the power seems to be with the government of Ontario. The demand for clean energy is on the rise in Canada generally and especially in Ontario, so the lower Churchill is quite attractive. Ontario is in need of new sources of energy and they are out looking for them right now. The government of Ontario seems to have taken quite a shine to the lower Churchill as one of those new sources of power. Ontario would be an attractive customer for us as well, but to get the energy to their market will require a lot of things, not the least of which is a deal to wheel power through Quebec. There are lots of people who believe we should not be selling this power at all but developing it for our own use. I agree a portion of the power should remain in the control of our own energy company and should be made available for new industries, but we must also recognize that a multibillion-dollar investment of the type required for the lower Churchill also requires a return to investors. For that to happen, customers must be in place long before the power comes on line. Signed power contracts — not speculation — are what will attract investors over future developments. Given our current relationship with Ottawa, the promise of help for the development of the lower Churchill may have to go on the back burner for a while. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think Danny Williams and Stephen Harper are ever going to kiss and make up and we must know that fighting with this prime minister is going to bring consequences. Consider the withdrawal of road money for the Trans-Labrador Highway and it’s not much of a stretch to see any kind of commitment to aiding the development of the lower Churchill going out the window as well. In fact, I would think things other than constitutionally prescribed obligations will drop off the table as far as the Harper government is con-
RANDY SIMMS
Page 2 talk cerned. Newfoundland and Labrador is not in a financial position to develop the project on its own. Financing the deal will require major investment from the private sector. These investors are not likely to agree on a more costly investment than is necessary to get the job done and start the profits flowing. Thus the Anglo-Saxon route, long talked about by everyone from Joey Smallwood to Dean MacDonald, the current president of Newfoundland Hydro, is likely not a deal maker, but a deal breaker. EXPENSIVE ORDEAL The idea of bringing power lines east and bypassing Quebec altogether and perhaps sending the power through some underwater route to a different terminus point is, sadly for us, a lot more expensive than doing a deal with our arch energy rivals in Quebec. Now comes the politics. Doing a deal with Hydro-Québec is not going to go down well with the people of this province. If Williams were to ever announce that he had come to terms with Hydro-Québec, no matter what the details, it would take a lot for people to accept it. Granted, with his current popularity rating, Williams may be the only one who could do it and survive. Any deal with Quebec will be viewed as a give-away of sorts and the political price to be paid for such a move is unknown — but we can predict it will be quite high. I’m not holding out a lot of hope for a quick solution here, and I’m not holding my breath waiting for a “go-ahead” announcement either. To be honest, we should try and get over this anti-Hydro-Québec thing and the sooner we do it the better. I have no problem cutting a deal with them on lower Churchill and I don’t need to see it tied to reopening the upper Churchill contract for it to happen. Some will say good politics demands we tell Hydro-Québec to go to hell, but I say smart politics is getting a good deal done and expanding our economy. If that’s a give-away, then I’m guilty. Randy Simms is host of VOCM’s Open Line radio program. rsimms@nf.sympatico.ca
‘Rhode Island wants our power’ From page 1 options. While the project faces many hurdles before it is a done deal, he thinks the new agreement “is the way to go,” and the beginning of the process to put together the financing for the long-awaited project. Estimates on replacing the controversial Holyrood power plant, which burns fossil fuel, show a “break-even point” of 600 megawatts of Lower Churchill power. Using the power from Labrador not only solves an environmental problem, but is also financially viable over the long term, the premier says. “So we’re now beginning to pick up pockets of power,” says Williams. “You know, if we use 600 megawatts in (Holyrood), if we use 600 in New Brunswick, if we put 200 in Rhode Island … you’re not too long stacking up 2,800 (the
expected output of the Lower Churchill). And of course, obviously, power will be reserved for Labrador and so on. “So it is all building a case on the financial viability. But from my perspective this project is financially viable anyway.” Williams says Liberal MHA Yvonne Jones’ comment this week that the MOU is an election ploy “is the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard.” “Rhode Island wants our power. They want to get on the inside track,” he says. “They realize the value. They want to get in the queue. “They want to sign a memorandum of understanding so that our government officials and our energy officials can work together to try and advance this so they can have a block of power secured. They recognize that it is clean and it is renewable and it’s the way to go.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Rose: ‘There’s not a shred of truth in it’ From page 1 killed. In November, he was found guilty and sentenced to six months in jail. He served four months and is now free and living in central Newfoundland. Rod Churchill is guarded in his comments on the latest development. “But I will just say I’m happy to see that the police are following up on this, as they should, as more and more information and details come out,” Churchill says. “Other than that, we should just let the police and law society do their work and investigation and see where it leads.” Churchill’s complaint alleges Rose committed “disturbing, unethical and unprofessional conduct unbecoming an officer of the courts.” He notes it’s now up to the police to decide if
Rose obstructed justice and helped Parsons dodge more serious charges. It could be several months before the law society or police make those calls. Contacted by The Independent this week, Rose wouldn’t comment on what legal advice he gave the Parsons family. But he “categorically denies” all allegations in Churchill’s complaint. “There’s not a shred of truth in it,” Rose said. “It will go nowhere. “I did some real estate work for the Parsons in the past, and yes, I gave them advice on the night in question, but that was more than two years ago and as far as I’m concerned it’s a dead issue.” bmcallahan@hotmail.com
Cass Halliday
From page 1
We should get over this anti-Hydro-Québec thing
Gillian Fisher
‘It could be banal, or it could be significant’
JULY 29, 2007
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3
YOUR TOWN
A Canada Day poster outside Canadian Tire in St. John’s.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Fireworks and remembrance Canada Day and Memorial Day celebrations side-by-side in Newfoundland and Labrador By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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rom Nain to Marystown and all points in between, Newfoundland and Labrador is poised to mark the nation’s birthday on Sunday, July 1. As in the rest of the country, it’s going to be a day — indeed a full long weekend — of parades, parties, barbeques, concerts and fireworks. But unlike the rest of the country, July 1 also has a solemn tone in this province, as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians mark the death of hundreds of young soldiers in one tragic First World War battle at Beaumont Hamel in 1916. As a lead-up to the next summer holiday, The Independent asked people around the province what they have planned for the big day. Gander Mayor Claude Elliott says his town will always do something for Canada Day, but they save their energy for the annual Festival of Flight, scheduled for Aug. 1 to 6. “We celebrate the day but it’s not a big thing,” says Elliott. Karen Dicker, town clerk for Nain, the province’s northernmost community, says her town is going full out. The morning of July 1 is devoted to games and activities for the kids. They are also offering a fishing contest with prizes in three categories — biggest, smallest and most. When asked what type of fish are included she says, “any kind, I guess.” A parade is organized for lunchtime, says Dicker, with prizes for best decorated vehicle — ATVs and cars included — and best decorated stroller and bike. There is also a separate prize for the most outrageously dressed person, guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser in
Barry Parsons, a native of Bay Roberts, took these photos last summer in Holyrood, Conception Bay. The middle shot it of Besso’s now-abandoned store and the lower one is an optical illusion caused by a 90-degree turn in the road by the water’s edge where a boat is docked.
this close-knit community. There will be activities at the sports field, with cake, the singing of O Canada, a barbecue, games of chance, fish ponds, rollerball, pull-tab tickets and face painting. The town is also organizing a softball tournament for the day. In the evening there will be a community dance and, following that, fireworks will light up the northern sky. “It is going to be great fun,” says Dicker. Marystown Mayor Sam Synard says his town is trying something new this year. He says the town is going celebrate the good fortune it has enjoyed. “Marystown is lucky. I guess we are the most prosperous community off the beaten path. We have been fortunate with good resources and good industries,” says Synard. He says the town is going to fund a series of activities lasting the entire weekend, starting with the “old-fashioned kitchen party and major fish fry” at the arena, followed by a concert he says should attract several hundred people — local band Eventide will open for the popular traditional music group the Wiseman Brothers. There is also a teen dance on Saturday, a Memorial Day observation Sunday, and then “region-wide” activities for kids at the former Summer Games site. The weekend is shaping up to be much the same in Port aux Basques, except there will be no fireworks. “We polled the community,” says organizer Cindy Seymour, “and asked if they would like fireworks on Canada Day or take that money and give you entertainment every night of the week at Scott’s Cove Park.” The vote is in and there’s live entertainment five nights a week in the park till Labour Day.
Corner Brook has a full slate of activities, says Mayor Charles Pender: an early morning flag-raising ceremony, a popular family breakfast and then a remembrance ceremony at the war memorial in Curling. The party begins at Margaret Bowater Park at 2 p.m. and ends with fireworks at Captain James Cook Lookout, which is visible, says Pender, across the Bay of Islands. “You’ll see cars lined up on the other side of the bay on the highway,” he says, “looking out at the fireworks, and you’ll see some people out in their boats in the bay. “And the weather is always nice here,” he laughs. “We don’t get the fog.” In Twillingate, Mayor Calla Guy says the town leaves the celebrations to groups in the community — the bank is doing something — choosing to focus their efforts on their Fish Fun and Folk Festival, which runs the last week of July. Organizer Lonnie Pilgrim says there are always a lot of people at St. Anthony’s morning flag-raising ceremony. “We usually get hundreds of people there,” says Pilgrim. There is a Memorial parade and RCMP officers will shave their heads to raise money for cancer treatment, family events and, in the evening, a big concert showcasing the region’s talent. Northern Tip Rocks will be presenting Elizabeth Hiller, Justin Foley, St. Anthony’s own Jumping of Trains, and Nasty Weather. And, of course, there will be fireworks. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca Scrunchins will return.
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JUNE 29, 2007
‘He wasn’t at that’ Facing rampant rumours, family of 14-year-old Lance Hollahan says death caused by heart condition — not party drugs By Brian Callahan The Independent
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Gail Hollahan with a photo of her late son Lance.
Paul Daly/The Independent
s if the nightmare of her teenage son’s sudden death wasn’t enough, Gail Hollahan also found herself deflecting fast-spreading rumours that he died of a drug overdose. But what she says most didn’t know was that 14-year-old Lance Hollahan suffered from a rare heart condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rhythm disorder caused by an electrical conduction abnormality in the heart. The disorder causes the heart rate to increase and is fatal in a very small percentage of humans, mostly around Lance’s age. An autopsy has also concluded the “L’il Gangsta” with the infectious personality died of “natural causes.” But even before the death notice was published, there was word on the street that a St. John’s teenager had overdosed on the party drug ecstasy. The only interruption in the family’s grief has been anger over those “unfounded” rumours, which they vehemently deny. Richard, Lance’s 24-year-old brother, says he read the same stories on-line before flying home from Edmonton. “I know my own son, and he wouldn’t be at it,” Gail insists, hugging a framed picture of the pair with what little strength she has left. The photo, a comical snap of Lance cross-dressing — lipstick and blush included — actually made Gail laugh at Caul’s Funeral Home and does so again at her dining room table. No wonder she won’t let go. Rick and Gail Hollahan had three sons together — Lance, Zach, 17, and Richard — before separating. She now lives in the east end, while Rick lives off Thorburn Road, near the Avalon Mall. Last Friday (June 22), Gail says, she and Lance were planning a trip around the bay — but then her youngest asked if he could stay with his father and go to the fair in the mall parking lot. Rick says he spent that evening with Lance and Zach at home, watching wrestling on television until the wee hours before going to sleep. About 8 a.m. the next morning, Zach found his brother on the edge of his bed, gasping for air. “I was holdin’ him, trying to get his
“...there was nothing in his system; no pills, no alcohol, no marijuana … no nothing.” – Rick Hollahan pulse, and it was less and less,” Rick tells The Independent. With no phone at his house, he ran next door “and basically kicked the door in” to call 911. Zach stayed with his brother. An ambulance arrived a short time later, but by 8:17 a.m. Lance Gary Hollahan was pronounced dead. Rick, 43, says he still can’t shake the image of his youngest son, who he repeatedly refers to as the “Energizer bunny,” lying lifeless on the bed. “He just opened his eyes real wide, took a real deep breath … and then he was gone,” he says. The “Energizer Bunny” is a reference to Lance’s active — an understatement, says Rick — lifestyle. “He was always on the go. Non-stop. He knew he had that problem (with his heart), but there was still no stoppin’ him. “If ya had a party on the go, I swear to God that young fella would be the life of it. When he cracked a joke, you’d laugh. Didn’t matter how old you were. That young fella had so much to live for … so, seeing him lying there like that …” And with that, the anger over the rumours that Lance died of a drug overdose returns. “I’d like to meet whoever it was that started with that, and put it on the Internet; I’d snap him like a twig,” Rick says. “They don’t know what they’re at. Someone just heard this … and ran with it. But they don’t know what they’re talkin’ about.” “It’s crazy,” Billy Wilkins, who now lives common-law with Gail, interjects. “I mean, there are good and bad things about the Internet … this is definitely the bad.” The good, however, has been the outpouring of sympathy, memories and messages left on the popular Facebook website. There are at least three groups dedicated to the memory of Lance Hollahan,
each one referring to his crazy-good antics and character. Most of the messages are from friends and relatives, but there are also comments left by teachers and other adults of all ages. For a 14-year-old, Lance apparently packed a lot into his short life, touching people at four different schools, not to mention in Buckmaster’s Circle where he grew up. His mom says his good nature and kind heart also extended to his adopted neighbourhood around Newfoundland Drive. “He made friends with a special-needs girl … helping her when she got on and off the bus, helping her carry her books and stuff,” she says with pride. Lance would jump at the chance to shovel someone out or mow their lawn, Wilkins adds. As the phone continues to ring off the hook, Gail briefly leaves the room to retrieve records of Lance’s doctor’s appointments to deal with his heart condition. The next one was scheduled for October. “I want to say this,” Rick says. “I know my son. He smoked a bit of dope, yes, ’cause I’m after catchin’ him. But pills? No, my friend. If he took a pill, it was for a headache. I’m a man of my word and true to my word. And I can guarantee you he wasn’t at that. “And when that autopsy came back there was nothing in his system; no pills, no alcohol, no marijuana … no nothing. Clean as a whistle. And that says it all.” The RNC confirmed the same, adding they have no records of an overdose on ecstasy in their jurisdiction. And if there was any doubt about the effect Lance Hollahan had on the people he met in his short life, it was discarded along with the “bling,” hats and T-shirts placed in his casket by friends. “They had a tough time closing it,” one friend said. Others have been singing or playing songs by Lance’s favourite artist, Tupac (2Pac) Shakur, in his memory. And someone else left this message on Facebook: “Gonna miss yah, babe. You were way too young to be taken from us … You’re Heaven’s finest angel. Da Original Gang$ta.” bmcallahan@hotmail.com
Province not intervening in important federal fisheries case By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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case touted by some as the biggest fishery issue before the federal Supreme Court in decades will see Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Yukon, and New Brunswick participate as interveners — but not Newfoundland and Labrador. The case involves a dispute over aboriginal and non-aboriginal fishing rights in British Columbia, but the issues before the court, involving Charter rights and the division of authority between federal and provincial governments over the fishery,
have repercussions for this province. Provincial Fisheries Minister Tom Rideout says the province will not be getting involved in the case. He says his legal advisors say all the issues of interest to the province are being argued by other interveners. “Therefore there is nothing new for us to add to the argument,” Rideout tells The Independent. “And on that basis the legal advice is that we not intervene.” Provinces can apply for and receive “leave to intervene” in Supreme Court cases that involve constitutional issues that could affect them. This allows interested provinces to give the court their opinion — even if they are not directly involved. Rideout says it is interesting to note that B.C., where the case originated, is also not intervening. Were something of interest to the province to materialize during the case, says Rideout, he can make a special application to the court to get involved as the case progresses. The case, R vs. Kapp, is being appealed to Canada’s highest court. It will address what limits there are — if any — to federal fisheries jurisdiction. Sources to The Independent asked why the province would not try to strengthen Newfoundland and Labrador’s hand in the management of the fishery by participating in the appeal. Rideout says he will watch and learn as the case works through the courts. Last week the Labrador Métis Nation applied to federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn to allow them a food fishery for salmon in Lake Melville this summer. At issue are conservation rules, aboriginal fishing rights and the rights of others to fish for salmon in the lake — issues similar to those in the Kapp case. When asked if this recent development would affect his decision to stay out of the current court case, Rideout says he had only recently been informed of the Lake Melville development and the matter was under consideration. While nothing has changed yet, he says he “is leaving open the possibility that it might.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5
‘Acting the fool in tough times’ Bit by bit and through hardships only imagined today, we clawed our way up the long centuries
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y safest bet in housing, I sometimes think, would be a large cardboard box on the Health Sciences parking lot. I’m alarmed to see that so many Newfoundlanders are thinking along the same lines. As the lights along our coast blink out forever, the younger ones hightail it west, leaving the older generation to uproot and tumble into the quaintly named town of Paradise now boasting that it is the fastest-growing town in Atlantic Canada. This tightly packed unbroken sprawl of bungs. with mod. cons. may be swelling fast but only because of all the ghost towns left behind and all the younger Newfoundlanders who see no future in Newfoundland. Maybe I’m already too late. Perhaps I should have picked my spot earlier. Soon, I expect, the fastest growing hospital parking lot in Atlantic Canada will be chock full. Why did all this stuff seem to happen so suddenly? Half the reason, if not the fault, is the press. So much of the news we all get is filtered through St. John’s and St. John’s has always had its head
RAY GUY
A Poke In The Eye firmly up its own fundament. There’s St. John’s and everything else is “out around the Bay.” St. John’s is the navel of the universe. I suppose that for so long there were no humbling comparisons closer than Halifax or Waterford — and so this egotistical monstrosity of social geography grew and flourished. The rest of Newfoundland was there to serve St. John’s. St. John’s was there to govern, to its own advantage, the rest of Newfoundland. Headline in a London newspaper: “Heavy Fog in Channel; Europe Isolated.” Well, out of the heavy fog that isolated St. John’s for so long in ignorant bliss comes the ominous boom of a warning buoy. It took 400 years or more to build up this tribe of Newfoundlanders to just over half a million. Scraping, scratching, scrabbling, struggling. Bit by bit and
through hardships only imagined today we clawed our way up the long centuries. Now to find we’re sliding backwards. The Little Mary Sunshines among us have their smiley-face rationalizations. A favourite is that the natural trend in “advanced cultures” is away from the rural and toward the urban. Well, when a large cardboard box on the Health Sciences parking lot is the only urban you’ve got, where’s the joy in that? I don’t expect the urban glamour of George Street is going to convince many young Newfoundlanders that they’re in the suave, swinging, sophisticated capital of anything much. They’re gone, anyway. It is this unremitting and unstoppable “greying” of Newfoundland that dampens the sprits of those left to grey. Even those of us who get paid well enough, take our medications regularly and have some sort of reputation to keep up … that of acting the fool in tough times … are hard pressed to maintain speed when we hear the bong of the warning bell in the fog. That old whipping boy, the politician,
War chests Political parties stash cash for fall election; bank limits Liberals to $400,000 By Ivan Morgan The Independent
W
ith the question of when settled, the province’s main political parties are hard at work on the how, building their financial war chests for the Oct. 9 election. At least one party is facing the fight with little more than a third of the money it fought the last election with. Danny Dumaresque, president of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, says his party’s election budget is capped at $400,000 as part of an agreement the organization made with their bank, to settle debts from the last campaign. “That’s what we asked for, actually,” Dumaresque tells The Independent. “We weren’t ordered to it, but we believe we can run a very credible campaign on that amount of money.” In 2003 the Liberals, under then-premier Roger Grimes, spent $1,152,450 in an unsuccessful re-election bid against Danny Williams and the Progressive Conservatives. During the campaign they raised $323,687, which left them with a debt of $828,763. Ross Reid, campaign chairman for the Progressive Conservatives, is tightlipped about his party’s finances. “I’m not in a position, nor am I inclined to comment,” says Reid. “We are going to run a frugal, responsible election campaign.” In 2003 the Tories spent $977,157, raised $377,580, and were left with a debt of $599,577. “We’re going to be quite responsible in how we approach this, and I am sure we’ll be ready when the time comes,” says Reid. When asked how the Tories will raise funds for this year’s campaign, Reid says there may be a golf tournament coming up, but that is all he knows. “I don’t raise it, I spend it.” Dumaresque says the Liberals are changing their approach from previous campaigns. He says for this election the provincial headquarters will not be preparing “a massive package,” and will instead give local candidates more control. “What we’re saying is let the candidates in the various ridings design their own campaigns to some degree,” says Dumaresque. “And if they choose to have 10,000 … posters with their big smile on them, throughout the district, then that’s their decision, and they’ll pay for it.” He says the provincial organization will have a logo, slogan and pamphlets,
Clockwise from top: Danny Dumaresque, Ross Reid and Nancy Riche. Photos Paul Daly/The Independent
but will leave a lot of the responsibility of spending at the district level. This time around, the Liberals will not be developing a “red book” policy manual for distribution, says Dumaresque; he says it is a waste of money, and has not been effective in influencing how people vote. “Sure there’s not two people who read it.” Dumaresque has “no doubt” the Liberals will be financial underdogs during the upcoming campaign. It’s “conventional wisdom,” he says, the Liberals have never been able to keep up with the Tory party on money. “And here you have a multi-millionaire Mr. Williams, who I’m sure can add a few dollars to the treasury if the donors don’t come forward.” New Democratic Party president Nancy Riche says the party is doing bet-
ter financially than the last time around, but they’re not near where she wants the party to be. “We ran the last campaign … on a little over $100,000,” says Riche. “And it was one of the better campaigns we ever had, because we were so well organized. But we’re going to have a lot more than $100,000 this time.” She says she “wasn’t around” for the last campaign, but has already started fundraising. Riche says she will use her labour movement contacts from across the country to raise funds for the party’s fall campaign. “So we’re not bad. Obviously we’d like to have a hell of a lot more. I’d like to have a half million — but that ain’t going to happen. But it will be more than last time.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Synard promotes Marystown harbour in Ottawa By Ivan Morgan The Independent
S
am Synard was in Ottawa last week to talk to federal government officials about the potential role of Marystown harbour in the Atlantic gateway. The Atlantic gateway concept promotes a deep-water port in Atlantic Canada — most literature suggests Halifax — that will provide global market access to central Canada and the American Eastern Seaboard. He says the Atlantic gateway will
happen, but where the port will be built is still in question. “It is certainly a Halifax game so far, but from talking to those officials here there’s no game — we’re just entering the curve, basically,” Synard tells The Independent. “As the mayor of a small coastal town with good infrastructure, I’m just really curious about the Atlantic gateway concept, and how ports in Newfoundland and Labrador can play a role.” Synard says mega-container ships — giant ships built to handle the huge
increase in global trade — can only fit into two Canadian harbours: Halifax and Marystown. “The point is we have this majestic harbour with these deep-sea, ice-free, sheltered conditions and the most underdeveloped port in eastern North America. But yet it is probably one of the best ports in eastern North America. “We can take any vessel in the world in that harbour, and we’re one of six harbours on the whole Atlantic Eastern Seaboard Atlantic that coast can receive these ships.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
seems hardly up to the task. Danny Williams, for instance, is a caricature of himself and doesn’t need the scattered lash in the arse to make him dance. Danny has lashed himself into a perpetual jig of righteous indignation and the spectacle bores. Nor is it of any benefit to kick the bones of politicians gone before. Given the free vote, they were all of us. We put them there, we kept them there, we idolized them at the time … almost as much as we do Danny today. A few old soldiers still belabour the fishery. What it was, what it is, what went wrong. It was our one great treasure, make no mistake about it. Let paper be phased out and there go Corner Brook and Grand Falls; when the hole is empty Lab City and Wabush will go the way of Buchans and Bell Island; a change in airplane design and the front yards of Goose Bay and Gander will revert to alders and weeds; the end of offshore gas is already in sight. But a codfish laid three million eggs. We have brought that down to one per cent of what used to be and invented blame enough to stretch from Ottawa to
Spain, from the car plants of Windsor to a welfare system that kept us “fishing for stamps” long after the fish tipped over the fatal edge. It’s a dirty bird that fouls its own nest. Perhaps most depressing of all is to witness how, in the midst of our torment, we tend to hiss and lash out at any and all around us … like a battered and injured old tomcat, cornered and in pain. That exaggerated Newfoundland insularity and chauvinism, which was almost endearing — if slightly childish — in less raw, and doubtful times now show signs of a more nasty snarl. Offence is taken where none was intended. Everyone is laughing at us, everyone says we’re silly, everyone is out to get us. This is the raw and unpleasant wind beneath Danny Williams’ wings and it is passing doleful. Let’s make a small bargain. At least once before the bad wind rises too high, you come over to my large cardboard box or I’ll come to yours and we’ll laugh a bit and have a non-prescribed nip in remembrance of times past.
6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
JUNE 29, 2007
‘A Canadian in St. John’s’ After the shocking news of his friend’s murder, Sean Charters reflects on what this really means
T
he front page picture of the June 12 St. John’s daily newspaper shows green nets covering garbage bags in local driveways — a reference to the mixed reaction to the slightly controversial new city bylaw. Amused, I wonder if this is justifiably front-page news. Later that day, I get an e-mail from my friend Nick Karvelas’ address in South Africa. It’s from his 13 year-old son Aristo and reads: “Hi Sean. I am sending this message because my father has been murdered.” Almost simultaneously, an e-mail arrives from my sister Rose, telling me Nick, a school principal, politician and peace activist, has been assassinated. She refers me to online South African media announcements of his death and asks me to call my parents. I do. Life with Nick was an adventure and his stories always made my Dad and Mom laugh so hard they cried. They’re only crying now. I write back to Aristo, weeping but at the same time wanting and managing to carefully choose my words to the young boy. I tell him his father is one of my heroes for his selflessness, interest in the welfare of others, enthusiasm for life and the positive impact he had on so many people he cared about. I tell Aristo many of my friends here feel like they know something about how special Nick was, because I have told so many fun and excitement-filled stories about him. They appreciate how
SEAN CHARTERS
Guest Column important Nick is to me and how he helped shape who I am. Nick was always the most passionate man in the room. We talked a week before his death and I recall his energy — which you could feel, even across all those miles. Nick always reminded me why I both love and hate South Africa. It is a place where there is so much opportunity to give and share, especially for one who cared so deeply for others. Unfortunately, at times Nick’s passion brought him into close contact with strong emotions and frightening violence. I asked him again to be careful. We had spoken very specifically about the privilege of me living in a gun-free environment, where having a different opinion probably won’t get me killed. I remember stepping out of my corner office one evening in the mid-’90s, after witnessing a car hijacking in the Johannesburg street outside my window. I looked left and right and realized that in each office sat someone — myself included — who carried a firearm and had recently been directly affected by violent crime. I began the process of applying for Canadian citizenship on behalf of my
family the very next day. I was literally sick and tired of carrying a gun with a vague notion it might somehow help protect me and I had a strong sense Canada was a place with a rule of law. At the time, statistics showed more young males were being killed or injured and more women being raped in South Africa than during the height of the violence of civil war in the former Yugoslavia. That scared me. St. John’s has been home for us since our arrival in Canada in 1999. I’m both proud and sad that our five-year old daughter has an increasingly strong identity as a Newfoundlander and a diminishing appreciation of her African roots. I am reminded about the covered garbage photograph on the front page of the local paper as I look at the June 13 online edition of The Star out of Johannesburg. A picture of Nick’s body, lying in his driveway and covered by a green blanket, shocks me. The two images impress me as immediate, stark and vivid illustrations of the contrast between the quality of life here and there. Because of his high-profile personality, Nick’s death at least keeps the issue of violent crime in the headlines. He is more than a mere statistic in a country where rampant crime, AIDS, murder, mayhem and destruction statistics have become unbelievably horrifying, so as to be viewed as normal by a numbed populace. I read another story online about a
grandmother, mother and 16-month old baby being shot during a robbery as they waited for roadside assistance in a broken-down car on a South African highway. With this in mind, the difficult decision not to journey to Nick’s South African funeral is made slightly easier. I will instead join Nick’s wife and sons to scatter his ashes in Greece, his ancestral homeland. During the days after Nick’s death, I watch people walking on the trail behind our home, and think about how black, white and Asian-African friends of my elderly parents complain they cannot walk safely around their own neighbourhoods. Violent home invasions have become commonplace. I fear for my parents. Motorcycling through Flatrock, I remember how my father, who has lived all his life in the sunny and warm climes of Southern Africa, has visited Newfoundland often and fallen in love with this beautiful place, where the cold wind blows off the North Atlantic. Early Sunday morning, exhausted and probably still in shock, I went to buy a coffee and bagel and watch icebergs from Signal Hill. I forget Tim Hortons doesn’t accept credit cards. Cashless, embarrassed and delaying the line up, I’m grateful when Randy Gulliver, from DeeJay Charters and Boat Tours, reaches across and pays for me without hesitation. He has no idea who I am and no way of knowing how I’m feeling. His
act of kindness assumes a special significance for me at this traumatic time. It is that unique brand of Canadian decency, with the added value of Newfoundland generosity, at its best. Nick’s wife Mandy hopes his murderers will be caught so their sons don’t grow up angry, bitter and vengeful. A horrible thought for a mother to worry about in a chaotic society. I know there are murders in Canada, but most people are still outraged, police investigate crime and killers get caught. I have a strangely “African” week in St. John’s, as I meet and talk to a nanny from Sierra Leone and a Sudanese security guard. I think about how life has become so cheap in Africa that Africans are compelled to leave … and how Europe and North America too often and conveniently manage to shift the sufferings of that continent off the radar screen. I continue my garbage day ritual of feeding crows and seagulls bread crusts off our deck as recompense, before I once again place our garbage bags on the sidewalk and cover them with a net — without any cynicism or resentment for bylaws. Instead, I say a prayer for the boundless energy and beautiful spirit of a man I love deeply, remember Africa fondly, and give thanks that I’m a Canadian living safely in St. John’s. Sean Charters is Vice President and Managing Partner of Colour-NL, a CCL Group Company, and can be reached at sean@colour.ca or (709)753-1258.
YOURVOICE Military has proud history to be viewed by all Dear editor, Regarding the letter Canadian military sinks to ‘new low’ written to The Independent (June 15, 2007 edition). I can only assume from the lead into the letter that the writer already had a low opinion of the Canadian military. I do not entirely disagree with the notion that a parent should have the right to be advised about a visit by the army at their school. I do believe also that a parent should not use their child as a shield to protect their dislike of the military. You may think I am ex-military. I am not. Nor do I currently have a relative over in the Middle East. I do however wish to address the new low, having just read this letter on June 20. I have just listened to the news relating how three more Canadian soldiers gave their lives today to protect his child and the rest of us from terrorism that is apparently now aimed at Canada. That includes Toronto, and Holyrood. The Canadian military is a career
not unlike a police officer, a fireman, or others that carry dangerous tools and carry out dangerous work. It is the letter writer who has hit the low note here. To even suggest “thank god, the guns were not loaded” is beyond redress. Look to other parts of the world where visits to schools by soldiers are not for a discussion, and the guns are loaded and sadly often used. I believe we both share the wish that as a world community we will strive to be free from the need for a military, but I believe the Canadian military has a proud history, a stellar history that can and should be viewed by all including school children. Electricians sometimes die of electrocution, students sometimes die from school violence, and, yes, soldiers sometimes die in protection of our rights. It is called democracy (with a price) which allows you to have your opinion, and all our children should know this. Len Squires Mount Pearl
Please consider overuse of plastic Dear editor, This past Saturday, I, with a group of East Coast Trail-loving volunteers, spent three hours on the Sugarloaf Path, the beautiful trail — sponsored in part by our city — that runs between Quidi Vidi and Logy Bay. Our focus was to make a dent in the litter of white plastic grocery bags that covered the terrain like a blanket downwind of the Robin Hood Bay landfill. The coastal trail, a few hundred yards seaward, passes the dump, sight unseen. Sight unseen, that is, except for millions of white plastic bags (and other garbage) blown out of the dump, “bagging” our trail, our wildlife and, I believe, our sense of
proper proportion in the environment. I am asking our shopping and eating public, by this letter, to consider our overuse of plastic. We are ruining the environment, stangling our trees, choking our birds and fish. For what? We are using up an oil product for no good cause. I understand a Sobeys or Dominion plastic bag takes 100 years to disintegrate. Why not keep a cloth or canvas bag in your pocket and a box in the car? Reduce and reuse, as we are now teaching our children. Let’s be green about our plastic bag use for the betterment of our only world. Jantje VanHouwelingen St. John’s
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We risk ‘even greater damage’ The following was sent to federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn. A copy was forwarded to The Independent. Minister of Fisheries, Ottawa By coincidence an extensive article in The Independent newspaper (Cod damn, June 22 edition) on the state of the northern cod and its non-recovery arrived on the provincial newsstands this Friday morning at the same time our elected DFO Minister was announcing the resumption of the “food” fishery in 2007.
The Independent carried comments by several persons, including those of DFO scientists who are the only persons with any reliable knowledge and history of our cod resource. One has to wonder how the current DFO minister can possibly justify reopening this depleted, and some argue commercially extinct, fishery when it has such an obvious detrimental impact on its recovery. Especially when the economic and social survival of practically every fishing community in the province is dependent on that fishery being restored.
‘Nine years not a long time’ Dear editor, At the recent NOIA conference, the good old Globe and Mail’s (a.k.a. the Grope and Flail) columnist Jeffrey Simpson (the central Canadian version of an Alabama good ole boy) graced us mere colonials with his august presence in our community. During his speech for a fee, the oligarch of the Simpson clan posed a question and then gave the benighted ones his answer. The question: “Where’s the revenue going to come from? That’s the urgent question,” asked their Jeff. The answer: according to Jeff the answer is two-fold — the federal government and the offshore oil industry. There is a third way: harnessing the full potential of the upper and lower Churchill hydroelectric power sites for our province’s benefit. Churchill Falls plus Gull Island plus Muskrat Falls equals financial independence. We do not have to wait until 2041 to
get Churchill Falls back. There is a way to get Quebec to the negotiating table. I noticed something left undone in Newfoundland’s relations with Quebec and Canada. What I have in mind (and there it will stay until the premier of this place, whomever he may be, bids me speak) will appeal to Quebec’s vanity, her greed, her sense of entitlement, and her sense of historic grievance. As you read this, July 1 and all that day means for this province and former nation is close at hand. On July 1, 2016 the ceremonies marking the centennial of the battle of BeaumontHamel and the quiet, unceremonious coming into effect of the second phase of the Churchill Falls contract, the 25year extension gained at Quebec’s outrageous insistence, will coincide. Having read this, now you know, too. Know this as well — nine years is not a long time. Tom Careen Placentia
These scientists indicated the 2,700 tonnes caught (reported) last year removed eight per cent of the stock. It is unbelievable a politician would blatantly ignore the assessment of renowned scientists and repeat the 2006 experience when the “food” fishery was closed in 2002 because “the fragile stocks showed signs of slipping away.” Now we further risk even greater damage to the stock by attacking it again. Surely it’s time for change in direction on fisheries management. Gus Etchegary Portugal Cove-St. Philips
Culture shock at home Dear editor, I enjoyed reading about Amanda Hancock’s recent trip (Out of Africa, The Independent, June 15). It must have been an eye-opener. I did a similar trip in 1984 with Canada World Youth (www.cwyjcm.org). We spent three months in Quebec and three months in Mission Tove, Togo, living with families and our Togolese counterparts. Like you, we visited Kpalime and the fetish market in Lome; a few of us attended a voodoo ceremony. We got used to shaking hands with the snap of the middle fingers. The most culture shock I experienced was not when we went away, it was when we came back home. The familiar was now unfamiliar. Ken O’Brien St. John’s
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7
Canada Day? Whatever T
ry as I can, and I have tried, I cannot warm to Canada Day. This is probably another of my authority issues, but there is something … icky … about a holiday that is forced upon you. Let’s get one thing straight: I am all about the day off. But Canada Day, with its air of manufactured joy, sticks in my craw. I was raised to believe July 1 was a sombre occasion, and that may have something to do with it. I was raised to think of the brave lads who fought and died in another pointless war 100 years ago. But for whatever reason, the whole Canada Day government celebrations thing just falls flat for me. This isn’t a separatist rant — I’m as happy as a regional Canadian is ever going to be. It’s that Canada Day is so bureaucrat driven — federal bureaucrat driven at that. Not that I blame them, they’re just doing their jobs. They are told to go out and plan events, form
YOURVOICE ‘I pray for Mr. and Mrs. Churchill’ Dear editor, Accidents can happen to anyone. Once, a little brown rabbit broadsided my car. Before I had time to stop, I heard the thump underneath the car. The rabbit managed to make it to the opposite side of the road and die. I retrieved a plastic bag from the car’s trunk and put the rabbit inside. It was an accident. I was not under the influence of alcohol or any other drug. I was driving the speed limit. I could not leave a creature I had killed on the side of the road. Every time I read anything about the late Matthew Churchill or his family I feel sick to my stomach and very, very angry. On the June 15 front page of The Independent, the article reads, “Complaint filed against lawyer who advised Parson’s family after Matthew Churchill’s death.” How could anyone with a flicker of conscience assist in hiding someone who with a vehicle did run down a little boy, leave the little boy on the side of the road, drive home in the same vehicle and park the vehicle in his driveway? What type of person could do such a cruel act? On the night Matthew Churchill’s life was taken away, Mr. Robert Parsons clearly thought about someone. He thought about himself. Why was it necessary to hide out from the police and not report the accident immediately? I see no difference in the person running from a crime scene than someone assisting this fugitive to sneak around in the dark of night to check into a hotel room to hide behind a closed hotel door. I feel anyone who contributes in any way by helping a fugitive hide away or aid in any capacity to prevent the police and the public from knowing the whereabouts of a fugitive should be tried for his/her actions in a court of law. Mr. and Mrs. Churchill must live daily with sadness and grief since their son, Matthew, was killed. It is written that forgiving is not forgetting, it is letting go of the hurt. I pray for Mr. and Mrs. Churchill that someday both of them will reach this place in their lives. Gladys McDonald Holyrood
IVAN MORGAN
Rant & Reason committees, hire bands. So out they go to try and make merry, literally. It’s just so top-down. No one has to be told to make people go camping on the 24th of May. There are no federal government-sponsored Christmas committees. There’s just something off about Canada Day. Is it the calculated CBC politically correct joviality, with too much coverage of performers I don’t know or care about jumping and jiving in front of the building in Ottawa where they shafted us on equalization? “Back to you, Peter,” some breathless correspondent will say from the crowds of happy Ontarians enjoying the show. And the camera will switch
back to Peter Mansbridge, who may not be wearing a tie. It gets on my nerves. Why is that? Maybe it is the inveterate flag-waving? I am a Canadian. I don’t wave the flag. Americans wave the flag. I am sure as hell not American. The official government website tells us we are very proud of the country we have built. I suppose … except it makes me so damn angry half the time. All day, every day, in any part of Canada, everyone is grousing about every other part of the country — wheat farmers, fishermen, aboriginal people, ethnic groups. Are we all supposed to stop, and spend one day pretending everything’s great because the government tells us to? No way. Complaining is a Canadian right. Canada is more an arrangement than a country. It’s too big, too broad and too poorly governed to be a country in the same way the United States, or France, or England is a country.
Quebec is a “nation,” and they celebrated their Fête nationale last weekend — that’s their big day. July 1 is provincial moving day in Quebec, as under Quebec law most leases begin and end on that day. Some ideas just never fly, no matter how much money is thrown at them. I think Canada Day will ultimately prove to be one of those ideas. Here’s a thought. If the federal government — and I include the CBC — stopped pushing Canada Day, didn’t spend a cent on it, no national celebrations on Parliament Hill or sunrise ceremonies on Signal Hill (possibly one of the more obnoxious federal government events, considering our history) how long would it last? Would there be a groundswell from the populace? I doubt it. There isn’t now. People would take the day off, but that would be it. That’s the way it used to be. It used to be called Dominion Day and it was
another long weekend in the summer. I think that is how most people mark Canada Day now: barbecue, camp, lie around the house, mow the lawn. Go Canada. I think my reaction to all the Canada Day hoopla is very Canadian. We Canadians don’t care for hoopla. I know what July 1 means to me. On that day I will do what I have always done. Pull out my copy of The First Five Hundred and sit with a coffee, leafing through the pages, marvelling at those young faces, who put their complete faith in their leaders, marched proudly down to the harbour in St. John’s, their families lining the sidewalks cheering, boarded ships bound for Europe so they could be butchered and ground into the mud for no particularly good reason. Plus ça change, plus ca la même chose. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
MEMORIAL DAY
Members of the First Newfoundland Regiment pose in this undated photo. On July 1, 1916, 801 men went over the top and into battle near the French town of Beaumont Hamel. Two hundred and fifty-five were killed, 386 wounded and 91 went missing; only 64 answered the roll call the next day. Sunday marks the 91st anniversary of the tragedy.
‘Doyle needs to get his priorities straight’ Dear editor, In the June 22 edition of The Independent, Norm Doyle announced he has been lobbying for money to do repairs to the Basilica in St. John’s for the past three years. So that is where he spent a percentage of taxpayers’ time — on church matters? If he paid more attention to state matters in the political arena and worked shoulder-
to-shoulder with Premier Danny Williams, we could be far better off. Doesn’t Mr. Doyle realize there has been a separation of church and state for a number of years? If the Basilica is going to remain standing, then it is a church matter and should be looked after by the rich mother church, the Vatican. Mr. Doyle is getting the Catholic
Church money from public coffers, albeit federal. He is really opening up the floodgates for churches of other faiths who have historical structures as well, most of which I find beautiful. If there was ever a need for an opting-out clause, this is a good case for it. We must not allow federal money to be spent on an old, unsightly building. Put something there that generates
money, not depletes it. Put the $1 million toward fixing our fishing resource, maybe try cod fish farming, as they do with trout. Mr. Doyle needs to get his priorities straight. Marian Walsh, Conception Bay South
Newfoundlanders not diminished by six-letter word Dear editor, My name is Bonnie, and I am a Newfoundlander. You may call me a “newfie,” but not a “newf” — I draw my line there. As a baby boomer who left Newfoundland and has now returned after years working elsewhere, newfie doesn’t bother me in the least. I am proud to be a Newfoundlander or a newfie. A newf often refers to the Newfoundland dog, and given the fact that I am not a dog, nor can I swim, I do not like the term applied to me, or anyone else. But to see the handsome Newfoundland dogs is balm to the soul, regardless of what they are called.
I would suggest the same applies to what we call ourselves or others. In my 30-plus years away from Newfoundland, I was rarely called a newfie. It would not bother me if someone chose to do so. I do not find the term “blue noser” offensive when referring to the Nova Scotians. They came by that term through hard work, suffering cold that caused their noses to be constantly blue. Hence the term blue nosers, and the famous sailing schooner The Bluenose. My two children are Nova Scotians and their e-mail addresses are made up of variations of that term. The British are often called “limeys,” they do not take
offense to that, knowing that the word came from the days when they were given a daily portion of lime juice on ships to prevent them contracting scurvy. Many minorities have names applied to them that are derogatory. The days of being able to acceptably use these distasteful terms are gone. To do so is to be viewed as being uneducated, racist, ignorant and narrow-minded. Very few Newfoundlanders that I know professionally or personally are offended by the word newfie — in fact many use it in casual conversation. However, newspapers and magazines in the province seldom use the word unless
it is an advertisement, politicians are foresighted enough to avoid it, lest they offend those who abhor the term. Clergy, police, medical professionals and court officials do not use it unless it is in a quote pertinent to the event. I say the word does not offend me, but that does not mean I use it. I rarely have an inclination to do so. Many words we use in everyday conversation are not words we would use if we were to give a talk at the local chamber of commerce. Somewhere along the line common sense has to prevail. I live in Trinity Bay now. I write, I do photography, but rarely do I use words in
the context of this work that I would use with frequency in my world of being a registered nurse. Terms a nurse would use every day would be dreadfully offensive to the uninitiated. I know several Newfoundlanders who have studied Newfoundland folklore. I have an album of Newfoundland folk art photos — if you chose to call it newfie folklore or newfie folk art, it would not be diminished. Neither is the Newfoundlander diminished by a mere six-letter word such as newfie. Bonnie Jarvis-Lowe Clarenville
JUNE 29, 2007
8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9
IN CAMERA
The Thomas Amusements ticket booth.
No hands for extra thrills.
Rod Martin performs a quick repair on the Rock-O-Plane.
Ring toss.
Terry Mackey watches the Tornado spin.
Children shoot hoops for stuffed toys.
Carnival couple Jarrod and Cathryn Thomas.
Fair play Every summer for 45 years, the familyrun Thomas Amusements has entertained thousands across the province. Photo editor Paul Daly and reporter John Rieti spent a warm summer evening on the Avalon Mall parking lot, among the lights and sounds, rides and games of chance.
T
ip-Tops, Rock-O-Planes and the Starship 2000 spin into streaks of orange and blue, illuminating the Avalon Mall parking lot. Citizens dangle in the sky, kids race around still dizzy from their last ride and vendors lure in competitors with the chance to win plush jungle cats. It’s carnival time in Newfoundland as Thomas Amusements, a Seal Cove, Conception Bay-based company, starts its 45th season. Jarrod Thomas’ grandfather founded the company back in the 1960s. And
although Jarrod spent his entire life amidst the skee-ball alleys and stomach-dropping rides of the carnival, it was never his plan to take it over. Born in April, Jarrod says he was only six weeks old when his parents Bill and Gail proudly brought him to the amusement park for the first time, the place he would spend most of his childhood summers. With no plans of returning, Jarrod went on to Nova Scotia to study business at Acadia University. But after he met his future wife, Cathryn, on cam-
pus, the pair of new graduates decided to move back to run the family business. “We love it, we work together so we both really enjoy it,” Thomas tells The Independent. “We get to travel from St. John’s to Port-aux-Basques and back and into a lot of the rural communities … Bonavista is probably our favourite place on the island.” From July to September, Thomas Amusements is on the road, stopping at cities like Corner Brook and communities like Baie Verte.
Thomas says he’s beginning to see the effects of out-migration at some of the fair’s stops. “There’s less people around so the carnival definitely isn’t as busy as it was 10 years ago,” he says. The carnival-going traditions seem to remain the same over the years. Meals consist of a hot dog and Saratoga chips washed down with a Slushie. It’s all followed by a dessert course of fluffy blue cotton candy. Parents must, of course, oblige to most wishes, and definitely let the kids win — if they don’t, the announcer calls them
“big bully.” “It’s family entertainment … it’s for the little kids, they really enjoy it,” Thomas says. On this particular balmy summer night, the adults at the park seem to be enjoying it as much as their kids. One father shows his son how to take his hands off the bar to increase the rush as they spin around, while one mother peers down nervously with her daughter as they’re momentarily held at the peak of the Rock-O-Plane. In minutes, park worker Rod Martin has climbed on to the
ride to fix the minor problem with a loose, coloured fluorescent light. Martin has been working at Thomas Amusements since he was 17, and says he has learned everything from how to drive a car to how to maintain a roller coaster in his 20-year career. Some park-goes seem skeptical as the metal bar closes down over their legs, like they don’t trust the machinery. It’s too late for second thoughts, though, as the machines whip up to speed and the whimpers for the park attendant to stop the ride are whisked away in the wind.
The rattles and rumble of the machine only add to the ride’s fear factor. On other rides bold teenagers steal kisses from their dates, obviously not turned off by slightly green skin tones. But the best part of Thomas Amusements is the exit. Almost everyone leaves satisfied, with teddy bears won from ring toss in tow and with smiles on their faces as they step away from the park’s warm glow and into the crisp summer night. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
JUNE 29, 2007
10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AROUND THE WORLD The flying season of Newfoundland seems to have opened again. Within the past three weeks two planes arrived and departed. One crossed the Atlantic successfully and will go down into history as being the first to carry a woman passenger over the herring pond. The other returned to New York whence it had come a week before. The object of the two flights seems to have been the same, to be the first to carry a lady passenger to Europe from the American continent. — The Liberal Press, St. John’s, June 30, 1928 AROUND THE BAY The board of Agriculture forwarded 80 sacks of potatoes to Herring Neck which were not solicited. Those potatoes arrived June 3, when every man had his potato plot set out. The 80 bags
of potatoes will therefore be given away, to be eat. These potatoes cost $400, what a waste of the fishermen’s hard earned earnings. No such expenditure of public funds should have been entered upon, until a commission composed of practical Agriculturists had been appointed and submitted their report. — The Fishermen’s Advocate, Coakerville, June 25, 1910 YEARS PAST All persons having in his, her, or their Possession any Property, saved from the late fire, are requested to give information to either of the Police Magistrates of Police Constables, or deposit the same at the Factory — Any Persons found with any such Property after this Public Notice will be prosecuted to the utmost rigour of the Law. By order of the Magistrates, J. Finlay, H.C. — The Morning Post and Shipping Gazette, St. John’s, July 4, 1846 EDITORIAL STAND For many moons there have been whispers of non-medicinal drug usage on
The Colonist, 1886
the Burin Peninsula. Pushers and users are reputed to be in all of the major communities and it has been said that there have been a couple of humdinger parties at which the pot has burned freely. Meanwhile, there is a controversy as to whether or not the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 19. Supporters say that a person who is old enough to vote, to marry, to work, or to
join the armed forces should be considered to be old enough to drink. Opponents say that the 19 to 21s are at a very impressionable age and should not be encouraged to drink. They feel that the desire to drink will pass on reaching the magic age of responsibility — 21. — Burin Peninsula Post, Marystown, July 1, 1971
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir — There were many radios tuned in on Saturday night for your radio talk. I may say that many people I’ve been talking to since were pleased with what you had to say. I believe it is time that somebody stepped out and spoke up for the working men. We just have to look around us to see what is going on. Those who have a lot get more and them that don’t have much get nothing more. I wish I could write, I would put something in the paper that would make many sit up and take note. However, I can tell you I can talk, and I’ll do all I can to tell everybody about the CCF and its good programme. Best of luck on August 10, “Paws Ungreased” — The Speaker, Bay Roberts, July 11, 1953 QUOTE OF THE WEEK The first postal carrier, in the new uniform, that appeared in Casey’s Lane was taken for a Salvationist, and was escorted by a crowd of boys, singing and shouting, out of the neighbourhood. — The Colonist, St. John’s, July 2, 1886
SOUTHCOTT AWARDS
The 2007 Southcott Awards were awarded to five architectural sites at a ceremony at the Basilica Museum in St. John’s this week. Jubilee House in Bonavista, The Factory in Port Union, Brett House Museum in Joe Batt’s Arm (top photo), Victoria Manor in Harbour Grace (centre photo) and The Salvation Army Wiseman Centre (bottom photo) in St. John’s were all recognized for the preservation of the province’s built heritage. The awards are named for nineteenth century architect John Southcott who made his mark with the Second Empire design style prominent in the rebuilding that followed the Great Fire of 1892.
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 11
LIFE STORY
YOURVOICE ‘Why can’t we do this?
Apinam Pone outside a sweat tent.
Labrador leader Apinam Pone helped Sheshatshui Innu find sobriety in a traditional way By John Rieti The Independent APINAM PONE 1951-2007
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pinam Pone’s life was once consumed by alcohol, an addiction spurred on by personal problems and enabled by a Sheshatshui community that drank at the same table. Pone had to get out. He traveled to the Brentwood Recovery Centre in Windsor, Ont. where he found sobriety with the help of a stern Catholic leader. Eleven years later, Pone returned to Labrador with the goal of helping others get clean. “He spent so much time working with people who were having problems in the community, having problems with alcohol, having problems personally and challenges in their life, and just continued to give and give and give,” close friend Peter Penashue tells The Independent. Penashue was one of many who received Pone’s help and guidance. “When I decided to be sober … naturally I gravitated to him for support,” says Penashue. Pone found a clinic in Ontario to help Penashue, and when Penashue came home the pair continued to help each other, and the community, cope. Pone took a traditional approach to
healing alcoholism, relying heavily on raised four children and two grandchilInnu spirituality and reviving the sweat dren. tent tradition. Pone also helped Innu who ran into Inside the small tents shaped with trouble with the law, again by bringing alders and covered in heavy cotton blan- back a traditional method. He was kets, heated rocks are doused in water to awarded a certificate of merit from the produce a thick steam. Law Society of The tent is dark, hot Newfoundland and and has a profound Labrador for his work impact on those who with sentencing cir“He’s impacted so sit in it. cles. many people in the “Sweat has always Penashue says been used by our eldPone’s death was a ers to heal physical ill- community, people will “big loss” to the comness, what (Pone) did munity, but he remains pick up his work.” was used it for emooptimistic about a tional and mental healsober future for Peter Penashue ing,” says Penashue. Sheshatshui. “Heat challenges the “He’s impacted so body … the mental many people in the challenge is focusing on sharing troubles community, people will pick up his work with peers in the community.” … that’s what he would have wanted, Along with Charlie Andrew, Pone was that’s what he would have envisioned one of the first strong, sober public fig- when he passed on. There’s going to be ures in the community, and he would sit people that stand out.” with anyone in Sheshatshui who requestPone’s family continues to make a difed his help, no matter the time or place. ference in Sheshatshui. His wife, Lynn Penashue says leaders like Pone are Gregory, works with the band council, “rare” to come by and make a big differ- and his daughter, Kristin Snellen, is the ence in lives like his. executive director of the Charles “By having an impact on my life in the Andrew Youth Restoration Centre which way he did it allowed me to have a pos- aims to empower troubled youth through itive impact on my family and my com- a holistic health program, carrying on munity,” says Penashue, who has been the efforts her father began. sober since getting Pone’s help and john.rieti@theindependent.ca
Dear Editor, According to The World Fact Book (2003), 175 of the 235 countries of the world are smaller than Newfoundland and Labrador. Thus 74.5 per cent of the world’s countries are smaller than Newfoundland and Labrador. Some have lots of resources like us; some have few, if any. So what compels these smaller countries to independence and not ours? Perhaps it’s their geographic isolation or their culture? But then whether you think geographically, culturally or even financially, both Newfoundland and Labrador seem to be separated from the Canada. Our roads and ferry service, our language and outlook, our 15-20 per cent unemployment rate all seem to mark us as separate from what is normal for Canada. How can Canadian citizens tolerate such disparity if they really believe Newfoundland and Labrador is part of Canada? Or do they, in fact, see us as a colony to be kept minimally afloat in continual servitude and open for exploitation. So why don’t we leave Canada? I believe the main reason is the lazy, the nay sayers and the whiners who put forth that we are too poor, too stu-
pid, too dishonest and too incompetent to run the 60th largest country in the world. In a separate country, there would be a lot of jobs to be filled because we would have to do everything for ourselves and how could we do that? Let’s be afraid and let the Canadians do it for us. It’s obvious that what’s going on now is not working. The young people and our skilled and educated workers are leaving and we are going deeper and deeper into cultural and eventual financial oblivion. While we still have the expertise, let’s leave now. Let’s rebuild our fishery and save our rural communities because the federal government won’t. They like to be able to import those Newfoundland and Labrador workers to where they want them. Sure, I know there are lots of people who will savagely fight any disturbance of their crumbs from the Canadian table. They’ll certainly call me a fool. All I’m saying is let’s stand up; we’ve been sitting down too long. We can do everything else; why can’t we do this? How about standing up with me? Paul F. Murphy St. John’s
12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JUNE 29-JULY 5, 2007 — PAGE 13
The observation level at St. John’s International Airport
Paul Daly/The Independent
Preparing for more takeoffs St. John’s International Airport expanding terminal, re-surfacing runway By John Rieti The Independent
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t. John’s International Airport has grown to become the 10th busiest in Canada, and airport officials are planning a $20-million expansion to meet increased demands. Joe Bennett, the airport’s director of marketing and community relations, says St. John’s airport now handles 1.25 million passengers a year, far more than the 900,000 its current structure planned on hosting. “We are about 10 years ahead of schedule in our development,”
Bennett tells The Independent. He says the oil and gas, mining and convention industries are driving the increase in passengers, as well as the large contingent of Newfoundlanders commuting to and from jobs in Alberta. Bennett says work will begin in the fall to expand the terminal building and re-surface the secondary runway. It is expected to take 18 months. The money for renovations will come from airport improvement fees added to airfare, collected like a tax. The fee to depart St. John’s is $15 — an average amount for Canadian airports.
Bennett says passengers won’t be inconvenienced like they were five years ago when the airport underwent major renovations. He looks back on that time as “horrendous,” but adds this time the new terminal space will be added to the sides of the building. He doesn’t anticipate delays from the shutdown of one of the airport’s two runways. “The air industry of the 21st century is going to require some changes to how the building is handled, so that’s what we’re doing,” says Bennett. See “Airport perks,” page 15
FUELLING UP At Stephenville International Airport on the island’s west coast, it’s been a busy June as well. “There’s a lot more planes on the ground … there’s probably been about 35 extra airplanes in here to get fuel, we’ve pumped a considerably larger amount more fuel than we have in the previous two or three years,” says airport manager Larry Smith. Stephenville’s airstrip can handle any plane in the sky, Smith says, and it’s a common re-fueling point for transatlantic flights, military planes, corporate jets and cargo planes. “We don’t know what’s coming in to see us,” he says. Sunwing Airlines is the largest passenger carrier to use the airport. Smith says the airport can manage some passengers, but because there isn’t a regular passenger service the airport has no plans to expand. Nor does Smith have runway concerns. “Our runway is awesome,” he says.
Sit tight
Long-awaited provincial government energy plan promises to be a page-turner
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he last installment in the wildly popular Harry Potter novel series is due for launch in less than a month’s time. Major retailers are expecting the book to easily top the all-time bestseller charts. It’s in such high demand that some of the pre-distribution security precautions reportedly include guards at printing plants, warehouses in undisclosed locations, and shipments wrapped in steel chains. Here in Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial government has vowed to release its long-awaited energy plan before the October election. And, while it hasn’t
CATHYBENNETT
Board of Trade whipped people into quite the same kind of frenzy that Potter author J. K. Rowling’s well-known works have, the energy plan is definitely a highly anticipated publication in its own right. So, what about the energy plan, new royalty regimes and other key policies that are to govern the smart, strategic development of our energy
resources going forward? Many people in the business community — the oil patch certainly — would agree these pieces of policy are overdue. More than a few businesses have been waiting anxiously for the energy plan for a year or more. This includes, of course, the oil companies themselves who require clarity, certainty and stability before making operational and capital investment decisions for the short and long term. There are also numerous locally based small- and medium-sized offshore supply and service companies,
engineering firms, HR companies, research consultants and many, many more that rely on the offshore oil industry. And then there are a whole host of other companies, small and large, that aren’t directly tied to the offshore industry, but are counting on the spin-off activity from future developments — and the business and consumer confidence they create — to boost their own businesses, from retail to real estate. In that sense, many believe we’ve waited long enough, and then some, for the energy plan. However, it also must be remem-
bered that these are by no means superficial documents that can be slapped together for the sake of a quick turnaround. They should be central policy platforms that will act as a blueprint for developing our most valuable assets (where value is measured in direct monetary gains). Therefore, they cannot be rushed. Government officials have to take their time and make sure they’ve got it as right and as tight as possible. How big of an equity stake will the government of Newfoundland and Labrador aim to take in seeing See “State take,” page 14
14 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
JUNE 29, 2007
HealthLine to be run within NL in 2008: Health minister
O
n June 15, a fire on the roof of the Clinidata offices in Moncton, N.B., knocked out the Newfoundland and Labrador HealthLine. The service, which connects concerned callers with registered nurses, was restored in five hours by finding an alternate route for the calls. Health Minister Ross Wiseman says the province will soon be able to handle the service without having to rely on New Brunswick telecommunications companies. The deal with New Brunswick and Clinidata allowed Newfoundland and Labrador to access federal funding for developing health communications technology. “We needed the infrastructure in the province and the technology itself, and the money to estab-
lish the operation,” Wiseman tells The Independent. “We’re now in the position to do this on our own.” The province’s contract with Clinidata is up in December 2007. Federal funding for the HealthLine will continue. Although calls are routed through a New Brunswick building, callers connect with one of 50 nurses in St. Anthony, Corner Brook or Stephenville. Wiseman says people have taken to the program since it was introduced in September 2006. “Up until about a month ago there was almost 39,000 calls in that period … it’s a well-utilized service, it’s been well received by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.” — John Rieti
State take From page 13 these projects developed? How much financial risk is the province willing to assume? What about royalty rates? These are just some of the questions that will be clarified as this government’s energy agenda progresses. They’re especially important to oil producers. At NOIA’s recent conference, a panel discussion touched on the question of why there’s been such a relative lag in exploration drilling offshore Newfoundland and Labrador since the Hibernia find, particularly in more recent years. A sure answer couldn’t be offered by the panel participants, but oil companies continue to say that the level of policy uncertainty here, without an energy plan, is a major turn-off. MORE TO IT But there must be more to it than that. After all, there may be other places in the world with oil, but we’re a lot more politically stable than, say, Nigeria, where major labour disruptions are upsetting the country’s oil sector. Is it that the prospective of our oil resources isn’t as attractive as other places around the globe? Is it the competition worldwide for oilrigs and capital investment? Is it that Newfoundland and Labrador’s harsh offshore environment presents significant cost and technical challenges? Is it that the costs of exploratory work, generally, are rising? Is it that the absence of fallow field laws here allow licence holders to sit on land indefinitely with no imperative to explore and develop? Perhaps it’s a combination of factors. But we can knock down one of those factors as the energy plan’s guiding principles are made public and government follows up with details with respect to royalties, equity stakes and other industrial benefits that Newfoundland and Labrador will be expecting from its energy resource developments. On the question of how much is fair and reasonable in terms of Newfoundland and Labrador’s expected “state take” in oil production sharing agreements, it’s a bit of a double-edged dilemma. On one hand, Newfoundland and Labrador needs to maximize the returns from our resource developments; on the other, we need to balance this with the need to create conditions that will encourage, not deter, investment in our offshore and sustain a healthy industry. On one hand, it might seem the province demanding a substantial piece of equity in oil developments without putting something on the table up front is simply asking too much; on the other hand, the less risk the province and public treasury takes on, the better, right? What happens, for instance, if a project in which we hold a considerable chunk of equity encounters significant cost overruns; or maybe there just wasn’t near as much oil in that field as we thought there was? When it
Premier Danny Williams addresses the NOIA Conference in St. John's. Paul Daly/The Independent
comes to owning a big piece of the action, we may want to be careful what we ask for. The balancing act is giving extraction companies a fair risk-adjusted return on the investments they make, while at the same time ensuring maximum benefits from these resources (which are finite in nature in the case of offshore petroleum) accrue to the province for both current and future generations. Sit tight for another while. The soon-to-bereleased energy plan might not contain the answers to all these questions, but it promises to be a page-turner. Cathy Bennett is president of the St. John’s Board of Trade. Her column returns July 6.
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 15
Can political battles be far behind? Gen. Rick Hillier is supposedly eyeing premier’s job in Newfoundland when he retires from the military OTTAWA Bruce Campion-Smith Torstar wire service
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ick Hillier, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador? Perhaps it’s not so far-fetched. A persistent rumour in Ottawa this spring has the popular general taking up politics after he hangs up his uniform. “I think people in the ranks understand that Hillier is awfully political. I hear people tell me he talks about running for premier of Newfoundland,” says Senator Colin Kenny, who chairs the Senate committee on national security and defence. It might not be such a big leap, say military observers, who argue Hillier has dabbled in politics from the very moment he set his sights on the military’s top job as chief of defence staff. But he must wonder these days if a political life wouldn’t be easier than the day job he holds now. In recent months, Hillier, the military’s most outspoken ambassador in years, has found life isn’t easy under Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government. The “energy” from the days when Hillier was appointed to the post in 2005 by then-prime minister Paul Martin “seems long gone,” says Douglas Bland, chair of defence management studies at Queen’s University. “They were really simpler, if not naive days compared to what’s been happening,” he says. “I think Rick Hillier is tired. I think he is working himself ragged … and taking on his back all kind of difficulties.” Those “difficulties” were laid bare on May 30 when Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor publicly fingered Hillier and his bureaucrats for the foul-up that left at least one family out of pocket for funeral expenses for their son, who had
Gen. Rick Hillier
been killed in Afghanistan. Despite a military spending spree that is invigorating the department with new equipment and new troops, Hillier is finding all that comes at a cost — a prime minister who is front and centre on the defence file and a former general serving as defence minister who makes ill-considered comments. But the problems run deeper for Hillier. More and more, the Prime Minister’s Office is interfering with the department’s communications strategy around the Afghanistan mission. Hillier’s ambitious shake up of the mil-
Airport perks From page 13 The new terminal will aim to provide enough space to make security and baggage checks efficient for passengers and staff. According to Bennett most passengers check in 70 minutes before their flight is scheduled to depart. “We take some responsibility when they’re in the building,” says Bennett, who points to the food court featuring a Tim Hortons and the addition of several retail outlets as “creature comforts” for passengers. Bennett says there are about 50 different businesses within the aeronautical compound.
The airport authority hopes to bring more retail outlets into the building, a move that not only benefits their bottom line, but also satisfies travellers looking for more services from the airport or a trinket to bring somewhere as a last-minute gift. Bennett says the airport is also trying to add amenities like televisions to the existing terminal, which is already outfitted with wireless Internet. It is up to individual airlines to provide luxury departure lounges for executive travellers. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
Paul Daly/The Independent
itary organization has ruffled feathers and fuelled internal dissension. The high cost of the Afghan conflict is forcing the Defence department to delay other projects — like the planned purchase of new search-and-rescue planes. And Hillier’s bold plan to develop an amphibious unit that can quickly deploy to global hotspots has been put on hold. Hillier was not available for an interview, despite repeated attempts. His spokesperson says he has a backlog of interview requests. Defence experts describe ongoing
tensions in government about the military’s budget woes, the strategy in Afghanistan and the long-delayed, oftpromised plan setting out the future direction of the armed forces. “The entire machinery of government is convulsed over how to handle the war ... There’s tension in the system,” Bland says. For a time this spring, there was open speculation that Hillier — appointed chief of the defence staff in February 2005 — would either quit or be dumped. That talk has died down but troubles remain between Hillier,
Harper, O’Connor and Kevin Lynch, the clerk of the Privy Council, Ottawa’s most powerful bureaucrat. The Defence department has reportedly been unable to sell Lynch on the defence capability plan, a road map meant to lay out long-term spending priorities. Kenny says Hillier deserves full marks for improving morale among the frontline troops, noting: “He’s been very popular in terms of giving them self-respect. But he’s got huge challenges in terms of managing the forces.” For starters, the armed forces is fighting its biggest and deadliest conflict in a generation and doing it half a world away. Add to that the challenge of revamping the Armed Forces to fit Hillier’s vision, with separate commands to oversee the military’s domestic and foreign operations. And there’s the task of boosting the armed forces by 23,000 full time and reserve troops over the coming years. While Harper has embraced the Afghan mission — and Hillier, too — as key symbols of his government, the fact remains that the general was a Liberal appointee. And because of that, some speculate that he remains a handy scapegoat for the Conservatives, if the going gets tougher in Afghanistan, or public opinion continues to sour. And there’s no doubt the war and the fallout at home is proving costly for both Harper and Hillier, says historian Jack Granatstein. “It’s Mr. Hillier’s war,” Granatstein says. “He was the one who persuaded the Liberals to go into it. He’s been the major spokesperson for it. Whether he’s having any impact on the public, no matter how well he speaks, I think is highly doubtful. The poll numbers are dropping dramatically for his war.”
16 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JUNE 29-JULY 5, 2007 — PAGE 17
Jean Claude Roy in his studio in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s; painting of Prescott Street in background.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Capturing the wind French painter Jean Claude Roy has spent 36 years exploring and documenting this province; documentary film about his life and work to air this fall By Mandy Cook The Independent
J
ean Claude Roy is leaning over his easel halfway up Prescott Street in St. John’s, slightly sheltered by the open hatch of a paint-spattered white truck which houses his mobile studio. He’s been there since 6:30 a.m., painting on site before the streets become busy and while the light is still pure. A few hours in, the canvas is vibrating with energy and colour, the streetscape scene delineated by the geometric windows, doors and rooftops Roy has filled in with his brush and palette knife. Above the orange and moss green Southside Hills, to the right of the frame, is the artist’s signature sun: a white hot square, dribbled with rust. It floods the scene below with light, most brilliant at the turn in the road, inviting the eye to wonder what lies beyond the bend.
Roy’s distinctive sun — and his expressionist style — comes from a moment of creative clarity decades ago. “My first sun came in 1988,” he says. “I was painting outdoors in France and I was looking at the sun too long. I got the black dot in my eye, so I said I’ve got to put that in my paintings, see? So I put in the black sun and I realized it gave me more light somewhere else.” Roy has been dividing his time between his native France and his adopted home of Newfoundland since 1971, shortly after he visited the island while working on a ship dedicated to repairing communications cables cut by trawlers and icebergs. Thirty-six years later, his local following is fervent — and Roy returns the energy. He says he has now painted almost every community in the province. Local film and television producer Bill Coultas has been working on a documentary
film about Roy’s life for three years, and expects it will air on CBC television in the fall, with an aim to broadcast nationwide. Coultas says the whole country should be standing up and “yelling the praises of Jean Claude.” Coultas says the film aims to provide some insight into the painter’s gregarious personality and why he is devoted to capturing the whole of Newfoundland and Labrador in paint. “I was taping him in Conch and he was very conscious that there was a dying culture and he wanted to record that (because) the same thing is happening in France,” he says. “In Conch there was a stage head and a couple of boats, but on one of the doors there was a crucifix and apparently that’s what the fishermen do in Conch. They paint the sign of the cross on the sheds. It’s a little trait of Conch and in 20 years that won’t be around but he’s got that recorded.”
Roy recently took the boat to Rencontre East to work. Aside from a bit of vinyl clapboard, Roy says the south coast community is as it was 50 years ago — something he cherishes. Sometimes, Roy says, he visits a rural town and there’s so little activity there is no sign even of seagulls scavenging for fish. Although Roy can’t save the communities, he says, at least he can preserve them on his canvas. In St. John’s, Roy’s presence on the street draws attention from all sides. Drivers honk their horns, friends wave and strangers stop. One passerby asks if it is Roy, and says that he has a “very distinctive style.” Two other friends stop for a chat. Soon there is so much talk and laughter one would assume the artist would become distracted from his canvas. No such thing — he See “If it’s not”, page 18
In your Face … Book … Writer Michael Winter’s Internet novel serialization draws Noreen Golfman into the busy world of online networking
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his week, the prestigious publishing house, Penguin Canada, announced it would be publishing the world’s first Facebook novel serialization. Locally-bred writer Michael Winter will be posting 47 posts over the next 10 weeks on the hugely popular Internet site. These posts will be 300-word excerpts of his new novel, The Architects are Here. I loathe the kind of chauvinistic patriotism that takes credit for someone’s ingenuity, but sometimes you just have to revel in a good thing. So be it: Michael Winter, Proud Newfoundlander™, is rolling out a great idea.
NOREEN GOLFMAN Standing Room Only Now, I am perfectly aware that readers who have let their eyes wander as far as the second paragraph of this column probably already know what Facebook is, those who don’t having abandoned this part of the page after the first sentence. I assume those readers have wandered over to the inexplicably popular Shift section of this
newspaper. But for those who are too shy to ask, Facebook is a hugely popular social networking website, apparently the second most popular in the world and rapidly taking over the No. 1 site. And so if an author is launching a novel on Facebook, as Winter so cleverly is, he is making his story immediately available to roughly 25 million readers, far more than the 25 or so who might happen to wander past the New Fiction table during the busy periods at Chapters. What this means, I sadly confess, is that I finally broke down and registered
my “profile” with Facebook, presumably joining the millions of college-age participants who are studiously avoiding work or summer courses by going online and discovering their friends are all doing the exact the same thing. It doesn’t necessarily mean I have sold my soul or uploaded pictures of my high school graduation party — because those activities are optional — but it does mean I am suddenly playing a new contact sport. Facebook is like a giant, electronic, universal phone book, with pictures and post-it notes. You can track old and new boyfriends — and vice versa —
and just about anyone who has ever entered or observed your life. It’s alternately exhilarating and terrifying. You can find a picture and get an update of someone you’ve wondered about since third grade, but of course that person can hunt you down and “poke” you in exactly the same way. If submitting your life to the possibility of endlessly recurring school reunions is your idea of a good time, then Facebook is definitely speaking your language. Well, it doesn’t exactly speak mine, See “Winter’s”, page 18
JUNE 29, 2007
18 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
GALLERYPROFILE
Harbour Grace.
Experimental farm from Mount Pearl.
‘If it’s not straight they wonder if you can draw’ JEAN CLAUDE ROY
From page 17
jokes with ease, all the while adding white over black, a handrail to a convenience store’s steps and light poles on the sidewalk. Brush hovering over the work-in-progress, he sizes up the pole and a spot in the picture. “It’s like playing golf,” he laughs. “Now I’ve got to be careful — this is where you ruin a painting.” Dropping a long line over a red house down to the sidewalk corner, he grimaces a little. He loves the crooked light posts but he has not made them
Visual Artist crooked enough for his liking. He says the appeal for him is that they’re never straight — just like his work. The faster he paints, the better, saying his best work comes from the quick studies he produces while out in inclement weather.
Not everyone appreciates his fluid lines, however. Roy recounts a tale about a man who stopped to inspect his work in Petit Forte. “When I started painting it was just a mess, see? (He’d) comment, ‘It’s not good,’ and they come back two hours after and they cannot believe it except when they say, ‘Buddy it was better before,’” he says. “Sometimes they want something straight. My painting is never straight, but to a lot of people, if it’s not straight they wonder if you can’t draw.” But it is in the sky that Roy’s passion
for painting truly reveals itself. Marked with cross hatchings of colour and enthusiastic flourishes, the artist says the sky is the most important element in his work. He points to the wind as a creative force, playing with it to achieve an abstract effect. Experimenting for years with colour and technique, the wind has become an inherent part of his study — and, as a resident of this province, his life. “The only thing that changes in Newfoundland is there’s always a bit of wind,” he says, gesturing to his canvas. “This is why everything is twisted
because the wind we see always.” In the Prescott Street scene, the wind is blowing a bank of fog back up off the hills, revealing a pristine blue sky. The blue hue circles around the canvas in the placement of the navy corner store, the lit up asphalt and a skiver of house on the opposite side. The black-bordered sun, dripping with rust, burns off the fog of the early June day. mandy.cook@theindependent.ca A summer exhibition by Jean Claude Roy can be seen at Emma Butler Gallery, 111 George St. West.
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
Winter’s adventure into Facebook will be well worth it From page 17
Writer Michael Winter
but then I am openly fascinated by Winter’s clever appropriation of this massively appealing web phenomenon and I just couldn’t resist. The publisher has indicated Winter’s web entries will include “commentaries, notes, and visuals to accompany the novel.” Moreover, each installment “will include videos and photos of the people and places that inspired the novel’s characters and setting.” Talk about a book tease! Since The Architects Are Here ostensibly takes up the journey of Gabriel English, a literary persona who figured in three of Winter’s earlier works, and since that journey extends from Toronto to Corner Brook, two places Winter
could safely call “home,” it follows that critics will be scouring the work to find evidence of Winter’s “real life.” A sly postmodern (s)wordsman, Winter is famously adept at blurring the lines between fact and fiction, having invited readers of his provocatively titled fiction This All Happened to sort out his supposedly invented characters from his good friends and enemies. Where else to release chunks of one’s hot postmodern fiction if not on Facebook, that friendly, unreal space where anyone can be anyone? You can drive yourself to near-mad distraction by browsing Facebook pages, landing every now and then on a particularly good-looking subject or a name you think you’d like to get to know better. Recall that early Internet joke, with one
golden retriever talking to another: “on the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.” Because of its strong visual component, it’s harder to be a dog on Facebook, but there is a strong whiff of exaggeration about everyone’s cheery descriptions of their life: the temptation to “upgrade” one’s “status” must be formidable. In effect, Facebook invites everyone to be a creative writer, turning the deadly banality of the moment to moment (“I am now raising my right arm, putting cereal into my mouth,” and so on) into quasi-fictional, potentially interesting, autobiography. Michael Winter and the shrewd marketers at Penguin Books are obviously taking this feature of the website’s appeal to a whole new level. By draw-
ing the reader through the looking glass to the place where reality and illusion become indistinguishable, and by slowly releasing only snippets of the larger work, Winter is able to exploit the astonishing immediacy of the website. If Charles Dickens, arguably the most famous serial writer in English literary history, were alive today he’d be posting his chapters on Facebook. Michael Winter has sucked me right out into open cyberspace. My hunch, at this early stage of play, is that the adventure will be worth it. Noreen Golfman is a professor of literature and women’s studies at Memorial. Her column returns July 13.
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 19
‘More Vincent Price than Barney’ Magic show promises kids and adults a musical, mystical experience
By Mandy Cook The Independent
P
lucking pieces of cutlery from the hand of his single audience member, St. John’s magician Peter Duchemin is bending a reporter’s mind with his fork-bending tricks. As he grips the length of the utensil in one hand, he squeezes the other repeatedly into a fist. Instantly, one tine of the fork bends back on itself. For his next trick, he spins the head of a spoon around 360 degrees — all with his mind. “You’re just turning it in your hand,” the reporter says accusingly. Silently, Duchemin reveals the handle, spiral twist clearly evident at the neck of the spoon, and acknowledges the enthusiastic — and well-deserved — applause. All the while, musicians Evelyn Osborne and Chris Driedzic accompany the wiry and goateed magician with trippy synthesizer beats and an eerie vocalization. Together, the trio is The Abracadabra Illusion Show, to be performed July 4-8 at the Rabbittown Theatre in St. John’s. A magic show filled with classic tricks like the Chinese Linking Rings and the Egyptian Cup and Balls, plus “big box” tricks — such as human levitations and sawing an assistant into three pieces — will unfold while Osborne and Driedzic create a soundscape to illustrate the magic. Atmospheric lighting, smoke and a touch of pyrotechnics are also in store. “Peter shoots fire from his hands,” jokes Driedzic. Osborne — The Enchantress, as she will be known during the performance — says the idea of combining music and magic happened organically. A violinist with The Suzuki Talent Education program, she says she enjoys working
“We see Peter building this spell and we go with him and then we realize maybe we’re building that spell, too.” Chris Driedzic
Peter Duchemin, Evelyn Osborne and Chris Driedzic
with other artists and recognized she could combine her skills with Duchemin’s. “Watching Peter’s juggling patterns, I realized I could play music to it so we tried that out and that was kind of fun … we decided we wanted to do a solo show and instead of having recorded music all the time I would write and improvise music for the show.” Driedzic, a theatre and music teacher, is also excited about the musical possibilities of the upcoming performances. He says there is much more “space” within magic to play with all his musical ideas — and instruments, like bongos, ankle maracas, bass guitar and
POET’S CORNER Outport Home Even though I live on Twillingate Island, I still lobster fish in the familiar waters of my hometown of Tizzard’s Harbour on New World Island. I actually had my first lobster licence when I was six years old, so I know every shoal and every rock hole where lobsters like to hide. Steaming across the bay towards Tizzard’s Harbour in the early morning to haul my lobster traps, I am constantly reminded of how this little outport village is just a valley in the hills that lead down to the sea. Just a little fishing village, like so many more around the coast of Newfoundland, but so special because of the idyllic childhood memories that it holds for so many boys and girls lucky enough to be able to call it home. I am privileged and proud to be able to say this is where I spent my childhood years, but yet sad to see the vacant houses, the overgrown gardens and the silence of a land where no children play. Just a valley in the broken hills That run down to the sea. Not much to cause a second glance – The place that’s home to me. No tall buildings touch the sky – No crowds upon the street. No sirens in the silent night – No cops out on the beat. Just the lapping of the gentle waves Upon an empty shore. Just the broken backs of empty shacks Where laughter rings no more. No shouting of the village boys At their evening game of ball. And the Lone Ranger rides no more Cross the screen of the Orange Hall! No soft laughter of the women As they labour on the flakes. No more the scent of drying hay, Fresh tossed with prong and rake. And far beyond the distant point, Where the grey cliffs meet the sea, No more the sound of a motorboat, The way it used to be. From Outport Home: Poems from the Heart, by David Boyd, Twillingate.
A LITTLE OF YOUR TIME IS ALL WE ASK. CONQUERING THE UNIVERSE IS OPTIONAL. Think it requires heroic efforts to be a Big Brother or Big Sister? Think again. It simply means sharing a few moments with a child. Play catch. Build a doghouse. Or help take on mutant invaders from the planet Krang. That’s all it takes to transform a mere mortal like yourself into a super hero who can make a world of difference in a child’s life. For more information...
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electronic noise toys. He says the relationship between the musicians and the magician can be powerful, too. “There’s this level of fantasy about it so the music can be otherworldly entirely and there’s some moments that are comical so you can bring out your silly chops and drum rolls,” he says. “Peter’s not playing an instrument, but we’re playing off each other. We see Peter building this spell and we go with him and then we realize maybe we’re building that spell, too.” In order to appeal to both young and old, the show will build in multiple layers of meaning. Duchemin will divulge some historical background to the audi-
Paul Daly/The Independent
ence. For example, “abracadabra” is an old spell used to bring about good fortune and dispel illness. For 11 days, a magician or mystic would write one letter at a time on a tablet until the entire word was written, symbolizing the coming into being of a powerful energy. In addition, the show will be arranged thematically to change from “something beautifully dark to something a little more clown-y,” says Driedzic. “We’re more Vincent Price than Barney,” says Duchemin. But he assures those planning to bring impressionable wee ones to the magic show need not worry about scaring them out of their wits.
Duchemin says he’s eagerly anticipating the extra dimension of magic that the musical accompaniment will bring to the show. He says the combination enhances the “wonder and imagination” magic can invoke and that the two are intertwined. “Music itself is among the primary enchantments and it always has been. There’s something magical about live music that just grips your soul and it takes you to places emotionally that otherwise you wouldn’t go. Combining that with visual art such as performing — it’s as close to true magic you can get.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
JUNE 29, 2007
20 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
Exploring common ground T
he 31st annual Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, being held in Bannerman Park, St. John’s, Aug. 3-5, promises to be an amazing event as well as a financially reasonable way to experience a large number of great performers in comfortable social circumstances. Highlights of this year’s program will be described here and in future articles to be published in The Independent in the six weeks leading up to opening night. As was the case last year, some artists from the province and elsewhere in Canada will represent “Common Ground,” a program sponsored by Canada Heritage (Arts Presentation Canada). This year’s theme, “Over the Border,” highlights the influence of American folk music genres (including blues, country, jazz, bluegrass, old timey, gospel and roots rock) on the development of the folk arts both in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada. Featured mainland artists whose repertoires reflect these connections will include the Québécois band featuring fiddler extraordinaire Claude Méthé and Dana Whittle, a powerful singer-rhythm guitarist, representing musical traditions from country music and “down east” New England, as well as Quebec. Dyad, a sensational trio from British Columbia consisting of Kori Miyanishi (vocals, banjo, guitar, fiddle, jaw-harp), Leah Abramson (vocals, guitar) and Shiho Mizumoto (fiddle) will also perform. Dyad have mastered Southern Appalachian instrumental and singing traditions through direct fieldwork, and have developed these styles in their own directions, playing and singing Appalachian classics and writing songs based on traditional styles. Also up is Little Miss Higgins, the exciting acoustic blues duo of Foy Taylor (guitar) and Miss Higgins (guitar and vocals) from Nokomis, Sask., whose music reflects the vaudeville blues tradition of the blues queens. Superb entertainers, they put on an unforgettably top hat stage show. In-province representatives of musical influence from the U.S. will include: Crooked Stovepipe, Newfoundland’s premier bluegrass band for over 30 years (Ted Rowe, vocals, guitar; Neil Rosenberg, banjo, guitar, mandolin; Dave Rowe, bass, banjo; Pat Moran, fiddle); the country influenced singer-songwriter duo of Sherry Ryan and Mark Bragg, gifted lyricists and musicians with a strong following throughout the province; and the multi-talented Sean Panting, whose well-known original songs, which deal with a myriad of subjects, are often indebted to roots rock. For details about these and other festival events check out the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Council (NLFAC) website (www.nlfolk.com). Tickets will be available after July 1 at the NLFAC office (155 Water St., 576-8508), O’Brien’s Music Store (278 Water St.), That Pro Look (Avalon Mall), and Bennington Gate (Churchill Square). — Peter Narváez
Dyad, featured folk group from Vancouver.
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 21
The best and worst of Hollywood A Mighty Heart full of class and respect; Evan Almighty complete waste of money TIM CONWAY Film Score A Mighty Heart Starring Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman and Archie Panjabi, 100 min. (out of four)
I
t doesn’t seem like more than five years have passed since journalist Daniel Pearl’s abduction first made its way into the news. Then again, his story has had little opportunity to fade from the public eye. Military action in both Afghanistan and Iraq has drawn dedicated journalists into regions of the world where danger takes on many forms. Not immune from any of these hazards, reporters have suffered injury and death by various means, and when they do, the story of their respective misfortunes invariably returns to Daniel Pearl. Like so many journalists covering the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Pearl operated out of Islamabad, Pakistan, reporting for the Wall Street Journal. He was accompanied by his wife, Mariane, who reported for public radio in France. Many of their contemporaries moved on when the Taliban regime was rousted from power, but the Pearls remained to cover stories regarding the influx of Afghani refugees and Taliban militants into Pakistan. In late January 2002, Mariane was five months pregnant and she and her husband were set to head home. Danny had been working on a story, and a contact had arranged for him to meet an elusive yet powerful militant leader. The Pearls flew to Karachi for that one, final meeting, before leaving the country the next day. Although she knew he’d be late getting home, Mariane knew that her husband would call her the first chance he had. As the night wore on, with no word from him, she knew something had gone wrong. Although the book A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl is reportedly intended to be for the benefit of her son, the film, A Mighty Heart, is more a tribute to the strength of Mariane Pearl and
those who rallied around her during her ordeal. Director Michael Winterbottom, whose work includes Jude, 24 Hour Party People, and Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, employs a number of techniques suggesting a documentary style, a practice that has become increasingly popular in the last few years. The result is a picture that looks as though it were shot primarily with hand-held cameras, using only available light, as events are transpiring. It’s difficult to discern whether the dialogue is improvised or not, for all of the actors seem perfectly natural in their roles, which further establishes the facade that all of this is playing out before the cameras for the very first time. The effect is successful to the point that although we already know the outcome of the story, there are times during the film when we hope, and expect, otherwise. As Mariane Pearl, Angelina Jolie leaves no doubt she’s an actress of considerable talent. It isn’t too early to start talking about Oscars, and nothing short of politics or memory loss will keep her performance out of the running for best actress. Jolie’s Mariane exemplifies courage, determination and maturity, displaying grace under immense pressure — and there isn’t a moment that we forget that she’s completely in love with the man she married. If there’s one problematic element of the film, it occurs when the focus shifts following a break in the search. There are a few brisk spates of police activity that are almost jarring in the way they play out. At the same time, as they occur in a place where we never quite succeed in getting our bearings, we are left tagging along. The sooner we accept that we may never catch up, the easier it becomes to understand what’s going on. This story could have been recounted in so many different ways, exploiting emotions or politics for the sake of generating box office dollars. It sticks to the people involved, and highlights the attributes that make Mariane Pearl an extraordinary individual. A superbly crafted motion picture, A Mighty Heart puts Daniel Pearl’s life and death into perspective with respect to who he was and what he tried to achieve, without the kind of sensationalism he’d surely despise.
Iqaluit welcomes Stripes with open arms IQALUIT By Ben Rayner Pop Music Critic
D
oes anyone else get the sense that the White Stripes are applying for the job of Canada’s favourite band? They’ve had the appropriate, red-and-white colour scheme down for years, so the presence of a single, crimson maple leaf on front man Jack White’s guitar amp throughout the duo’s breathless set at Iqaluit’s Arctic Winter Games Arena June 27 was so unobtrusive one didn’t even realize it was there until halfway through the show. Beyond that, though, the Detroit-born, lately Nashville-based duo is obviously thrilled to be playing to grateful audiences in every out-of-the-way nook and cranny of the country on its current tour. Seriously, in more than a decade as a rock critic, I have never seen a rock band smile as much onstage as Jack and his uncharacteristically glowing drummer/”big sister” Meg did last night — they’re likely to walk away from this trip with honorary Canadian citizenships. Call it a publicity stunt to drive up domestic sales of the Stripes’ terrific new record, Icky Thump, if you will, but there’s no way anyone’s making any money off lugging families, a road crew and thousands of pounds of gear between arctic outposts like Whitehorse, Yellowknife and the wonderful little Nunavut capital of Iqaluit — easily the smallest and most remote destination Jack and Meg have ever blown into — before hitting such neglected eastern locales as Glace Bay and St. John’s in the weeks ahead. The White Stripes are doing this because they want to, pure and simple, and their evident pleasure at being able to see this part of the world fairly oozed from the stage all through their 90minute set. Iqaluit will, it’s safe to say, welcome the White Stripes — who spent the day checking out the rugged northern scenery, perusing the local Alianait! arts festival and dining on raw caribou with Inuit elders — back with open arms. For a crowd of 600 (a small number, perhaps, but that’s nearly one-tenth of Iqaluit’s 7,000 residents), the audience in the Arctic Winter Games Arena transmitted a consistent, giddy energy rarely witnessed at shows in Toronto. All the non-stop dancing and squealing on the floor — filled as much with moms, dads and small children as it was Iqaluit’s remarkably hip and happenin’ young people, not to mention the Nunavut territory’s premier, Paul Okalik — was soaked up and spat back from the stage in a performance unhinged even by the White Stripes’ lofty standards. In a marked departure from his usual, standoffish stage demeanour, he beamingly took a request for Fell In Love With a Girl from the crowd and coaxed the mob to sing along with the chorus to De Ballit of De Boll Weevil. And the dedication that led into the winning ballad We’re Going to Be Friends was downright sweet. “If we stay here a couple more days we’re gonna know everyone in town,” he laughed. “What do you say, Meg? You wanna stay here another week?” One got the distinct sense they were actually mulling it. A tip of the hat, then, White Stripes, for bothering to bring rock ‘n’ roll to places most Canadians, let alone Canadian bands, never get to visit. When your home country goes finally, completely to hell, you’re more than welcome to join us up here.
Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart
Evan Almighty Starring Steve Carrell and Morgan Freeman, 100 min. (out of four) Recalling Bruce Almighty, one is hard put to remember anything noteworthy beyond the casting of Morgan Freeman as God, and one funny scene improvised by Steve Carrell. More important than this, however, is the film grossed close to a quarter of a billion dollars in North America, so a sequel was inevitable. With Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston out of the picture for whatever reasons, and Carrell’s star rising, it’s no surprise that we find his character, Evan Baxter, anointed to the lead role in Evan Almighty. This time around, Evan isn’t just an ambitious newsman, he’s been elected to Congress. Neither is God looking to
impart omnipotence upon a mere mortal who needs to learn a lesson. His plan for Evan is to build an ark and fill it up with animals in preparation for an impending flood. Oddly enough, though, someone seems to have forgotten which film this follows, as Evan begins to transform into the traditional image of Noah, in much the same fashion that Tim Allen’s character changes into the fat man with the beard in The Santa Claus. Ill-conceived and poorly executed ,Evan Almighty features a decent effort on Carrell’s part and a few good scenes with Morgan Freeman, but otherwise it exemplifies the worst of Hollywood. Simply put, who thinks of making a major motion picture, especially a comedy, centred around a flood, when many of the folks affected by hurricane Katrina are still tossing and turning in strange beds?
Moreover, there are very few laughs in the picture. In an effort to “punch up” the comedy, veteran comic Wanda Sykes, who plays one of Evan’s congressional staff members, delivers oneliners at the end of many scenes. Worse still, the frequency of these interjections presents ample opportunity for the viewer to realize that most of these were shot independently from the associated action, perhaps done even after shooting had finished. Evan Almighty is the kind of motion picture that gets made for many reasons other than someone coming up with a good story. Although it’s the most expensive comedy ever made, it’s a complete waste of money, theirs and yours. Tim Conway operates Capitol Video in Rawlin’s Cross, St. John’s. His column returns July 13.
JUNE 29, 2007
22 • INDEPENDENTLIFE HEARD ALL THE MYTHS ABOUT DEBT AND BANKRUPTCY? GET THE FACTS FROM NEWFOUNDLAND’S PERSONAL DEBT EXPERTS
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Ireland’s Mornington Singers
Sally Hayhow photo.
‘Incredibly curious’ Dublin-based choir on the Avalon for Festival 500; plan special performance to celebrate Newfoundland-Ireland links By Stephanie Porter The Independent
A
midst the hustle and bustle of Festival 500, the Dublin-based Mornington Singers are scheduled to perform five times — in St. John’s, Ferryland, and aboard an Irish naval vessel in St. John’s harbour. The concert on the deck of the L.E. Eithne will be free for passersby to watch and listen from the harbour apron; on board will be a host of guests, including the ambassador of Ireland, Declan Kelly. None of the 28 participating choir members have been to Newfoundland before — but they’re only too happy to stand up and sing during a night billed as “marking Ireland’s special relationship with Newfoundland and Labrador.” A group of graduates from Trinity College Dublin formed the Mornington Singers in 1997 simply because they wanted to continue singing together. Since then the group has racked up international awards, establishing itself as one of Ireland’s leading chamber choirs. Still made up primarily of people in their 20s and 30s, the choir has evolved significantly over the past decade. “Some are music graduates, some not; we’ve Irish, English, Welsh, Polish, Estonian, Slovakian, American and Australian singers at the moment,” says Fionnuala Dillane, choir chair. “(It reflects), we think, the changing demographic of Dublin and Ireland as a result.” Although multicultural in composition, the choir remains committed to promoting the work of young Irish composers; during Festival 500, the group will feature work by Caitriona Ni Dhubhghaill, a young Irish composer based in Vienna. Twenty-eight of the 34 choir members will take part in the week-long jaunt to Newfoundland — just the latest, but one of the most ambitious trips for a group used to
“The social and community aspect to the choir is keystone. We really enjoy singing and travelling, though it can be hectic. Most of us are working full time in areas not related to music.” Fionnuala Dillane, choir chair performing around Ireland and Europe. “The social and community aspect to the choir is keystone,” says Dillane. “We really enjoy singing and travelling, though it can be hectic. Most of us are working full time in areas not related to music.” Among the choir members are linguists, lawyers, college lecturers, computer engineers (four of them — “all tenors for some reason”), an architect, midwife, investment banker … “It’s a very mixed bunch from very different backgrounds,” Dillane continues. “We all sing for the fun of it and the love of it. Nobody pays to join the choir; nobody gets paid to sing. Pure pleasure really.” The trip to Newfoundland and Festival 500 is sponsored in part by Culture Ireland and the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership. The partnership, officially formed in 2001, began with a strong focus on building business-to-business links between the two sides. While there have been some successful trade missions, exchanges of knowledge and connections, the partnership’s executive director says, over time, it’s the cultural exchanges that have proven most exciting. “Any time we’d advertise a project or grant
on the cultural side, there was a huge response,” Agnes Aylward says from her office in Dublin. “It’s the same in Newfoundland … with a small amount of money you can get an enormous amount of connections and projects going.” She points to the annual Festival of the Sea — the third of which wraps up June 30 in Waterford, Ireland — as one strong example. And the Mornington Singers’ trip across the Atlantic will be another. “There are 28 people going to see Newfoundland who have never been there that are going to tell their families and friends about it,” she says. “There’s a lot of bang for the buck on the cultural projects.” And that can, in turn, lead to all sorts of other relationships. “I’ve always felt, the business success that would emerge from this partnership … well, there’s a certain amount of chance meetings through culture and education and other links that may lead to other things.” Aylward, a native of Waterford, is eagerly anticipating being aboard the L.E. Eithne in St. John’s Harbour — in a province and among people she says she’s always found strangely, and fascinatingly, familiar. Amidst all the last-minute busyness of arranging passports and sorting out the needs of a group trip, Dillane says she and her musical colleagues are also curious and excited about the week ahead. “We’re really looking forward to our trip to St. John’s,” says Dillane, listing their performances aboard the naval vessel and in Ferryland (on July 7) as likely highlights. “And personally I’m incredibly curious about encountering the Irish Newfoundlanders.” The Mornington Singers harbour performance begins July 2 at 7 p.m. For other performances and the rest of Festival 500’s schedule, visit www.festival500.com.
SURVIVING IDOL
CTV photo Newfoundland and Labrador’s Tara Oram performs I Never Promised You A Rose Garden June 26 on Canadian Idol. Oram, 23, of Hare Bay, made the cut and is now into the Top 18 on the show. She has the option of performing with or without an instrument on next week’s show, scheduled to air July 3.
INDEPENDENTSTYLE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JUNE 29-JULY 5, 2007 — PAGE 23
Roary MacPherson, head chef at The Fairmont in St. John’s.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Fire up the Q Local grilling experts’ handy tips make Canada Day feasts extra-delicious
By Mandy Cook The Independent
O
n our nation’s birthday, before the riot of fireworks shoot off at dusk, comes the very serious business of eating. Eating outdoors, to be precise. The annual summer ritual of jamming the barbecue grill full of the perfect picnic fixings has arrived. After the family soccer match in the park, after frolicking in the surf at the beach, or after kicking back in a lawn chair at your local block party, our minds and stomachs turn to sizzling steaks, juicy shish kebabs or the old reliable: hot dogs and hamburgers. Although the youngsters might clamour for meat on a bun, burgers and weenies are nowhere to be found on the menu at College of the North Atlantic cooking instructor Eric King’s house. King says the almighty beef barbecue is no longer king, as outdoor grillers are leaning more towards seafood and pork. He says peo-
ple are experimenting with flavour is “unbelievable” outdoor slow cooking to because the natural fat in seal in flavour and are even the animal bastes itself the “Eating al fresco tossing stir fries — placing entire time it turns over the outside adds to your a wok directly on the grill. grill. And although barbeKing, a native of Buchans cue enthusiasts are marinatexperience and is a now teaching in ing their meat lately, King Stephenville, prefers a isn’t a fan. lot more comfortable straight-forward fish fry. “I find that defeats the “I’m more into fish on purpose. If you’re going to and laid back.” the barbecue, right on the barbecue, barbecue. Why barbecue,” he says. “I don’t are you going to go put 10 wrap it in foil, I don’t wrap different spices and herbs it in banana leaves, I don’t cover it in anything. and oils and everything and throw it on the barIt cooks fast and puts a little bit of a different becue? All you’re looking for is a source of flavour to it so I don’t have to season it as heat — you could have threw that in the oven much. I use a bit of salt and pepper, that’s it.” and saved yourself some propane,” he says. In general, a barbecue should never be Roary MacPherson, head chef at The rushed, King says. He recommends buying a Fairmont in St. John’s, says he likes marinating good cut of beef or chicken and grilling it as his barbecue fare, especially when it comes to long as it takes “to give yourself time for two shish kebabs, a party favourite. One of his preor three beers.” ferred recipes is a mix of apple cider vinegar, If you’re really ambitious, you can slow sea salt and fresh herbs and garlic, which he roast a whole pig on a rotisserie. King says the uses to cover his meat and vegetables for an
hour prior to grilling. Then he pre-cooks the meat — usually chicken or pork — so the vegetables won’t overcook. Another shish kebab tip is to pre-soak the skewers to avoid burning them. As for exotic techniques, Korean barbecues are gaining in popularity with their accompanying spices and kimchee accompaniment (a spicy marinated cabbage), along with the southern favourite of barbecued ribs. At the MacPherson household, however, the chef has his own barbecue staple: homemade turkey or pork sausages infused with fruit — such as apple and pears — and herbs for a pinch of freshness. MacPherson says his love of grilling stems from growing up and cooking outdoors in the Long Range Mountains on the west coast. He says it not only enhances the food, but the festivities, too. “Eating al fresco outside adds to your experience and is a lot more comfortable and laid back. Outside, it makes everything fresher.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
JUNE 29, 2007
24 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
TASTE
S’Mores the merrier for Canada Day weekend By Susan Sampson Torstar wire service This Canada Day, get in the camping mood without the bugs and dirt. I prescribe this pie. CHOCOLATE S’MORES PIE Adapted from Gourmet magazine. White corn syrup is actually clear; it is sold in some supermarkets. GRAHAM CRUST • 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pan • 1-1/2 cups graham cookie crumbs • 2 tbsp granulated sugar • Pinch salt CHOCOLATE FILLING: • 7 oz (200 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped • 1 cup whipping cream • 1 large egg, at room temperature • Pinch salt
MARSHMALLOW TOPPING: • 1 tsp unflavoured gelatin • 1/2 cup cold water • 3/4 cup granulated sugar • 1/4 cup white corn syrup • Pinch salt • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract • Vegetable oil for greasing For crust, lightly butter nine-inch pie plate. Stir together five tablespoons butter, crumbs, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Press evenly on bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake in preheated 350F oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on rack to room temperature. For filling, put chocolate in large bowl. Bring cream to boil in small pan, then immediately pour over chocolate. Let stand one minute. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg and salt until combined. Pour into prepared crust. Cover edge of pie with shield or foil. Bake in preheated 350F oven until edges are just set and centre trembles when gently shaken, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack one hour.
For topping, sprinkle gelatin over a quarter cup water in large, heatproof bowl. Let stand one minute. Put sugar, corn syrup, salt and remaining quarter cup water in medium pan. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until mixture is straw-coloured and 260F, about six minutes. Using electric mixer at medium speed, begin beating gelatin mixture, then pour in sugar mixture in slow, steady stream, avoiding beaters or sides of bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until tripled in volume and thick, about five minutes. Beat in vanilla to blend. Spoon topping over pie filling, from centre outwards. Chill in fridge one hour. Oil square of plastic wrap. Cover pie with plastic, oiled side down. Chill in fridge three hours. Preheat broiler. Remove plastic from pie. Broil three to four inches from heat, rotating as needed, until topping is golden brown, one to two minutes. Place on rack until completely cool. To slice, use large knife dipped in hot water and wiped with towel before each cut. Makes eight to 10 servings.
Fence a long-term investment
Many fencing options available; gazebos another hot summer item
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orey Reynolds of Chester Dawe in St. John’s says deciding what goes around your home is just as critical a choice as what goes on the inside. “Fencing and those types of things are more or less up to the individual,” he says. In many cases personal preferences plays more of a role than price, he adds. “Do you want wood or chain link? If you want chain link, do you want it any particular colour? These are decisions that are made on an individual basis and have to be really thought out.” Reynolds says most customers come in with “some idea” of what they want — they just need to know what their options are. “You usually know if you want privacy from a fence that you would go with pressure treated lumber. If privacy is what you are after then you don’t mind spending that little bit extra on that product over chain link.” When it comes to fencing, he says, for the most part homeowners want something that will last — and will stay where they put it.
“I find that folks are coming in now and looking for a wood fence, but they want the supports to last so they are going with galvanized posts that last a lifetime,” he says. Initially that will drive up the costs “a little” but he says it will be worth it in the long run. Carla Goudie is a department manager with Home Depot in St. John’s. She says most who come to see her bring measurements along so they can explore their options when it comes to fencing. Goudie shows off a fencing design software program available at Home Depot where fence measurements are entered and costs calculated. This way, she says, customers know how much material they will need and what it will cost up front. “Eighty per cent of what we see here are do it-yourselfers,” she says. She keeps that in mind when advising customers. “It can get confusing — 4x4s, 2x4s, deck screws, fence boards, posts … there is a lot to keep in mind when you are installing a fence that could last you 30-plus years.” Whatever you decide, all agree home-
owners need to be aware a fence is a long-term investment. “If properly maintained a fence can last for a few decades,” Goudie says, “so make sure the one you pick is the one you won’t mind looking at for many years to come.” GAZEBO DAYS Joel Stenabaugh manages the seasonal department at Home Depot. This season’s hot item? The gazebo. “Gazebos are gaining in popularity as an accent piece on a deck or in a back yard,” he says, adding that he has never seen as many styles — or prices — available before. “The market is increasing for sure. Last year we had three types for sale, this year we already have seven different varieties.” Stenabaugh says the price for a gazebo starts at $79 and goes up from there. Sizes also vary — there is something available for all tastes, he stresses. “You can go with a permanent structure, or you can go with one that pops up in seconds like a tent,” he says. As is the case with fencing, he adds, it really depends on what the homeowner wants
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 25
Top drawer A few tricks to keep concentration sharp and hunger pangs away while busy at work
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he world right now is busy. Really busy. Everyone I know is run off his or her feet, everyone in a rush for something. Keeping up with their job. Keeping up with clients, keeping up with kids. Everyone looks slightly tired — lack of sleep, not enough good food and being too busy are the general complaints. Even I’m feeling the pinch. I missed a deadline for this newspaper last week. Why? It wasn’t due to lack of interest … it was because I was working so hard on something else, that by the time I knew what day it was, the deadline had long passed. I have a good warning system about when to eat: it’s my wife. She keeps me in check. Sometimes I’m busy and she lets me know when I’m “low” or in need of some food. At the moment, she’s on the west coast pursuing professional development, meaning I’m on my own. As I said, I’m really busy so something has to give. In my case I forget to eat. Even with all my training and knowledge, I push thoughts of food aside when I work. It was the same when I was in the food industry — I
NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the Eating Path was not hungry, even after putting in 16-hour days. The same holds true right now. My schedule and workload is such that for the last week or so I was not eating where and when I should have, and it caused me some problems. What happens when you don’t eat? Tiredness, irritability and lack of concentration are some of the common first signs. In my office I have a small filing cabinet. It looks like it’s full of papers — but no, it’s my food cabinet. I’m a see food eater generally — if I see food I’ll eat it — so I have to be careful. It’s so easy to head to a fast food joint for some “beige food,” but there are ways of keeping yourself away from the fast food trap, even if you are single and it’s easier than making food for yourself. Eat less food more often. I’m turning
into my wife who “grazes” through the day. Tiny portions of food eaten at regular intervals keep the energy in your body up so you feel full even if you’ve had only a little bit to eat. Water, water, water. As I sit and write this I could have a cold beer at my right hand, but a glass of water keeps me from dipping into the cookie jar for a snack. It also keeps me from getting dehydrated, which, more often than not, is confused for a hunger signal. Aim for low-sugar snacks and snacks high in protein. Sure, it’s easy to reach into the cupboard and find a cookie because it’s quick — but what happens then? Five minutes later you’re hungry
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
a gazebo to do. “For some it’s functional — something to give you shade,” Stenabaugh says. “You can put some patio furniture under it if you’d like. For others, a gazebo is an accent piece and is more a per-
manent part of the garden.” Mary Diamond of Diamond Landscaping in Steady Brook says she’s glad to see hedging becoming more popular. “Homeowners need options, and a fence can say ‘stay out’ when what you
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.
Please help us.
1-800-378-CCFF • www.cysticfibrosis.ca
really want to do is just frame your property,” she says. “Adding a hedge is a natural and beautiful option to the old standards.” — Pam Pardy Ghent
again. Even though it might have more fat, a half-inch cube of cheese is almost an ounce of dairy with one-third of that in protein form. It gives your body something to chew on and work through, and in the long run will make you feel full. Bananas. The amazing banana is a wonder fruit, packed with nutrients and complete with its own convenient carrying handle. It’s filled with vitamins and minerals including the B-complexes, iron and potassium, which can help with everything from anemia to nervousness to making your skin healthier. I keep a small bunch of bananas in my food drawer at work. Just one banana in
the middle of the afternoon can keep the mind sharp and clear and the body relaxed. I also have tomato juice in cans (for a vegetable hit), a low-sugar granola bar (for the cereals and grains), as well as some quick oats in handy packages to fill in the protein requirements of the day. For all these things I’ll turn to my top drawer — keeper of the food and saviour of my concentration when I can’t get away from my desk. Nicholas Gardner is a freelance writer and erstwhile chef living in St. John’s. nicholas.gardner@gmail.com
JUNE 29, 2007
26 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
An afternoon with Joey Pam Pardy Ghent remembers the lessons learned during her first interview ever
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he first person I ever interviewed was Joseph R. Smallwood. I had a Grade 7 cultural heritage project to complete, and I needed to do a written assignment on someone old enough to know “stuff.” We didn’t have to do an interview, but the other option was a research project and I feared winding up stuck in the community library on a Saturday more than I did talking to some old fart. I admit I didn’t pick Smallwood on my own. My mother and her sisters were chatting around our kitchen table as I was brooding over my assignment, and one of my aunts offered up his name. She was kidding I think, but somehow she made such an endeavour sound as practical as chatting with my own poppy over Sunday dinner. I knew Smallwood was, once upon a time, premier of the province. But better still, I knew he was old, and that fit the criteria for an assignment on Newfoundlandia perfectly. Joey it was. A phone call or two later and things were set. We were graciously permitted to do the assignment as a group, so I gathered my best buds together and soon Charmaine, Joy and I had an arrangement that worked well for us all. I was the designated interviewer, probably because I was the most brazen of the bunch. Joy was to handle the note pad since her penmanship was by far the neatest and Charmaine would be on video recorder duty. The camera we owned didn’t record sound — if any did at that time — so I was also put in charge of taping the audio portion with my trusty old tape recorder. We teased and tormented each other as my father drove us to our appointment with the only living Father of Confederation. We didn’t have the common sense to be nervous. We were three young lasses who couldn’t wait to get to the mall when this thing was over and done with. We were greeted by a kind receptionist. Mr. Smallwood was ready for us, she cooed sweetly, leading us into his office. There, seated behind a dark, broad desk — dwarfed by leatherbound books, framed prints, sketches, news clippings and awards — was a smallish, almost frail man with a huge presence. Crap, I remember thinking, this man was something. I glanced at my friends. They looked as freaked out as I was starting to feel. We fumbled with the electronic gadgets we had brought, and my friends, wide-eyed and in awe, waited for me to begin. I stared at the handwritten page of questions I had brought along, feeling foolish and unprepared. “Where were you born?” stared back at me in the chicken-scratches I called handwriting. I held the page to my chest to conceal the mess and swallowed hard. We should have done our homework, I thought, panic threatening. I shouldn’t have to ask this man where he was
PAM PARDY GHENT
Seven-day talk born, I should already know! But I didn’t, so I went ahead with that first very tough question. He started right in — almost enthusiastically — as if this was the first time anyone had ever asked him that question. “I was born in Gambo when I was very young,” he began. “Yes, I was very young when I was born there.” Then silence. He was watching me. Was he waiting for another question? Perhaps looking for a reaction? I was too polite to laugh out loud — after all, he was quite old and perhaps didn’t realize how strange his opening comment sounded. Or did he? While I managed to suppress my laughter, my eyes widened just enough and the edges of my mouth rose uncontrollably. Smallwood leaned back in his chair, linked his wrinkled hands together over his slightly protruding tummy, chuckled, winked, and then continued telling us the story of his life as only he could tell it. He answered all our questions with ease, pausing to show off one thing or another around his great office that was relevant to what he was revealing at the moment. He was captivating and he was kind. His secretary came in to tell him he had another appointment waiting and he told her to say he was busy, because he was. He took us on a guided tour of every single picture he had posted in and around his office. I left Smallwood’s office that day with a few things I didn’t have before. One was renewed confidence. I had had two choices earlier that day: clam up and lose out; or overcome my fears and leave, like I did, feeling like a million bucks. The second was a confirmation that showing your emotions — your humanity — is a perfectly fine thing to do. While I managed to muzzle my laughter at Smallwood’s odd opening statement, I couldn’t hide the hint of a smile or the gleam in my eyes. That moment put both of us at ease. Come to think of it, I left with something else as well. A sense that asking what might seem like an obvious question — for example, “Where were you born?” — might actually be the logical place to start. I have interviewed many people since Smallwood, and where each one came from seems to be the beginning of all the stories I’ve heard since. It is always the first question I ask. Perhaps one day some kids will be doing a story about what things were like back in my day and will need an old fart to talk to. If they ever do, I know exactly how to begin. Pam Pardy Ghent lives in Harbour Mille on the Burin Peninsula. Her column returns July 13. pamelamichpardy@yahoo.com
EVENTS FRIDAY, JUNE 29 • Free BBQ celebrating Hire a Student Week with Service Canada Centre for Youth, Sobeys, Mount Pearl. • Canada’s Big Birthday Newfoundland Style with The 8-Track Favorites, A2Z and Jersey, George Street, St. John’s, gates open 6 p.m. • Critical Mass, group bicycle ride to celebrate cycling and assert cyclists’ right to the road, Colonial Building, Bannerman Park, 6 p.m. • Ann and Seamus, chamber opera, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 7293900. • Read My Lips, teen open mic for musicians, songwriters and poets, ages 1320, AC Hunter Library, St. John’s Arts and Culture, 7-9 p.m., 737-3317. SATURDAY, JUNE 30 • Positive Thinkers Club Monthly Breakfast, speaker Debbie Maloney on Stroke Recovery/Motivation, Bally Hally, 9 a.m. • Critical Splash, Bannerman Park, 5 p.m. • Shenanigans, presented by Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 5:30 p.m., 1-888464-3377. • Canada’s Big Birthday Newfoundland Style with Hey Rosetta!, Bliss Catalyst and The Idlers, George Street, St. John’s, gates open 6 p.m. • A Disquieting Strangeness, new work by Michael Pittman, The Leyton Gallery of Fine Art, St. John’s, opening reception 3-5 p.m. SUNDAY, JULY 1 • Birdwatching morning hike with Dr. Howard Clase, MUN Botanical Gardens, 8 a.m. • Memorial Day Service at War Memorial, Duckworth Street, St. John’s, 3 p.m. Legion members planning to attend should be at the Legion by 2 p.m., 422-2072. • Canada Day Sunrise Ceremony, Signal Hill, St. John’s, 6 a.m., shuttle service beginning at 4 a.m. from Aliant building parking lot, Fort William. • Canada Day celebrations, cake, facepainting, games, prizes and tours, Signal Hill & Cape Spear, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. • Canada Day at the garden, nature hikes, duck feeding, story time, puppet shows, face painting and crafts, suitable for families, MUN Botanical Garden, 306 Mt. Scio Road, 10 a.m., 737-8590. • Canada Day family fun outdoor concert, Confederation Hill, St. John’s, 12:30 p.m. • Mount Pearl Canada Day celebrations, children’s entertainment, cake, prizes and more, St. David’s Park, (rainy day site: Reid Community Centre), 122:30 p.m., non-perishable food item for admission. • Canada Day celebrations, bike decoration and rodeo, food and games, Pippy Park, North Bank Lodge, 2-4 p.m. • Canada’s Big Birthday Newfoundland Style, Rex Goudie, The Navigators, Kronik, Tarahan, and Miss Conduct, George Street, St. John’s, gates open 3 p.m. • Corner Brook Canada Day celebrations, Margaret Bowater Park, 6371232. • Happy Valley-Goose Bay Canada Day celebrations, various events for the whole family, Kinsmen Park, closing with fireworks display, 11 p.m. • Festival 500, featuring Anuna, Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, and Mary Lou Fallis, St. John’s, until July 8, www.festival500.com. • Canada Day fireworks, Quidi Vidi Lake, St. John’s, 9:30 p.m. MONDAY, JULY 2 • Finding Your Purpose, lecture with Edith Lynch, 7-9 p.m., 6-week seminar, meeting once weekly until July 24. • 3rd Annual Family Fun Walk/Run Race, 3, 5, or 10 km, E.J. Broomfield Memorial Arena, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, 10 a.m., 899-1477 or 896-3000. TUESDAY, JULY 3 • Our Energy Future: Scientific and Technological Challenges for the 21st Century, public lecture by Professor Thomas J. Meyer, Arey professor of chemistry, University of North Carolina, Arts and Administration Building, MUN, St. John’s, 3-4:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, JULY 4 • Abracadabra Illusion Show, Rabbittown Theatre, St. John’s, 7 p.m., until July 8. • Great Casavant Organ, David Drinkell, Anglican Cathedral, 1:15-1:45 p.m. THURSDAY, JULY 5 • Sherry Ryan at Folk Night, The Ship, St. John’s, 9:30 p.m. FRIDAY, JULY 6 • Deadline for 6th Annual FRAMED Scriptwriting Contest and Workshop Series for St. John’s and Mount Pearl youth. Submissions can be mailed to FRAMED, c/o St. John’s International Womens Film Festival, PO Box 984, St. John’s, NL A1C 5M3, faxed to 5792386, emailed to outreach@womensfilmfestival.com with the subject line as Script Contest, or dropped off at 155 Water Street, suite 301, St. John’s.
Rex Goudie
Sherry Ryan
David Drinkell
Newfoundland dog
Michael Pittman
IN THE GALLERIES: • Mushrooming, by Catherine Beaudette, series of layered paintings, Pouch Cove Gallery, 14 Grushy’s Hill, until June 30. • The Battery: People of the Changing Outport tells the story of The Battery, of dramatic social, cultural and economic changes occurring in many outport communities, The Rooms, until September 3. • Two Artists Time Forgot highlighting the achievements of Margaret Campbell MacPherson and Francis Jones Bannerman, until September 3. • Brian Jungen’s Vienna, giant sculpture in the form of a pristine whale skeleton suspended from the gallery’s cathedral ceiling, The Rooms, until September 16. • Finest Kind, sampling display of Newfoundland’s stories of nationhood, World War I, and life on the land and sea through artifacts, artwork, images and documents, The Rooms, level 2, 9 Bonaventure Avenue, St. John’s, until September 16. • Natural Energies by Anne Meredith Barry (1931–2003), including 90 works created since 1982, The Rooms, until September 30.
Submit your events to Kayla Email: kayla.joy@theindependent.ca Phone: (709) 726-INDY (4639) Fax: (709) 726-8499
SATURDAY, JULY 7 • A Night to Remember, presented by the Children’s Wish Foundation, with Neil Diamond and Elvis, St. John’s Convention Centre, 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., tickets available at Mile One Box Office, Music City, or online at www.mileonecentre.com. • Earth Day Birthday Celebration with Newfoundland’s top bands, Prince Edward Plaza, George Street, St. John’s, 12-7 p.m. • Manuels River Watch Your Bobber Race, Manuels River Bridge,Conception Bay South, 2:30 p.m., 834-2099. SUNDAY, JULY 8 • CBC Celebrity Soccer Game, King George V Field, St. John’s. • 2nd Annual Newfoundland and Labrador Dog Parade, Quidi Vidi Lake, band stand, north side, 2-4 p.m., Newfoundland Dog, Labrador Retriever, and all other dog owners welcome, Jan Peters, 722-1524. ONGOING • All ‘Round the Circle dinner theatre, The Collonade, 6 East Drive, Pleasantville, every Wednesday – Friday, 6909929. • Gros Morne Theatre Festival, June 16 -Sept.15, 1-877-243-2899, www.theatrenewfoundland.com. • East Coast Trail Group Hikes, weekends throughout summer, www.eastcoasttrail.com/scheduled_hikes. • The Rooms, St. John’s, free admission Wednesday nights, 6-9 p.m., www.therooms.ca. • Family Canoeing, Power’s Pond, Mount Pearl, Wednesday evenings, 6-8
p.m., throughout summer. • Historical Walking Tours Tuesday and Friday mornings, 75 minutes, Fairmont Hotel, Cavendish Square, St. John’s, call 364-6845 for reservations, www.boyletours.com • Roller Skating, Mile One Centre, age 18 and up, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 810 p.m. • When Larry Met Sally the girl from the bay, dinner theatre, Wednesday Friday throughout summer, Majestic Theatre, 390 Duckworth Street, St. John’s, 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. FESTIVALS AND OTHER NOTABLE UPCOMING EVENTS • The Comedy of Errors presented by Shakespeare by the Sea, Cabot 500 Theatre, Bowring Park, St. John’s, Sundays and Mondays July 8 – August 13. • Sounds of Summer Concert Series, Corner Brook, July 16 – August 30. • St. John’s Jazz Festival, July 18-22, 739-7734, www.stjohnsjazzfestival.com. • Salmon Festival, Grand FallsWindsor, July 19-23, www.grandfallswindsor.com/salmonfestival. • Grenfell Heritage Night, Grenfell Park, St. Anthony, July 18. • Mid Summer Viking Festival, Norstead, L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, July 2-22, 6232828. • Mount Pearl City Days, July 20-22, 748-1008, www.mountpearl.ca. • Humber Valley Strawberry Festival, Deer Lake Powerhouse Field, July 2022. • Big Hill Festival, Cox’s Cove, July 2629, 632-8815, www.bighillfestival.ca. • George Street Festival, St. John’s, July 26-31. • Stephenville Come Home Year, July 27 – August 4, www.stephenvillecomehomeyear. com. • Summerdance Festival, Fluvarium, Pippy Park, St. John’s, July 28-29. • 1st Annual Accordian Idol, Bell Island, July 28-29, www.bellisland.net. • Royal St. John’s Regatta, Aug. 1. • 2007 Flying Boat Festival International, Botwood and Norris Arm, August 2-7, www.flyingboatfestival.ca. • Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Bannerman Park, St. John’s, August 3-5.
What’s new in the automotive industry
JUNE 29-JULY 5, 2007
FEATURED VEHICLE
RAV 4 THE CONFIDENCE TO HANDLE ANYTHING RAV 4 is an SUV built to outsmart most obstacles in your way — including the gas pump. Inside and out, Toyota RAV 4 was designed larger, putting ingenious utility into a sleek body. V6 engine rated at 269 horsepower and 246 lb.ft.of torque. Once you slide behind the wheel you’ll discover the console controls conveniently located at the tip of your finger, a power sunroof with sunshade and steering wheel audio controls. Ultimately, when it comes to your convenience and comfort, the RAV 4 has an undeniable inside edge. RAV 4’s got what it takes to handle the challenge of changing conditions. The available Electronic On-Demand 4WD enhances traction. You can find the new RAV 4 at Toyota Plaza, 73 Kenmount Rd. Nicholas Langor/The Independent
From mild to wild THE 2007 HONDA S2000 DISPLAYS A FINE PIECE OF WIZARDRY
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n the weekend I tend to ease ed to Alberta for work and came back into leisurely pursuits such as home to recharge. Arriving in a sharp gardening and puttering around car is the only way to catch up with old the yard. A lot of relaxation friends; it’s an image of wellcan be had from the simple earned recreation. With Tim pleasure of tending to leafy at the wheel, we cruised up stuff or even the mowing the road. (constructive destruction) of We chose our destination as grass. On a fine afternoon, one would select a fine wine various species of brave birds for a gourmet meal. A road perform an elaborate dance at with flawless pavement, one the feeder and crisp bed with elevated, graduated sheets flap on the clothesline. curves, interspersed with varMARK WOOD When my friend Tim ious straights and completely showed up with his brother’s void of traffic. A road that a WOODY’S Honda S2000 would sip at new sports car, a 2007 Honda S2000, I snapped out of my WHEELS first, and after declaring it domestic bliss. It was one of suitable, would consume the machines on my weekly entirely and thirst for more. to-do list and fortunately presented (And it did, but the goal of such a road, itself out of the blue. Enough of this like fine wine, is not the end, but to gardening crap, full speed ahead and savour every moment along the way.) damn the dandelions. As an amateur motocross racer, Tim Tim is another one of us who migrat- is used to a high-revving Honda engine,
but was still impressed by how far the S2000 could wind out. It has an unusually broad power range that starts right from 1,000 rpm all the way to the 8,900 rpm red line. It’s a fine piece of wizardry and deserves an explanation. Honda’s research and development division created VTEC, which stands for variable timing electronic control, and enables their engine to adapt to varied loads. The sequence of fuel and exhaust valve timing is performed by a pair of double overhead cams hafts. A conventional racing cam with higher lobes would hold the valves open longer for high speed, but usually sacrifices lower-end power. The S2000 cams actually have two settings per cylinder and the valves seamlessly alternate between low and high setting. It’s a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde setup, mild and wild. What really See “Fly-by-wire,” page 29
A 2007 Honda S2000.
Mark Wood photo
28 • INDEPENDENTSHIFT
JUNE 29, 2007
Car-sharing a smooth ride … until someone is tardy LONDON, England Mitch Potter Torstar wire service
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here are 12,000 of us in the club, sharing 300 cars spread across greater London. The first question, of course, was who has the keys. The answer, as it happens, is the niftiest element of the world’s fastest growing car-share scheme. The keys, you see, never leave the cars. Instead, members use a wallet-sized magnetic swipe card to get behind the wheel, where the ignition key awaits. Then, in a process similar to using a bank machine, the car goes nowhere until the driver enters their four-digit PIN number into the dashboard computer. And away you go. Appointments, errands, breaking news or just quick runs to the garden centre, whatever. A late-model VW Golf is yours for about $11 an hour, gas and insurance included. The most refreshing part is that when you are done with the car you are truly done. No worries about parking, theft or registration. Forget about it till you need it again. There are at least three companies in London today vying for the ever-growing market of people who want to ditch car ownership without actually giving up the convenience of occasional wheels. We chose Streetcar (HYPERLINK “http://www.streetcar.co.uk/”www.stre etcar.co.uk), which happens to be the biggest of the lot. The draw was free membership and a comprehensive online booking system that shows the nearest available car at any given time. It all seemed too good to be true and the first time I used Streetcar I began to see drawbacks. One minute before my
Taxis queue in rush hour traffic in London.
appointed booking I found myself standing in an empty parking stall three minutes from my home — and no sign of the car. I had the contract in hand and scanned the fine print to see what happens when someone turns up late. A penalty of 25 pounds sterling is what happens — 5 for the company, 20 for me. Very interesting. Forgive me a pang of slight disappointment a few seconds later when the car slipped into place, just barely on
Luke MacGregor/Reuters
time. Our clubmate scanned out, we scanned in and the rest of the journey passed flawlessly, notwithstanding the curious British tendency to drive on the wrong side of the street. Streetcars need a steady feed of petrol and the standing rule is to always bring it back at least half-full as a courtesy to the next user. There’s a gas card onboard for filling up on the company’s dime. Streetcars also get dirty — which is why the management awards a free hour of driving to any members willing
to run it through the wash while gassing up. “The biggest challenge for us was build a set of rules that would encourage the members to treat each other respectfully,” said Andrew Valentine, who co-founded Streetcar in 2004 and anticipates membership will more than double to 30,000 by this time next year. “Instead of thinking of it as a rental, with which people tend to do whatever they can get away with, we wanted people to come with a respectful attitude.
“So by penalizing members who return the car late and passing on the vast majority of the money to the member who is inconvenienced, it strongly reinforces the altruistic element of the service. We’ve ended up with a situation where everyone is out for everyone else.” Car-sharing clubs are old news in Europe, which saw its first schemes emerge in Switzerland after World War II. The idea has since spread to Germany, the Netherlands, the U.S. and Canada (in Toronto, AutoShare launched in 1998 and today runs a fleet of 85 pay-as-you-go vehicles fitted with Streetcar-style technology packs). The difference in London today is that all levels of government are aggressively endorsing the clubs with measures to unclog bureaucratic blockages and open up new municipal parking stalls for the movement to expand. Motivations are obvious — research conducted by Transport for London shows that each car club vehicle on the road replaces an average of 20 privately owned cars. By 2012, research suggests the scheme will have removed 75,000 vehicles from British streets. Streetcar emphasizes the environmental aspects of its service. But you can also find the company’s promotional crews outside tube stations, working to harvest new members among the hordes of Londoners frustrated by routine shutdowns on underground rail. “Our view is that even using petrol, our service makes enormous environmental sense,” said Streetcar’s Valentine. “But give it time and we’ll do better. Five to seven years from now we would love to be running a fleet without petrol, whether it is hydrogen, electric or a hybrid of the two.”
Toronto police test drive Smart cars Toronto parking officers using environmentally and economically sound Smart cars in pilot project Robyn Doolittle Torstar wire service
A
t 6-foot-4, things get a bit squishy for Toronto parking officer Otimoi Oyemu in his division’s new Smart car. His knees protrude eight centimetres above the bottom of the steering wheel. He can easily place one hand on the windshield and the other on the back window. And to reach the police radio, Oyemu has to twist his chest into the passenger seat to get around his own leg. Despite the tight squeeze, Oyemu says he enjoys zipping around town in the Smart cars — even if they max out at about 100 km/h. “It’s a great little city car. We don’t need to go too fast,” he said yesterday on patrol. “And it’s very easy to park. It can fit in all kinds of tight spots.” For the past month, parking enforcement officers have been cruising around in two Smart cars
emblazoned with police logos and strips. The force is also testing out a pair of Civic hybrids. This environmentally — and economically — smart pilot program will run until next February. If suitable, Toronto police may adopt the pint-sized cars on a larger scale. “So far, the response has been very positive,” said Mark Pugash, the director of public information. “There are jobs we have that officers don’t need to go from A to B very quickly.” But on the street, some people don’t know what to make of it. As Oyemu turned right out of the station yesterday, a passing motorist did a double take, then grinned. This happens, Oyemu said, but so far the only actual teasing has been from his colleagues. “It’s just fellow police officers going `Did you just get out of that tiny vehicle?’” he laughed. “People seem really happy about it. We get lots of comments: `It’s about time you guys started driving those.’”
Two minutes later, rain from yesterday’s flash Even on the street’s small incline, he said, Smart thunderstorm began pummelling the tiny car. cars are prone to rolling if you don’t always pull “Don’t worry. It’s safe. The the hand brake and hit the accelframe is very strong,” he said, as erator as soon as you start again. the car began to shake and stray This is why only officers who But Toronto wouldn’t have taken a training course are perilously close to the dividing lines in the strong wind. able to operate the vehicle. So be the first to go Abruptly, another car hastily far, about 25 have had training. turned left onto Eglinton Ave. E. Smart. In 2002, officers In the next few months, every near Bayview Ave. without lookparking enforcement officer will ing to see if the lane was clear. in London, England, be Smart car savvy. Oyemu smoothly swerved But Toronto wouldn’t be the right, leaving plenty of room traded in their conven- first to go Smart. between the two cars. In 2002, officers in London, tional cruisers for the England, traded in their conven“Wow, that’s bad driving,” he said calmly, as he continued on tional cruisers for the pocketpocket-sized ones. his way to a call at a Mac’s store. sized ones. Someone had parked in the priThe car’s 2.5-metre length is vate lot and the owner had called to complain. ideal for patrolling London’s congested streets. As Oyemu pulled up and braked, the car began And at 4.2 litres per 100 kilometres, only a bike is rolling backward. more fuel-efficient.
JUNE 29, 2007
Fly-by-wire system
INDEPENDENTSHIFT • 29
PORSCHE PROFIT
From page 27 intrigues me is how the valves actually decide which side they want. The engine is controlled by a computerized, fly-by-wire system, similar to aircraft and found on various other vehicles. The Honda S2000 takes in to consideration a multitude of operating information such as engine load, oil pressure, rpm and speed and measures “intent” to accelerate. Then it electronically switches valve selection to the high-performance camshaft setting. That’s amazing. Seamless, cam-switching, highrevving acceleration in a sports car. The sophisticated, light, 2.2L engine generates 237 horsepower and is capable of 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in 6.5 seconds. It’s also interesting to note the S2000 has the fastest automated retractable roof on the road. Top down or up in six seconds. I took the wheel on the return trip and alternated driving styles to appreciate the duality of the Honda’s engine. In sixth gear, barely moving at 50 kph, there was no lag or hesitation whatsoever. Just pure, quiet summer cruising, slow enough to appreciate an iceberg off in the distance. As we approached a curve I dropped back into second gear and charged it, winding up around 7,000 rpm. Here, the traction control system is crucial, constantly monitoring tire grip and metering power to suit your needs. Should a sudden sideways motion occur, the vehicle stability system reduces power, applies anti-lock braking and restores control. Nice to know it’s there if you need it. We were whipped out of the curve and into the straight as I hit third gear and let it wind out again, as very few cars can. If you’re not fortunate enough to have a friend drop by with a new Honda S2000 this weekend, you can always find one at City Honda on Kenmount Road in St. John’s and make your own memories. Mark Wood of Portugal Cove-St. Philips can switch from gardener to driver at a moment’s notice.
Wendelin Wiedeking, CEO of car manufacturer Porsche, delivers his speech during an extraordinary shareholder meeting in Stuttgart, June 26. German sports car maker Porsche says it expects its 2006/2007 profit to streak past 2.1 billion euros ($2.83 billion) thanks to hefty gains from its stake in Europe's biggest car maker Volkswagen. Alex Grimm/Reuters
Children are the best teachers H
istorically, I have spent the most will always be something you can’t time in the auto section of the find. Except with your nose. newspaper when I am in the When Jackson, now 12, was three, I market to buy a car. The fact I can use became aware that with enough practhe word “historically” to describe any- tice, a sippy cup can absolutely be thing in my life is more than a little dis- pitched out of that half-down childturbing. proof window. A friend’s But that is when I pore over four-year-old taught me a reviews, scan all the ads, and Hot Wheels car is just sharp make phone calls to ask more enough to carve something questions. It recently occurred into the trunk of Daddy’s car. to me I have been overlookAnd you can’t blame another ing the most valuable source kid when it’s your distinctive of information right under my nickname etched in the paint. nose: I have two sons, and If you get a scooter for everything I needed to know your fifth birthday, it is best LORRAINE about cars has actually been not to leave it right under the SOMMERFELD provided by them, for free. back tire. By my oldest son Marc’s When a boy is six, and his first birthday, I learned that horrible brother is nine, the sports cars and child seats do glovebox is indeed a great not go together. I learned that hiding spot for the Kit Kat leaning into the back seat of a two door you don’t want to share. But January low-slung car is not only difficult; it is would be better than July, and forgetdownright unattractive from several ting about it is never a good thing. angles. Marc at seven taught me about tires. When he was two, I learned that even No matter how far from home you are when you think you have found all the when you hit a squirrel, if you look fishy crackers and mini bagels that very carefully, you can probably find have been stuffed down the seat, there some of it still there. Especially if you
POWER SHIFT
Nobody knows more about auto insurance costs than the parent of a 15-and-a-halfyear-old boy.
get the flashlight from the kitchen, and that little screwdriver from Mommy’s purse that she uses to fix her sunglasses. While I admit it was a dare, Jackson at eight taught me opening the window in the car wash isn’t just like a fun shower. By age nine, both boys were requesting tinted windows so nobody could see me kissing them goodbye when they got out. I had to gently explain to Marc at 10 that just because the speedometer goes
up that high, it doesn’t mean we’re supposed to go that fast. And it does not make me wussy because “I won’t even try.” If you buy an 11-year-old a car magazine, they will help with a great deal of research, and then patiently explain why a Ferrari would actually be an investment. A van full of 12 and 13year-olds after hockey practice will teach you the value of open windows in the winter, regardless of the cold. By the time Marc was 14, I realized how fatally flawed the little spare change area of most vehicles is, due to its lack of a false bottom. I thought “spare” meant “mine.” I have since learned it means “just enough for a Coke.” Nobody knows more about auto insurance costs than the parent of a 15and-a-half-year-old boy. I enjoy the car section of a newspaper, seeing cars I may never own and hearing of problems I hope I never have. But I will stop underestimating the fountain of information literally under my own nose. www.lorraineonline.ca
30 • INDEPENDENTFUN
JUNE 29, 2007
WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 High schooler 5 Hullabaloo 8 Jim’s wife (“FBFW”) 12 Painter of 19th c. native life 16 Jamaican citrus fruit 17 Important cultural figure 18 Jerry’s ___, Nfld. 19 Adjoin 20 Breathe in sharply 21 Cape Breton Acadian town 23 Camper’s quarters 24 Sweetie 26 Grad 27 African fly 29 Nomad 31 Christian of Paris 32 Best-selling cookbook series: Company’s ___ 35 Blend 36 Orangutan specialist: Birute ___ 40 Persia, today 41 Carnival city, for short 42 Land in two pieces 43 Wild animal roaming Banff’s streets 44 Play the part 45 Cowboy footwear 47 French ___ 48 Donkey cry 49 Scotland’s “national bread” 51 Fair-haired
52 Like one who’s seen it all before 53 Diving birds 54 Sound of a streetcar bell 55 Noteworthy achievement 56 American symbol 58 Subarctic zone 59 Foulis’s 19th c. invention: steam ___ 62 Study all night 63 Periods in office 64 Taxis 65 Articulate 66 Leg of pork 67 Like bargains 68 From ___ to worse 69 “Testing, testing” item 70 Co-founder of National Ballet School 72 Clothesline fastener 73 Clothes storage area 75 Greasy 76 Fundraiser on TV 78 National Ballet founder 81 Membrane around a fetus 82 It relays real-time pictures to the Net 85 “... our home and native ___” 86 Nova Scotian, say 89 Even 91 Skin trouble 92 Atop 93 In apple-pie order 94 “___ the lonely ...” 95 Largest Arctic
CHUCKLE BROS
mammal 96 Religious faction 97 Stuff squid squirt 98 Art class model DOWN 1 Pull 2 Victorian oath 3 If all ___ fails ... 4 Sask. town E of Prince Albert 5 Needed liniment 6 Mama deerest? 7 Province with a third of Canada’s population 8 Bring upon oneself 9 Wander 10 Suffix for an ideology 11 Snowiest city in Canada (2 wds.) 12 Mohawk holy woman: ___ Tekakwitha 13 Aid criminally 14 Sisters 15 Suffix with lay 17 Frosting 22 Holly genus 25 Operated 28 Scotch partner 30 Exude 31 Had the guts (to) 32 Luigi’s “see you later!” 33 West Coast whale 34 River from near Timmins to James Bay 36 Departing 37 Thick, scaly skin growth
38 “Ah, me!” 39 Hebrides island 41 Caviar 42 Swedish coin 45 Put in the oven 46 Green lights, for short 47 Puts a sticky onto 48 Uninteresting 50 Grass stalk (bot.) 51 Publicity balloon 52 Has a hand out 54 Unit of gem weight 55 Tab on a key ring 56 It always has the last word! 57 Inland sea of central Asia 58 Very small 59 Pet rock, e.g. 60 Leaf gatherer 61 Nureyev’s no 63 Vital part of the brain 64 Zoo enclosure 67 GaspÈ mountains: les ___-Chocs 68 Peach and wine cocktail 69 Fastest growing city E of Toronto 71 Think thoroughly (about) 72 Perhaps (Fr.): ___Ítre 73 Flintlike form of quartz 74 Hit high 76 Spoil 77 Adjust slightly 78 Love handles, e.g.
79 Sprint 80 A McGarrigle sister 81 Gator
83 Japanese aboriginal 84 Blend 87 Gorilla
88 Cape Breton coal miners’ choir: ___ of the Deeps
90 Colour Solutions page 32
Brian and Ron Boychuk
WEEKLY STARS ARIES (MAR. 21 TO APR. 19) Someone who doesn’t know you’re really a loving Lamb might need reassurance after watching you let off steam over a vexing situation. Smooth things out as soon as you can. TAURUS (APR.20 TO MAY 20) Rely on your Taurean ability to help you make sense out of a spate of confusion that seems to be exploding around you. Take it slow and easy as you work things out. GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) Some information comes your way that could cause you to reconsider a decision you were about to make. A trusted friend offers some much-needed counsel. Accept it. CANCER
(JUNE 21 TO JULY 22) Feeling unappreciated? Maybe you need to stop trying so hard to please others, and focus on pleasing yourself for once. Start by planning that trip you’ve been thinking about. LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) You’re doing just fine handling that pesky challenge you were asked to take on. Expect to see it all nicely settled before too long. Meanwhile, spend more time with loved ones. VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) You can be the best friend anyone could ever hope to have. But how about being your own best friend? Indulge in something really special and tell yourself, “I’m worth it.” LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22)
Aspects favour less distraction and more action. In other words, stop looking everywhere for reasons not to move forward with your plans. Instead, just do it. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) Your sense of adventure prompts you to explore a potentially rewarding, but also possibly risky, situation. Go ahead, but be ready to get out safely if necessary. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) A change you’ve been hoping for is about to happen. But be aware that it might not be quite what you expected. Some adjusting might be needed. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) A wave of mixed emotions sweeps over the sensitive Sea Goat as he or she faces up to decisions that might be
difficult to make or are eagerly anticipated. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) Your ability to look at challenges as potential to be explored will help you find exciting opportunities in the recent changes that have come into your life. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MAR.. 20) You’ve got a good start on making things work for you despite the obstacles placed in your way. Your continuing efforts will soon produce some welcome results. BORN THIS WEEK: You have a gift for adapting to changing circumstances, which helps you get through difficult situations. Have you considered running for political office? (c) 2007 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 32
INDEPENDENTSPORTS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, JUNE 29-JULY 5, 2007 — PAGE 31
Going green Golfer Michael Furlong takes aim at provincial championship By John Rieti The Independent
M
ichael Furlong’s first golf club was an old three-iron, sawed down by his father’s friend for the 11-year-old to swing around the backyard. Ten years after he began belting balls into a net hung from his fence, Furlong is one of the province’s top golfers. “When I was 13 I played my first tournament and I loved it, I loved the competition,” Furlong, a St. John’s native, tells The Independent. After that Pippy Park tournament Furlong began hanging around courses and driving ranges, learning from top players in the city — like Bruce Emery, who took the young golfer under his wing. Golf became a “summer itch” for the avid hockey player, and he began watching it on TV, idolizing Tiger Woods. At 15, Furlong qualified to play in the Aliant Cup, a St. John’s stop for the Canadian Professional Golfers’ Association. He remembers feeling scared by the crowds of people surrounding him as he hit his drives. By 17, he proved he could handle the pressure by winning a provincial junior championship. He’s represented Newfoundland and Labrador at the junior nationals twice. Since joining Bally Hally Golf Club, Furlong has captured the club championship twice in as many tries. “That’s pretty special because there are a lot of good golfers down here,” he says, citing previous young champions like Jason Hill, Brad Gushue and Rob Efford. “They’ve all won the championship when they were really young, (Bally Halley) is no stranger to young players … I’m not even near what they’ve accomplished down here yet.” Modest and soft-spoken, Furlong’s goal for this season is winning the provincial amateur championship at Bally Hally, scheduled for July 15-19. His season is off to a rough start. Furlong missed the registration date for the first tournament of 2007 earlier this month and subsequently couldn’t enter a match-play competition. He says it was completely his fault, but no big deal — he’ll just need to practice harder. If anyone needs a ringer, Furlong will play. In the coming weeks Furlong plans to schedule six games a week and spend time on the driving and putting ranges. His range work focuses on perfecting his swing through pure repetition and little fixes from Effort, while getting out on the course is important because “no two shots are the same.” Furlong has a zero handicap, meaning he routinely shoots even par on Bally Hally’s rolling course. Michael Furlong practises his putting at Bally Haly Golf and Curling Club in St. John’s.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
See “You have to have fun,” page 32
Having a fit
Callaway golf rep says proper fitting clubs make the game better for high handicap players
R
ick Gaudet hands me a six-iron at The Woods driving range and tells me to loosen up. It’s the first time I’ve had a golf club in my hand since October. “This should be good,” I think, as I pretend to stretch. “It’ll be interesting to see where the golf ball ends up.” I stand over the ball with a Callaway Big Bertha in my hand and stripe a ball down the middle. Gaudet is impressed. Paul Kelly, the golf pro and director of operations at The Woods, is surprised. That’s because he’s seen me play. Gaudet urges me to hit another ball. Again, I’m dead centre with good distance. Third ball, same result.
DON POWER
Power Point I turn, hand Gaudet the club and say, “Thanks guys. I’m going home. I can’t improve on that.” I’m test-driving the Callaway Big Bertha and it feels good. Gaudet changes the club from steel shaft to graphite and I continue to hit balls. Gaudet, the Atlantic Canadian Callaway sales rep is in St. John’s for a fitting on June 22, and I’ve been given
an advance screening because as I write this, I’m in a house in Kissimmee, Florida with a private swimming pool 16 feet to my left, and 32 golf courses within 25 minutes drive. (It’s also 94 degrees here. Yeah, I know, tough gig.) So Gaudet and Jamie Currie are providing me with an advance session on club fitting. After a few more swings with the graphite shaft, Gaudet places a strip of Callaway tape on the bottom of the club and places a plastic mat at my feet. When the club makes contact with the mat, it will tell Gaudet where my club meets the ground. I ask questions about everything as
we proceed, but get no answers. I’m not supposed to know what kind of club I’m using, or the lie. I just hit balls. (I must say that I was very impressed with my ball striking. Not sure it was the club or me, but I hit a lot of good shots. Kelly figures it was the club. See above comment about having seen me play.) Anyway Gaudet has enough information on me, so Currie takes over and gives me an FT-5 driver and we repeat the process. I hit balls with the club. Most of them go surprisingly straight. Kelly still can’t figure out how I’m doing it, even though he was the guy who taught me to play back in 1993
when he first entered the profession. (He must be a good teacher, to get me to do some things right.) After 15 or 20 swings, and a few club changes, my hitting is done and the guys have enough information to make a recommendation. For my irons, I should use a graphite shaft, light flex, standard lie and onehalf inch short (not surprising to anybody who’s seen my height, or lack of). My driver should be the same shaft, light flex, but standard length. It also is weighted to induce a draw on my ball flight. See “I’ve seen the light,” page 32
32 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
JUNE 29, 2007
PAUL SMITH
The Rock
Outdoors
I
left you last week with my buddy Gary and I camped aside the spectacular Gander River near Appleton. Anticipation was high. I, the “expert” in our very unseasoned group of two, had filled Gary in on the finer points of salmon angling just to pass time on the three-hour drive from Spaniard’s Bay. All things are relative and I had at least caught a salmon before, albeit some time ago, on a much smaller and prolific river during peak run. I realize in retrospect that any damn fool could have caught salmon on that prime pool on Big Brook under ideal water conditions in 1968. Now it was 1978 and we were fishing a much bigger and complex river under less than ideal August conditions. I had set myself up to look like an idiot. We fished a little the first evening near our camp with no luck. A major league feed of hamburgers slobbered with mustard and cheap ketchup fortified our grit for the next morning. We fried up a pack of 16 and ate them all. Such were the appetites of late teen fishers that had never even heard of cholesterol. We awoke at dawn and peeped out through the cozy truck box window. A heavy mist lay over the river. Time to catch salmon. Off we went on a hearty breakfast of doughnuts and Pepsi. We weren’t the only ones out of bed early that morning. I’ve long since realized the futility of the early bird philosophy on salmon rivers. Everybody has the same bloody plan. Anyway, we found unoccupied rocks and fished. After two hours of nothing but blank water, my proficiency was the subject of some introspection. Others were catching the odd salmon and even those that weren’t were making a much prettier effort than Gary and I. But we persevered and fished all day, nurtured on by Mars bars and potato chips. Back at camp the mood was a little grey, but pork chops and warm beer lifted our spirits. Gary dared bring up the question of my status as “expert.” I was defenceless. The next morning we were back at it again for another two hours of mindless casting before taking a break. We sat on a chunk of driftwood questioning the sanity of our excursion — we could have gone camping with our girlfriends at Golden Sands or Terra Nova. But here we were, sat on a log, pondering why we couldn’t catch a bloody stupid fish. A weathered older gentleman in fishing vest, chest waders and outback hat came and sat beside us. “I’ve been watching you young fellas and you look like you could use a Solutions for crossword on page 30
Plying the province’s rivers for salmon is Paul Smith’s lifelong pursuit.
Paul Smith photo
Fishing and learning In a continuation of last week’s column, Paul Smith continues to expand his riverside horizons little help,” he said. No kidding — I was beyond pride and just wanted to catch a fish. And help us he did, for the remainder of the day. He showed us how the fly should pass over salmon and where salmon might lay, and gave us casting and knot-tying lessons. Just before dark that evening, both Gary and I hooked into a salmon each. Needless to say we were happy campers. All thoughts of Golden Sands and girlfriends faded — salmon for supper. I wish I could remember the gentleman’s name so I could thank him. Years went by, and I suppose I have learned something. While the kids were small and loved camping, I managed to combine salmon and family life. Most years we embarked on at least a three-week salmon fishing/family holiday road trip.
On a sunny July afternoon on Indian River in Springdale my oldest daughter Megan caught her first salmon, and in a fashion similar to my Big Brook shenanigans. Our 18-foot travel trailer was parked beside many a salmon stream from home to Bay St. George. I learned much from many fine anglers along the way. I was again beginning to think I knew something. The kids grew and we sold the travel trailer. A new salmon plan was in order. In July of 1993, Megan, myself, Charlie Piercy and his stepson Clifford left Spaniard’s Bay at about 8 p.m. on a warm sultry evening. Destination: Plum Point on the Great Northern Peninsula. Charlie and I drove all night while the kids slept in the back seat of his Chevy Blazer, arriving at Plum Point safe and sound and just in time for
breakfast at Chris Coombs’ place. Chris is an old university buddy who taught me how to tie flies in a Rothmere dorm room — not typical fraternity lifestyle perhaps. Chris and his fishing buddy Frank Samson had us on St. Genevieve River by noon. Back to knowing nothing again. Boy oh boy could these guys ever float a Bomber down a seam. Frank is an attention-to-detail fisher without equal in my experience. We caught salmon and I soaked up all I could. I fished with Frank for years and learned much. We began fishing the big rivers of Labrador and grew together as anglers. Someday Frank might consider me his equal. In recent years I’ve been travelling to more and more salmon destinations both far and near. There are many hardcore and very dedicated salmon anglers
out there. The pond just keeps getting bigger and there is much to learn. I’m not near as concerned with catching fish as I was sitting on that log by the Gander River. Last week I attended a Spey fishing school on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec; intent on learning those two-handed European casting techniques. The fish weren’t plentiful but I made new angling friends and fished some lovely crystal clear French Canadian rivers. Next week I’m off to the Kola Peninsula in Russia to try my luck on European Atlantic Salmon. I’m anticipating new friends, unique rivers and a still bigger pond. Paul Smith is a freelance writer and outdoor enthusiast living in Spaniard’s Bay. flyfishtherock@hotmail.com
Solutions for sudoku on page 30
I’ve seen the light From page 31 My current clubs are actually not much different. They’re one-half inch short, but my irons are two degrees flat. I had them made for me about 15 years ago. A lot of times, I produce slices. This Callaway fitting might actually be good for me. After the fitting, I ask Gaudet about the process, and whether it’s beneficial for golfers like me — a high handicapper — to have fitted clubs. “A low handicap golfer can take an $80 set of clubs from Wal-Mart and play relatively well,” Gaudet says, with Kelly nodding in agreement. “For you, those clubs will make the game more
difficult.” (Kelly laughs, knowing how I make the game difficult.) “Most people think that fitted clubs are for the better golfers when the opposite is true,” he continues. “That’s a myth. If you’re just starting out and get clubs that suit your game” — at which point he describes me — “slow swing speed, low hands, you will play better, which will make you want to play more. “If you’re out here with the $80 WalMart clubs, you’re going to have more troubles, and you’re going to get frustrated.” I understand these guys are in the business of selling clubs, and listen with a skeptical ear. But it makes
sense. If you play hockey, a composite stick makes you shoot harder and might help you to score more often than a wooden stick. (Yeah, I use wood, but that’s the least of my hockey-playing problems.) “Good golfers hit the ball properly and don’t need the forgiveness the new drivers and irons provide.” I’ve seen the light. Unfortunately, I arrived here in Florida with my old clubs (steel shaft irons). It’s time to put them to the test. I’m off to Orange Lake to see if I should invest in a new set. I must go. There’s a tee time with my name on it this afternoon. donniep@nl.rogers.com
You have to have fun From page 31 Unlike stern, silent players like Tiger Woods, Furlong insists you can be relaxed and focused during a round. “In golf you have to have fun. I don’t believe in going out there and not speaking with the person you’re playing against,” he says. Furlong says he still has as much fun today as he did in his backyard, and that more kids will follow his path. “There’s a lot of young people starting to play, (golf) is very popular, you can tell by the number of golf courses around here,” he says. His advice for young players hoping for similar success? Practise lots, set goals and compete. “Newfoundlanders, if they want to do anything, they have to play more competitive tournaments,” Furlong says. He found it tough to compete with mainland players who had played in 30 tournaments compared to his five or six. Furlong will have to overcome a similar challenge if he hopes to win the provincials or the club championship this year. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 33
A shell sits idle on Quidi Vidi Lake.
PART 1: ROWING PAINS
This week, The Independent launches a five-week series leading up to the 189th running of the Royal St. John’s Regatta, its history and evolution, its successess and failures, its participants and politics. In part one, rower Amanda Hancock looks back at the Regatta’s traditions — and wonders if the event is starting to lose a little steam.
S
cheduled, as always, for the first Wednesday in August, this year marks the 189th running of the Royal St. John’s Regatta at Quidi Vidi Lake. For a long time, the word “regatta” meant a day late in the summer when dad gave me money to play games and eat cotton candy with the crowd down at the pond. Until I started rowing at 13, the boat races were boring compared to the teddy bear prizes offered at games of chance. Now, 12 “first Wednesdays in August” later, I can’t
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Catch and release imagine life without it. I’ve lost races, I’ve won more, and I plan on being a part of it all for a while yet. A DAY LIKE NO OTHER It’s one of those days a lot of Newfoundlanders talk about for the 364 in between. People plan holidays around it, St. John’s shuts down for it, businesses pump money into it, musicians sing about it and I love it. Unique for so many reasons, no summer would be complete without Regatta Day. On the day of, the committee decides at 6 a.m. if the races are a go. If they are, a civic holiday is declared. If the forecast looks bad, the event is postponed. This conditional holiday has made something called the “regatta roulette” popular among young people: if you tie one on the night before Regatta Day and the weather is rough the next morning, you’ve gotta cash in your chips and drag yourself to work
on Wednesday.
than 30 minutes.
SPINNING WITH THE TIMES As the oldest continuous organized sporting event in North America, the St. John’s Regatta has evolved from its beginnings in the early 1800s. Teams train all year for the day of racing. Nowadays rowers attempt to get maximum slide and boat speed by spraying their seats with various household lubricants — anything from cooking spray to upholstery cleaner. Custom-made seats and footboards are temporarily installed in the boat for the 35-minute “spins,” or practice sessions. Spins are booked daily using a callin booking system that opens at noon. Getting the spin time of your choice requires treating your reservation like a radio call-in show. Dial as if caller No. 1 gets $10,000, and you might be lucky enough to get the time you want in less
WHERE HAVE ALL THE ROWERS GONE? The fun-loving atmosphere keeps participants coming back, but this year something is different. There is a noticeable lack of buzz around the Quidi Vidi boathouse. “It’s easier to get through to book a spin, it seems like there are always boats on the dock, and there’s just less crews out practising,” says John Smyth of Exit Realty on the Rock senior men’s rowing crew. Registration numbers support Smyth’s suspicions. As of June 22, 80 crews were registered for this year’s event, down from 105 last year. With an average of seven participants per crew, that’s almost 200 less people on the water. So why the decline? Tom Power, a 10-year boathouse
employee, attributes waning figures to a lack of coxswains. Another possible reason could be the terrible weather last Regatta Day. Or the record high winds last summer may have resulted in poor performance and discouraged participants. The intimidation factor of recent technological advancements in equipment may also play a role. The seats and footings used by today’s top crews are a far cry from the universal piece of foam and wooden board once common in every boat as recently as five years ago. It’s like the difference between a convertible and a jalopy, except traditionalists aren’t interested in the upgrade. Smyth says the decline in numbers may not be a bad thing. “As a rower, things were pretty much at capacity as far as scheduling goes,” he says. “It seemed like numbers were going up for so long, I don’t know if this event could’ve handled too many more participants and kept everyone happy.” Next week: a look at who’s who at the boathouse. — Amanda Hancock
34 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
JUNE 29, 2007
Brodeur quits NHL committee By Damien Cox Torstar wire service
M
artin Brodeur may again wear the crown as the NHL’s top goaltender, but that doesn’t mean those in authority are willing to listen attentively to his views on the game. The New Jersey Devils goaltender, who won his third Vezina Trophy two weeks ago, has abruptly resigned from the league’s competition committee after 18 months of frustration. “I don’t know if it’s in protest,” he said Wednesday from his summer home north of Montreal. “I just don’t want that responsibility any more. I thought I would be able to make a difference, but I guess I was wrong.” The future Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender was one of five players on the competition committee, which includes Calgary’s Jarome Iginla, Rob Blake of Los Angeles, Rangers forward Brendan Shanahan and Canucks veteran Trevor Linden. The committee, which makes recommendations to the NHL board of governors, was formed out of the NHL lockout and also includes general managers Bob Gainey, Don Waddell, Kevin Lowe and David Poile, as well as Philadelphia owner Ed Snider. Losing Brodeur is a significant loss of prestige for the committee, which helped alter the rules and rule interpretations that helped usher in a more wide-open league coming out of the lockout. Brodeur was added in the fall of 2005 when it was suggested that at least one goaltender’s voice should be heard, but he says his suggestions about protection of goaltenders have been ignored. “I didn’t feel I was making a difference, and I hate wasting my time when it doesn’t seem to matter,” he says. “I brought up a lot of different points, suggested different ideas like a bigger crease, but nothing’s changed. The protection of goaltenders has just become ridiculous. “It’s hard when nothing’s improving and your name is associated with it. I didn’t want to live with that.” To be sure, the NHL has come full circle since the late 1990s when goals were routinely disallowed when players had as little as a toe in the crease to the current standard, which often sees
New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur poses with the Vezina Trophy during a photo session at the NHL Awards in Toronto on June 14. REUTERS/J.P. Moczulski
players bumping goalies or standing with both skates in the crease when a goal is scored. In defeating the Vancouver Canucks in this year’s playoffs, the Anaheim Ducks were accused of running Canucks star goalie Roberto Luongo, the same criticisms the Detroit Red Wings had in the Western Conference final involving Anaheim’s frequent contact with Dominik Hasek. Brodeur remains steamed about an incident in Game 3 of New Jersey’s second round series with the Ottawa Senators that came in the third period of a scoreless game with the series tied 1-1. Senators centre Mike Fisher flagrantly used his skate to knock Brodeur off balance in the Jersey crease, but the referees didn’t call a penalty and a
moment later Tom Preissing’s shot from a bad angle eluded Brodeur for what turned out to be the winning goal. “It was the turning point of the series,” says Brodeur. “But people made it seem like I was just a big crybaby.” It’s believed Dallas goaltender Marty Turco will likely be appointed by the NHL Players Association to take Brodeur’s spot. “I talked to (Turco), and he’s got a lot of passion for it, and I told him if he has the energy to go for it,” says Brodeur. “I tried for a year-and-a-half, and I guess I figured it was better to take my time and energy and take care of my team, not worry about the rest of the world.”
Top free agents Position by position, a run down of the best potential candidates for unrestricted free agency Torstar wire service
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here will the likes of Ryan Smyth, Peter Forsberg, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Brian Rafalski, Sheldon Souray, Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, to name but just a few, ply their trades in 2007-08?
GOALTENDERS ED BELFOUR, FLORIDA After a surprisingly strong campaign as Roberto Luongo’s replacement in south Florida, Belfour is still looking for a starting gig. However, his age and temperament could squeeze him out of the market this summer. MATHIEU GARON, LOS ANGELES Garon lost the starting job in L.A. when Dan Cloutier was acquired last year, but the latter never performed to expectations. Therefore, he could return to the Kings, who are looking for a short-term solution while waiting for prospect Jonathan Bernier. JEAN-SEBASTIEN GIGUERE, ANAHEIM While technically an unrestricted free agent in waiting, Giguere is probably not going anywhere. The Ducks want the two-time Stanley Cup finalist and one-time Conn Smythe trophy winner back in the fold. Why would he leave? DOMINIK HASEK, DETROIT If Hasek wants to return for a 15th NHL campaign, he’ll probably re-sign with the Red Wings. He’ll need to let Detroit know of his definite plans soon, though, since they’d probably hit the market for a new starter if he retires. CURTIS JOSEPH, PHOENIX While Joseph still wants to be a starting goalkeeper at the NHL level, he’s more likely to accept a backup role than the likes of Belfour or Hasek. If he is still hungry for playing time, however, Joseph could return to the Coyotes. Either way, he should be affordable. DEFENSEMEN ROMAN HAMRLIK, CALGARY The Flames have both Hamrlik and Brad Stuart to re-sign, but they may not be able to keep both. Hamrlik was Dion Phaneuf’s partner the last two seasons, so there may be mutual interest to re-sign. He has also stated that he would like to return to Calgary. SCOTT HANNAN, SAN JOSE Hannan is arguably the top shutdown defenceman available in this year’s free agent crop. However, the Sharks will probably let him
go and attempt to re-sign the more affordable Craig Rivet instead. Hannan will be one of the most sought after free agents. TEPPO NUMMINEN, BUFFALO The Sabres could use Numminen’s savvy and leadership skills, but so could a number of other teams. It may come down to dollars, but expect him to re-sign with the Sabres. Buffalo may also pursue a younger stay-at-home defender via the trade route. TOM POTI, N.Y. ISLANDERS Poti appears to have resurrected a career going downhill. He was very effective under Isles coach Ted Nolan last season, so he’s expected to re-sign with the Islanders. He’s going to attract a lot of attention on the market if he opts to leave Long Island. TOM PREISSING, OTTAWA Unless the Senators are successful in dealing veteran Wade Redden this off-season, Preissing is expected to sign elsewhere. Ottawa has Christoph Schubert ready to take over a permanent spot along the blueline, so they’ll make a move to accommodate him. BRIAN RAFALSKI, NEW JERSEY Perhaps the best defenceman on the market potentially, Rafalski isn’t expected to exercise his right to switch teams after July 1. He’s been an outstanding player for the Devils, so he will get rewarded handsomely regardless of his final destination this summer. CRAIG RIVET, SAN JOSE Acquired from Montreal prior to last season’s trading deadline, Rivet appeared to have found a new home in San Jose. Therefore, he’s expected to re-sign with the Sharks prior to hitting the market on July 1. Things may change if they resign Scott Hannan, though. CORY SARICH, TAMPA BAY Sarich is one of the more unheralded players who could make an impact on the free agent market. He’ll probably draw a lot of attention from several teams, so he isn’t expected to return to Tampa Bay — who have several defence prospects to replace him with. MATHIEU SCHNEIDER, DETROIT Schneider is a tremendous asset on any power play, but his overall game is redundant in Detroit. Therefore, he’s not expected back in Motown. Teams that fail to land Sheldon Souray may look in Schneider’s direction as a potential fallback plan. See “Potential,” page 35
JUNE 29, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 35
Potential candidates From page 34 SHELDON SOURAY, MONTREAL Souray is an enigma. He’s one of the most dangerous power-play performers in the NHL — all positions included. But that’s somewhat offset by a shaky defensive game. Still, his ability to make an impact on a game will lead to big dollars. BRAD STUART, CALGARY Stuart was acquired from Boston last season when the Bruins realized they couldn’t re-sign him. He has stated his preference for remaining out West somewhere, which gives the Flames a decent shot at retaining his services. Otherwise, he’ll get big bucks elsewhere. FORWARDS DANIEL BRIERE, BUFFALO The Sabres face franchise-altering decisions with both Briere and Chris Drury unrestricted free agents at the same time. Briere is the more offensive player, but Drury’s reputation is a little bit better overall. Look for Philadelphia to make a strong bid for Briere. CHRIS DRURY, BUFFALO It’s hard to imagine the Sabres without Drury, but that appears to be a distinct possibility. Rumours insist Drury is bound for the West Coast — with San Jose and Los Angeles the main potential destinations. In the end, look for Buffalo to ante up to keep him.
GARY ROBERTS, PITTSBURGH The Penguins have already made a contract offer to Roberts, who was a very positive influence in the locker room upon his arrival at the trading deadline last season. If he chooses not to re-sign, Roberts will probably head to either Toronto or Ottawa. RYAN SMYTH, N.Y. ISLANDERS Arguably the marquee name among all unrestricted free agents this summer, Smyth could go in a number of different directions. The Isles want him back and may make him a lucrative offer for many years, while Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver are said to be lurking. TODD BERTUZZI, DETROIT The Bertuzzi of old was nowhere to be seen last season, neither in Florida nor in Detroit. He’ll probably look for another fresh start somewhere else. Whoever takes the Bertuzzi gamble is clearly a poker player, since he’s clearly in his twilight. BILL GUERIN, SAN JOSE The Sharks aren’t expected to pursue Guerin, since they have young alternatives on the wings. Therefore, he may return to the Blues, where he was quite comfortable before his deadline move West. Vancouver and Edmonton may also be in the picture.
PETER FORSBERG, NASHVILLE Forsberg’s situation is unique to say the least. He’s not expected to return to Nashville, but has expressed interest in returning to one of his previous squads: Colorado, Philadelphia or MoDo Hockey of the Swedish Elitserien. Or, he could call it quits. SCOTT GOMEZ, NEW JERSEY Gomez may be the one UFA to garner the biggest contract this off-season. He’s not expected back in New Jersey, and could be the first-line centre several teams are looking for. The Rangers, Capitals, Oilers and Canucks are just a few of his suitors. MICHAL HANDZUS, CHICAGO Handzus played well alongside Martin Havlat early on last season, but was then felled with a season-ending injury. Therefore, he should garner interest from the Blackhawks, but also from two of his former teams: Philadelphia and St. Louis. MICHAEL PECA, TORONTO When healthy, Peca is still one of the top checking-line centres in the NHL. The Maple Leafs would like to keep him, but they may not be able to if he hits the open market. The Islanders, one of Peca’s former clubs, would welcome him back with open arms. PAUL KARIYA, NASHVILLE The Preds may re-sign Kariya. However, there are several other clubs with their eyes on the veteran left wing. The Blues, who recently signed brother Martin Kariya, the Penguins and the Canucks are among them. SLAVA KOZLOV, ATLANTA The Thrashers will attempt to keep Kozlov in the fold, since he has displayed outstanding chemistry with Marian Hossa the last two seasons. However, if that doesn’t pan out, Kozlov could be attractive to teams such as Washington and Edmonton. LADISLAV NAGY, DALLAS The Stars weren’t a very good fit for Nagy, after he was acquired from Phoenix at the trading deadline last year. Therefore, expect him to seek employment elsewhere. Minnesota, where fellow Slovaks Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra reside, might work.
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