VOL. 5 ISSUE 31
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ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 3-9, 2007
48 out of 48?
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SPORTS 34
LIFE 22
Regatta 2007 in pictures
Catherine Beaudette in this week’s Gallery
COME AND I WILL SING YOU
Political parties react to professor’s math on upcoming election IVAN MORGAN
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olitical scientist Michael Temelini says opposition parties face trouble in the Oct. 9 provincial election, with the prospect of the Tories winning most — if not all — 48 seats in the House of Assembly. He offers assumptions based on past electoral numbers and current polls, which he says paint a grim picture of the Liberal and NDP’s political fortunes. He says their best hope is to co-operate in the face of the popularity of the Williams government, although opposition parties balk at the idea, with the Liberals slamming The Independent for even asking the question. Temelini says recent opinion polls indicate 73 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians said they would vote for the PC party in the upcoming election, with 19 per cent for the Liberals, and nine per cent for the NDP. He says the most recent polls peg Premier Danny Williams’ personal popularity at “something like 82 per cent.” Of the 12 seats currently held by the Liberals, says Temelini, only five showed comfortable enough margins in the last election to be See “More to an election,” page 2
Musicians, dancers, singers and spectators are expected to flock to Bannerman Park in St. John’s this weekend for the 31st annual Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival. Performers include (left-right) Julia Bowdring, playing with the STEP fiddlers, Allan Ricketts, and Maggie Meyer. See page 8 for full schedule. Paul Daly/The Independent
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I would fight against Confederation in any shape or form, now or at any time in the future.” — You won’t believe who said this. See Scrunchins, page 3.
BUSINESS 15 Dunville, Placentia.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Chantal’s wake Tropical storm lashes east coast; swallows Gerry Roche’s Buick BRIAN CALLAHAN
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rom St. John’s to Cupids to Placentia, tropical storm Chantal’s brief sojourn to Newfoundland was costly but, thankfully, not deadly. For a moment or two Gerry Roche wasn’t so sure. Roche’s Buick Century was swallowed up when a culvert near Dunville succumbed to heavy flood-
ing just after 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, Aug. 1. The 51-year-old welder from nearby Freshwater was simply in the wrong place at the very wrong time. “The back wheels went down first, right? She went down back on,” Roche tells The Independent from his home after spending almost four hours in the Placentia Health Centre. Initial reports said he suffered broken ribs and a heart attack, but he says that was an exaggeration. See “A lot,” page 4
An eggstra special look at local industry LIFE 21
New video, CD and more for Hey Rosetta! Life Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Sean Panting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Book review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Woody’s wheels . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Will next LG wear high heels? By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent
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ieutenant-governor Ed Roberts’ five-year term is up at the end of October, and grapevine whispers hint a woman may be replacing him. One such woman who has found herself at the centre of the rumours is city councillor and former MHA and mayor of St. John’s, Shannie Duff. When questioned on the validity of the notion, Duff laughs it off, but admits she’s “aware of the speculation. “There is a rumour around, and has been for some months,” she says. “I think it may have been started by the mayor. He said something in a council meeting one day about me lobbying for the job — which is BS.” Duff says no one with any “decision-making authority” has approached her. Roberts wasn’t available to comment before The Independent’s deadline, but a spokeswoman with his office says they’ve had no word from Ottawa as to who will be filling his shoes. The ultimate appointment is made by the governor general of Canada, who is advised by the prime
minister, usually with some input from the premier of the province in question. “We’re just waiting for an announcement to come from the prime minister,” says the lieutenantgovernor’s spokeswoman. “An announcement could come tomorrow … the term of the lieutenant-governor is (usually) only five years, but it could be longer if the prime minister doesn’t appoint somebody.” Roberts is the province’s 10th royal representative and so far Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province in the country to have never appointed a woman or minority group in the role. NDP leader Lorraine Michael says she would like to see the province make a breakthrough by appointing a woman, a person of colour, or a person of aboriginal origin. “It would be great to see us break through the norm of a white man — to put it bluntly.” She says the current lieutenantgovernor and his wife have done a great job of making Government House and grounds more accessible to the public, however, and Michael See “Big shoes,” page 2
2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
Big shoes From page 1 adds she would like to see the future role taken further in that direction. “To be sure they make that representation in as broad a way as possible in regard to, you know, who our population is in the province, with a good broad cross-section.” Duff says she thinks it’s definitely time for a female representative, but she adds there are many good candi-
AUGUST 3, 2007 dates to choose from. She wouldn’t comment on whether she would be interested in the job. “But I have to say, anyone taking that job will be filling big shoes, because the current incumbents, both of them, have done a great job.” The Independent asked for any thoughts or information the premier might have regarding Roberts’ upcoming replacement, but the province didn’t respond. In May, however, a spokeswoman said the prime minister had not yet consulted with the premier.
More to an election than ‘playing with numbers’ From page 1 considered safe in this one — Kelvin Parsons (81 per cent of the vote), Yvonne Jones (60 per cent of the vote), Roland Butler (62 percent), Wally Andersen (68 per cent), Anna Thistle (60 per cent). Andersen and Thistle are not running again. He says the NDP realistically have a chance in two seats — Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, currently held by leader Lorraine Michael, and Labrador West, a district with strong NDP roots, currently held by PC Jim Baker — who won a recent byelection. He says the two opposition parties should co-operate. “I’m suggesting that they make an agreement on the 14 seats that are winnable,” Temelini says. “What they want to do in the rest of the province, frankly, is irrelevant.” He says any talk of either party picking up new seats is “completely delusional.” He says both have a much better chance of holding on if they work together. That would mean, says Temelini, the NDP agreeing not to run candidates in the 12 districts where they have no
chance of winning, but the Liberals do — and the Liberals agreeing not to run candidates in the two districts where the NDP stand a chance of winning, but the Liberals do not. NDP president Nancy Riche says the NDP will not be co-operating with the Liberals. Ceding the NDP will “probably not form the government,” Riche says while some people may think she sounds “off the wall,” she says the upcoming election may see the NDP battling the Liberals for the opposition.” “It’s going to be a difficult campaign for the Liberals. They’re not used to this kind of difficult campaign, so that’s a problem. We are.” Liberal campaign chair Rex Gibbons says his party will not make a deal with the NDP. The idea the Tories will win all 48 seats, he says, is “patently silly.” He recalls being a candidate in Liberal Brian Tobin’s first election in 1996. He says at the time there were people predicting Tobin would win all 48 seats. “Well, that was patently silly at the time, and what’s being suggested by Michael Temelini is patently silly right now,” says Gibbons. “The people of this province would not put up with some-
thing like that.” “You know you guys call yourselves The Independent. You’re promoting rumour from political scientists. Why don’t you sit back and say, ‘Let’s be objective, let’s give all parties a chance to put out their messages?’ “I think it is patently silly for any of these biased political scientists to be promoting the party lines for the government.” Admitting he has never met Temelini, Gibbons says “clearly he is biased, he is playing with numbers. There’s much more to the election of a government in Newfoundland than playing with numbers, and an awful lot can change during an election campaign.” Tory campaign chair Ross Reid says he does not believe they will win every seat in the House of Assembly. “We will run a good, vigorous provincial campaign, and we will run a good campaign in the districts, but I just don’t believe that we will win 48 seats. “The first goal is to re-elect the members who are out there, and more that come along are welcome bonuses. But do I expect we are going to win all the seats? No.”
‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ RANDY SIMMS
Page 2 talk
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he Royal Newfoundland Constabulary investigation of the constituency allowance scandal is taking too long. We should know why. I fully understand and appreciate that people are innocent until proven guilty and everyone can understand the need for police to be careful. We have had quite enough of the wrongfulconviction story in our province, so caution is warranted. Police have to be sure when they lay charges that they have the evidence to prove their assertions in court. Fair enough, but this has been going on for months with officers specifically assigned to the case living out their lives at the auditor general’s office in Mount Pearl. Maybe it’s time to wrap it up. A quick review might be in order. The first inkling of something wrong at the House of Assembly came on the suppertime news on June 21, 2006 — over one year ago. You will recall how Premier Danny Williams came to the microphones outside the House of Assembly to announce that he had asked Ed Byrne to step down as minister of Natural Resources. A report from AG John Noseworthy had indicated that Byrne had overspent his constituency allowance by thousands of dollars. By Dec. 5, we knew that four sitting MHAs and one former Liberal cabinet minister had all been implicated. They are alleged to have overspent their constituency entitlements by $1,586,573. A year after this whole thing unfolded we are still waiting to hear from the police. To be fair, they have now moved against former Liberal MHA Wally Andersen. He faces three charges in total: one of fraud, one of uttering a forged document, and a third of breach of the public trust. He goes to court for the first time to face these charges in September. What about the others? All of the evidence regarding the case would appear to be in the hands of investigators. If the AG can determine to the dollar how much money they are alleged to have made away with, following the trail of that money should not take over a year to complete. According to the AG, five men are involved. Wally Andersen is alleged to have overspent his constituency allowance by $344,465. The others under the microscope include Ed Byrne for overspending his allowance by $467,653; Randy Collins by $358,598; Jim Walsh by $298,571; and Percy Barrett by $117,386.
The investigation is taking a long time and the men who stand accused, or at least under suspicion today, deserve to have this investigation completed as quickly as possible. They say that justice delayed is justice denied. I have tremendous respect for our police force. They do good work and I don’t know why they are taking so much time on this one case, but it seems to me they need to get it done. Think of all the things handled regarding MHA spending and the implementation of new procedures at the House of Assembly since the police investigation got started a year ago. Judge Derek Green’s review of the House of Assembly and the passing of legislation to renew public confidence in our political process has been completed. Green’s report totaled over 1,300 pages and contained some 80 recommendations. The House of Assembly managed to review it, write the necessary legislation and pass it, all within the time the police have been investigating the matter. We are anticipating another report from the AG soon on how MHAs who did not overspend their constituency allowance actually did spend the money. This will prove to be an eye opening report as well. As it stands, that report to will probably be in our hands before the police finish their work. What’s the hold up? In a related matter, a comment regarding the possibility that MHA Wally Andersen may have his legal bills paid for from the public purse as he fights the case … according to Speaker Harvey Hodder, three of the men who stand accused of wrongdoing have already asked for such support. Andersen, Byrne and Collins went to the House looking for help with their legal bills before. The Internal Economies Commission turned them down at the time because formal charges had not been laid against them. According to Hodder, they can ask again if charges are laid and the new Commission on Members’ Interests will consider it. In other words, now that Andersen is charged he can make a request to the House for some financial aid to help with mounting a defense. Can you imagine? Here we have people accused of defrauding the House of Assembly and that same House may end up paying their defence bills. We should not rush to judgment here, but using taxpayer-funded lawyers to defend any of these people, if and when they face charges, would simply be an outrage. Let’s hope the new House of Assembly Commission can see that as well. Randy Simms is host of VOCM’s Open Line radio program. rsimms@nf.sympatico.ca
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3
SCRUNCHINS A WEEKLY collection of Newfoundlandia Danny Williams sets a nationalist tone for Scrunchins this week with a comment he made July 31st during a photo op with Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde, who dropped by Town on his way between Halifax and Manitoba. Asked the secret to Iceland’s fishery success, Haarde listed off a good quota system, sound science and strong management. “They have another advantage,” the premier piped in, “their own country.” If Danny had one wish I wonder what it would be … BOSS OF US When it comes to our most precious of resources, Newfoundland was stunned enough to gift control of the Grand Banks — the world’s most prolific fishing grounds — to Canada in 1954, five years after Confederation. Which works just fine as a segue into a series of wicked quotes. You’ll never guess who wrote the following words: “I would fight against Confederation in any shape or form, now or at any time in the future.” Bet you didn’t guess right. Try another quote: “Why should Newfoundland enter the Confederation with Canada? What possible good would it do us? Politically it would submerge us underneath a weight of strongly organized, well-knit provincial groupings that know what they want and how to get it. In a Parliament at Ottawa, which is bossed, controlled and dominated by the Western bloc, the Ontario bloc and the Quebec bloc, what earthly chance would Newfoundland have of being given any attention? Under these conditions Newfoundland would be like the flea on Noah’s ark. “Said the flea to the elephant, ‘Who are you shoving?’” Just one more quote (patience please — the wait will pay off when the author’s identity is revealed): “Let us spurn this Confederation talk, fellow Newfoundlanders! We possess the men of brains who can govern this country, and transform it into a happy, prosperous, developing island, with its chin
YOUR TOWN held high, its eyes unafraid, its heart beating rythmetically. Have faith in Newfoundland, give the governing of the island over to our best sons, and we will very soon silence the calamity howlers and visionless croakers.” The above quotes were taken from a letter to the editor that appeared in Corner Brook’s Western Star in April, 1928, direct from the pen of none other than … Joseph Roberts Smallwood, the last living Father of Confederation himself. I know, I know — I couldn’t believe it either. Thanks to John Wagner of Corner Brook for mailing in the copy of the original Star page. What the hell happened to Joey over the next 21 years leading up to 1949? What caused Joey to turn? He was probably bitten by a Canadian wolf … PIGS IS PIGS In his 1973 book, I chose Canada (more specifically, Chapter 11: Pigs Is Pigs—and Confederation, Maybe?) Smallwood wrote that while in Montreal in 1945 (17 years after writing the aforementioned letter to the Star) he picked up a copy of the Gazette and read how Newfoundland was to be given an opportunity to decide its future once commission government was done away with. The very next night Joey wrote the prime minister of Canada and the premier of every province asking for copies of budget speeches, estimates of revenue and expenditures, annual reports, provincial constitutions, as well as any books or magazine articles “that would throw light on the subject.” Smallwood buried himself in mountains of material for a few weeks in his then-home of Gander and emerged a “staunch and confirmed Confederate, with one proviso only: that we should get satisfactory terms and conditions from Canada.” Only that didn’t exactly happen either. On Jan. 16, 2003 the late Gordon Winter — one of Newfoundland’s signatories of the Terms of Union — appeared before the Vic Young Royal Commission on Renewing and
The July 20, 2007 Independent — just two weeks before Astraeus announced it is cancelling its St. John’s-London air service.
Ed (Bud) Vincent of Harcourt, Trinity Bay, snapped this shot of a moose crossing Route 230 on his way to Bonavista this week. Your Town is open to all amateur photographers in Newfoundland and Labrador. Please e-mail submissions to paul.daly@theindependent.ca
Strengthening our Place at Canada’s Feet to say the Newfoundland negotiating team couldn’t actually negotiate. Winter said he was told the following: “There is no way that you people or anybody else can come up here and negotiate advantageous considerations and circumstances which apply only to Newfoundland and are not going to apply to any other provinces. It is impossible for the Government of Canada to accept that position.” Joey wasn’t just bitten by a Canadian wolf — he was mangled … PAY DAY Ever wonder how Joey paid for his Confederation campaign? There are those who believe the Canadian government funded him under the table. In his above-mentioned book, Smallwood outlines how he came across a sweet deal in 1945: he purchased $3,000 worth of grey woolen blankets from the Canadian government (which was selling war assets in Gander at the time) and resold them to Bowater, owner of the Corner Brook paper mill, for $6,000. Most people know that Joey raised pigs in Gander, but did you know he also owned a 40-acre chicken farm in St. John’s? His operation on Kenmount Road turned out to be one of the “most profitable ‘farm’ ventures in Newfoundland’s history.” He bought the land in 1939 for $3,000, put another $3,000 into it, and sold the property a few years later for $125,000 — tax free. Joey paid off some debts and “made some useful investments with the proceeds.” Wonder why Joey wasn’t as savvy with taxpayers’ money …
WHIRLY BIRDS Give it to Danny for meeting the wrath of tropical storm Chantal head on, flying to devastated areas around the Avalon by chopper and telling victims to keep their receipts. The first question that runs through a reporter’s mind: How much did the helicopter cost? Danny’s re-election committee will certainly see the taxpayers’ money as well spent. Wonder if Lorraine Michael and Gerry Reid were offered seats … CANN DO You read it right here in The Independent’s July 20 edition from Richard Cann, general manager of scheduled services for Astraeus, that the airline was committed to its yearround direct flight between St. John’s and Gatwick for the long haul. Then, on Thursday (Aug. 2), the airline unexpectedly announced it was canceling its service at the end of the month. In Cann’s defence, he warned Newfoundlanders to “use it or lose it. “Obviously we can’t flog a dead horse; if the market’s not there then we have to review our numbers at the end of the day because we haven’t got unlimited cash to support new routes.” Guess he meant it. Guess we just lost our right to complain about having to backtrack through Halifax as a means to fly to Europe … HALIFAX BOUND By the by, before he came to St. John’s this week, Iceland’s prime minister visited Nova Scotia. Icelandair plans to begin year-round service to
Halifax next year (the irony of it all). Nova Scotia has reportedly already invested $500,000 to advertise in Iceland. Maybe the scattered flight will detour our way … QUIET RIOT It’s been two weeks since Scrunchins raised the question of who “communications consultants” Sue Kelland-Dyer, Ed Hollett, Simon Lono, and Geoff Meeker work for. The question is a particularly good one to ask yourself next time you hear Sue, Ed or Simon spewing off on VOCM’s Open Line, or read Geoff’s blog on The Telegram website. Maybe their silence is a communication strategy. Good one … STICKS AND STONES Bill Westcott of Clarke’s Beach sent along the following letter to the editor this week, which I thought was a better fit with Scrunchins, given this week’s theme … We don’t call Nova Scotians Herring Choker or Scotian. We don’t call New Brunswickers Lumber Jack. We don’t call Prince Edward Islanders Spud. We don’t call Quebecois Frog. We don’t call Torontonians Tonto. We don’t call Manitobians Buffalo. We don’t call Saskatchewanians Cowboy. We don’t call Albertans Albinos. We don’t call British Columbians Brits. So please don’t call me newfie. ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
4 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AUGUST 3, 2007
A side road in Dunville, Placentia.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Gerry Quilty, a worker with the Town of Placentia.
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘A lot of water’ From page 1 “Oh no, I’m best kind now.” The Placentia and Bay Roberts areas of the Avalon Peninsula were hammered by Chantal Wednesday, with record rainfalls reaching 150 millimetres in some areas. The communities of Dunville, Placentia, and Bryant’s Cove declared states of emergency. States of emergency were also declared for several hours in Bay Roberts and Cupids. Roche’s terror may not have equalled Lois Lane’s as her car was buried in the original Superman movie, but he says it was scary nonetheless. Gerry Roche’s Buick Century.
“The car, she just went down, right into the hole and that was it. It was only something you’d see on TV,” Roche says, adding he lost all concept of time. ”No idea how long it took ... I really don’t know. I remember sittin’ there trying to get out. But she was fillin’ up so fast with water.” Asked if he panicked or feared for his life at all, Roche replied: “Well, not right away, right ... but it was settin’ in.” Nor can he recall if the car, likely a write-off, fell through the air or gradually tumbled to the rocks almost 20-feet below. “Geez, I really don’t know.
But I do know there was a lot of water there rushin’ through the car.” Firefighters were soon on the scene and decided the only way to get Roche to hospital was by boat. He was ferried from Ferndale to Jerseyside and then taken by ambulance to the clinic. Nurses, RCMP officers and other essential workers got around the same way. Moments earlier, Roche could barely see through the whipping windshield wipers and pelting rain, let alone the buildup of water on the road. As a result, he had no idea the road was about to collapse
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘Political bait’
Opposition questions timing of long-promised Tory energy plan By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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remier Danny Williams says a comprehensive provincial energy plan first promised by the Progressive Conservatives during the 2003 election will be released within weeks. Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale says the timing of the release is not connected to the pending October election, although opposition MHAs say the timing of the release
is indeed politically motivated, and has cost the province. “We don’t make any apologies for taking the time to ensure that we’ve done that properly, that we’ve done it right, that we’ve done a good job,” Dunderdale tells The Independent. She says the “visionary document,” which will address a host of issues — oil, gas, royalty regimes, equity, secondary processing, hydropower, wind power and others — has been “a significant piece of work” that has required
expertise from around the world. The document will be a “living document,” says Dunderdale, which “will grow and change as we grow and change,” and “lay a vision out that takes us past 2041.” The notoriously one-sided upper Churchill Falls hydroelectric contract with Hydro Quebec ends in 2041. MHA Yvonne Jones, speaking for the Opposition Liberals, says for a long time she was “willing to buy into” government’s argument that some energy
developments would have to be put on hold until an energy plan was released, but government’s piecemeal approach to the energy sector has made that argument “thin.” She offers as an example Ventis Energy’s bid with the Metis of Labrador to invest nearly $2 billion in a wind-power development project in Labrador. Government refused to even meet with the company. “They were shut down flat right from the get-go,” says Jones.
Yet, she says, government contracted with a private company to build a wind farm in St. Lawrence. Jones says she suspects the plan was ready to be released during Ed Byrne’s tenure as Natural Resources minister, but deliberately held back by the Tories to use as an election platform, costing the province dearly. The lack of a comprehensive plan, says Jones, has reduced oil exploration to “an all-time low,” because these companies don’t know what terms
How does Danny compare RAY GUY
A Poke In The Eye
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ou know you’re crawling up there when the scattered person asks if Danny Williams is like Joey Smallwood. I have rummaged, without success, looking for the exact quotation from Shakespeare: “It was a long time ago in a far country, and besides the bitch is dead.” Not that either of these political gentlemen were or are female dogs, but 1962 surely does seem a long time ago in a far country. That was the year I started in the journalizing trade. Smallwood was at the peak of his glory having been dictator of Newfoundland in all but name for 13 years with another decade to go. Like Cabot Tower or the Bonavista lighthouse or the Holy Ghost, he was all most people knew or ever wanted to know. He wasn’t a person, he was a thing, an institution, a pain in the arse to a few but a glow in the heart to the many. He was like some religious cult leader. The Chinese word for chicken is “guy” and I always made sure that my mug-shot in the paper looked not much like me. Joseph R. Smallwood. Even so, word got around that I was the guy who took a few little pot-shots at the Dear Leader and I found myself cheques in his back pocket. The magic lasted for a decade among crowds, especially outside Tory St. John’s, where and when it began to wear the voters commenced to show the hatred and menace were excruciating. signs of restlessness and then the Leader found it necessary You could easily imagine you were one of the Devil’s to save ground by launching a stream of “Great New imps stranded in the middle of a congregation of seething Industries.” holy rollers. Joey’s big attraction was partly religious in that Nearly all were farcical and collapsed like dominoes respect. leaving behind the foundations of that $11-billion debt we I don’t see much of that with Danny. He has got his blind wallow in today. But they did the job of winning another idolaters, but I don’t think many of them believe he came decade’s elections. A whole generation of down from the Cross to save them. They just see him as the Newfoundlanders was born, grew up and reached its majorwhiz kid who made many millions for himself and maybe ity in the time of Smallwoodian rule. he’ll do a little for them. Danny seems to be as touchy as a boil. The least perSmallwood rose to his peak on the baby bonus and old- ceived criticism or insult and his features glow red and he age pensions. Say that and you get yourself accused of call- grinds his molars. How unlike poor Mr. Smallwood. ing Newfoundlanders dupes. Joe didn’t much care because his ego grew along with the I can live with that — Newfoundlanders ARE dupes. years until he fancied himself absolutely impregnable. Pre-1949 they lived on little or nothing. Once in the House he spoke of what he thought about any On that miraculous year along comes Joey with the press criticism. It was the story of a Scotsman in a kilt
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5
Kelly’s Convenience store, Dunville.
Paul Daly/The Independent
beneath him. So when did he know something was wrong? “When it was too late,” he quipped, adding his insurance company has already told him he’s covered for the damage. Frustrated home and property owners may not be so lucky. Some locals wondered aloud how and why insurance companies are able to shrug off such calamities as “an act of God.” Others, like John Seay, pondered whether the damage in and around his Dunville home could have been averted. “I just finished that deck there, with the last nail about 7 o’clock last night (Tuesday, July 31),” he says, while standing in what was his lush and manicured backyard.
“I got my daughter on her way home from Taiwan to get married here, and now this is what she’ll see instead,” he says, perched precariously on the edge of a newly formed torrent of a river. Broken trees, bog and other debris had somehow formed to veer the river safely to the left of the house and down to the main road and into the parking lot of Kelly’s Convenience store. But not before demolishing the new deck. Seay (pronounced See) says he’s written many letters to the town council over the years about the potential for disaster in the area. While he acknowledged severe flooding elsewhere Wednesday, he said it might have been mitigated had council improved the breakwater at First Pond, the town’s water supply a mile or so up a steep hill behind his house.
they’re going to operate under with the Williams regime. “It is quite obvious to me now that the energy plan by government is nothing more than political bait for an election,” says Jones. NDP leader Lorraine Michael says such an important document should have been debated in the House of Assembly. Referring to the signing of a contract last week with a private firm for the first commercial wind farm, Michael
asks, “Where does that fit in the energy plan?” She says it concerns her that government is doing things related to energy without having a plan in place. “It’s like building a house before you have the architectural plans.” Michael also questions the timing of the document’s release. “If that’s when they bring it out, I am sorry — to me it means that it is brought out in time for the election.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
to Joey? salmon fishing and, troubled by flies, hobby, I expect. Or even over the side if raised his kilt over his bare backside he’s not careful. and said: “Come on, ye buggers, bite!” Because, since Joey, politics in The extent of Smallwood’s delusion Newfoundland has been something of a was such that when he finally toppled rolling deck. The good ship Terra Nova from his twig he was almost pitiful. He rolls and wallows like a tub. First one hung on by the fingernails over a box of party is riding high and well clear of the missing ballots. He started a “new” waves and then the ship takes a roll and party with the clear expectation that that lot is dipped under while the other many of his former stooges would fol- one rises. low him. In one way, perhaps, Politics was all that Smallwood real- Newfoundlanders are no longer politily was. For Williams, cal dupes. We give one politics seems little bunch of skeets the fair In 10 — let alone 20 more than a hobby. trial of a couple of Perhaps one reason terms and then years — where will some jump to the resoundingly dump Danny Williams be? them for the aspirants. conclusion that Dan and Joe must be sim- On to another hobby, I Danny and the lads ilar is that in both may have already spent expect. Or even over half their capital. cases the Opposition is so small and weak We may even see the the side if he’s not as to be dew on the day when Her morning grass. Joey Majesty’s Loyal careful. once boasted that the Opposition changes, Opposition would be wiped out (it was too. When it doesn’t think sport is only three or four quivering souls for being made of it when somebody sugmost of his reign) and that he’d have to gests it’s a government in waiting. It’s appoint one. Now, it’s Williams so far one of the lingering effects of the up the pole that his parishioners can Smallwood years, perhaps … that an only shake their heads in awe and won- opposition exists only to keep the der. Assembly from capsizing altogether. But Danny. I knew Joey Smallwood. Which brings us back to the question I reported on Joey Smallwood. And you twos of you have asked: how does are no Joey Smallwood. Danny compare to Joey? They don’t. By the conditions and tricks previ- Even if he wanted to, Williams could ously noted, Joey held fast for more never come close to Smallwood’s 20than 20 years. For most of that time the year reign. Two terms, max, and the great majority of Newfoundlanders fell voters will toss him head over $800 into some sort of religious daze in his shoes. presence. He could rightly boast that The great difference lies now with the voters would elect a yellow dog if it the Newfoundland voter. Then our wore his collar. hands were hard and our heads soft. In 10 — let alone 20 years — where Now, please Jesus, the reverse is the will Danny Williams be? On to another case.
The Independent travelled the washed-out road to the pond and discovered its banks easily overflowed, with water rushing fast and furiously toward Seay’s home. The nearby water control building’s gate and door was unlocked and open to walk into, but there was no one to be found inside or out. The Independent also tried to contact Mayor Bill Hogan late Wednesday afternoon and into the evening, but was unsuccessful. Meantime, Roche, 51, who was on his way to St. John’s airport to catch a flight to Fort McMurray for work, says it will likely be next week before he can make the trip. “I suppose they’ll understand. Got no other choice.” brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
John Seay, Dunville.
Paul Daly/The Independent
6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AUGUST 3, 2007
Was Canada ever committed to our fishery? Joan Forsey, a Newfoundlander living in Toronto, is a former journalist who has been researching and writing about Canadian economic and political affairs for more than 30 years, including seven years as a writer on the staff of the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau. Ryan Cleary’s column, Fighting Newfoundlander, returns next week.
T
he Government of Newfoundland and Labrador says it “is today questioning the commitment of the federal government to the future of the fishery in the province.” This implies that at one time the federal government was committed to the future of the fishery here. But was it? As long ago as 1989, Bob White, then head of the Canadian Auto Workers, a union also representing thousands of fishermen and fish-plant workers, told a news conference: “Nobody in Ottawa today gives a damn about the people in the East Coast fishery.” (White was concerned about foreign overfishing.) In fact, in the 1990s the fishery was seen in some quarters to be a burden on
JOAN FORSEY
Guest Column the Canadian taxpayer. In a 1994 report, the Fisheries Council of Canada said, “the fishing industry consistently represents a substantial drain on the Canadian economy … in 1990 (two years before the northern cod moratorium), the fishing industry cost the taxpayers of Canada about $1 billion.” This was quoted in a 1995 report by the Senate Fisheries Committee, which expressed concern about the public perception and cited statistics demolishing the Fisheries Council argument. In 2003, the Vic Young-led royal commission report, Our Place in Canada, noted a “widespread view” that “Ottawa appears to have now written off the large segment of our economy and society that is based on the fisheries.” The royal commission also noted that fishery issues are rarely accorded national significance, partly because the fishery is “not economically or
socially significant to central Canada.” There is no shortage of examples illustrating Ottawa’s lack of commitment to the future of the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery: • The federal government substantially reduced funding and personnel for fisheries research in the 1990s, at the very time that fish stocks were declining, moratoria were in place, and the need for increased fisheries research was greater than ever. • It took “10 years to come up with the idea of developing a recovery strategy and three years to develop one.” These are the words of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, which, in its 2005 report on northern cod, questioned why. • When the House of Commons Standing Committee visited 15 East Coast fishing communities in late 1997, it was told in “virtually all the communities” that “this was the first time that anyone representing the federal government either from Parliament or from the senior levels of the bureaucracy had visited their communities to meet them face to face and listen to their concerns.”
That same Commons committee, in its 1998 East Coast report, wrote “the federal government itself is in large part responsible for the collapse of the northern cod,” and pointed out that even in 1998 the federal government still: • Allowed foreign nations to catch a bycatch of northern cod. Catching cod for food, however, was banned. The committee reported the case of two brothers, aged 81 and 79, who were convicted in provincial court for catching cod for food. But the foreigners weren’t prosecuted. They caught only 70 tonnes, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans explained (accepting the foreign nation’s figures at face value). • Assigned quotas of fish considered to be the food of the cod to foreign nations inside our 200-mile zone. “Up until 1991, the largest amount of caplin recorded caught in Canadian waters in any one year as 90,000 tonnes. But in 1991, Russian factory ships alone were allocated over 100,000 tonnes of caplin inside our 200-mile zone … even in 1992, with the northern cod moratorium in effect, Canada still allowed five foreign nations quotas inside our 200mile zone.”
• Gave foreign nations quotas of fish considered in excess of Canada’s needs inside 200 miles. In 1991 — one year prior to the northern cod moratorium — Canada’s quota for cod in two Labrador coastal zones was 1,900 tonnes less than the foreign quotas in the same zones. It noted, “The committee could not find one person in Atlantic Canada or Quebec who agrees with Ottawa that we have any fish in excess of our needs.” • Allowed Canadian companies to use foreign ships and foreign crews using destructive fishing gear to catch Canadian quotas inside 200 miles. • Neglected to control foreign fishing on Canada’s continental shelf. These are not the actions of a government committed to the future of the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery. The most recent example of lack of commitment is the one cited by the provincial government in July: Ottawa’s decision to spend $175 million over five years to help the British Columbia fishery in a renewal plan similar to the one developed in this province, while giving this province “very little financial resources.” See “Dangerously,” page 7
YOUR VOICE What’s good for Grenfell is good for Grand Falls Dear editor, Crosbie spurious “argument” No. 2: The two most specious arguments as it searches for a new president to to keep control of the Memorial replace Dr. Axel Meisen, Memorial University system solely on the will be in trouble. I suspect the only Avalon Peninsula were the ones just problem here is that the current salary made by John Crosbie. Surely this is quite lavish because of the size of trained lawyer is familiar with the log- the university with the two campuses, ical concept of Ockham’s Razor, plus Harlow and St. Pierre. Dear boy, which states, “one should not have you not heard the cliché that you increase, beyond what is necessary, cut the garment to fit the cloth? Are the number of entiyou naively equating ties required to dollars paid out with explain anything.” the quality of the It is time this In other words, person to fill province broke the never give any more Meisen’s position? reasons to support an Do you not have stranglehold the argument than is necenough faith in our essary. If two reasons Avalon has upon the educational pool will clinch your case, worldwide to think throats of the rest of there must be some it is not necessary to put forward the third educator out there Newfoundland and reason. The razor whose prime motivaimagery refers to cuttion is quality educaLabrador. ting away the unnection, with salary ratessary bits. ing a distant second? Now I want to give you “Smith’s It is time the people of this province razor” and I want John Crosbie to lis- broke the stranglehold the Avalon has ten up. Smith’s Razor states that when upon the throats of the rest of one has no real reasons to defend a Newfoundland and Labrador. We are position, it is best to say nothing. Let too bloody complacent and are still me elaborate. acting as if we are the handmaidens Crosbie spurious argument No. 1: if for the select few who have run this the campuses divide potential donors province far too long. Let’s all support will not know where their contribu- Corner Brook in its bid, and I am sure tion will go. The solution? Tell poten- Corner Brook will give our bid equal tial donors to write St. John’s campus support in Grand Falls-Windsor for or Grenfell campus on the cheque eventual degree-granting status. right after the words Memorial Aubrey Smith, University. Grand Falls-Windsor
‘There are days I wish I were dead’ Dear editor, I am so sorry for the government of the day that they must deal with the crisis going on now in health care. As a victim of the old Whitbourne Boys Home, I have very little sympathy for them because it seems like you have to die or worse to get this or any government’s attention. I, and many other victims, have been waiting for them to admit they made a big mistake long ago and to do
us a little justice. Believe me, there are days I wish I were dead because of the way we were treated in that dreadful place. I can only hope and pray that someday our premier and Justice minister will show us some mercy and do the right thing by fixing this up and letting us move on with our lives. Tony Edwards, Mount Pearl
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Crosbie should build another bridge by overpass — and get over it Dear editor, Like a lot of people I watched the TV news late last week and I could not believe my ears when I heard John Crosbie speak about Memorial University and government’s plans to make the Grenfell campus in Corner Brook a university with its own senate and decision-making powers. His words took me back a long way. His words took me back to my Grade 8 history books where it described how the merchants of Water Street treated the hard working people in the rest of the province with disdain and made decisions for them as if they could not
make intelligent decisions for themselves. It appears Crosbie believes this attitude should still exist well into the 21st century here in our province. The chancellor of Memorial University, when he was interviewed about government’s decision to have Grenfell become a separate university under the Memorial umbrella, referred to the St. John’s campus as “us,” and the Grenfell campus as “they.” His thoughts and feelings are exposed for what they are. The attitude that existed several centuries ago in Newfoundland still exists, and that is sad indeed.
Mr. Crosbie has no option but to resign as chancellor as he does not speak for the entire university. The centuries-old Water Street thinking still clouds his thinking and his judgment. Government has made a decision after much consideration, and the input of many, including the professionals who undertook an unbiased, in-depth look at the current state and future opportunities here in our province. It’s time Mr. Crosbie built another bridge out by the overpass, and got over it. Keith Cormier, Corner Brook
Crosbie ‘isn’t always right’ Dear editor, John Crosbie enjoys the respect of many of us, as well he should. He’s never been afraid to stand his ground on relevant issues, and he has done as much numerous times in a manner befitting his education, background and wit. With all due respect, he isn’t always right, and his stand on the Grenfell college issue is a clear case in point. I’m willing to chalk it up to the Townie in him. Just this once. Memorial University is a fine university in many respects. Its schools of engineering and medicine have excellent reputations that attract students far and wide. I can’t speak to all of the faculties of the university, but I can speak to one faculty that, in comparison to other schools, espouses and encourages a culture that is best described as protectionist, isolationist and elitist. That faculty is the education department. It is one department that might derive some benefit from the competition a second university can provide. I encountered more than one professor in that department who espoused the view that the cream of the crop of teachers all came from St. John’s. Those of us with multiple degrees from other universities could never get our heads around why some education profs felt the need to belittle the desires and efforts of teachers who might consciously choose to live and work some place other than town. The conventional wisdom of the department seemed to be based on the assumption that any teacher worth their weight would first want to teach only in the St. John’s area and, failing that, would then accept a less prestigious, less rewarding position around the bay. As far as I know, this attitudinal and elitist culture was imposed on successive classes since at least the time of my own experience in 1982. It would seem
to me it is an attitude that can only arise in a protectionist culture indicative of an institution denied the benefit of a healthy competition another provincial university might have provided. I understand why you might want to preserve the sanctity of our one-university status, Mr. Crosbie, but I sincerely believe this time, you’re backing the wrong horse for all the wrong reasons. Memorial University is no different than any other monopoly, and we would all be better served by a little healthy competition. Alex Harrold, Westport
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7
Whale wonder I
was told recently the humpback whales who visit our coasts each summer can live for 50 or more years, and that fin whales live to 90. I read recently of a bowhead, killed off Alaska, that had a section of harpoon in its blubber dating to before 1890, making the whale at least 130 years old. That’s a long time. Researching this, I read passable scientific opinion that suggests these creatures may live longer still. Perhaps it involves a leap of faith, but hold my hand tightly and jump with me, and accept the premise that whales are half as intelligent as we are told, and half as sentient. What, I wonder, having visited our shores for so many years, do the old whales think of us? An old bull fin whale, say 80 years old, would have swam with his mother during the Depression, when we hunted and killed them. He would have had a difficult adolescence during what we called a world war, and would have lived his long, nomadic life doing whatever it is fin whales do (as we
IVAN MORGAN
Rant & Reason know so little of whales in general and fin whales in particular) in the wake of human activity on the sea, land and sky. My question? What do they know of us? What do they think of us? What are their perceptions of us? Do these creatures remember? Would a whale, if she could, tell you of her children, some long raised and moved on? Of loved ones lost? Do they have a sense of time passing? Of history? Is there a whale wisdom, borne of decades of life? Do they mourn? Fear? Resent? Hate? I’ve seen enough of them to doubt the last. They are too gentle, too quick to avoid trouble, these massive passive beasts. But I often wonder if they wonder. Do the older ones caution the younger to be deeply wary of these
pests that buzz about them while they mother’s sister. (Take you time, I’ll feed? Eat we all must, but most of us wait). Fanny Pitts was my ancestor's aren’t watched (hounded?), especially name, and she died at Lance Cove an by the same creatures that until recent- old woman in the 1930s, when my new ly were as likely to friend was still a child. slaughter as to marTo sit my then infant vel. An 80-year-old daughter in her lap was whale is old enough connect — through An 80-year-old whale to to know well both one human being — facets of we mad lit- is old enough to know seven generations. tle monkeys of the That’s also a long land. well both facets of we time. Many years ago, Do whales have this mad little monkeys of sense of continuity? on a rainy August Sunday afternoon, I We humans have this the land. found myself in silly notion of time Lance Cove, Bell moving forward, of Island, where I met a modernity, of new lovely woman, then in her 80s. Our being somehow better. Do whales? paths had crossed by chance, and I was I ask because I have always rememsitting with her in an immaculate small bered what the woman said to me that kitchen, in her house just up from the day. She said in summer she liked to sit beach, looking across the tickle at the on her little deck, with a blanket to pronortheast Avalon shoreline. tect her from the cool evening air and Turned out as a small child she had marvel at the lights and the bustle and known my great times four aunt — my noise across the water. mother’s father’s father’s mother’s Looking at me, her shining blue
bright eyes belying her age, she said when she was a girl there were only a few lights at Portugal Cove and Topsail, and one might see the latenight headlights of the scattered car on the shore road. Now, she marvelled, the shore from Bauline to Holyrood, was one long white glittering band, the skyline glowing gold on cloudy nights from the reflected glare of St. John’s, the coast alive with the flow of countless headlights, the muffled roar of motorcycles, car horns, and the occasional siren wafting across the still summer sea to her, sitting quietly in the dark, the air heavy sweet with the scent of cottage roses in bloom. In wonder she asked me, “I sit here and I wonder. Where did they all come from? Where are they all going? What are they all doing?” Not knowing, I like to think the whales, especially the old ones, wonder too. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
YOUR VOICE ‘Something magnetic’ Dear editor, There is one thing for certain when you touch the rocky coast of Newfoundland and Labrador: expect rapid changes in the weather forecast any hour of the day. I have to agree with that, but a few hours of sunshine, no matter where you are along the rugged shores, can also be most enjoyable. There is something magnetic about our hometown folks that sets off a spark of spirit, and the weather is second to none when you want to have a good time. As one visitor remarked during our recent visit, “How in the world is that possible me son, when you can’t even see the people around you in the mist of the fog?”
Well skipper, it’s the people who make the difference. The weather can be frustrating, but there is nothing like visiting with good old friends and neighbours who were an important part of your childhood. To drop by for a few minutes with old friends and neighbours turns into hours by the time the table is set for a cup of tea and some homemade goodies laid out. During a recent short visit we met people from all over the world who were having a wonderful time — despite the weather. The only complaints were about the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourist Bureau’s very confusing guidebook, with print that was too small for seniors to read. And unless you knew some of the locations,
it was difficult to find accommodations, etc. For example, tourists see the area “New-Wes-Valley” as one village — which is Newtown. Towns like Wesleyville, Brookfield, Badger’s Quay, Pool’s Islands, Pound Cove, Templeman and Cape Freels become the unknowns. That’s bad for tourists and those who put so much into local business, helping to keep our historical fishing villages alive. A lot of tourists have told me they did not visit the above areas, but went to Newtown only. They have missed out on some wonderful people and history. Frank Blackwood, Richmond Hill, Ont.
‘Waiting for a modern-day Coaker’ Dear editor, After three years of hibernation, the road monster has popped up in Bay Roberts and Twillingate, and will likely worm into your town before the Oct. 9 provincial election. Symbolizing opulence and plum appointments, it appears to be circumventing the spirit of Judge Derek Green’s recommendations to curtail excessive spending during an election. At first glance, you’d suspect the trainer was in charge of a party riding over a cliff, but a closer look at the cheques being thrown to the frail masses, and the real reason becomes obvious. The man with the treats is campaigning to obliterate all opposition. He glories in the prospect of slaughtering Gerry Reid and establishing four years of absolute power. If Reid falls in the final battle, it will fall to the media and people of conscience to represent the voice of the little people — the underpaid homecare workers and brushcutters. The media’s mandate is to report objectively. Solid editorials and research will guard against scandal and greed associated with absolute rule. It is believed that Reid is facing an uphill battle, somewhat lost in the blizzard of envelopes flying from the steel monster as it flashes across the province. However, in certain rural villages where gullies and gorges afford protection and havens for surprise attacks, Danny Williams may suffer unexpected loses. Slaves in the bush report that a handful of battles won’t be decided until late into the night when the last soldier is accounted for. Any false move by either Williams or Reid, or an hour of enlightenment by people waiting for the rural grass to grow and the economic ship to arrive, and the outcome may reveal a few surprises. Rural Newfoundland and Labrador is not quite ready for a stand at the overpass, but four years from
William Ford Coaker
hence, and the final battle for the outports will be fought. We are waiting for a modern-day Coaker. Jim Combden, Badger’s Quay
‘Dangerously mismanaged’ From page 6 Former provincial Fisheries Minister Trevor Taylor has said, “It is unfortunate that the federal government did not see the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery as important enough to provide significant financial resources.” But when was it important? Had the federal government ever been committed to the future of the fishery in this province, it is (one hopes) reasonable to assume that it would have had some success. Even with something as complex and difficult to manage as the
North Atlantic fishery, success is not impossible. Norway and Iceland have been successful. Instead, nearly six decades of federal government management of the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery has resulted in “the decimation of stocks to the point of commercial collapse for particular species,” as Taylor noted when he was minister. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans summed it up nicely five years ago: the fishery has been “dangerously mismanaged” and there must be a “drastic change in the approach and attitude of the federal government.”
Fossils at Mistaken Point.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
‘Yet another hidden jewel’ Dear editor, Brian Callahan’s July 27 article, Off the beaten track, about Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve near Cape Race was a good one for letting others know about yet another hidden “jewel” of this province. The experience of standing on a 565-millionyear-old sea floor alongside the seemingly surreal fossilized creatures that
lived there is awe-inspiring. As interpreter for the reserve, might I add that guided hikes to Mistaken Point can include a van ride from the Portugal Cove South Visitor Centre (telephone 438-1100). Booking in advance is recommended. Julie Cappleman, Park Interpretation Technician Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve
AUGUST 3, 2007
8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
Fergus O’Byrne at 2006 Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in St. John’s.
Come ready to sing Folk festival kicks off in St. John’s this Saturday
I
t’s late Saturday afternoon at the festival. You’ve settled in the grass for some Joe Belly, heard some lovely ballads, along with a story or two, and remembered how much you love The Forgotten Bouzouki. The sun is out, and the breeze is warm. Really, it’s been a perfect day. What could you possibly do to add to it? How about brushing the grass off your legs and getting them moving? This year join caller Jane Rutherford and the best ad-hoc dance band the folk festival can produce for a huge dance in the grass. Yes, you played the accordion with us in 2005, and joined our grand sing-along in 2006. This is the year to get moving — swing your partner out around, Jane will have you dancing the old dances in jig time. You don’t need dance experience, just a sense of adventure and the desire to have some fun. The big dance is just one of many special events at this year’s festival, and you won’t want to miss any of them. The festival begins Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. — that’s right, in the morning — with wonderful workshops that bring a variety of performers together to share stories and tunes. Whether you’re inclined toward bawdy songs or tunes in the key of “C”, whether you like to enjoy some recitations or learn a Labrador set dance, whether you want to hear blues songwriters talk about their craft or to make clay instruments, our morning workshops will provide you with an enjoyable, intimate and often humorous way to start your festival day. Don’t forget the workshops in the chil-
dren’s areas: Frank Maher’s kazoo workshop is back by popular demand — you’ve heard him on the accordion, just imagine what he could do with a kazoo. And the Anna Templeton Centre will be on site with wonderful crafts and projects for youngsters of all ages. The festival is also a time to reflect on the lives and contributions of the musicians who have brought us so far. One of the first professional musicians on the island, Wilf Doyle, has had a remarkable influence on the canon of Newfoundland instrumental music. He and his orchestra toured the island, presenting their distinctive blend of traditional and popular music at concerts and dances. With 11 albums to his credit, and work on many more, Doyle influenced the sound of Newfoundland recorded music for decades. The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Council will be proud to present Doyle with its Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday afternoon.
This year’s festival is dedicated to the memory of Dermot O’Reilly, in celebration and thanks for all he brought to his adopted home. A pillar of the music community and an always warm and gentle presence, Dermot passed away February past. Sunday evening will include a special tribute to him, organized and hosted by his longtime musical partner Fergus O’Byrne, and featuring some of the friends he performed with over the years — Fergus Brown-O’Byrne, Jim Payne, Pat Moran, Larry Foley and Denielle Hann. Please join us as we honour a dear friend gone far too soon. Once again, we encourage you to make the festival a time for another sort of sharing — Bridges to Hope Food Bank will accept donations of non-perishable food items just inside the front entrance. Bring a few tins along with your open ears and hearts. Come ready to sing, dance, celebrate and remember who we are. — Marnie Parsons
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9
Fresh freight Labrador grocers on pros and cons of discount produce program By Mandy Cook The Independent
N
orman Edmunds, manager at the Northern Store in the coastal community of Nain, can claim to be the ultimate comparison shopper when it comes to that staple item on everybody’s grocery list: a twolitre of milk. In his store, a carton of milk goes for $5.79 — a far cry from $3.80 charged for the same product in a corner store in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, Conception Bay. But $5.79 is a steal compared to what he’s used to. “The prices are fairly cheap compared to northern Quebec, close to Nunavut. I worked there for the past 15 years and milk there costs $8.99. I remember that because I drink a lot of milk,” Edmunds says. The province is reviewing the effectiveness of the $400,000 air foodlift subsidy program paid out by the Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs. The program typically kicks in during the months of December through to May while the
Cartwright, Labrador.
coastal marine service ceases to operate due to winter conditions, limiting fresh food delivery by plane to a once-aweek occasion. Information sessions started in Natuashish on July 30 and will continue in Hopedale, Postville, Nain, Makkovik, Rigolet, Cartwright, and Mary’s Harbour, culminating in L’Anse au Loop Aug. 15. Both customers and retailers are invited to contribute any
Paul Daly/The Independent
concerns about the availability and price of perishable food items in Labrador. Although Edmunds doesn’t have any concerns to air at the sessions — he says he has “no trouble” selling his produce even though red peppers go for $11.99 per kilogram — Labrador Affairs Minister John Hickey says he was “very disturbed” on a recent visit to a grocery store in Natuashish.
“When I looked at a bag of apples that was $9.60, this started to twig my interest very much, so when I started going to the stores and started looking at some of the costs, I looked at a bag of oranges and it was $12,” he says. Hickey says the 2006 provincial budget was the first time the airlift subsidy was raised to $400,000 from $300,000, yet prices on fruits and vegetables, dairy products and meat con-
tinue to be excessive. When asked if it is possible retailers are not passing on savings to the consumer, Hickey acknowledges that may be the case. “That’s certainly one possibility. We will be able to determine a lot of this once … we hear from the people in the consultation process that we’re doing here now. We’ll certainly be doing that analysis.” Like Edmunds, Jason Simms in Mary’s Harbour has fresh food flown in during the winter months to the Cash ’n Carry store and restaurant he and his wife Connie operate. He says the air foodlift subsidy program reimburses him $0.13 per pound of freight for every $0.50 he pays out. While every little bit helps, he is frustrated by certain technicalities of the program. “It’s good for the store, but they wouldn’t do nothing for the restaurant,” he says. “For instance, if I get a case of chicken come to my store I get it subsidized. If it comes for my restaurant it wouldn’t be.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
Federal auditor general asked to investigate link between transformers and cancer By John Rieti The Independent
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lmost two years since his wife died of breast cancer, Gerry Higgins is waiting to hear if the auditor general of Canada will launch a study into what he thinks caused her illness — electrical transformers. Higgins filed his request for an independent scientific study into the link between electrical transformers, power lines, and cancer rates in Newfoundland and Labrador under the Auditor General Act on June 18, and will have an answer in 120 days. “I think something big is going to happen,” Higgins tells The Independent. “They can’t just let people keep dying with cancer and other illnesses caused by power lines and stray voltage.” The scientific community has been studying the link between electromagnetic fields emitted from transformers and cancer since 1979, and while there is no definitive proof, there are major find-
ings that back up Higgins’ belief. Magda Havas, a professor at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., and an expert in the field of electromagnetic emissions, says a study like the one Higgins is requesting is necessary, and that the world would take notice of its findings. “I think the scientific community is divided on this. If you ask a lot of university scientists they will say yes, if you ask some scientists who work for the industry they will say no … not everyone is convinced there is a direct link,” says Havas. “I am.” She points to studies on rats that show electromagnetic energy increases the speed of tumour growth, the results of which have been replicated in cancerous human breast cells. Studies showing a link between electromagnetic fields and cancer have been conducted worldwide, from Colorado to Sweden. Higgins has searched for answers and evidence from as far away as Australia, but his most shocking data has been uncovered in Newfoundland and Labrador. In his town of Norris Arm there are 62 trans-
formers with 60 cases of cancer close by. “In smaller communities it’s no trouble to pick it out because one transformer runs 14 to 15 homes, and it’s the first couple homes that have the highest risk to develop cancer and other illnesses,” says Higgins. After sending letters to 150 town mayors, he received 90 responses highlighting correlations. In Port Union, all 12 cases of cancer in the last decade occurred in people living near transformers. In La Scie, 46 of the 52 cancer cases lived near a transformer. “(Higgins) is coming up with some powerful evidence that should encourage the government to do an independent study,” says Havas. She says Newfoundland is an ideal site. “Newfoundland would be a phenomenal place to do it because unlike places like Ontario and
Toronto, the communities are fairly stable. You have small communities, you know the history of the population, people have lived there for a long time, you know the history of their families, so you know if they have a predominance of cancer in their family.” Havas is also confident the risks can be minimized. Inventions like Faraday cages can block out stray electricity, and a recent invention called Mu-metal can cut down on magnetic fields. She also recommends new power lines are installed deep underground or built 180 feet from houses. Higgins says he will keep up his fight until the government does something. “I’m very passionate with what I’m doing and I’ve been doing it for six years, and if I got to go another six I’ll go.” john.rieti@theindependent.ca
AUGUST 3, 2007
10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 11
IN CAMERA
The John Cabot Memorial in Bonavista.
Cows graze near Bonavista lighthouse.
Figure of cabin boy from Matthew Legacy display.
Actor Wilbur Hobbs poses for German television crew.
Cape Bonavista lighthouse.
A canal flows through Bonavista.
Bonavista’s bustle New faces, new industry, old place … Bonavista’s always been busy in the summer. Photo editor Paul Daly and senior writer Ivan Morgan check out the stories and sights of the historical town.
By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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onavista is a busy place in late July — but then it’s always been busy in the summer. For most of the past 500 years, the fishery kept the residents occupied. With the collapse of the cod fishery and a moratorium on northern cod fishing imposed in 1992, the people of Bonavista faced, for possibly the first time since John Cabot and his crew first spied the place, the challenge of what to do next. But the people of Bonavista, a community on the tip of the peninsula of the same name, have always been up to a challenge. When asked if Bonavista is enjoying a rebound from the body blow of the moratorium, local historian and longtime Bonavista resident Gordon Bradley thinks for a minute before
answering. “Well … there are a lot of people here that are quite determined not to give in,” he tells The Independent. Mayor Betty Fitzgerald, as most of her fellow citizens would agree, is one of them. Fitzgerald recently parlayed controversy over a Nissan car ad for its Bonavista SUV, into positive national media attention for her town. Nissan subsequently donated a Bonavista to Bonavista and the town is now raffling off the car for charity. Fitzgerald says she can’t go anywhere without someone saying, “You’re the lady who got the Nissan.” She adds the exposure the town got helped “big time.” She says the fishery will “always be the backbone” of the town, but the tourism industry is increasingly important. Fitzgerald says the local fish plant currently processes crab, turbot, and
some caplin. “I’d like to see the day when it becomes what it is supposed to be, and processes all kinds of product. It seems like the foreign countries can come in and they can take whatever product they want, but if one of our people go out and gets (something) picked up on the beach to eat, they’ll be fined. And I don’t think that’s fair.” Until that time comes, the mayor is eager to talk of the projects she is working on to develop the region’s tourism industry. Fitzgerald is on a cruise ship committee working to lure more business to the region; there is a new theatre being constructed, and renovations are planned for the historic Cape Bonavista lighthouse, as well as renovations of other local historic structures. Bradley says the region’s tourism industry is “full of life. “We’ve got some good sights, and
it’s a job for other people to match, of course,” he says. Sites like the Ryan Premises, a federal historic site featuring the restored premises of James Ryan Ltd.; the Matthew Legacy, which includes a replica of the Matthew, the boat Cabot sailed when he found the place in 1497; a new theatre, the Garrett, to be finished this year; and the Mockbeggar Plantation, a 17th century fishing plantation now a provincial historic site. And the list goes on. Bonavista currently has 1,000 registered heritage structures, says Fitzgerald. To qualify, a structure must be over 50 years old. With a strong knowledge of the region’s past, Bradley says he worries for its future. Bonavista’s bustle doesn’t change some hard truths. “Well, we try to keep it busy, you know. We lost our fishery, essentially,” says Bradley. “We can point fingers all
day long, but that doesn’t make it any better. We’ve lost our fishery.” He says he worries for the future of the plant operating now. Bradley remembers a time when the fishery made everyone busy. He ran a club called the Chain Locker many decades ago when the industry was thriving. “I could tell you then about all the fishermen who were as busy as they could be cod fishing.” ON CAMERA He says they’d fill the bar up quickly after the days work. “And they wouldn’t even bother to take their long rubbers off. They were too thirsty,” he laughs On a warm summer’s day the town is usually thriving with visitors. A camera crew filming for German public television takes in the sights. The cameraman, American Brian
McClatchy, who has just climbed down the rigging from the Matthew’s crow’s nest, tells The Independent they are in town shooting an episode for a German TV series called Animals that Made History. This particular episode will be about the history of the Atlantic cod fishery. Focussing on the natural science, he says the theme is “basically that we humans are pretty greedy and more or less decimated the cod.” Bonavista, arguably the birthplace of the Newfoundland fishery, was a muststop for the production crew. Fitzgerald is currently busy helping prepare local student Courtney Waye, 17, who is travelling to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore on a federally sponsored youth program, to be a business and tourism ambassador for the region. No opportunity is missed. Fitzgerald says she isn’t fussy about what other industries she can attract to the region.
“Any industry I can get here,” she laughs. Bradley doesn’t know what other industries can be promoted in the area, although he notes Bonavista once grew all its own vegetables and exported thousands of barrels of its own “very good quality” potatoes to other places on the island. He says the government should properly promote agricultural industry, and he says there is a lot of good land that has gone fallow through lack of use. “If we could do it before, I guess we could do it again.” He says after Confederation, people with more money eventually abandoned their gardens for cheaper PEI potatoes. “I still miss the Bonavista potato,” says Bradley. “There’s no substitute for it.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
AUGUST 3, 2007
12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
LIFE STORY
Face of the Beothuk DEMASDUIT BIRTH DATE UNKNOWN – JAN. 8, 1820
By John Rieti The Independent
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n March 1, 1819 Demasduit became the face of the Beothuk, Newfoundland’s first inhabitants. It was a tragic day in her life. European settlers led by John Peyton Jr., out for revenge against the Beothuk who had stolen their fishing gear, travelled for five days from Sandy Point to Red Indian Lake, intent on taking a hostage. During the fight to capture Demasduit, they killed her husband and left her newborn child abandoned. Demasduit was taken to Twillingate where she was held and observed by Reverend John Leigh. Here, she was called Mary March, after the month she was captured. Ingeborg Marshall, the province’s foremost Beothuk researcher and author of A History and Ethnography of the Beothuk, says Demasduit, and her niece Shanawdithit, who was later captured, were crucial to her study of Beothuk culture. “Demasduit and Shanawdithit represent a life story … they’re the only ones we have some sort of biography about; next to nothing is known about other Beothuk who were captured,” she tells The Independent. Marshall says there were Beothuk women captured in June and August of other years, who went on to work in fishing communities, yet no record exists of their lives. The Europeans who held Demasduit took detailed notes about their interactions with her, and eventually as she grasped English, Demasduit provided them with a list of 180 Beothuk words. She had a personality that made settlers reconsider their views of the Beothuk people. “When Demasduit was brought back to St. John’s people were very surprised to see this very friendly, intelligentlybehaving woman that was supposed to be a Beothuk,” says Marshall. “The Beothuks had been very much maligned as savages and brutish and people just couldn’t believe that she actually was a Beothuk … that changed the minds of many.” It was decided she should be returned in an effort to make a friendship between the Europeans and Beothuk, but it was too late. Like many of her
Grenfell changes won’t hurt students: Education minister
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people, Demasduit contracted tuberculosis and died before she could be taken home. Captain David Buchan returned her remains, and she was laid to rest beside her husband’s body. During Demasduit’s life she inspired many, from Buchan, who searched the Bay of Exploits for remaining Beothuk, to Lady Hamilton, the governor’s wife, who painted the famous portrait of her that now hangs in the national archives. Today, a composer in Toronto is creating an opera with Demasduit as a central character, and Shanawdithit is already immortalized in a musical performed in Twillingate. A plaque celebrating Demasduit as a person of
national significance was recently established in Botwood by Parks Canada. Marshall had been calling for such an honour, and says it is important for people in the province to know about the story of the Beothuk. “I just want them to be wellinformed and I would say that different people take away different things. I think there could be feelings of sadness that both (Demasduit and Shanawdithit) died the way they did, but it also hangs together of course with the sadness of the disappearance of the Beothuk altogether.” john.rieti@theindependent.ca
ducation Minister Joan Burke says students shouldn’t worry about claims that changing Corner Brook’s Sir Wilfred Grenfell College into a separate university from Memorial will make it difficult for them to transfer credits. “I think it’s going to be incumbent upon us as we make the changes with Grenfell that one of the things we make sure we safeguard is the ability to transfer credits from one site to the other,” Burke tells The Independent. On July 23, the university’s Board of Regents wrote in a press release: “Additional work and analysis needs to be undertaken to address the impact on students (especially their ability to transfer credits between universities).” Burke says there is already preestablished criteria for transferring credits, and that there haven’t been major problems with doing so, to or from Grenfell in its 35 years of operation. “I don’t see that we need to make big changes.” “I certainly expect that the administration of the university, including Dr. (Axel) Meisen, will be very co-operative to make sure that they don’t do anything to unnecessarily penalize students, or make the students feel as if they’re caught between a turf ground battle between Axel Meisen and Sir Wilfred Grenfell College,” says Burke. The provincial government made the controversial decision to turn Grenfell into a separate university in April based on a report by two European academics. While the decision was praised in Corner Brook, it has upset the administration. Many west coast students use Grenfell as a feeder into the St. John’s campus, taking introductory level courses at home before declaring a degree and moving to the capital city to complete advanced courses. Students can also study at colleges in Grand Falls-Windsor and Carbonear before moving to St. John’s. The provincial government offers an Internet-based service that allows students to check which courses can
“I certainly expect that the administration of the university … will be very co-operative to make sure that they don’t … make the students feel as if they’re caught between a turf ground battle between Axel Meisen and Sir Wilfred Grenfell College.” Joan Burke be transferred. Most of the island’s educational systems, including College of the North Atlantic courses, link at early levels. Burke says this year will be spent analyzing the finances of splitting the two universities, and the results will be reflected in the next provincial budget. She says if all goes well, the government’s plan will start being implemented in 2008. Burke says it’s too soon to figure out if the separation will have any effect on the province’s current tuition freeze. She says there is no way the government could refuse Corner Brook a campus on the grounds that it would allow campuses like Grand FallsWindsor to ask for university status. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
Harper Tories lack consistent message CHARLOTTETOWN James Travers Torstar wire service
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hooting the messenger is a feelgood reflex that does nothing to fix the problem. Except when the messenger muddles the message so often confusion becomes the problem. Stephen Harper is in Prince Edward Island this week guiding caucus hands
as they rewrite a Conservative message voters aren’t receiving clearly or well. At precisely the moment when most federal minority governments are expiring, the ruling party is stagnant in public opinion and searching for momentum to lift it toward majority. How that’s to be done divides Conservatives. For some it’s back to the basics of tax cuts, family values and a muscular military — issues the Prime
Minister revisited in an evening stumpstyle speech. Others argue that fresh priorities coupled with an anticipated cabinet shuffle are required to revive a government now too old for its “new” branding. Both have merit. One served the party well immediately after last year’s election victory while the other shares its appeal with applying voltage to a flagging heart. Neither is a substitute for the stories this government can’t believably tell.
Blame it in part on the controlling nature that surfaced here in a revealingly authoritarian confrontation over press freedom that turned potentially good news into more bad publicity. Blame it too on ideological certainty that Canadians will eventually accept superior Conservative wisdom if it’s just repeated often enough. Maybe, but to recruit more than one in three Canadians to their cause Conservatives must rediscover the power of frank explanation.
Afghanistan and Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor’s latest effort to convince the country that he and his top general agree on the mission is just one of many instructive examples. In morphing toward an exit strategy and away from the prime minister’s promise not to “cut and run,” O’Connor and Rick Hillier are sowing confusion over when the suspect Afghan army might be ready to replace Canadians now in harm’s way. Stretching the short spin-control leash held by the Prime Minister’s Office, O’Connor offered a refreshingly articulate explanation that began shrinking the gaps. Still, it’s just another episode in a long-running serial. An administration that can’t decide if it wants to be in Afghanistan to revenge 9/11, kill “scumbags” or build a model democracy is now struggling to explain how it will leave. Inconsistency is a Conservative communications constant. Strong policy or weak, this government can’t figure out what it wants to say or how to say it persuasively. The result is a necklace of millstones dragging the prime minister down. Here in Atlantic Canada a sound Conservative repair to the equalization system Liberals broke is, thanks to a precipitous campaign promise, making the prime minister and his party pariahs. Across the country the party is losing arguments on income trusts, the environment and, most of all, the war. Sometimes substance is the problem. Sometimes the audience refuses to suspend suspicion. Of the two, the second is most damaging. As Mike Harris demonstrated twice in Ontario, voters will give majorities to parties that tell a straight story even when its appeal is limited. But as Harper must now know, voters don’t give the benefit of the doubt to ones that mumble even as they equivocate. Whatever strategy Conservatives choose here, their tactics will have to change this fall if they are to regain public confidence. In an information age, a government that can’t deliver a clear message is just a messenger waiting to be shot. James Travers is a national affairs columnist with The Toronto Star.
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 13
‘Don’t get your drawers in a twist’ Patrick O’Flaherty says there’s a trend afoot to dilute the language
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ne of the assigned tasks of this office is to monitor local habits in writing and speech. If you happen to see someone nearby scribbling in a notebook while you’re arguing with the butcher over a cut of meat, that likely is your humble servant. And so to work … “He loves gettin’ out to catch a fish,” wrote a reporter in The Telegram of July 26 about a man catching cod in Conception Bay. The reporter wasn’t quoting somebody’s words — these were her words. Readers will know how strongly I have campaigned against the practice, exhibited too often on local radio, of dropping the ng sound from the ends of words. “It’s comin’ up to 5 o’clock”; “Be careful if you’re drivin’ on Kenmount Road” … and so on. If this persists, it will further contaminate the speech of rising generations, who are already damaged by the slop they see and hear on TV. And now it appears on the front page of our daily newspaper. Who knows? Perhaps it’s a sign of things to come. I also saw “partiers” used in The
PATRICK O’FLAHERTY A Skeptic’s Diary Telegram recently, referring to a group of people who attended a party, i.e., party-goers. There is no such word as “partiers”; it’s a neologism. (“Partisan” and “partyist” refer to those connected to political parties, not to people having fun — although our MHAs have certainly been having fun of late with their constituency allowances!) The invention “partier” reflects a desire to fill a gap; the writer felt there had to be a word to describe a person who goes to a party, and made a stab at it. But you can’t just make up a word when you feel like it. Sports announcers have been inventors and twisters of words too. The verb “to medal” is acceptable English as in, “The prime minister medaled Jane,” meaning he gave her a medal, but in sports lingo it can mean winning a medal, as in “Jane medaled in the Olympics.”
AROUND THE WORLD The Boston Traveller, in a late issue, remarks: “The people of Newfoundland find themselves in a condition deserving of sympathy. There is no manufacturing interest on the Island, and the agricultural interest is of the smallest. Newfoundland’s industry and her source of maintenance lie in her fisheries. The people find the mother country to be only a step-mother after all. England owns the island, but has sold the rights of her subjects there to the French. Either she is ignorant of the fact Newfoundlanders must fish or starve, or else she doesn’t care whether they starve or not. — Harbour Grace Standard, Aug. 19, 1890
I heard a sports announcer use might say what he did was unaccept“event” as a verb, saying, “She eventable. This is a mousy comment everyed at a recent competition,” meaning one can agree with: yes, knifing your (I think) she took part in some major mother-in-law is unacceptable. sports event. Certain TSN broadcastWords have lost their force through ers are impatient with the length of overuse. “Basically” and “absolutely” words they have to use. They say “D” are bits of oral punctuation rather than instead of “defense,” real words. I also thereby saving themhear the word “parselves one syllable. ticular” used over There is a trend and over. “At this “Basically” and afoot to dilute lanparticular time we all “absolutely” are bits have to take care to guage, to make it less direct and confrontalock our doors.” The of oral punctuation tional. “Die” is used word isn’t needed in less than it used to be sentence. It too is rather than real words. the and is replaced by becoming a word “pass.” When someI also hear the word without meaning. body tells you her “Devastate” has had mother “passed,” you “particular” used over much of the life don’t know if she sucked out of it. It and over. went by, died, or got usually means above 50 per cent in “upset.” It used to an exam. mean, and can still Politicians of a certain type use the mean, to lay waste, as by flood, fire, or word “unacceptable” a lot. A man robs war. But you can be devastated now $100,000 from a bank and knifes his by the loss of a kitten. mother-in-law when she asks for some The word “concerning” is a prepoof it to buy a bonnet. Instead of stating sition meaning in relation to, as in, he’s a thief or scoundrel, a politician “As in the ballad concerning one sum-
AROUND THE BAY We trust “the powers that be” will soon see fit to appoint a permanent and efficient magistrate in Fogo to replace the temporary one. In these days of “hurry-scurry” a really clever man can only manage one profession or trade well, to say nothing of his attempting two or three, and besides, justice cannot always be properly administered under such circumstances as exist in Fogo at present. — The Daily News, St. John’s, Aug. 4, 1900
falling one after the other down the sheer face of the cliff. — Wabana Star, Bell Island, August 30, 1962 EDITORIAL STAND There was a day when individualism had its proper and fateful place in the story of Newfoundland. It was individualism that made this country survive as a country despite the tricks and schemes of those who would hamper and destroy it. That day is over. Now when we stand on the hills of Avalon, we can see the Long Range, and from the crags of Twillingate, we spy far away in our mind’s eye the sails of the ‘Bankers’ drifting east by Ramea. Whether we realize it or not, we are a nation, not a handful of fishermen at some bare cove, or a crowd of lumberjacks in the deep forest, or a coterie of office-workers in a mill or a mining town who don’t care what goes on outside our particular circle — but a nation whose pulses beat with pride at the name of Newfoundland. — The Newfoundlander, August, 1944
YEARS PAST Seventeen sheep preferred to die than to be killed yesterday. They committed suicide. About seven hundred dollars’ worth of living sheep became what is termed as ‘meat’ when rather than stand and be torn to shreds by 3 dogs they collectively and one by one jumped over a two hundred foot cliff at Freshwater. One of the flock which had no Japanese-in-war instinct, ran in an opposite direction and thereby saved its life. Around 8:30 a.m. Roland Parsons, who was out in his boat fishing, saw the sheep
mer in Bonay I spent.” I heard a prominent politician use it in a statement about the Goose Bay airport. What was happening up there, he said, was “concerning.” I believe he thought it an adjective meaning worrisome, which is an archaic usage. Damned if I didn’t hear it again a week later! These things are catching. Another eminent person used “exerting” of somebody who had worked hard at a project. What he did must have been “exerting,” she said, thinking the word meant tiring. Some will say don’t get your drawers in a twist, Patrick, they’re only words, it’s not serious. But often people are judged by how they talk, and not just by what they say. A few weeks ago I interviewed a number of candidates for the position of personal assistant in this office. One young man, very well turned out and with good paper qualifications, was asked about his plans for the future. He replied he was “goin’ ’ome for de weekend.” The job is still open. Patrick O’Flaherty is a writer in St. John’s.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir – I am writing this letter to express the appreciation of the people of our community to the “Honourable” Val Earle, the member (sic!) of the House of Assembly for our district. When we think of him, tears of appreciation spring to our eyes. He has done so much for our community. He has visited us at least once in the past two or three years. Just last month he showed a tremendous effort and wrote a stunning letter to us concerning a petition which we sent to him. To conclude, sir, we will remember you when the next election rolls around. – Lloyd G. Froude, Rencontre East, F.B. — The Foghorn, Harbour Breton, Sept. 1, 1975 QUOTE OF THE WEEK The Regatta on Thursday passed off very quickly. The only drawback to the pleasure of the day was the state of the weather, which was very disagreeable. — The Courier, St. John’s, August 11, 1877
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AUGUST 3, 2007
14 • INDEPENDENTSPECIAL FEATURE
‘Where the fun begins’ Alpine Country Lodge helps families fit the outdoors in their lives
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ow far will you go? Well, the folks at Alpine Country Lodge in Churchill Square in St. John’s say they can outfit anyone going just about anywhere. Co-owners David O’Grady and Brad Squires have 27 years outdoor experience and have expanded their offerings. Growing, they say, with their clients. Outdoor expert or novice, the staff at Alpine Country Lodge can help. “We are certainly a specialty store, one that takes the time to get to know the people who walk in our doors,” O’Grady says. “Our own passion was alpine skiing, so that is what started this business, but the love of the Newfoundland and Labrador outdoors in general has made us what we have grown into over these past 14 years in business.” While skiing and snowshoeing might not currently be on the minds of islanders — camping, hiking, and backcountry tenting might be. “If you are in the market for very light, breathable,
Brad Squires and David O’Grady, co-owners of Alpine Country Lodge in St. John’s. Nicholas Langor/The Independent
quality gear that can be packed quite easily then that is our specialty,”
O’Grady says. He says he is proud of the programs
they have introduced to make skiing an affordable family activity. Their exchange program is one of the quality incentives that keep local families enjoying the great outdoors. “Children grow each year and that can be expensive when it comes to outfitting them,” O’Grady says. At Alpine Country Lodge children can exchange their last year’s gear (skis as well as suits) for gear that fits — all at a low fixed cost. “Skiing is for everyone — many schools have ski programs — and we recognize that quality and value is the key to enjoying the sport,” O’Grady says. Only a few short years ago couples packed their skis away when they began raising young families, he says, but not today. “Staying active and remaining fit can be about quality family time, and there are just so many options here at home in Newfoundland and Labrador.” Alpine Country Lodge can help the
Rebecca Rose
entire family fit any outdoor activity into their lives. “That is why we stress that this is where the fun begins,” O’Grady says, adding if there is a destination in mind, his staff can help with the preparations. “We have been out there, we know the products and we know the elements,” he says. Alpine Country Lodge has a strong commitment to the community, and they help support many local charities. “It is our responsibility as a local business to give back,” O’Grady says. There are many product lines available — Marmot, The North Face, and Mountain Hardware — but specialty orders are always possible. “Small businesses like ours grow with the community so if we don’t carry it, just let one of us know and we will see what we can do.” Visit www.alpinecountrylodge.nf.net or drop by and see what a difference a local specialty shop can make.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
‘Publish that pride’ Breakwater Books branches out to educational material/mainland authors
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reakwater Books began because Newfoundlanders and Labradorians had stories to share with the world, says Rebecca Rose, daughter of the company’s founder, Clyde Rose. “That was almost 35 years ago now, and as I prepare to take over from my father (who’s “learning how to retire,” she says) it’s clear there are still stories left to tell,” Rebecca says. Breakwater Books has an extensive history. Born out of what Clyde Rose called “nightly chats at the Corner Pub,” with Al Pittman, Pat Byrne, Dick Buehler and Tom Dawe, the publishing company was a first for Newfoundland. Breakwater remains a local, independently owned publishing option for Newfoundland writers, but it has expanded to include writers from outside the province. Books published by Breakwater get attention. Their bestknown release — Random Passage by Bernice Morgan — is still one of their best sellers. They are also the first publishing
company in Atlantic Canada to publish educational material. “Children who study local facts and history are actually learning what has been written and published here at home,” Rebecca Rose says. Breakwater Books covers all genres, publishing works by well-known, as well as previously unpublished writers. Literally everyone has a story to tell, Rose says, and they are always on the lookout for new talent. Would-be writers would be wise to familiarize themselves with the company’s submission guidelines and policies (available online), but Rose encourages anyone who feels they have a story to tell to pen it, and then share it. “Newfoundlanders love to read about themselves — biographies, community profiles — and just about anything with flavourful local content sells here at home,” she says. “Fiction that can be based anywhere also draws readers in and we have branched out internationally so there is a home for almost any style of writer here.”
Being locally owned also means being aware of what’s around you, Rose says. Breakwater Books recently partnered with Eastern Health in a program called Reaching Out Through Reading. Staff donate their time to local long-term care facilities where they promote literacy, share the joy of reading, or just spend time with residents. Rose is excited about some recent Breakwater releases. Return of the Native by Jonathan Butler — whom she labels a “new and energetic writer” — is one book that is on her must-read list, but there are others. A visit to the Breakwater website offers tantalizing tidbits as to what is available. “This is an exciting time for us,” Rose says, adding the continued support from the Newfoundland and Labrador community has been incredible. “People are proud of who they are and we are proud to be able to help capture, then publish that pride, offering it up to the world to enjoy.” www.breakwaterbooks.com
Local handmade soap!
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 3-9, 2007 — PAGE 15
Phillip Smallwood, owner of Newfoundland Eggs Inc., on Roaches Line.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Eat your eggs Local company produces 3 million dozen fresh eggs a year, needs diners By John Rieti The Independent
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rank Dormody doesn’t know anything about chickens, but he knows eggs. As vice-president of Newfoundland Eggs Inc., Dormody runs operations at the biggest egg-grading facility in the province. “Eggs are a very competitive business, so the local farmers as well as graders have to become as efficient as they can to secure the market here,” Dormody tells The Independent at the facility on Roaches Line. The difficult economics of egg production has reduced the amount
of egg farms in the province from eighty down to eight, and Dormody says every penny counts in the production process. He buys a dozen eggs from farmers for $1.80 and sells them to wholesalers and grocery stores for $2.30, but still has to pay for cartons and operating costs. The new, $4.2 million state-ofthe-art grading facility is an attempt to streamline production and reduce costs. The facility takes in eggs from 220,000 hens from four different farms in the area — three of which are on site — and prepares them for market. The provincial government invested $1.2 million in the project, which
has made full-time work for six employees and over 200 weeks of part-time employment. Newfoundland Eggs Inc., a subsidiary of the Smallwood Group of farms, produces 3 million dozen eggs each year, about 60 per cent of the province’s egg demand. The company’s eggs can be found across the Avalon and as far east as Clarenville. Hammond Farms in Corner Brook serves most of the west coast. However, eggs are often imported from the rest of Canada and the U.S. “We’re always going to be challenged by our competition … we believe that it’s to the benefit of our customers that the eggs we need
Time for a new used car? M
any households with schoolage children have already entered the back-to-school rush or are about to. Many of us think of back-to-school costs as books, pens, paper and calculators, with some fancy new clothing thrown in for good measure. That assessment is accurate — however, the nature and magnitude of expense changes significantly if parents are covering the costs of older children, particularly those just starting or returning to college or university. Few of us think about the cost of transportation for our post-secondary children, especially if we are not directly affected. Yet this is a huge consideration for many, particularly if the kids
AL ANTLE
Your Finances
live off campus, at home yet a distance from their educational institution, or in a rural community requiring a daily commute to a major centre. We started to note a trend about seven years ago. Parents, and to a lesser degree the kids themselves, started purchasing a used car to help with school-related transit costs. No doubt the same kind of scenario will roll out this year in many households. In fact, I’m sure the search is already
are produced and marketed locally, we can certainly assure them of their freshness and their quality,” says Dormody as he shows the path each egg takes through the grading facility. EGGSPECTION TIME After being collected, the eggs are stacked on massive red plastic trays and kept cool until they are sent along the conveyor belt and through specialty machinery ordered from Holland. Each egg passes through a computerized “eggspection” machine which checks for broken or bloody eggs and rejects any bad eggs. From here they’re washed, dried,
subjected to bright UV light to ensure the shells are free of bacteria, inspected again, weighed and packaged according to size. When a consumer picks up an egg for breakfast they’re the first person to lay a hand on it. Dormody says one of the biggest challenges facing his business is getting people to eat eggs, and says that will be the thrust of the company’s marketing drive. “We have to do a better job of informing people about the nutritional benefits of eating eggs,” says Dormody, citing the high levels of protein and lack of trans fats.
underway for some families, with know is why the current owner is trying stressed parents pulling their hair out to move the car. It’s best to ask the venwhile their starry-eyed progeny are dor outright and up front. counting the days “to freedom” at what In a perfect world, you’ve got a famshe or he believes ily member or to be a snail’s pace. friend who’s a Buying a used mechanic; even An unwillingness to hold car is not somethe backyard thing to do lightly. variety will do. the car may even be the After all, what’s Make sure you more frustrating include him or sign of something else. and downright her in your aggravating than search. If this Be very cautious. car problems? Can won’t work, you think of anymaybe you can thing that causes you more fried arrange to have a mechanic at least be nerves? You want to be sure you’re not available on short notice to look critibuying someone else’s trouble. So the cally at your prospective purchase. first piece of information you’ll need to If the vendor — that’s the person
See “Specialty eggs,” page 17
selling the car to you — won’t hold it long enough without a deposit for your mechanic’s overlook, you’ve got a decision to make. Remember, an unwillingness to hold the car may even be the sign of something else. Be very cautious. You’d never buy pants without trying them on, right? And I bet you’ll always try sitting on a new sofa at the furniture store. Well, cars also need to be tested and taken out for a drive. Make sure you take it for a good jaunt, both in the town where you’re buying and on the highway. Ask the vendor for the name of the garage where the vehicle has been See “Be wary,” page 16
16 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
AUGUST 3, 2007
OFFICIAL VISIT FROM ICELAND
Little known about new player in province’s fish farm industry By Ivan Morgan The Independent
A
Premier Danny Williams and Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde met in St. John's this week. The two discussed the fishery and energy, among other topics. Following the meeting Premier Williams and Prime Minister Haarde held a media briefing July 31 at the Confederation Building. Paul Daly/The Independent
Be wary of perfumed cars From page 15 repaired until now. If you can, talk to the mechanic about the maintenance record to date. This is also an ideal way to find out if your prospective new “baby” has even been in an accident — even a fender bender. The vast majority of vehicles on the road today have been financed by a bank or finance company. Financial institutions protect their rights by placing a lien on the vehicle in question. In other words, the person initially purchasing the car does not actually own it until all payments are made and the loan is paid in full. You wouldn’t want to purchase a car (or anything else for that matter) only to learn later that the person selling it to you had no right to do so by virtue of the financial institution’s
lien. You can check to determine if there is a lien on your potential purchase by checking the provincial government’s website. This is also an ideal time to determine if the car has any outstanding fines or penalties against it. If there are, make sure the payment is made in full by the current owner and not by you. Ask to see a receipt to be certain that they’ve paid up. If you’re especially attracted to a particular vehicle because it’s still got a warranty, make sure you check with the local dealer to ensure the plan is still in effect. Look at how “clean” the car actually is and be wary of pleasant flowery or perfume-type aromas within the interior. I know one man who purchased a four year-old pickup that “smelled
flowery” at the time. Turns out that the vendor was a rabbit hunter and within 10 days the stench in the cab was unbearable. Most used vehicles sold from one individual to another are sold “as is and where is,” with guarantees neither given nor implied. I can safely say that in my 25 years of practise, I’ve never seen anyone who sold a car privately take it back later because of problems or an unhappy buyer. I’ve sure seen a fair number of lemons though. So go slowly, think everything through, and make sure your gut is not sending out any negative vibrations. Yes, the old gut is an entirely legitimate force you can defer to when purchasing anything, especially when acquiring a potential jalopy. Al Antle is executive director of Credit and Debt Solutions.
small, relatively unknown New Brunswick salmon hatchery has big plans for the south coast of Newfoundland. Grey Aqua Farms plans to start a salmon farming operation in the Coast of Bays, initially producing 5,000 tonnes of salmon for market, with plans to increase to 10,000. A paid consultant for the company says aboriginal employment with the Conne River Reserve is a key aspect of the project. While the company refuses to officially talk to the press, the consultant says it is not accurate to label Grey Aqua Farms as secretive. “They just have no desire to put themselves out there,” Chris Collier tells The Independent. Dr. Neil Ridler, aquaculture expert and professor of economics at the University of New Brunswick, says he has never heard of Grey Aqua. He says 5,000 tonnes is a lot of farmed salmon. In comparison, New Brunswick’s entire farmed salmon output for 2005 was approximately 6,000 tonnes. Ridler says it would take a sizeable investment to start such a project. “It would take an enormous amount of capital to set up that sort of output so quickly.” Normally, he says, a farm would start slowly and build up gradually from 100 tonnes, to 500 and so on. “But to suddenly come in and want to produce 5,000 tonnes? It is a lot.” Grey Aqua is not a member of the New Brunswick Salmon Growers’ Association, and executive director Jamey Smith says while he does know of the company, he is not comfortable speaking about it. He suggested contacting them directly. A spokesperson for the province’s department of Fisheries and Aquaculture says she has not heard of the company. Calls by The Independent to the company went unanswered. Collier, who says he is employed by Grey, as well as fish farm companies Cooke Aquaculture, the Barry Group, “and others” says the company, with ties to the Maliseet First Nations band in New Brunswick, is looking to work closely with the Conne River Reserve.
He says Grey Aqua is “working out a relationship” with Conne River, which includes accessing labour and looking into the possibility of building a processing plant in the community. Grey Aqua will also be hiring from other communities, says Collier, and is open to working out an arrangement with an existing processing facility elsewhere on the coast. He says Grey foresees a problem getting enough people to work its operation. “Tapping into the aboriginal community and the labour force there we look at as critical.” Grey employs people from the Maliseet First Nation at their hatchery in New Brunswick. Collier says there is no competitive advantage for Grey to access aboriginal labour; it is strictly an employment issue. While Conne River may be able to access some minor amounts of funding related to labour and training costs, he says it would be so limited it would be difficult to quantify it as offering any kind of competitive advantage. With a ready market for the product, says Collier, competition does not come from other aquaculture concerns, but from pork, beef, and chicken. Grey Aqua, says Collier, has been in the industry “since the beginning” operating one of the largest hatcheries in Atlantic Canada. Like other companies, it is looking to grow, which draws it to the province. “The issue in salmon farming is real estate.” Collier says there are no more areas to salmon farm in New Brunswick “and there are not a lot left in Newfoundland. “There’s a hell of a lot more than New Brunswick, but we don’t have an unending supply of real estate.” Collier says it is an exciting time to be involved in the province’s aquaculture industry. “I’ve been at it since 1986, and we’ve been a long time working towards getting to this level and this is only the tip of what’s about to happen … it’s just starting to really move here now.” When asked if The Independent could interview a member of the Grey family, Collier replied “probably not.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 17
Specialty eggs From page 15 The company also intends to buy a stamping machine so they can mark their eggs with their logo, a Newfoundland and Labrador flag rounded into the shape of an egg. Although they co-pack for companies like Dominion, Sobey’s and Wal-Mart under different brand names, their logo alerts consumers to the local product. So far no Newfoundland egg producer has expanded to provide what Dormody calls “specialty eggs,” like Omega-3 or free-range eggs.
“As those markets evolve we might get to the point where it’s viable,” he says. Another source of income for Newfoundland Eggs is the commercial egg market, where smaller or oddly shaped eggs that wouldn’t be attractive to grocery store shoppers are sold at a slight premium to a Quebec company that turns them into pasteurized liquid egg. Dormody says in the future, this could be an area of expansion for his company. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
Artist rendering of new retirement home at Kenny’s Pond in St. John’s.
All inclusive New home offers luxury living for retirees By Mandy Cook The Independent
L
ife at the new $21-million retirement home breaking ground at Kenny’s Pond in St. John’s this week will be good — real good. If you can afford the $57,600 a year price tag. That’s the cost for a couple sharing a two-bedroom suite. The fee includes all meals, snacks, weekly housekeeping, weekly linen and towel laundry, the use of all amenities such as a movie theatre, licensed dining room with table linens and a maître d’, a woodworking shop, horticultural room and several stores. Not to mention the proximity to a lovely natural environment with walking trails. If you require some level of personal care, the home has an assisted living floor that can provide limited care, such as medication assistance or help with bathing, but your monthly fee will go up. The suites can be rented, but not purchased. Pretty swish if you can cough up the cash. When asked how the 55-plus crowd can afford such swanky digs throughout their golden years, Rod Wilson, CEO of Toronto-based developer Reichmann Seniors Housing, says his company can accommodate their customers. “We work a lot with families and residents and chat with them if they begin to have a problem; we’ll begin to work with them and we’ll find a
solution somehow. Hopefully we can On hand for a sod-turning ceremodo some good planning with them so ny, featuring a classical guitarist and (the money) won’t run out,” he says. Town Crier in full garb for the occaWilson also says residents moving sion, was MHA for St. John’s East into their facility finance their retire- John Ottenheimer. He says the ment with their old-age security, increase in private retirement homes Canada pension and private pensions, sprouting up around the province proplus cash from the sale of their homes vides seniors with options in the years — typically lucrative in today’s busy before they require extensive medical real estate market. Add care — in which to that smart investing, case they will Wilson says, and people have to move are prepared to move in. out. The Reichmann Corp. “We certainly “As society ages and is currently building see more of this, similar complexes no doubt there people’s choices across the country. will always be a change, it’s also Kenny’s Pond retirerole for our pubment home is the comlic homes and important society pany’s first foray into public facilities Atlantic Canada, with and it is imporoffers a variety of Newfoundland and tant that governLabrador being its first ment enhance options.” location choice. Doreen that and improve Bennink, vice-president our homes and John Ottenheimer of operations, says a provide more “very large and enhanced facilidetailed” feasibility ties. But again, as study has been done on society ages and this province’s retirepeople’s choices ment market. change, it’s also important society “Certainly there was need enough offers a variety of options,” he says. that we would come here,” says St. John’s mayor Andy Wells says Bennink, a native of Little Heart’s you only have to look at the aging Ease, “and it is not a huge market population of the province to underwhen you look at the size of the city, stand where the retirement building if you look at Toronto for example, boom is coming from. but there is enough of a need at this “Just common sense tells you the time for us to be here. We’re very con- demography is working that way.” fident.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
Tenders DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION & WORKS INVITATION TO TENDER
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION & WORKS INVITATION TO TENDER
Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects:
Tenders will be received up to the date and time indicated below for the following project:
A/PROJECT # 071-07PHP – Resurface 1km of R70 between Victoria and Salmon Cove; 1.4 km of R70, Columbus Drive in Carbonear; 0.25 km of R70, near Gadden’s Marsh, Carbonear; 0.2 km of R70, Spaniards Bay near Seaside Lounge; 0.6 km of R70 and R70-16, Spaniard’s Bay near the Post Office including storm sewer installation; site preparation work for Birch Hills salt shed yard at Bay Robert’s Maintenance Depot; maintenance leveling paving on R70-20 at Harbour Grace South, on R70 at Harbour Grace, and on Harbour Road New Chelsea, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: AUGUST 16, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON
PROJECT – Leasing 4,820 sq ft. of office space for the Dept. of Business, to be located in the City of St. John’s, NL. (as per specification boundary map) PURCHASE PRICE: $11.40 CLOSING DATE: AUGUST 23, 2007 @ 3:00 PM
B/PROJECT # 072-07PHP – Paving R430 from 1.0 km South of R436 St. Lunaire intersection South towards Parkers Brook for approx. 6.5 km and maintenance leveling paving at various locations in the St. Anthony area, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: AUGUST 16, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON C/PROJECT # 510505034 – Fuel oil tank replacement, Public building, Wabush, Labrador, NL PURCHASE PRICE: $11.40 CLOSING DATE: AUGUST 16, 2007 @ 3:00 PM Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering & Contracts, Ground Floor, East Block, Confederation Building, P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NL, A1B 4J6, Ph# 709-729-3786, Fax# 709-729-6729, the Regional Director, Transportation & Works, Building #86, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, A0P 1E0, Ph# 709-896-7840, Fax# 709-896-5513, (PROJECT C ONLY) and viewed at the offices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association. Tenders addressed to the Deputy Minister of Transportation & Works must be delivered to Tendering & Contracts at the address above and be submitted on forms and in sealed envelopes provided, clearly marked as to the contents. Tenders will be opened immediately after the tender closing time. The Department does no bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Hon. John Hickey Minister Transportation & Works
Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering & Contracts, Ground Floor, East block, Confederation Building, P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NL, A1B 4J6, Ph# 709-729-3786, Fax# 709-729-6729, and viewed at the offices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association. Tenders addressed to the Deputy Minister of Transportation & Works must be delivered to Tendering & Contracts at the address above and be submitted on forms and in sealed envelopes provided, clearly marked as to the contents. Tenders will be opened immediately after the tender closing time. The Department does no bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Hon. John Hickey Minister Transportation & Works
18 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
AUGUST 3, 2007
Opportunities Administrative Office I
Departmental Program Coordinator
Senior Tax Auditor
PERMANENT
PERMANENT
PERMANENT
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities, Public Service Secretariat, Executive Council, Confederation Building, St. John’s
Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities, Public Service Secretariat, Executive Council, Confederation Building, St. John’s
Tax Audit and Compliance Division, Department of Finance, Confederation Building, St. John’s
DUTIES: The incumbent of this position will provide job development, intake and outreach services to the clients of the Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities. This includes: soliciting, developing and negotiating employment opportunities for persons with disabilities with government departments and agencies; providing guidance and direction to, and monitoring of, clients participating in employment programs of the Office; conducting information sessions with clients, departments, agencies, educational institutions, and community organizations; processing client applications and classifying of skill sets; answering questions and responds to general inquiries from the public, clients and/or others who require information on the Office’s programs and services province-wide; and data entry using database software and the Client Registry System of the Office. The incumbent will also prepare status reports to ensure coordination of information between office staff.
DUTIES: The incumbent of this position will work as part of a team, in a front-line position, providing specialized career development services, counselling, and support to persons with disabilities. The incumbent will: monitor and facilitate the delivery of all programs and services of the Office; guide clients in the identification, use and processing of employment related information to assist them in making occupational/employment decisions; assist with recruitment processes; establish, facilitate and maintain partnerships and networks with various government departments/agencies and community groups; co-deliver professional development training; and conduct data monitoring and reporting activities using database software. The incumbent will also provide suggestions regarding program changes or improvements to better serve clients and participate in program development and administrative activities.
QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will have a strong knowledge of Federal/Provincial and community based career and employment programs and services for persons with disabilities, complimented by a knowledge of, and experience in, the area of job development. The candidate will also possess a strong knowledge of data reporting, monitoring, statistics and computer software applications. Candidates should demonstrate strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills combined with an interest in helping others and the ability to network and maintain effective working relationships with various stakeholders. The required qualifications would normally be acquired through a post secondary program in business with a focus on human resource management or marketing, combined with related work experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered. SALARY:
$ 35,908.60 – $ 39,894.40 (GS-30) (Under Review) COMPETITION #: EXEC.PSS.C.AO(p).07/08.057-P CLOSING DATE: August 17th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Manager of Strategic Staffing Recruitment Centre - Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 E-mail: pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca This competition is also open to employees of the Public Service including those on lay-off status, as specified by the applicable collective agreement or the Personnel Administration Procedures, as well as, the general public. Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position, please call James McDonald, (709) 729-5697. July 25, 2007
Management and Design Consultant
QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will have a strong knowledge of client assessment and career counselling, Federal/Provincial and community based career, employment and training programs and job search techniques, along with a strong knowledge of data reporting, monitoring, statistics and computer software applications. Candidates should demonstrate strong communication, interpersonal, counselling, research and organizational skills, combined with an interest in helping others and the ability to network and maintain effective working relationships with various clients. The required qualifications would normally be acquired through a University Degree in Business or Social Sciences with an emphasis on career development, counselling or human services, combined with related work experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered. SALARY:
$ 41,059.20 - $ 45,718.40 (GS-34) (Under Review) COMPETITION #: EXEC.PSS.C.DPC(p).07/08.058-P CLOSING DATE: August 17th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Manager of Strategic Staffing Recruitment Centre - Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 E-mail: pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca This competition is also open to employees of the Public Service including those on lay-off status, as specified by the applicable collective agreement or the Personnel Administration Procedures, as well as, the general public. Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position, please call James McDonald, (709) 729-5697. July 25, 2007
Human Resource Consultant
PERMANENT
PERMANENT
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Organizational Management and Design Division, Public Service Secretariat, Executive Council, St. John’s
Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities, Public Service Secretariat, Executive Council, Confederation Building, St. John’s
DUTIES: This position is responsible for conducting professional consultations within government departments and public service organizations (as requested) on a variety of issues related to organizational management, organizational design and change management. The incumbent will develop relationships within departments and public service organizations to ensure their needs, expectations and trends are identified and considered. The position provides input into the formulation of organizational management, design and change policies and practices; consults with departments on reviews of organizational structures, workload measurement assessments, and work process reviews; designs business process reviews, documents workflow, and makes recommendations that will positively impact departmental operational effectiveness; and prepares analyses and draft recommendations to the Treasury Board Committee of Cabinet on departmental and Cabinet submissions concerning organizational management, design and change issues.
DUTIES: This position is accountable for human resource management for all program delivery areas of the Office of Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities. The incumbent will: manage and coordinate programs to facilitate the recruitment and retention of persons with disabilities in the provincial public service; participate in the development, delivery and coordination of program activities including cultural assessment and training activities; provide advisory and consultative services to provincial government departments and agencies in respect to policies and programs related to the employment and retention of persons with disabilities; manage and coordinate the marketing and promotion activities of the Office; and provide employment and career related support to clients. The incumbent will also be required to develop and maintain collaborative working relationships with various clients both internal and external to the provincial government.
QUALIFICATIONS: Considerable knowledge and understanding of governmental structures and operations, organizational design methods and tools, work process analysis and documentation. Proficiency in organizational communications (oral and written) and project management skills. Experience working both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative environment is essential. Ability to balance shifting priorities, demands and timelines through analytical and problem-solving capabilities. Proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. The required knowledge and skills would normally have been acquired through proven work experience at progressively responsible levels and successful completion of a degree in a related discipline, or any equivalent combination of training and experience.
QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will have a strong knowledge of current trends, labour market and best practices in the area of employment for persons with disabilities, policy review and development, human resource management, and marketing and promotional strategies. Candidates must be a strategic thinker and possess exceptional communication, analytical, and project management skills, along with the ability to network and maintain effective working relationships with various clients and stakeholders. Candidates are also expected to exercise considerable initiative and independent judgment in performing duties. These qualifications would normally be acquired through graduation with a University Degree in business or social sciences, and related work experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered.
SALARY: $ 54,302 - $70,593 (HL-22) COMPETITION NO.:EXEC.PSS.C.MDC(p).0708.062-P CLOSING DATE: August 17th, 2007
SALARY:
Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Manager of Strategic Staffing Recruitment Centre - Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 E-mail: pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca This competition is also open to employees of the Public Service including those on lay-off status, as specified by the applicable collective agreement or the Personnel Administration Procedures, as well as, the general public. Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position, please call Marilyn Thompson, (709) 729-3387. July 27, 2007
$ 42,727 - $ 55,545 (HL-17) (Under Review) COMPETITION #: EXEC.PSS.C.HRC(p).07/08.059-P CLOSING DATE: August 17th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Manager of Strategic Staffing Recruitment Centre - Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 E-mail: pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca This competition is also open to employees of the Public Service including those on lay-off status, as specified by the applicable collective agreement or the Personnel Administration Procedures, as well as, the general public. Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position, please call James McDonald, (709) 729-5697. July 25, 2007
DUTIES: Independently plans and conducts complex and specialized tax audits of specific industry sectors to determine compliance with provincial tax laws and regulations; compiles audit reports and working papers for review by Manager; reviews, updates and recommends changes to audit programs and approaches; identifies, analyses and recommends policy issues and changes related to the administration of industry specific tax sectors; interprets and explains provincial tax laws and provides guidance to junior employees when assigned. QUALIFICATIONS: Considerable experience in auditing work; graduation from university with a degree in Business with a concentration in accounting. This position requires current registration in a recognized professional accounting program and substantial completion of that program. Experience in the Mining and/or Downstream Petroleum sector is preferable. The use of a private vehicle is required. SALARY:$ 50,577.80 – 56,583.80 (GS-40) COMPETITION #: FIN.C.STA(p).0708.039-P CLOSING DATE: August 17th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Manager of Strategic Staffing Recruitment Centre - Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 E-mail: pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca This competition is also open to employees of the Public Service including those on lay-off status, as specified by the applicable collective agreement or the Personnel Administration Procedures, as well as, the general public. Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date either by email, fax or mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position, please call Glenn Lockyer, (709) 729-3505. July 27, 2007
Electrician - Apprenticeship (Trades Worker II) TEMPORARY DEPARTMENT TRANSPORTATION AND WORKS One (1) Apprenticeship Contract position of Apprentice Electrician located in the Avalon (Works) Division of the Department of Transportation and Works, located in St. John’s. DUTIES: This position will provide assistance to the Journey Person Electrician (Trades Worker II) in providing electrical services in the maintenance, alteration, preventative maintenance and repair of electrical systems, equipment, components and fixtures, in accordance with approved electrical trade practices and building codes. This work is done under the supervision of a Journey Person Electrician. Work is performed both inside and outside sites, sometimes in adverse weather conditions. Performs a variety of other building maintenance activities in conjunction with maintenance staff and other related work as required. QUALIFICATIONS: Successful candidate must have completed pre-apprenticeship (entry level) training at a recognized institution and have less than 1800 hours towards Journey Person Certification. Must be eligible to register in the Apprenticeship Program under the Department of Education (Industrial Training Section). SALARY: COMPETITION NO.: CLOSING DATE:
$25,392.64 - First Year (MS - 26) TW.C.TWII.(t).07.08.141-P August 17, 2007.
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO: Mail:
Dan Howard, Regional Administrator C/O Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Bldg. P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 E-Mail: psctwresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - either by mail, email or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call 709-7293439.
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 19
Opportunities Test Development Program Specialist
Sign Production Worker II
Engineer I
Temporary
Temporary
Temporary
Evaluation and Research Division, Department of Education West Block, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL
Two (2) temporary positions of Sign Production Worker II with the Sign Shop, Department of Transportation and Works located at White Hills.
Mineral Development Division, Department of Natural Resources. Natural Resources Building, 50 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL
DUTIES: The incumbent will be responsible for the production of highway signs using various aspects of sign production operations; operates Gerber Sign Making equipment with the Sign Lab-Computer Program; fabricates signs using reflective and vinyl sheetings, as well as air brush techniques and free hand lettering; oversees the work of employees; and performs other related duties as required.
DUTIES: This position is responsible for entry level professional engineering work in support of the mining industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. The incumbent will participate in the application review and analysis of engineering reports, proposals, plans and specifications in support of Development Plans and Rehabilitation and Closure plans of new and existing mining projects; perform checks for compliancy of proposals with the Mining Act and its Regulations; prepare, plan, design, calculate, cost estimate, verify statements of volumes and flow rates in accordance with established codes, standards, drawings or other specifications; conduct routine technical surveys or inspections and prepares reports; perform related duties as required.
DUTIES: This position is responsible for the development of criterion-referenced tests in primary, elementary, and intermediate English Language Arts. The incumbent will be responsible for developing test specifications and preparing questionnaires; providing guidance and supervision to support staff; directing the production of technically sound test items; planning and overseeing the conducting of validation exercises and field trials; conducting logical and empirical review of test items; creating item banks for the storage and retrieval of test items; assembling and administering test forms and preparing reports. The candidate will work closely with other testing personnel as well as personnel in both program development and student support services in planning and developing assessment resources. Performs other related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will have experience in areas of education evaluation and measurement, in addition to considerable successful teaching experience at the primary/elementary and /or elementary/intermediate levels in the area of English Language Arts. Other experience should include using software to analyze test data, capability in research design and analytical report writing; and a through knowledge and practical ability in test development. The successful candidate must be able to present ideas clearly and concisely, orally and in writing; and be able to demonstrate leadership capabilities and be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships. These qualifications would normally have been acquired by a Masters Degree in Education, or a combination of related experience and training. SALARY:
GS 42 salary scale or in accordance with the NLTA Collective AgreementSecondment considered COMPETITION #: E.S.TDPS(t).07/08.107-P (please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: August 13th,2007 TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Secondment (to August 31, 2008) with possibility of renewal. Renewal will be on an annual basis. The candidate will be expected to work the public service year with annual leave based on years of teaching service.
QUALIFICATIONS: Considerable experience in commercial sign production shop, Gerber Sign making, air brush and free hand design; graduation from high school, supplemented by completion of a commercial art course from an approved college. An equivalent combination of experience and/or training may be considered. SALARY: COMPETITION #: CLOSING DATE:
$14.82 - $16.04 (MS-20) TW.C.SPWII(t).07.08.101-P August 17, 2007.
Applications, quoting competition number, should be forwarded to: Mail:
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL AlB 4J6 (709) 729-6737 psctwresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date – either by mail, fax or e-mail. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call (709) 7293636.
Applications must be received before the close of business on August 13, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-3000.
School Council Liaison Officer
Temporary until August 31, 2009 Evaluation and Research Division, Department of Education West Block, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: This position is accountable for the overall management, development, delivery, coordination and evaluation of the courses, seminars, programs, conferences and other learning materials and development activities of the Province’s school council members. This position will require the incumbent to liaise with the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils, and other stakeholders on matters relating to school councils. In addition, the individual will be required to research, organize, write/design and produce course manuals, training materials, and reports and provide regular information and reports to the Department of Education to inform executive decision making. Extensive travel is required. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate must possess considerable experience in community/economic development; training and development (including adult education); a broad knowledge of the K-12 education system; extensive knowledge in training needs assessment; group process; research; and planning, coordination, delivery and evaluation of training. Experience in conducting “training for the trainer” workshops and knowledge of website maintenance and design are assets. Candidates must have demonstrated initiative, independence and creativity, together with strong oral and written communication, presentation and organization skills. A commitment to quality service is essential. These qualifications would normally have been acquired through related experience and a university degree in Education, community development, the social sciences or a related discipline. SALARY:
GS-39 ($49,012.60-$54,836.60 per annum) COMPETITION #: E.S.SCLO(t).07/08.109-P (please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: August 13th, 2007 Applications must be submitted to: Mail:
Fax: Email:
Staffing Specialist – Social Sector Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications must be received before the close of business on August 13, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-3000.
SALARY: COMPETITION #: CLOSING DATE:
Evaluation and Research Division, Department of Education 40 Higgins Line, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: As a member of the core functional team for the Provincial School Information System (PSIS) project, the incumbent will be responsible for developing and delivering new business processes and new systems, managing the impact of change on system end-users and promote the benefits of improved business processes. The candidate will assist in identifying, establishing and coordinating working groups for the purpose of requirements gathering, process definition and project information sharing; gathering information on existing systems and processes; assist with the development of drafting functional requirements; developing strategies for training, data conversion and application management and support.; finalize functional requirements to be included in RFP and participate in the evaluation of the RFP process. The candidate will also participate in delivering training sessions; prepare Policies and Procedures Guide; assist with the identification and confirmation of acceptable values; confirm the layout, design and requirements for reports; develop system test scenarios; assist with the identification of the data conversion requirements for each system; work with project manager to deliver status updates to stakeholders; assist with the selection of pilot sites. Other duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: This is a challenging, professional position that will involve working collaboratively with groups and individuals from the Department, Districts and Schools, as well as with project team members. The candidate will possess excellent conceptual, analytical, problem-solving, interpersonal, listening and decision-making skills as well as excellent oral and written communications, presentation and facilitation skills and an ability to meet demanding deadlines. The candidate will have a vision to improve information collection and sharing within the K-12 Education System, and should have a good understanding of the issues and concerns currently faced by potential users of the new system. This knowledge would normally be acquired through varied experience in the K-12 Education System, a Masters Degree in Education or an equivalent amount of experience and training. Knowledge/ use of existing computer applications/ systems at the Department, Districts and Schools that will be replaced by PSIS would be an asset. The candidate will have a high level of skill in the use of information and communications technology, and organizational and administrative concepts. SALARY:
GS 42 salary scale or in accordance with the NLTA Collective AgreementSecondment considered COMPETITION #: E.S.SDFL(t).07.08.106-P (please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: August 13, 2007 TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Secondment (to August 31, 2008) with possibility of renewal. Renewal will be on an annual basis until completion of project. The candidate will be expected to work the public service year with annual leave based on years of teaching service. Applications must be submitted to: Staffing Specialist – Social Sector Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 Email: pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca Applications must be received before the close of business on August 13, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-3000.
$39,712.40- $44,189.60 per annum (GS-33) NR.C.EI (t).07.0121 AUGUST 17, 2007
Applications must be submitted to: MAIL:
School/District Functional Lead
Temporary Applications must be submitted to: Staffing Specialist – Social Sector Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 Email: pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca
QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires knowledge of the mining industry, Mining Act, Mineral Act, mining/processing methods, and the environmental assessment process. The successful candidate must be able to work independently and as part of a team, possess strong analytical, oral and written communication, organizational, planning and interpersonal skills. The above qualifications would normally have been acquired through completion of a Bachelor Degree in Engineering (Civil, Geological, Mining, or Environmental) or Applied Sciences. Eligibility for membership in the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland (APEGN) is required.
Staffing Specialist – Resource Sector Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 FAX: (709) 729-6737 Contact Email: pscresourcesresumes@gov.nl.ca
For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729- 6449 Applications must be received before the close of business on August 10, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. July 27, 2007
Mineral Development Engineer
Permanent 2 Positions Mineral Development Division, Department of Natural Resources Natural Resources Building, 50 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: This position is accountable for delivering professional engineering work in support of the mining industry in Newfoundland and Labrador with primary responsibility for implementing mineral development policy through the administration of the Mining Act with respect to the establishment, operation and termination of mining operations in the Province. Work includes engineering analysis of new projects, reviewing existing mining operation for compliance with licences, leases and orders, and monitoring operations at the close-down phase and following closure to ensure that the public interest is protected. QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires comprehensive knowledge of the mining industry, mine engineering project assessment, operations analysis and rehabilitation procedures, mining/processing methods as it relates to surface / underground mining, and the environmental assessment process. The successful candidate must be able to work independently and as part of a team, possess strong analytical, oral and written communication, organizational, planning and interpersonal skills. The above qualifications would normally have been acquired through completion of a Degree in Mining or Geological Engineering supplemented by considerable experience in an operations or planning role. Eligibility for membership in the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland (APEGN) is required. SALARY:
GS-44 ($57,111.60- $67,394.60 per annum) COMPETITION #: NR.C.MDE(p).07.0120 CLOSING DATE: August 17, 2007 Applications must be submitted to: Mail: Staffing Specialist – Resource Sector Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 FAX: (709) 729-6737 Contact Email: pscresourcesresumes@gov.nl.ca For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729- 6449 Applications must be received before the close of business on August 10, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. July 27, 2007
20 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
AUGUST 3, 2007
Opportunities Fine Arts Program Development Specialist
Program Development Division, Department of Education 3rd Floor, West Block, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL
Senior Privacy Analyst – Privacy Group
Temporary until July 2008 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
DUTIES: This successful candidate will work with other Provincial Program Development Specialists and School District Specialists to provide leadership in Art education and Fine Arts curriculum. The candidate will be responsible for recommending plans and policies related to curriculum development; preparing courses of study, curriculum guides and related support documents, taking into consideration the diverse learning needs of students; assessing and recommending for authorization learning resources in support of provincial curricula; and providing leadership in professional development related to the Provincial Art and other Fine Arts curriculum by planning, organizing and presenting in-service sessions, including the use of distance education to support teaching and learning. The incumbent will prepare testing programs and assessment reports in collaboration with other departmental personnel relative to student performance in Art education; work with a management team, advisory groups and government departments and agencies to implement a provincial arts and culture initiative. This will include monitoring processes and procedures; preparing reports and support documents in collaboration with advisory groups; coordinating activities in partnership with school districts and other groups; and collaborating with several government departments and advisory groups to prepare assessment instruments and indicator reports on both specific activities and the overall initiative. The candidate will be required to use information and communications technology effectively. QUALIFICATIONS: This is a challenging, professional position that will necessitate collaboration and partnerships with professional groups and individuals. The candidate will possess excellent conceptual, analytical, problem solving, interpersonal and decision making abilities as well as excellent oral and written communication, presentation and facilitation skills. The candidate should have a strong background in Art education and hold a Masters Degree in curriculum or in a related field; significant teaching experience; familiarity with the K-12 Art curriculum; skill in writing curricula; organizational and administrative ability which can include working to meet tight reporting deadlines; and the ability to travel throughout the province at certain periods during the school year. SALARY:
GS 42 salary scale or in accordance with the NLTA Collective AgreementSecondment considered
COMPETITION #: E.S.FAPDS(t).07.08.096-P (please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE:
Office of the ATIPP Coordinator, Department of Justice, St. John’s DUTIES: This position provides advice and assistance to a portfolio of government departments and other public bodies in carrying out Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) and Privacy Checklists to ensure compliance with the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act; monitors all issues identified in the carrying out of PIAs and Privacy Checklists and modifies accompanying policy documents (Manual) in consultation with ATIPP team and stakeholders; provides planning and risk mitigation skills to departments and public bodies in developing yearly privacy risk management plans; develops a specific expertise on the legislation, its regulations and existing policies and on ATIPP implications of information technology and systems and communicates this expertise to departmental officials and others preparing government’s social and economic agenda; provides privacy expertise to the Office of the ATIPP Coordinator team in the development of privacy collateral such as privacy breach protocols, privacy impact statements and updates to the Privacy Manual; performs various executive support functions (eg. Assists with preparation and distribution of briefing materials to executive); maintains a network of contact in other jurisdictions in order to foster an ongoing awareness of how other government jurisdictions work with their Privacy legislation, and other related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: Experience working with Protection of Privacy legislation is essential. Successful completion of University of Alberta ATIPP certificate is desirable. Equivalencies considered. Positions within the Department of Justice are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such, successful applicants will be subject to a background check through police/court data banks and other sources. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their résumé that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out.
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications should be forwarded to: Mail:
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications must be submitted to:
Fax: Email:
Staffing Specialist – Social Sector Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications must be received before the close of business on August 17, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-3004.
Program Development Specialist for English Second Language (ESL) Program Development Division, Department of Education 3rd Floor, West Block, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: This position is responsible for the development of programs and the identification of suitable learning resources for K-12 English as a Second Language (ESL); provides ongoing professional development for classroom teachers and ESL teachers; works with other educational partners and networks with community and post-secondary institutions to enhance ESL programs in the province; organized professional development activities including summer institutes and web-based learning opportunities; works with school districts to develop in-service models; works with the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (CDLI) and school districts to examine the potential for distance technology; performs other related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will have experience in areas of ESL curriculum development in addition to considerable successful experience in teaching ESL. The ability to present ideas clearly and concisely, orally and written in English is essential. French Language skills are considered an asset. A Masters Degree in Education or an equivalent amount of experience and training would normally be required. SALARY:
GS 42 salary scale or in accordance with the NLTA Collective AgreementSecondment considered COMPETITION #: E.S.PDS(p).07.08.095-P (please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: August 17, 2007 TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Secondment (to August 2008) with possibility of renewal. Renewal will be on an annual basis. The candidate will be expected to work the public service year with annual leave based on years of teaching service. Applications must be submitted to: Mail:
Fax: Email:
Staffing Specialist – Social Sector Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications must be received before the close of business on August 17, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-3004.
Program Development Division, Department of Education 3rd Floor, West Block, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: This position is responsible for the development of public examinations in Core French, French Immersion and French First Language subject areas; the preparation of criterion referenced tests in French First Language and French Second Language; and French Second Language and French First Language program evaluation. The candidate will be responsible to direct the production of technically sound test items; plan and oversee the conducting of validation exercises and field trails; conduct logical and empirical review of test items; set up item banks for the storage and retrieval of test items; assemble and administer test forms; work closely with personnel in program development, evaluation and research and student support services in planning, adapting and translating assessment resources; evaluate programs and prepare reports; perform other related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will have the experience in areas of education evaluation and measurement, in addition to considerable successful teaching experience at the intermediate/high school levels in French Second Language and/or French First Language programs, and the ability to present ideas clearly and concisely, orally and written in both English and French. Experience in the development, validation and marking of public examinations and/or criterion referenced tests would be an asset. A Masters Degree in Education or an equivalent amount of experience and training would normally be required. SALARY:
In accordance with the NLTA Collective Agreement COMPETITION #: E.S.ES(p).07.08.094-P (please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: August 17, 2007 TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Secondment (to August 2008) with possibility of renewal. Renewal will be on an annual basis. The candidate will be expected to work the public service year with annual leave based on years of teaching service. Applications must be submitted to: Mail:
SALARY: $50,577 - $56,583 (GS-40) COMPETITION #: J.C.SPA(t).07.067 - P CLOSING DATE: August 14, 2007
August 17, 2007
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Secondment (to August 2008) with possibility of renewal. Renewal will be on an annual basis. The candidate will be expected to work the public service year with annual leave based on years of teaching service.
Evaluation Specialist in French First Language (FFL) and French Second Language (FSL) Education
* In order to ensure your application/resume is processed appropriately, the job competition number MUST be indicated. * Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date, either by e-mail, postal mail or fax. (If faxing, DO NOT send a duplicate copy). Late applications with acceptable explanation may be considered. * For additional information on this position, call (709) 7297939. 2007 07 31
Program Development Specialist for Mathematics and Science in French First Language (FFL)
Fax: Email:
Staffing Specialist – Social Sector Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications must be received before the close of business on August 17, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-3004.
Tender DEPARTMEMT OF TRANSPORTATION & WORKS INVITATION TO TENDER Tenders will be received up to the dates and time indicated below for the following projects:
DUTIES: This successful candidate will be responsible for the development of Mathematics and Science programs in French First Language (FFL) and the identification of suitable learning resources for K-12 Mathematics and Science programs. Responsibilities will include working in co-operation with District 5, the Conseil scolaire francophone provincial on professional development for classroom teachers of Mathematics and Science; working with the Division of Evaluation and Research on the development of public examinations in Mathematics and Science for French First Language programs; and assisting with the preparation of criterion referenced testing in Mathematics and possibly other subject areas. Other related duties as required.
A/PROJECT # 057-07PSR – Rehabilitation of Manuals River Bridge, R60, km 15.38 and expansion joint replacement on Kelligrews Rivers Bridge, R60, km 22.06. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: AUGUST 21, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON
QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will have successful teaching experiences in areas of Mathematics and Science, preferably in FFL. The candidate should have varied experience in the education system and a working knowledge of curriculum development. Experience with validating and marking public examinations would be an asset. The ability to present ideas clearly and concisely, orally and written in both English and French is essential. A Masters Degree in Education or an equivalent amount of experience and training would normally be required.
Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering & Contracts, Ground Floor, East Block, Confederation Building, P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NL, A1B 4J6, Ph# 709-729-3786, Fax# 709-729-6729, and viewed at the offices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association. Tenders addressed to the Deputy Minister of Transportation & Works must be delivered to Tendering & Contracts at the address above and be submitted on forms and in sealed envelopes provided, clearly marked as to the contents. Tenders will be opened immediately after the tender closing time. The Department does no bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender.
SALARY:
GS 42 salary scale or in accordance with the NLTA Collective AgreementSecondment considered
COMPETITION #: E.S.PDS(t).07.08.093-P (please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: August 17, 2007 TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Secondment (to August 31, 2008) with possibility of renewal. Renewal will be on an annual basis. The candidate will be expected to work the public service year with annual leave based on years of teaching service. Location of position is negotiable. Applications must be submitted to: Mail: Staffing Specialist – Social Sector Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: (709) 729-6737 Email: pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca Applications must be received before the close of business on August 17, 2007 – either by e-mail, mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-3004.
B/PROJECT – Tender for the relocation of furniture and associated office effects, various Government Departments, Gander, NL SITE BRIEFING – August 09, 2007 @ 1:00pm – Transportation & Works, McCurdy Complex, Gander. PURCHASE PRICE: $N/A CLOSING DATE: AUGUST 16, 2007 @ 3:00 PM
Hon. John Hickey Minister Transportation & Works
INDEPENDENTLIFE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 3-9, 2007 — PAGE 21
Tim Baker, frontman of Hey Rosetta!, on set with the band as they record their first music video for the song Yes! Yes! Yes!
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Louder than words Hey Rosetta! evolving with record deal, national distribution, and new music video By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent
S
ometimes it’s what you leave out that makes the biggest impact. Perhaps it was that philosophy that inspired Hey Rosetta!’s record label to reformat their soonto-be nationally released album Plan Your Escape into a shorter EP version, leaving out a few songs that are bound to have fans shaking their heads and questioning why. Newly signed with Halifax-based Sonic Records — the label behind names like Great Big Sea and Matt Mays — Hey Rosetta! is entering a new era of its evolution. An era that suddenly involves recording music videos, re-recording established songs, arranging tours, preparing for a second album, pondering the possibility of serious success (outside Newfoundland and Labrador), and suddenly having marketing people tell them what to do. Which, according to frontman, Tim Baker, isn’t turning out too badly. As hard as it was for the band to come to terms with having to re-record Plan Your Escape (minus four tracks) for its official national distribution (Aug. 21), he says the final product does sound better. “I’m really happy we did it actually,” Baker says, “There was this murkiness (before); I didn’t know it was there, but it
really just jumps out of the speakers at you now. It’s really cool, the difference.” Which bodes well for the quality of the finished product, considering the original album won and has been nominated for several music awards over the past year. Baker’s keen to point out, however, he feels “really lame” about releasing the new EP in the province, a place full of people who know and love the original — a dramatic melding of melodious, lyrically-driven rock with the band’s signature use of cello and violin. As for the absent tracks on the new EP, he says there will be an access code inside the booklet that will direct fans to a website where they can download “B-sides” for free. “There’ll be lots and lots of songs.” Baker sits, perched on a couch in his home in St. John’s, as he talks about the many developments in the current life of Hey Rosetta! (Other members of the band include Adam Hogan, guitar; Josh Ward, bass; and Phil Maloney, drums. The group is as large as six when they perform on stage with a violinist and cellist). Baker, who sings and plays guitar and piano, says if they didn’t have the current support of their new record label, he’d probably “go crazy and never be able to write songs … it was sort of necessary at the level we were coming to.” As it is, he recently had to make the deci-
sion to quit his day job teaching piano. With another tour coming up in September — not to mention the fact the band will also be recording its second album that month in Halifax under the production of Canadian rocker Hawksley Workman — he just won’t have time for much else. Baker exudes a relaxed friendliness, but it’s easy to sense the intense energy of an artist and performer who insists on going “all out” with everything he does — particularly when it comes to music. There’s no doubt that intensity helps infuse Hey Rosetta!’s continued success, but it’s also partly why he developed tendonitis in his late teens, due to playing too many instruments too hard, too often. These days he’s learning to re-educate his body, practising stretching techniques and yoga, so as to get by without too much discomfort — although suddenly noticing his posture on the couch, he ruefully shakes his head and says, “I’m sitting very badly right now.” Baker seems a bit bemused by the pace of Hey Rosetta!’s ongoing metamorphosis and the notion of potential fame on a scale outside of downtown St. John’s, where the odd inebriated fan might yell out “Omigod I love you!” on the street. One of the particularly noticeable trademarks of Hey Rosetta! is its devoted fan-base, because aside from great music and performances, Baker is strongly
admired for his ability to spin words into lyrics that people cling to and carry around. He’s been writing most of his life, and Baker also studied sociology and creative writing at Concordia University in Montreal, which was where he penned a lot of the songs on Plan Your Escape. He admits the more people tell him they love his lyrics, the more terrified he gets over the notion of writing new ones. “It was a lot easier when no one was listening to them, ” he says, roughly estimating he worries about “a couple of times an hour” that he won’t be able to re-deliver to the first album’s high standards. Being only 25 and growing up “straight and good with his loving parents and squealing siblings in a nice house under big trees in the west end of St. John’s” (according to his website bio), Baker has plenty of time and life experience ahead of him to continue inspiring his repertoire. He says as a boy he would listen to his father’s Cat Stevens records and as he got older he leaned towards the staples of his generation: Nirvana, Soundgarden, Counting Crows and Paul Simon (whom he loves). Baker has been playing and singing music since the age of about three and he laughs as he remembers dressing up as a big-haired rocker for a See “It was so,” page 24
‘Great big story’ World-renowned producer Chris Brookes captures epic saga on CD By Clare-Marie Gosse The Independent
T
he average person outside the province probably doesn’t know the Northern Peninsula was the first part of North America to be discovered by Europeans — Vikings, no less. And although Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know the story of L’Anse aux Meadows well enough, they probably haven’t given much thought to the epic significance of the subsequent meeting between the Scandinavian Vikings and the natives. That meeting was the first time two divided factions of the human race actually reunited, face to face, 100,000 years after walking out of Africa and going their separate ways around the world: one group towards Northern Europe, the other to
Asia and on into America. ancestors had left Africa 100,000 years It was partly the epic nature of that before.” meeting that first The circumfersparked the interest ence of that story of radio producer inspired the title of and documentarian Brookes’ most “The centre of the Chris Brookes. recent documentary “Eventually in world, in human terms, creation — Great 1000 AD the Vikings Circle: The Viking just happened to be invented ships that Discovery of the were big enough to Americas. Great there on northern get across the Circle is his first Atlantic,” he says. foray into producing Newfoundland.” “It’s a great big an audio CD or story. The centre of MP3. As a worldChris Brookes the world, in human renowned independterms, just happened ent radio producer to be there on northand writer, with a ern Newfoundland when the descen- staggering number of awards under his dants of the descendants of the descen- belt including an Order of Canada, dants of the descendants met face to Brookes is generally more familiar face again for the first time since their with broadcasting than product distri-
bution. But although his CD has only just been officially released, he says sales already seem promising and he’s hoping it will be the start of a series of historical documentaries about Newfoundland and Labrador. “There hasn’t been anything like an audio guide produced in Newfoundland before so I thought it would be kind of interesting.” The material for the documentary, which combines archeological fact and the raw humanity of the ancient Viking Sagas with expert commentary and reenactments, was first gathered for a radio show Brookes put out a few years ago. That production was a world medal winner at the New York Festivals Broadcasting Awards in 2001. Brookes says he hopes Great0 Circle will help draw attention to the fact
there are two sides to the story of the Viking landing — and subsequently two sites on the Northern Peninsula well worth visiting: L’Anse aux Meadows and the indian site at Portau-Choix, which is a place people often overlook. “(Visitors) can see both sides of this amazing historic meeting that happened 1,000 years ago and I fear they often go up and miss one side of it.” Brookes says part of the beauty of the story told by the CD is the fact it has more than mere scientific credibility. Thanks to the existence of the Viking Sagas, written directly from oral narratives just a couple of hundred years after the L’Anse aux Meadows landSee “Why not,” page 24
AUGUST 3, 2007
22 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
GALLERYPROFILE
CATHERINE BEAUDETTE Visual Artist
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atherine Beaudette, a visual artist and professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design, says she found herself spending the last nine summers making art and restoring an old house in Bonavista Bay, mostly by fluke. “We were camping around the island just as tourists and we stopped to have lunch in this little town, Duntara,” she says, “and we stuck a note, as a joke, in the door saying, ‘If you want to sell
your house, call Kirk and Catherine in Toronto.’” When the phone rang a year later, the couple had to look in their photo album to locate the house in their travels — and in their memories. Now that Newfoundland has “picked” them, Beaudette says, she is actively puzzling out a way to spend more than just the summer months in the province. “On my sabbatical I spent a full year out in Duntara and did all small paintings,” she says. “I painted my head off. That fall I went for my walks in the morning and there were different mushrooms every day and I started picking them and carrying them home. I’d put them on my studio table and I’d do watercolours from them.” Beaudette’s show, Mushrooming, is currently at the Flower Studio, 124 Rawlin’s Cross in St. John’s, and Pouch Cove Gallery at 14 Grushy’s Hill, until
Aug. 24. The oil works on canvas are a visual representation of the artist’s rabid collecting habits. Beaudette is an artifact enthusiast, stockpiling images and objects collected from her globetrotting experiences — from as far away as Italy and back. While on a teaching semester in Florence, Beaudette became fascinated with Etruscan artifacts — collected from the ruins of an ancient Italian civilization — and brought her sketches to Newfoundland. Spending the winter months working them into fullyfledged paintings, she incorporated the drawings with images of seashells and corals and, of course, her mushroom pictures. Beaudette says the little toadstools are an appropriate metaphor for the links that exist between the globe’s cultures and civilizations and the remnants they leave behind — only to be unearthed by those of us living in the
present. “When you think of the term ‘mushroomed’ … it’s this idea of how things connect, as opposed to how they’re different. It’s the idea of development, connectedness, potential, and how something small could lead to something bigger.” Like a note left in a door. Beaudette says her Newfoundland collection has mushroomed to the point that all the outbuildings on the property are now chock full with the treasure found on her daily hikes. She even combs the dumps in the area, pulling out finds such as a grubbing tool or handmade snowshoes strung together with seal leather. Beaudette has become so well known in the community for her scavenging habits, residents will make a special trip out to offer up their castoffs. They even teach her a lesson or two about what she uncovers herself.
“I have this table outside my house so when I come home with things I’ve found and lay them out people come by and say, ‘Do you know what that is?’ And then they tell me the story,” she laughs. “Some of them bring me things, saying, ‘I was going to throw this out but I thought you might want it.’” Beaudette says she will spend her next lengthy stint in Bonavista Bay rendering her Newfoundland collection into art, and hopes to one day develop it into a museum. She says there is something “magical” about the objects used by Newfoundlanders who lived out their lives in the place she now calls home. “I feel like I’m just beginning to dig in and I’ve found a place and an area of interest that could just grow and develop and could be my life’s pursuit.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
The Gallery is a regular feature in The Independent. For information, or to submit proposals, please call (709) 726-4639, or e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca
POET’S CORNER The Old Salt’s Request Let me be Where the sea Ceaselessly Washes o’er Pebbly shore. There I find Buoyant mind When the wind Doth combine With the brine Making sound All around Like a song For the strong. Company For the free There I see … Let me be By the sea! A poem by A.C. Wornell, published in the 1953 book, Poems of Newfoundland.
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 23
Summer fun Whether you choose theatre, the beer tent or an afternoon with your favourite aging Canadian band, ’tis the season to get out of the house … for a while, anyway
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ell, here we are, my friends. First we made it through the sleet, slush and cold of “spring,” that magical time in Newfoundland/Labrador when all the flowers that didn’t bloom because there is no such thing as spring around here poke their little faces out of the earth and slowly, longingly turn to face the warming rays of the sun before being brutally frozen to death in the secondlast snowstorm of the year. Then we lethargically staggered through a relentlessly hot and brutal July, complaining endlessly about weather that was exactly the opposite of the stuff we were complaining about previously. And now at long last it’s August — the very best month of the year for outdoor fun. Neither too hot nor too cold, neither too rainy nor too sticky, August is the ideal time to get out and get the stink of the house off you. Or at the very least trade the stink of the house for other more exciting, more exotic, more outdoorsy stinks. As a public service, I’d like to offer a few suggestions for those of you looking to enjoy the two weeks or so of reasonable weather we’re likely to get: Outdoor theatre: if you just can’t bear the thought of spending one of the few seasonable evenings we might have inside a dark, stuffy theatre, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a night of refined culture. Try going to one of the many outdoor theatre events taking place all over the province. It’s like a regular trip to the park, only you get to watch someone else make a spectacle of themselves for a change. From the actor’s point of view, outdoor theatre is certainly more challenging than the regular kind, for two main reasons: first, howling winds, rain, low
SEAN PANTING
State of the art flying aircraft, cars, idiots with or without stereo equipment and lack of enclosed space for the audience all add up to a tougher time with projection (that’s theatre speak for talking loud for all you non-thespian types). After a summer of bawling “BUT SOFT, WHAT LIGHT THROUGH YONDER WINDOW BREAKS” while some dude with a Camaro and a copy of Dance Mix 2001 does doughnuts in the parking lot, the actors will have enough lung capacity to inflate a truck tire and a voice about three octaves south of normal. Second, having to compete with the very same picturesque scenery you used to entice people out to your play in the first place can be a drag. If, for example, a whale decides to do something tourist-friendly during your big death scene you can kiss your standing ovation goodbye. Outdoor Concerts: outdoor concerts are a lot like outdoor theatre without all the volume issues. When there’s a big show going on, you can be assured that for better or worse you will be able to hear it. Summer festivals are a great chance to listen to all the songs you put on that mixed tape you made in 1987, or just see how fat your favourite band from high school is getting. And yes, there’s nothing quite like lying in the grass listening to the strains of that band who had that song on the radio once to make
What summer’s all about: Can-rock favourites Trooper will Raise a little hell at the Klondyke Festival in Bay Roberts, Aug. 4. www.trooper.com
you feel like … Going to the beer tent: whether you’re at (but not watching) the Regatta, a folk festival or a Trooper concert, going to the beer tent is a fine and long-standing tradition. Drinking beer out-of-doors is an activity all its own — part picnic, part kitchen party, and (depending on who’s there) part punch-up and emergency room visit as well. Getting rained out: This is a pretty
general category which works well with any of the previous three options and also includes getting fogged in, snowed on and having your hastily constructed makeshift shelter fall down due to a combination of wind velocity, shoddy workmanship, carelessness and/or intoxication (see Going to the beer tent above). If none of these options tickles your fancy you can always opt for… Going back inside: it’s easy, low
stress, and chances are you’re already there. Inside is rain free, bug free and (hopefully) devoid of Camaros and idiots who aren’t you. Get out there and enjoy your summer. Quickly. Before you know it we’ll be up to our armpits in snow again. Hmm …up to my armpits in snow, eh? That doesn’t sound so bad, really… Sean Panting is a writer, musician and actor living in St. John’s.
AUGUST 3, 2007
24 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
Horsing around Horse Latitudes By Paul Muldoon Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006
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ver since the appearance of his 1973 debut collection New Weather — published during his undergraduate days at Queens University in Belfast — Northern Irish poet Paul Muldoon has been confounding, astounding and delighting readers with his quirky, virtuoso verse. Readers of The Independent may remember that Muldoon was granted a honorary doctoral degree by Memorial University in the spring of 2006 for his contribution to the arts. His workmanship has been applauded elsewhere: Moy Sand and Gravel, published in 2002, was the recipient of both the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the 2003 Griffin Poetry Prize. In his 10th and latest collection, Horse Latitudes, Muldoon once again displays his incomparable style of stretching, squeezing, and otherwise moulding the English language to suit his puckish, often elusive vision of the modern world. The book’s title, according to the explanatory text on the dustcover, “refers to those areas 30 degrees north and south of the equator where sailing ships tend to stand becalmed in midocean, where stasis (if not stagnation) is
MARK CALLANAN On the shelf the order of the day, and where sailors, in the days when Spanish vessels transported horses to the West Indies, would throw their live cargo overboard to lighten the load and conserve food and water.” The collection opens with the title poem: a sequence of 19 sonnets, each named for a historical battle beginning with the letter B (some obscure, some better known) in which, James Fenton tells us in a Guardian review, “horses or mules played a major role.” The poems skip nimbly between their historical bases and a lover’s battle against “hypersarcoma” (sarcomas are malignant tumors of the body’s connective tissue). In Beijing, a dream of the Mongol hordes breaking through the Great Wall of China gives way to the speaker’s reality of waking up next to his ailing lover: Proud-fleshed Carlotta. Hypersarcoma. For now our highest ambition was simply to bear the light of the day we had once been planning to seize.
The Norman invasion of southern Ireland in Baginbun is collapsed into the present tense by Muldoon’s skillful use of simile. Here, the armaments of medieval battle give brutal authority to the cancer, “this inescapable flaw/hidden by Carlotta’s close-knit wet suit/like a heart-wound from a hauberk.” The horse latitudes, then, become a sort of netherworld between life and death, the region of being — post prognosis — in which the only possible future is one of gradual acceptance. It is also a netherworld in the wider,
geopolitical sense. Blackwater Fort opens with the speaker and Carlotta watching “some Xenophon/embedded with the 5th Marines/in the old Sunni Triangle” and ends with an admonishment of the Bush government’s military involvement in Iraq: “Might it have to do with the gross/imports of crude oil Bush will come clean on/only when the Tigris comes clean?” Elsewhere, Muldoon dabbles in other forms. 90 Instant Messages to Tom Moore reframes the traditional haiku form of three lines — five syllables, seven, five — within the context of modern, computer-driven communications. These epigrammatic constructions, addressed to a 19th century Irish poet, range from the outright bawdy (“A drunken girl blabs/how he put in an oar/but she caught a crab”) to the downright ridiculous (“One more propounder/of bottom-up management,/the rainbow flounder”). Part of Muldoon’s enduring appeal is his ability to unite comic and tragic modes, parodying Irish folk traditions even as he alludes to the Irish troubles, for instance, as he does in Flags and Emblems: What to make of your quickie with some moonlighting Provo or Stickie who did you over, whoah, did you over, till your blue-black hickey
Riddle-me-O Riddle-me-O ran like mascara? Likewise, Turtles transforms the farcical — in this case “A cubit-wide turtle acting the bin lid” — into a serious meditation on the political violence that informed Muldoon’s youth. “So many of those former sentries and scouts,” he writes “have taken up the lyre/I can’t be sure of what is and what is not.” The other part of Muldoon’s appeal comes from simply watching his craft at work, his ability to manipulate traditional forms to suit his unconventional voice, the wide and wild range of his abilities. It is the sheer joy of observing a master at work. Horse Latitudes shows Muldoon at the height of his powers. ••• As a point of interest, former Parliamentary Poet Laureate George Bowering will be reading alongside Winterset Award-winning novelist Edward Riche at the Ship Pub on Monday, July 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets ($10) are available at Afterwords Bookstore or at the door. Sadly, Paul Muldoon will not be present. Mark Callanan is a writer living in St. John’s. His column returns Aug. 17. callanan_ _@hotmail.com
‘It was just so personal’ From page 21
Chris Brookes at his CD launch at Bianca’s in St. John’s, July 31.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
‘Why not a historical documentary?’ From page 21 ing, the tale has the raw humanity of a historic novel. “These strange-looking humans got out of the boat and stared at (the Vikings) and then they all paddled away again.” Then they came back in a fleet of skin canoes and indicated they wanted to trade for some red
cloth. “It’s interesting because they didn’t speak the same language and in a sense they hadn’t ever seen such strange-looking human beings, but they could actually figure out that they wanted to trade,” says Brookes. Then they indicated they wanted to trade for some swords, and inevitably “a fight broke out, somebody got killed and then the racket really
began.” It’s a story well worth listening to during a long car trip up the island’s northern Viking Trail. “When you get into Gros Morne Park, radio reception is pretty well impossible,” says Brookes, “so I think that’s the time in particular when people going up that coast could put a CD on. And why not a historical documentary?”
school career dress-up day in Grade 6. He says he can tell the story behind every one of his songs. When asked if he can pick out a favourite, he has a hard time choosing, but he says he really enjoys those that seemed to just fall out of nowhere, like Epitaph, a song soaked in the culture of St. John’s (“this is a good town/this here is a heavy ancient thing/this is a new land/this here is a thing they’ll never see.”) And he says he has a particular soft spot for The Simplest Thing, a song about loving someone weighed down with depression (“If I could cheer you up it would mean so much/clowns in love and laughing off … you say ‘it’s not your fault that I get so low/but to drown you too, that’s a sick way to love’”). “It was just so personal; I didn’t even know if I wanted to play it for anybody, but then so many people connected to it and then I felt really good about it. I love playing that live.” There’s no doubt Baker has a way with words, but he also understands talent still requires discipline and work. As a keen reader — he says early 20th century “masculine literature” writers like John Steinbeck, Sherwood Anderson, and Ernest Hemingway made big impressions on him — he adheres to the less-is-more philosophy; that what you leave out is as crucial as what you put in. He says the band really works hard to get their creations right. “Having a filter, that’s more than half the battle I think. You know, this stays in, that has to go … that’s how I’ve been writing for the last couple of years. Our stuff is very well thought out.” That thought process could well see Hey Rosetta! making big waves far outside the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador. Hey Rosetta! will be performing at Nova Scotia’s Evolve Festival Aug. 4; the harbour cruise boat in St. John’s Aug. 17; and the Re-Max Centre (formerly the St. John’s Curling Club), Aug. 25.
INDEPENDENTSTYLE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 3-9, 2007 — PAGE 25
Fashion
fibre Textile boutique an experiment in home décor and wearable art
Susan Langor models clothes from the new Devon House boutique in downtown St. John’s.
By Mandy Cook The Independent
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limbing the steps and following the signs decorated with blue feathers in the stairwell of Devon House in St. John’s, design-conscious shoppers seeking something different need look no further than the third floor of this craft centre on Duckworth Street. Tucked into the attic of the building are glass showcases filled with handbags pieced together with recycled fabric, to-die-for baby dresses made with re-tooled chenille bedspreads and vintage buttons, hand-woven lace ponchos and hand-felted bangles. For the house, there is an extensive selection of appliqué wall hangings, felted pictures and even chic shoulder wraps that double as fur-
niture coverings. Artist Trine Schioldan says her gorgeous silk and Merino wool shawls may look fragile, but the nature of the material makes them durable enough to throw on the back of a chair or sofa for a blast of colour and texture. For personal wear, she says they’re versatile collectors’ pieces. “You can wear it to any elegant event, such as a Christmas or New Year’s party or a wedding — any special event, really. On the other hand, life is short. What are we waiting for? Colour can make us feel so good, so just put it on,” she enthuses. Fibre work is the theme of the appropriately named A Soft Touch Boutique, and examples of fine craftsmanship are evident throughout. A pair of Schioldan’s felted flower patches — squares with surged edges
Paul Daly/The Independent
and deep yellow or purple blossoms on red backgrounds — would bookend a framed picture or mirror perfectly. But the find of the day is Corner Brook’s Shawn O’Hagan’s work in recycled chenille. Specializing in baby wear, your tot will look adorable in any number of the artist’s pieces — from dresses and pants to bibs. Many items are reversible and lined with vintage cotton. One standout piece is a cute cowboy print inside a multi-coloured jumper, fastened with big shiny buttons. O’Hagan says her inspiration came from a lack of available attractive baby clothes and a penchant for cruising fabric sites on the Internet. “There’s so many bland baby and toddler clothes,” she says. “My designs are simple and basic, but funky. I buy inexpensive chenille bedspreads that are past usage on eBay
from the 1930s to the 1960s. Their colours and textures make them more interesting.” The boutique will be an ongoing experiment until September. As a partner with the Anna Templeton Centre’s textile studies program, marketing projects co-ordinator Caroline Clarke says the boutique has “a lot” of fibre work to offer discriminating shoppers. She says the selection of fashions has piqued the interest of most customers so far, but it is the socially conscious mindset behind the designs that gets them in the shop. “People are really into the handcrafted fashion items — it’s kind of the anti-sweatshop thing. I think people are a lot more aware these days and make their purchases more with their eyes open. Plus, it’s beautiful stuff.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
AUGUST 3, 2007
26 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
TASTE
Clean teens copying the celeb post-rehab look By Sheila Dabu Torstar wire service
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Grill bananas
with an exotic island flavour By Susan Sampson Torstar wire service
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ow guests with exotic bananas featuring flavours from the Indonesian island of Bali. You can turn them into banana splits by adding scoops of vanilla ice cream. BALINESE GRILLED BANANAS WITH COCONUT MILK CARAMEL Adapted from The Barbecue Bible (1998) by Steven Raichlen. In Bali, miniature "finger bananas" are used. I bought thick, premium coconut milk. SAUCE 2/3 cup palm sugar 400 ml can coconut milk 1 cinnamon stick 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed, crushed, cut in half 2 tsp cornstarch 1 tbsp water BANANAS 6 ripe but firm bananas (each 6 to 7 inches long) 3/4 cup coconut milk 1 cup granulated sugar
For sauce, melt sugar in medium, non-stick pan on medium heat, stirring with wooden spoon, five to 10 minutes. Cook until sugar syrup begins to turn brown, bubbles up and darker streaks appear, about three minutes. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk. Return to heat. Bring to boil, stirring often. Add cinnamon and lemongrass. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring often. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water. Stir into sauce. Simmer one minute, until thickened. Remove from heat. Transfer to small tub. Cool to room temperature. Discard cinnamon and lemongrass. (Makes about 1-3/4 cup.) For bananas, preheat barbecue to high. Peel bananas. Cut each in half widthwise, on the diagonal. Put coconut milk in medium bowl; whisk smooth. Put sugar on large plate. Place ingredients grillside. Oil grill. Dip each banana half in coconut milk, then roll in sugar to coat. Grill on direct heat, turning with tongs until browned all over but not mushy, six to eight minutes total. Remove pieces to platter as they are ready. Serve warm, with sauce spooned over top. Makes six servings.
nly in Hollywood can embarrassing sins be turned into a fashion statement. Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie and their celebrity peers have adopted what’s being called “post-rehab chic.” Jackie-O sunglasses, trendy headscarves over unkempt hair and blouses falling haphazardly off the shoulder, sans bra, on super-thin physiques are apparently some of the signatures of this new look. Known for their love of designer labels, Lohan, Richie et al. have been trading in the highly polished, redcarpet glamour for the “I just rolled out of bed after a late night of partying” look, with the “I don’t care what people say about me when I get my latte at Starbucks” attitude. Barbara Atkin, Holt Renfrew’s vice-president of fashion direction, notes the “dark angel” look was on last season’s runways. But every decade has seen its version of “punk” chic, she says. “Looking bad and behaving badly becomes an ultimate form of rebellion.” Vanessa Grant, assistant fashion editor at Belle magazine, says while she hasn’t heard of “post-rehab fashion,” she’s seen it on the streets, echoing the Bohemian look — “messy and big sunglasses” — favoured by MaryKate Olsen since her rehab stint in 2004 for an eating disorder. But Grant wonders if the “new” trend is new. Miriam Newman, fashion consultant at Dancing Days, a new, used and vintage clothing store in Kensington Market, says the devil-may-care attitude of the “new look” borrows from what’s been hot in street fashion for awhile. In a black, off-the-shoulder Nirvana band T-shirt, paired with cropped black leggings and red, pur-
posely faded, Converse sneakers, the 20-year-old says it mirrors the rebellious streak of post-grunge fashion. “I think grunge is pretty spontaneous,” Newman says. Street fashion now is “almost like a feminist movement that we don’t need to wear skirts and tall heels any more,” she adds. “We don’t have to necessarily be a sex object.” Perhaps it’s that no-fuss, no-nonsense attitude of post-rehab chic that’s appealing to celebrities like Mischa Barton and Kirsten Dunst, who haven’t been to rehab, but are embracing the style. Yet some are wondering whether this is fashion forward or a fashion faux pas. Browsing the latest summer sales at H&M in the Eaton Centre, 14-yearold August Choi says it’s not a style she wants to copy. “It’s sloppy and messy,” she says, adding that it’s not a message some young women are keen to embrace. News of Lohan’s arrest last week was a turn-off, says Choi, who notes she’s no longer a fan. Caroline Konitzer, a collector of oversized sunglasses who owns many off-the-shoulder tops, says her style hasn’t been influenced by rehab celebs like Lohan or Richie. “It’s okay to incorporate parts of those kinds of outfits,” says the 20year-old sales clerk at Town Shoes. But she’s not as sure about the whole look “because it promotes negative values and images of women.” At the popular vintage mecca Courage My Love, co-owner Cece Scrivener says each week they’ve been selling $2 headscarves by the hundreds. The style can be popular, but “it’s giving a false sense of reality for kids.” “It’s not cool to look like a junkie,” Scrivener says.
Many reservations I
’ll come clean: I love a good reservation. There is something about making the call to a new restaurant because you’re interested in that new experience, or because the place has come recommended. Over the last few weeks I’ve made quite a few dinner reservations and each one has been a success. There are a few things to remember when making a reservation — it’s like stalking a big game animal. Success is usually dictated by your approach. Approach brashly, and you’ll scare them off, but approach with knowledge and direction, the world will open up to you. Here’s a conversation demonstrating how a good reservation is made. “Hi there, how can I help you?” Those are words that make me melt on the phone, usually because I’m anticipating a positive response. “My name is Nicholas Gardner and I would like to make a dinner reservation.” This is a direct approach. It sends out two pieces of information. The first is your name. If the restaurant has a computerized reservation system, this is critical if, as a returning guest, they have a good history on you already: likes, dislikes, where you sat … all the important details. The second is that you are interested in the main course, a nighttime reservation. It means you’re serious about their food and are serious about the reservation. “When are you looking to come?” This is a tricky bit of business in itself. Most reservations are for the end of the week — Friday and Saturday. These are coveted dates as the place will be the busiest, and will have the buzz of a hot spot. However, if service is an important part of your overall dining experience, then I suggest Thursday night. Why? Well, think about it — who makes a reservation for Thursday? Well, the person who wants to linger a bit, enjoying the night as well as the perfect service because the servers aren’t as busy. However, if you’re the type who absolutely needs that weekend reso, go for it.
NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the Eating Path “How many in your party?” That’s what you always should have — a party. The last several times my wife and I have gone out to eat there were at least two others at the table. This means the evening is lighter, there’s more dynamic conversation and, more importantly, if you’re all agreeable, there are more chances to try a lot of different foods, providing you all order something different. “Will there be anything else?” This is your chance to create and change any of the parameters of the reservation. This is the time to mention if it’s a special occasion, like a birthday or anniversary, or if there are any special requests or dietary restrictions, like a vegetarian in your party. Details like this are important so that the kitchen has a chance to prepare. Providing this information shows you are a courteous diner. Take it from me, kitchens get a little upset when a table sits and then announces special requests. Kitchens are busy as it is and when a curveball like that gets thrown in the heat of busy service it throws everyone off. So you’ve done it. You’ve made a solid reservation for the date and time you want and for your party, be it big or small. Just a quick bit of advice: only make one reservation for an evening. Reservations at multiple restaurants for the same night might sound like a good idea so that you can decide at the last minute where to go, but please cancel any you don’t commit to — you could prevent someone else from having a great reservation too. Nicholas Gardner is a freelance writer and erstwhile chef living in St. John’s. nicholas.gardner@theindependent.ca
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...
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Newfoundland 1-877-513KIDS (5437) www.helpingkids.ca
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 27
’Rackly and da once I
asked a local fella to look into the cost of building a patio for me. Periodically, husbandless women like myself solicit a local male when we need something built, fixed, or taken down out this-a-way. “Sounds good, missus,” my potential rent-a-man told me. As visions of lounging in leisure on pressure-treated Marystown lumber swirled ’round my brain, I asked him when he could start. I was filled with excitement when he replied: “’rackly.” Well, I don’t exactly know what time measurement ’rackly falls under, but I do know my patio is still a figment of my imagination. I took ’rackly to be his version of the word directly and, in my books, directly means soon. Not so. Each time I run into him I get the same answer — ’rackly. And ’rackly never comes. I was in Marystown last Friday and the stores were maggoty with shoppers. I usually restrict my shopping to midweek, so this was a new experience. “What’s on the go?” I asked the clerk, eyeing the long line behind me. “Nothing,” she said. “It’s just a regular old payday in Alberta.” Speaking of Alberta and paydays, Blair called the other night from Fort Mac with news of his next turnaround
PAM PARDY GHENT
Seven-day talk home. “You just left,” I replied. Not what he was hoping to hear, but I could hardly be blamed. I do know how to use a calendar, I informed him, and the date he had just given me was four weeks from his last trip home — not six. “It has nothing to do with actual weeks,” he answered saucily, perhaps injured I didn’t sound pleased. First I heard of that, I replied, with a little sauce of my own. This is all so confusing. Seems this turnaround stuff has more to do with days worked than weeks. Blair is working 17 (and more) days straight, so for every two weeks he punches in, he gets credit for three. While that’s nice enough, I admit I am a bit pissed to be finding out about this now. Funny how he can get home now that the food fishery is open, but when I had no water and was sick as a dog he needed to stay up longer than his scheduled six weeks. He’s just finding all this out himself, he assured me. He sounded sincere.
Blair had more news. He had been each year, there is a bonus system in offered a full-time job and wanted to place on some sites that supplement know if I saw Fort Mac in our future. time off, meaning you still get a pay While the hourly pay he was offered cheque even when you don’t work), is more than he’s making now, it was- that increases. n’t much more. Still, it made us think. Just because Blair can come home If they were offering him $36 an hour more often doesn’t mean he will. now, considering Blair only started However, staying longer than the miniworking in this trade in mum doesn’t always March, what’s the put you any further potential? Everyone in Funny how he can get ahead. Blair has a fantastic Blair’s instrumentabenefit plan, but the tion trade are on the home now that the new job offered a few same work shift, so things above anything food fishery is open, after toiling 17 days he currently has. Still, straight, they get four but when I had no it was hard to be off. Those long shifts impressed. No more are followed by at camp life and free water and was sick as least one short shift grub. No more plane (10 days on, four a dog he needed to rides home. The Fort off). If Blair took his Mac cost of living, the stay up longer than his rotation home then, Alberta lifestyle. And he would be home leave our outport? scheduled six weeks. for 19 days, but only Blair was offered out 10 days pay. eight weeks vacation a If Blair stuck with year if he took the job. He currently has the six-week deal (which he can, it’s his a minimum of nine— potentially more choice) then it’s possible he would be now that we understand the rules of a home in the midst of a long work shift. rotation schedule. Being home 14 days would then cost When you factor in the scheduled him 14 days pay. Less days home, shut downs-like, Christmastime off greater financial loss. (without pay of course, and while I So many things to consider. The don’t want to piss off those who man- work on his current site is almost finage to scrounge two weeks vacation ished and with the way things are in
DRINK
Alberta, he has his pick of sites to start on next. One has a cherished 20 days on, eight off (flying home of course) rotation with a projected five years of work. Blair can keep working out west, making an Alberta salary, and live (when he gets back anyway) here at home. When you look at the good, the bad and the crazy of our lives, things could certainly be worse. We are hanging in and won’t be moving. Looks like I will remain one of those Marystown shoppers out spending Alberta coin — and I still want that deck. I ran into my potential patio fella the other day. “When can we get together?” I asked. “’Rackly,” he said. “No,” I pressed, “‘rackly doesn’t cut it.” He shrugged. No problem, he said, showering me with bayman charm. I wasn’t buying it. “When will you come by?” I asked again. He looked me straight in the eye and gave me an answer that shut me up — for now anyway. It seems he’ll be over about my patio “da once.” pamelamichpardy@yahoo.com
White Sangria L
ooking for something else to sip on August afternoons on the patio? Try mixing up a pitcher of fruit-filled sangria. A crisp, fruity white wine is ideal. A New World sauvignon blanc or Spanish Rueda work well. To make simple syrup, bring equal parts water and sugar to a boil and let cool. 750 mL bottle dry white wine 2 tbsp vodka 1/3 cup simple syrup 2 ripe peaches, diced 1 cup raspberries 18 ice cubes 1 1/2 cups club soda In large pitcher, combine wine, vodka, simple syrup, peaches and raspberries. Refrigerate at least two hours. Place three ice cubes in each of six highball glasses. Pour quarter-cup soda in each glass. Spoon in some fruit from pitcher; top with sangria. Gently stir and serve. Makes six. — Torstar wire service
DETAILS
Fashion statement or just fun? Either way, men’s handkerchief is back By Derick Chetty Torstar wire service
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his summer, guys aren’t leaving home without a hanky. But you won’t find it tucked into a pocket. In silk and cotton, these squares are folded on the diagonal into a triangle and tied at the back of the neck. It looks as if it could be raised over the face like a sinister mask. Despite the wild colours, riotous patterns and, in some cases, the large studs or glittering stones that embellish them, these cool accessories are not the cover-up disguise of thugs about to hit up a convenience store, but appear to be the must-have neck attire for hipsters around town. The last time we saw such popularity of this style of neck adornment was in old western movies or on the covers of Louis L’Amour novels. Sheriffs, cowboys and ranch hands wore cotton bandanas around their necks, but it was more functional than fashion accessory. Pulled over their noses, bandanas protected them from the arid, dusty plains of the American southwest, or became a disguise for the lawless gunman. Through the years, the simple gentleman’s handkerchief has occupied different places on the male body, from breast pocket to jeans back pocket to head covering. And as it occupied various places, that little bit of fabric came to say a lot about the wearer and the culture of the moment. There was a period when a gentleman never left home without a freshly pressed and starched handkerchief in his breast pocket. A seemingly romantic era, perhaps, when a gentleman always had a handkerchief to offer a woman in distress. When a man wore a silken one around his neck, wrapped like a cravat or tied in a jaunty knot in the front or side, it signified affluence and aristocracy. So embedded in the mind’s eye was this little detail that it became an easy cliché to parody the pompous rich, such as Thurston Howell III, the billionaire on Gilligan’s Island.
What man doesn’t want a little John Wayne in his wardrobe?
In the ’70s, gay men took to wearing different coloured bandanas in the back pockets of their Levi 501s. The different colours and whether it was in the left or right pocket signified a preferred fetish. By the time the ’80s arrived, the little cotton square became a major fashion accessory as rock gods like Axl Rose took to wearing a bandana tied on the head, gypsy style. With the ’90s, the handkerchief took on a more sinister meaning as street gangs in L.A appropriated it, using different colours as their trademark. HANKIES FOR HIPSTERS? The handkerchief around the neck soon lost some of its significance, street cred and style when it became a fashion accessory for dogs. Suddenly, Fido was sporting a bandana. But now it appears to be back in vogue and the favourite accessory of hipsters. But why is it back and does it have any cultural significance this time?
Scarves in general have been popular of late with young men. There was the kaffiyeh, the Arab scarf that was adopted by Westerners who wore it wrapped around their necks. Trendy stores like Urban Outfitters started stocking it and it suddenly became a fashion item. Then, there was Justin Timberlake, who sported a silk bandana tied around his neck and pulled up to his nose, making him look all sinisterly sexy on the cover of his latest album FutureSex/Lovesounds. Toronto artist and jewelry designer Jaime Galindo, who blings out his bandana with large jewels, thinks it was the Japanese snowboarders he saw at Whistler last year who helped popularize wearing the bandana around the neck. “They were wearing crazy graphic prints, like tigers’ faces or the Japanese flag, and they wore it over their faces to protect against the wind, but at night out at the bars it would be just around their neck,” he says. Todd Westendorp, one of the designers behind Project 3, a line of hand-painted cotton and bamboo handkerchiefs, says it might have been graffiti artists who helped push the look into the mainstream. “It had a multi-purpose for them,” he says. “It not only protected their faces when working, but also helped conceal their identify.” But it could simply be that it is just a cool thing to wear, as an entirely new generation of guys has discovered. “When it comes to accessories, there is not much for guys,” says fashion photographer Miguel Jacob, whose girlfriend bought his bandana for $5 at an army surplus store. “This is just something to add a bit of flavour to my look and it’s an accessory that doesn’t cost much at all.” According to photographer Tommy Ton, “it’s just a fashion statement. Guys are putting more effort into dressing. It’s not just about jeans and T-shirts. This is just a subtle way to upgrade your outfit.” The humble handkerchief seems to have a new-found status.
AUGUST 3, 2007
28 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
EVENTS
Submit your events to Kayla Email: kayla.joy@theindependent.ca Phone: (709) 726-INDY (4639) Fax: (709) 726-8499 • Viking to Vinland Half Marathon, L’Anse aux Meadows, Sept. 2., 623-2018, www.valhallalodge.com.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 • Busker Festival, international and local performances of juggling, acrobatics, magic, comedy and more, downtown St. John’s, until Aug. 5. • Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Bannerman Park, St. John’s, until Aug. 5, www.nlfolk.com. • Amelia Curran at The Ship pub in St. John’s on her Somewhere in Newfoundland tour, 8 p.m., cover charge at the door. • Eastport Peninsula Seafest, food concessions, games, food, fireworks, and more, Eastport (Southwest) Beach, until Aug. 5. • Jewel, 2 p.m., Saltwater Moon, 7 p.m., So Let’s Bring on our Favourite: • The Joan Morrissey Story, 8:30 p.m., and Comedy Night at Rockey’s Place, 10:30 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1888-464-3377. • Thomas Amusements, Cobbs Pond, Gander, until Aug. 6. • 2007 Flying Boat Festival International, Botwood and Norris Arm, until Aug. 7, www.flyingboatfestival.ca. • Triton Caplin Cod Festival, bingo, concert of local talent, fireworks and more, until Aug. 4. • Carbonear Days, weekend of dances, boat rides and races, contests, pageants, more, www.carbonear.ca. SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 • Kids’ Day with children’s entertainer, activities and much more, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., followed by a kids’ concert, 7 p.m., Terra Nova National Park. • Humber Valley Regatta, Brake’s Cove, Corner Brook. • Eastern Canadian Ball Hockey Championships, Pepsi Centre, Corner Brook, until Aug. 6. • Bell Island dinner theatre, Voices from the Past – Remembering Days Gone By, St. Michael’s Hall, Town Square, 7 p.m., 351-2013.. • Book launch, Grand Bank Soldier: The War Letters of Lance Corporal Curtis Forsey, edited by Bert Riggs, George C. Harris House, 16 Water Street, Grand Bank, 11:30 a.m. • Doors Open, opportunity to see architecture and heritage buildings free of charge, Carbonear, www.doorsopendays.com. • The New Founde Lande Trinity Pageant, 2 p.m., Dinner Theatre, 5:30 p.m., Pirates of Penzance, 8:30 p.m., and A Tidy Package, 8:30 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-4643377 SUNDAY. AUGUST 5 • Films on the Go 2007, Grand Bank Regional Theatre, Aug 5-6, 1-866-320-7060, www.womensfilmfestival.com. • Book launch, When We Worked Hard: Tickle Cove, Newfoundland, by Darrell Duke, Tickle Cove Community Centre Garden, 2 p.m., 7397477. • Traditional Newfoundland Music Festival, The Olympia, St. Anthony. • The New Founde Lande Trinity Pageant, 2 p.m., Rising Tide Theatre, Trinity, 1-888-4643377. • Beckett on wine and the Newfoundland Historic Trust present A Tasting of Port Wines, 2-4 p.m., Newman Wine Vaults, 436 Water St., St. John’s, 739-7870. MONDAY, AUGUST 6 • Tuckamore Festival, chamber music in Newfoundland, St. John’s, until Aug.19, www.tuckamorefestival.ca. • Amelia Curran plays and sings at Ferryland Café and Gifts, Ferryland, on her Somewhere in Newfoundland tour, 8 p.m., $15, 432-2130. • Botwood Day, parade, food, games, music,
LABRADOR • Charlottetown Shrimp Festival, traditional breakfast, boat tours, children’s games, and more, Aug. 17-18. • Big Land Fair, annual fall harvest festival, E.J. Broomfield Memorial Arena, Happy ValleyGoose Bay, Sept. 15.
A still from Dating Ray Fenwick by U.K. filmmaker Kitty Flanagan, one of the shorts showing as part of Films on the Go 2007, presented by the women’s film festival.
dance, and fireworks. • Hot Summer Rock Camp, Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre, until Aug. 10. • The Seabird Theatre Festival’s So You Think You Can Dance… Like a Newfoundlander, 8 p.m., The Theatre, Newtown, 1-866-NLPLAYS. TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 • Mount Pearl/Glendale Reunion, until Aug. 10, www.mountpearl.ca, hubert@nfld.com or • Amelia Curran plays and sings at Rock Crest Cottage, Pouch Cove on her Somewhere in Newfoundland tour, 8 p.m., $15, 335-2518. • Makkovik Trout Festival, until Aug. 11. • The Seabird Theatre Festival presents The Gill Dinner Theatre and a Show, Episode 53, The Theatre, Newtown, Aug, 7, 8, 10, & 11, 7 p.m., 1866-NLPLAYS, • Louis McDonald Quartet at the Sounds of Summer Concert Series, Majestic Lawn, Corner Brook, 7-9 p.m. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8 • Masadaam cruise ship visit, Port of Corner Brook, 637-1584. • Amelia Curran plays and sings at St. George’s Heritage Church, Brigus on her Somewhere in Newfoundland tour, 8 p.m., $15, 528-4713. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 • Brigus Blueberry Festival, Aug. 9-11. • Amelia Curran plays and sings with Jenny Gear and Sandy Morris at the Sheila NaGeira Theatre, Carbonear, 8 p.m., $15, 596-7529. • Bakeapple Folk Festival, nightly entertainment, crafts and displays, Forteau, until Aug. 12. • Summer Music Showcase, presented by The Seabird Theatre Festival, Hotel Gander, 8 p.m., also playing, Wrong for Each Other, The Theatre, Newtown, 8 p.m., 1-866-NLPLAYS. • Thomas Amusements, The Pepsi Centre, Corner Brook, until Aug. 12. • Sean Panting at Arts Under the Stars, Elizabeth Swan Park, Clarenville, 7:30 p.m. • Tommy Basha Band at the Sounds of Summer Concert Series, Margaret Bowater Park, Corner Brook, 7-9 p.m. • Burin Heritage Weekend, Burin Heritage
grounds, until Aug. 12. FRIDAY, AUGUST 10 • Brimstone Head Folk Festival, Brimstone Head Park, Fogo, until Aug. 12. • Ramea Rock Island Music Festival, until Aug. 12, www.RameaIsland.com. • Films on the Go 2007, Princess Sheila Nageira Theatre, Carbonear, 7 p.m., Aug. 10-11, 1-866320-7060, www.womensfilmfestival.com. SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 • Farm Field Day, Atlantic Cool Climate Crop Research Centre, 308 Brookfield Road, St. John’s. • Amelia Curran sings at Winterset in Summer, Eastport, on her Somewhere in Newfoundland tour, 8 p.m., $15. • Ramea Paddle Festival, celebrating Ramea and kayaking with interpretive tours of the island, lessons, food, and more, until Aug. 13. • South Coast Arts Festival, St. Jauques, until Aug. 13. SUNDAY, AUGUST 12 • Films on the Go 2007, Gander Arts and Culture Centre, 7 p.m., Aug. 12-13, 1-866-320-7060. • Amelia Curran sings at the Winterset in Summer, Eastport, 8 p.m., $15. • Goose Cove Garden Party, annual evening of fun and entertainment. • Festival of Friends featuring top Newfoundland performers of traditional and Irish music, Kelly Park, Outer Cove, 12-9:30 p.m. UPCOMING EVENTS EAST • Mount Pearl Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music Festival, Glacier Arena, Olympic Drive, Aug. 17-19, 748-1008, www.mountpearl.ca. • 24-Hour Art Marathon, Eastern Edge Gallery, 72 Harbour Drive, 12 p.m., Aug. 18, products from the marathon to be auctioned off 1 p.m., Aug. 19. • CLB Band Reunion, CLB Armoury, Harvey Road, St. John’s, Oct. 11, call 747-5701 or 5794800 . • Newfoundland Equestrian Association Show, provincial horse show, Sept. 8, and 22-23, St. John’s, 726-0826, free admission. CENTRAL • Heritage Folk Festival, music, dance, and recitations, Aug. 17-19, Newman Sound Outdoor Theatre, Terra Nova National Park, 533-3145. • Mussel Bed Soiree, community festival celebrating Newfoundland culture, food and attractions including entertainment for all ages, recreation complex, Lewisporte, Aug 10-14. WEST
ONGOING • The New Curtain Theatre Company presents It Had to be You, a quirky off-Broadway romantic comedy, playing nightly, except Thursdays, 8 p.m., until Aug. 11, 466-7966. • Little Hooping Harbour, interactive musical for children, Majestic Theatre, St. John’s, Wednesdays to Saturdays, 2 p.m. throughout summer, 579-3023. • Sinatra on the Rocks, The Wilds at Salmonier River, doors open 6:30 p.m., meal service 7 p.m., 579-3023, 1-877-661-3023, Tuesday nights. • East Coast Trail Group Hikes, weekends throughout summer, www.eastcoasttrail.co m/scheduled_hikes. • All ‘Round the Circle dinner theatre, The Collonade, 6 East Drive, Pleasantville, Wednesday–Friday, 690-9929. • 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. • Historic walking tours Tuesday and Friday mornings, 75 minutes, Fairmont Hotel, Cavendish Square, St. John’s, 364-6845 www.boyletours.com • Roller skating, Mile One Centre, St. John’s, age 18 and up, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8-10 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. • Signal Hill Tattoo Historic Military Animation Program, Signal Hill National Historic site, St. John’s, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., until Aug. 12. • The Comedy of Errors presented by Shakespeare by the Sea, Cabot 500 Theatre, Bowring Park, St. John’s, Sundays and Mondays, 6 p.m., until Aug. 13, 743-7287. • Basic Digital Photography Course, The Studio, 272 Water Street, St. John’s, above Auntie Crae’s, 6 Wednesday evenings, until Aug. 15, 710 p.m., 739-0346, www.shanekellyphotography.com. • Butler’s Marsh, Robert Chafe’s Governor General’s Award-nominated production, Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 p.m., Pippy Park Headquarters, Mt. Scio Road, until Aug. 18. • Shakespeare by the Sea’s Macbeth, Cabot 500 Theatre, Bowring Park, St. John’s, 6 p.m., until Aug. 18, 743-7287. • Rats in the Walls/Cask of Amontillado presented by Shakespeare by the Sea, Cabot 500 Theatre, Bowring Park, St. John’s, Sundays and Mondays, 8:30 p.m., until Aug. 20, 743-7287. • A.N.D. Company Summer Theatre Festival, Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, Royal Canadian Legion, Queen Street, Grand Falls-Windsor, 6:30 p.m., until Aug. 23. • Sounds of Summer Concert Series, Corner Brook, July 16–Aug. 30. • Arts Under the Stars, series of free performances, Elizabeth Swan Park, Clarenville, 7:30 p.m., Thursdays until Aug. 30. • Free lunchtime outdoor concert, Murray Premises Courtyard, every Friday until Aug. 31, 12:30 p.m. • Live! On the Lawn, depicting outport life and arctic adventure, Hawthorne Cottage, Brigus, 3 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays until end of August. • Tramore Festival of the Arts Theatre, 8 p.m., Saturday nights until Sept. 1, 337-2104 for reservations. Also storied walks and special picnics, Tuesdays–Fridays, 1-3 p.m. • Gros Morne Theatre Festival, Main Street, Cow Head, until Sept. 15, 1-877-243-2899, www.theatrenewfoundland.com/gmtf.html.
Hummingbirds by Greg Bennett, on display at the Leyton Gallery
IN THE GALLERIES • Photographs from The Blithe Country by Steve Payne, Victoria Manor Shoppes and Gallery, 25 Victoria Street, Harbour Grace, 2-4 p.m., showing until Aug. 18. • Catherine Beaudette and Pearl Van Geest, new paintings showing at The Flower Studio, 124 Military Road, Pouch Cove Gallery, 14 Grushy’s Hill, until Aug. 24. • Conception Bay Museum, 1 Water Street, Harbour Grace, displaying an Amelia Earhart exhibit and film, fisheries exhibit, camera and radio equipment and antique furniture, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily, until Aug. 30. • Wildflowers of Newfoundland and Labrador, works by Dorothy Black, The Rooms Atrium, throughout summer. • The Battery: People of the Changing Outport and Two Artists Time Forgot, Margaret Campbell MacPherson and Francis Jones Bannerman, The Rooms, until Sept. 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 Sept. 16. • Natural Energies by Anne Meredith Barry (1931–2003), including 90 works created since 1982, The Rooms, until Sept. 30. • Annual Summer Show, Leyton Gallery of Fine Art, St. John’s, until Sept. 1 • The Capital Project, exhibition of 28 paintings of St. John’s, 1850-1950 by Realist Artists Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s City Hall Lobby, throughout summer.
AUGUST 3-9, 2007
FEATURED VEHICLE
PERFORMANCE The SX4, a compact crossover with available all-wheel drive will take you just about anywhere you desire. The SX4 has a 143 HP, 2-litre, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine, roof rails, fog lamps, halogen headlights, 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels and body-coloured, heated, power mirrors. It’s nice to be able to go where you want, when you want. Beyond its obvious capabilities, it’s a heck of a lot of fun to drive, and at the end of the day, really that’s what it is all about. The Suzuki SX4 can be seen at Freshwater Suzuki, 324 Freshwater Rd. in St. John’s. Photos by Nicholas Langor/The Independent
What Woody did during summer vacation THE GENTLEMAN CAR COLUMNIST TOOK A RIDE IN A ‘TIDY LITTLE WEAPON’: A PONTIAC SOLSTICE CONVERTIBLE
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his week I find myself like so in perspective, it was a huge accommany others during the summer plishment for them to attain 283 horsemonths — on vacation. Away power from a 283-cubic inch V-8 back from the day job and paid to do so; in 1957. independently wealthy and fitOn the third day of my ting the dictionary definition paycation (and as a gentleof a gentleman in the truest man), I slept in. I sauntered sense of the word. in to see Craig at Terra Nova My one desire as a newly Motors around noon and minted gentleman on this fine right by the front door was a day is a convertible. A quick shiny black Solstice. call to Terra Nova Motors Roof down. Mine. I took care of all that. Assistant glanced over its haunches general sales manager Craig and there were the three MARK Marsh arranged for a Pontiac coolest letters — GXP. Craig WOOD Solstice to be polished and rolled out the finest machine WOODY’S in his stable and tossed me ready for the following day at noon, the only decent hour for keys for the afternoon. I WHEELS the a vacationing gentleman with hit the highway with the no set schedule. world by the tail; everybody That night I researched my subject in traffic eyeballin’ the roadster. There — apparently there’s a winter solstice, was a catchy tune on the radio, somea summer solstice and a Pontiac. The thing about a rockstar, and I cranked it Pontiac Solstice also has two main up loud enough to drown out my options: a respectable 2.4-litre version singing. with 177 horsepower and the GXP, an A flash in the side-view mirror historic two-litre turbocharged gem caught my eye and my subconscious pushing 260 horsepower. (teenage alter ego) cut in. (Roger that, This fine piece of engineering has the we’ve got a mover in the left lane tryin’ highest horsepower rating per cubic to catch up to our action.) I dropped inch of engine (2.1 to 1) that General back, notched it into fourth, let him run Motors has ever produced. To put that ahead and hammered it. After I blew
2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP
past him I hit fifth gear and took the off-ramp. The GXP tops out at 148 miles per hour, that’s why it rolls on 18inch, Goodyear Eagle F1 tires. The Solstice has a saucy style about her low-slung rounded frame too. It’s a tad reminiscent of James Dean’s famous, tragic roadster as well, but one needn’t be all pouty and misunderstood to attract attention in one of these. The twin tapered mounds behind the headrests that mold into the trunk are
Mark Wood photo
absolutely beautiful and remind me of a vintage LeMans race car. Back when drivers wore crisp, white coveralls and ties when racing. When I popped the hood on the Solstice, half the front fenders leaned forward to reveal a proper racing chassis. It’s a mechanic’s dream to have that much unrestricted access for working on an engine. I also noticed one of the weight distribution tricks in there too — the battery is tucked behind the right
front wheel. By placing it low and well behind the forward axis it exponentially reduces weight and increases handling. The twin-scroll turbo snakes its boosted air pressure through an air-toair intercooler up front to increase air density for combustion. Another nice trick. Attention to engineering detail like that makes the Solstice GXP such a tidy little weapon. There’s a powerful surge from the engine even at low rpms, but once the turbo builds boost pressure, watch the hell out. She tears off like a wild pack of doped-up Tour de France bicycle racers. (Much quicker than that really and I’m still looking for just the right phrase.) Even with the revs up, exhaust pipes roarin’, tunes on bust and me singing, I could still hear the faint afterwhistle of the turbo between gearshifts. And that’s a sound I’ll always remember. On the morrow I’ll sleep in (as Woody is oft wont to do), and be sorely disappointed at the lack of shiny black roadster in my driveway. And make a phone call. Mark Wood of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s also gets his teenage alter-ego to write his column.
30 • INDEPENDENTFUN
AUGUST 3, 2007
WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 Uninteresting 5 Toppled over 9 Spring fish in N.B. 13 Honey wine 17 Frost 18 Hip bones 19 Grain storage tower 20 Weak (humour) 21 Done with 22 Skier’s ride up 23 Mysterious 25 Lesser 27 Foot part 29 Tuber made into poi 30 Self 31 Formed into whirlpools 33 Arab sailing vessel 35 Be seated 36 Author of The Tin Flute: Gabrielle ___ 37 Dear (Ital.) 39 Pitcher 41 Apron top 43 Commercials 46 Long ago 48 Airline with tough security 50 Bran, e.g 54 Not fair 56 West of double entendres (U.S.) 57 Leader of Upper Canada Rebellion (1837): William ___ Mackenzie 59 ___ to go 60 Ben Heppner 62 Warm jacket
65 Author of Critical Injuries: Joan ___ 67 Rich soil 69 River of E France 70 Construction site footwear 71 Political commentator Hébert 74 Gandhi’s country 77 Heats water to 100 degrees C 80 Start of a small cup 81 GG’s residence: Rideau ___ 83 Behave 85 Tropical wood 86 Impatient, competitive sort (2 wds.) 88 Tee user 90 Author Bissoondath 92 Kim Philby, e.g. 93 Watering hole 95 Small, biting insect 97 Perused print 99 Posed 102 ER personnel 104 Bind 106 Site of disastrous WWII beach raid 110 Italian one 111 Indonesian textile 113 Paint unskillfully 115 Jeweller’s unit 116 Bewildered 119 Heron’s kin 121 Short line 122 Give off 123 Nearly extinct 124 Overdue 125 Major ending?
CHUCKLE BROS
126 The 100 m dash 127 P.E.I redhead 128 Mona in the museum 129 Approach DOWN 1 Lake duck 2 Enraged 3 Change a bill, say 4 Noble 5 Suitable 6 Portoferraio’s island 7 B.C. river with hot springs 8 Jean Vanier’s “ark” 9 Wind dir. 10 Clue 11 ___ Grace (Atwood) 12 Language spoken only in N.W.T. 13 Provincial rep. 14 Gourmand in action 15 Male friend (Span.) 16 Misleading attraction 24 Theme 26 Bring in a crop 28 Gordie of hockey 32 Small amount of whisky 34 Great Lakes canal, built 1829 38 As soon as possible! 40 Narrow beam 42 Sasquatch 43 Behind, on a boat 44 Fawn’s mother 45 Tanner’s light 47 English meal
49 Hit high 51 Baby’s socks 52 Aussie hopper 53 Quebec summer time 55 Dollar coins 58 Catch 61 Squealer 63 Ranting 64 Cousins 66 Robertson Davies, to friends 68 ___-jong 71 Winnipeg summer time 72 Psst! 73 Statute 75 A Hanomansing 76 Maple tree genus 78 Once around the track 79 Firmament 82 Lower limb 84 Bound 87 For Better or For Worse daughter 89 Sudden attack 91 Non-clerical 94 Capital of Turkey 96 Moodie’s sister in the wilderness 98 Numb 99 ___-duper 100 Soul 101 Poisonous 103 Devil 105 A United Arab Emirate 107 Babble 108 Linguine
109 Anaesthetic, once 112 Sea swallow 114 Drill parts
117 Mineral: suffix 118 River of Wales 120 Kind of salt
SOLUTION ON PAGE 32
Brian and Ron Boychuk
WEEKLY STARS ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 19) You don’t like to be kept waiting. After all, yours is the first sign of the Zodiac. But trust me: Don’t push for answers quite yet. A little patience now will pay off handsomely later on.
CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22) Your efforts to roll with those emotional punches have begun to pay off, as friends rally around you. Be careful not to allow yourself to be diverted until everything is neatly tied up.
TAURUS (APRIL 20 TO MAY 20) The Bull was an ancient Greek symbol for the sea. So, if you’ve been thinking about taking a cruise, now you know why. Seriously, now’s the time to do it. Bon voyage.
LEO (JULY 23 TO AUGUST 22) While you luxuriate in being lauded for all the wonderful things you are, be careful that all that praise doesn’t cloud your judgment. That upcoming decision needs more facts before you act.
GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) You might have mixed emotions about confronting someone you care for with those pointed questions. But, ultimately, you know you’ll do what’s necessary. Good luck.
VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) Explanations might not come easily to you. You tend to think that you’re incapable of causing any misunderstandings. But it can happen. Act quickly to heal feelings all around.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) Family celebrations might take up more time than you expected. But enjoy them. You’ll come away spiritually refreshed and ready to take on new challenges. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) Congratulations. Like the true Scorpio you are, you’re back in control of the important situations in your life. Now’s a good time to make that long-delayed move. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) Your love of adventure should help you as you set off on a journey of self-discovery that will lead to exciting, new and challenging opportunities. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) You continue to make progress in your newest venture. And, of
course, like the Goat of your sign, we all expect you to keep climbing until you reach the top. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) It can be difficult for you to indulge in your own needs if you feel others might be slighted. But be assured it’s the right thing to do, and now’s the right time to do it. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MARCH 20) Things continue to go swimmingly as the Pisces enters a more positive period. Relationships thrive under your loving care. Career aspects also improve. BORN THIS WEEK: You have the gift of a generous heart that opens easily to welcome all who seek your warmth, your care and your love. (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, AUGUST 3-9, 2007 — PAGE 31
Gerald Butt of the St. John’s Capitals.
Paul Daly/The Independent
By John Rieti The Independent
G
erald Butt was only 17 when he first donned the fabled red jersey of the St. John’s Capitals to represent the province at the national baseball championships. At those 1996 championships in Saskatoon he was a young gun on a team full of St. Pat’s legends, but he was also one of the most scouted players in Newfoundland. Pressure came from inside the dugout, as well as from the bleachers where big-league scouts watched his every move. “The expectations started to get higher,” Butt tells The Independent. “It’s always nice to get a bit nervous and feel some pressure on you.” The formidable hitter and versatile defender — he mainly catches but can pitch and play outfield as well — was drafted by the New York Yankees after the tournament. He attended a baseball school in B.C., then college at
Hit and run Gerald Butt leads a fast and gritty team to national championships
North Dakota before moving around several professional, minor-league teams. He eventually returned to St. John’s, where he now plays for the Gonzaga Vikings. Butt’s teammates know he’s a totally different player when he wears a Capitals jersey. From Aug. 8-12 in Quebec City he hopes to lead a young Capitals team to a medal at the senior nationals. It’s a different team to the home-run reliant Capitals of the past. “I think the team that we have now is more
of a gritty team that’s going to bunt on you, it’s gonna’ hit-and-run, steal some bases,” says Butt. The style of play has paid off for the Capitals, who are performing well at national championships, going 2-2 and narrowly missing the playoffs in their last two appearances. “The games that we’re losing we’re not losing big … we’re losing by just one run, or one big play,” says Butt. Winning will take a stroke of Lady Luck
and a lot of hustle he says. If his teammates don’t run out every ground ball, they can expect to hear about it. “My biggest pet peeve is players not hustling … that’s the only time I’d ever get upset with somebody and I would rather someone get upset with me if I’m not hustling as well,” says Butt. Most of his leadership comes in a more positive form and he lends confidence to the visitors’ dugout. Butt says the nationals can be an aweinspiring place to play — “It’s kind of like big league players going to their first all-star game” — where his team will see players who have spent stints in the majors, members of the national team, and some of the best young talent in Canada. Matthew Bannister, a 20-year-old pitcher who plays with the Shamrocks, is one of the big talents the Capitals will be sending to the mound. Bannister recently announced he will See “We have the talent,” page 32
Caps off Provincial baseball champs must play national tournament before provincial finals against rival Barons
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ugust, on the local sports calendar, is a time for championships. The Royal St. John’s Regatta starts the month off in style, before giving way to various events in other sports. Rugby Canada’s Super League champion — The Rock the past two years — is usually decided in midAugust. The eighth month is when junior and senior softball teams from Newfoundland and Labrador travel to their respective Canadian championships. Kelly’s Pub Canadians are headed to Prince Edward Island this weekend to defend their Canadian jun-
DON POWER
Power Point ior title, while St. John’s actually gets to host the senior men’s tournament. (Let’s hope the play on the field uses more teamwork than what’s taking place off it, with Softball Newfoundland and Labrador president Lloyd Power becoming a one-man wrecking ball. More on that as the tournament approaches.)
Provincial baseball generally provides fans with some outstanding action between the St. John’s Capitals and the Corner Brook Barons. The bestof-seven affair, which sees three games in one city before the series moves across the province, hasn’t exactly been nail-biting over the past few years, with the Caps’ domination extending further and further. But despite the lopsided nature of St. John’s winning, the games have generally been close and entertaining. At least they bring fans out to the park in St. John’s, where finding a bleacher seat is never difficult. If nothing else, the Caps-Barons
series has always helped the provincial champ prepare for their national senior baseball appearance. Top quality games against your main provincial rival have allowed the Caps, in this instance, to head to the Canadian senior championship prepared to play. Unfortunately for head coach Sean Gulliver he won’t have that luxury this season. Wednesday of next week (Aug. 8), the St. John’s Caps head to Quebec City for the Canadian senior baseball championship. Caps-Barons? Aug. 18-19 in St. John’s, Aug. 25-26 in Corner Brook. Why is that unfortunate? Well as Gully told me this week dur-
ing an informal chat at our respective sons’ minor baseball game, it eliminates some good games for the Caps, and forces them to leave with fewer practices under their belts. Newfoundland teams have always been undermanned when it comes to national competition. Generally speaking, this province can play with some of the teams involved, but usually get beaten by the bigger provinces. This year, the Caps will play in a division with the host team, plus British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. See “None of that,” page 32
32 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
AUGUST 3, 2007
Bug off Sometimes, hygiene must suffer for survival
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ixty-two fly bites on one arm, that’s my long standing personal best. In mid-June, about 30 years ago, my next-door neighbour Gary Neil and I decided to indulge in a weekend of trouting and camping. At 17, enthusiasm typically outstrips experience and wisdom, by margins wider than all but our grandest rivers. Preparation for an early summer’s weekend of pond-side fishing was no exception. The weather forecast predicted cloudy with occasional showers, but warm perfect conditions for trout fishing. We loaded my father’s pick-up with everything we imagined we might need: pack frames, tent, sleeping bags, axe, lantern, grubstake, etc. For teenagers we were relatively experienced woodsmen, alumni of the Ascension Collegiate Outdoor Club and long-time trouters and rabbit catchers. But we grossly underestimated the scourge of the black fly and the plague of its nefarious partner, the mosquito. All we had for protection was a family picnic variety bug spray — no high concentration DEET, burning bug coils, bug jackets or even sensible long sleeved shirts. At least we wore long pants. Arriving at our destination about an hour before dark, we backpacked our gear and supplies a kilometre or so to a lovely tent site by the side or a gurgling brook and set camp. Some things we did get right, including cold, clean running water. We gathered dry twigs and limbs to start a campfire and chunked up a few blow downs to sustain it. With everything in order, we built a low-burning fire within a ring of rocks and prepared the evening meal — steak fried in butter and beans. A few mosquitoes buzzed about but nothing serious, a prelude to their vicious onslaught. The steaks sizzled to medium-rare perfection in my longhandled woods pan and were placed atop each other and off to the side making room for a family-sized can of beans with pork and molasses. The beans bubbled in butter and steak juice. By the light of an old white gas
Solutions for crossword on page 30
The flies sure love Paul Smith.
PAUL SMITH
The Rock
Outdoors lantern we dined cross-legged on the ground with only a green bough separating our butts from the damp mossy green earth. With our bellies full and a sky full of stars, we smoked a cigarette lit by a glowing ember from the fire. All was well in our teenaged worlds. We awoke at the crack of dawn to the pitter-patter of rain on canvas. Our tent was small, with no room for cooking inside. And besides, we had intended to rough it, using only an open fire to sustain our stomachs. The only fresh meat in camp was the T-bones we had eaten the previous evening. The plan was to survive the
weekend on trout, beans and two loaves of homemade bread. We indeed fancied ourselves woodsmen. But we had not bothered to bring along rain gear. All we had in those days was the heavy commercial fishing rubber clothes that were unbearably hot in the summer woods. It was just as well to be wet from rain as sweat. Gary and I both agreed to wait out the rain while we ate a cold breakfast of Half Moons and Pepsi. It poured for several boring hours, but eventually subsided to light drizzle. We emerged from our abode to a warm muggy mid-morning that was absolutely perfect for mosquitoes. The bloody little winged devils were out in full force, legions of them, each individually longing to puff itself up with the blood of some warm-blooded unprotected mammal. And there we were, sitting ducks, with short-sleeved
T-shirts and arms protected with nothing more than repellent fit for an evening stroll in Bowring Park. To fish or run back in the tent? That was the pivotal question. Were we wimps or woodsmen? Of course we would fish and, besides, we were getting hungry for something more substantial than sweets. Fish we did, and somehow we survived the aerial blitzkrieg until the sun broke though the clouds and dried the land, making our riparian environment less than perfect for the relentless marauding mosquitoes. They retired to God only knows where to live and feed another day — because if I knew I would have hunted them down in their lairs. The final tally for me was 62 fly bites on my right arm. I’m not sure how many flies I squished, but it certainly didn’t deter
the reinforcements that followed each and every dive-bombing kamikaze. I hate mosquitoes more than any biting insect I’ve ever encountered. I’ve been chased and stung by hornets and had a bumble bee bite my left foot after making its way inside my boot. I hold no grudge. Black flies swarm me every summer while I cast for salmon in Labrador. I ignore and contend with them as best I can. But mosquitoes drive me insane with their incessant high-pitched buzzing and piercing feeding tubes that penetrate both flesh and light clothing. Here’s how I deal with them: first of all, wear a long-sleeved but cool shirt that buttons tight at the cuff and at the neck to limit the little devils to your face and hands. Wear a hat, and coat it, as well as your face and hands, with repellent. DEET works best but has now been restricted to less than 30 per cent concentration in bug repellents. I still have a few bottles of the old 95 per cent Muskol kicking around for emergencies. Sometimes I wear a scarf around my neck sprayed with repellent. This keeps away the bugs without having DEET directly on your skin. Spraying your hat has the same effect. If the menace becomes totally unbearable there is a last resort: the bug jacket. For the first time, my buddies and I had to don them in Labrador this summer to cope with the most intense swarming of blackflies I have ever encountered. Wearing one of those, only your hands are exposed — and you can cover them with latex gloves if you must. Lots of garlic in your diet also helps. This summer in salmon camp we put heaps of garlic on every meal. After a day of hiking, fishing and sweating we didn’t smell that great, but the fly bite count was down. And remember, flies love soap — especially my favourite, Irish Spring. Sometimes hygiene must suffer for survival. Paul Smith is a freelance writer and avid outdoorsman living in Spaniard’s Bay. flyfishtherock@hotmail.com
Solutions for sudoku on page 30
‘We have the talent there’ From page 31 be attending the University of Maine in the fall on a full scholarship, and Butt expects big things from him at the nationals. “I think once you get him going and get the adrenaline going in Matt Bannister he’ll do well.” Butt not only calls the pitches from
behind the plate, he has a way of handling pitchers that makes them more comfortable on the mound. He also controls the rest of the field, making sure his teammates are alert and understand every potential play. Because the national tournament is being held three weeks earlier than usual this year, the Capitals have played less games together as a team,
but coach Sean Gulliver has held oneon-one meetings with every player and in the weeks leading up to the tournament the team has spent time discussing essential strategy. “We have the talent there,” says Butt, “it’s just a matter of putting it all together.” Something he will be a major part of. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
‘None of that means a row of beans’ From page 31 Gulliver would have loved nothing more than to have the provincial A final with Corner Brook completed before he leaves for Quebec City. (Another aspect of next week’s event the coach dislikes is that it’s just one of five age group Canadian championship tournaments taking place at the same time. Gulliver figures the senior men’s tournament will get lost in the shuffle of too many games in too many parks and not enough interest generated in any of them.) None of that means a row of beans, of course, when the team faces off against Quebec City next Thursday. And with a pitching staff that features Matt Bannister, Mario Tee, Karl DeHart, Bobby Kent, and Jon Rose, among others, the Caps are poised for perhaps their best showing in years. The good news from Gulliver’s travels? The Caps will be primed and ready when the Barons arrive in town Aug. 18. donniep@nl.rogers.com
MAY 7, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 33
Triple Crown out of reach Scheduling conflict meant no team could win St. John’s, Harbour Grace and Placentia regattas Editor’s note: The 189th Royal St. John’s Regatta was still underway when The Independent went to press.
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very year the Triple Crown of Rowing — awarded to the male and female crew who wins the championship at three regattas: Placentia, Harbour Grace and St. John’s — is up for grabs. The Triple Crown isn’t won every year, making it extra special. This year, however, the Triple Crown was out of everyone’s reach. Originally scheduled for July 21, then rescheduled for July 22 due to wind, the Placentia Regatta was eventually re-rescheduled for July 28 — the same day as the Harbour Grace Regatta, making it impossible for crews to compete in both events. The O’Dea, Earle Women’s team had their sights set on the Triple Crown since the beginning of the season. The women’s crew even contacted both Regatta committees during the week prior to the Placentia and Harbour Grace regattas to see if there was a way to rearrange the schedules to allow them to qualify and row in both championship races, without breaking speed barriers up and down Roches Line. “It is disappointing when your crew has trained all year in hopes of obtaining certain team goals and in the end you are denied the possibility of even attempting those goals because the committees couldn’t co-operate,” says Ashley Peach, No. 4 oar on the O’Dea, Earle crew. Peach returned home from her rowing scholarship in Michigan State to have a stab at the Triple Crown. As a result of having both regattas on the same day, there were five noshow crews in Harbour Grace and 20 no-shows in Placentia. There were also fewer rowers and spectators to contribute to the earning potential of concessionaires, as well as fewer
teams to provide quality racing at both venues. The O’Dea, Earle girls rowed to the championship in Placentia in a time of 5:07. The Harbour Grace women’s championship was won by CFS Women, a crew consisting of five firstyear rowers in a time of 6:10. On the men’s side, Exit Realty took Placentia in a time of 9:12, and the Marine Institute men won Harbour Grace in a time of 11:16. When asked about the scheduling conflict, Eugene Collins, president of the Placentia Rowing Club, says their scheduling policy has been the same since 1963. “The Placentia Regatta has always been the second last Saturday in July,” he said. “If Saturday is bad it goes to Sunday, and if Sunday is bad it automatically goes to the next weekend.” Elizabeth Baker, a representative on the Harbour Grace Regatta Committee for 14 years, says their event has always been scheduled for the last Saturday in July. Baker explains that in 2004 and 2005 the regatta was rescheduled for August because of the Klondyke Festival, but other than that it is always scheduled months in advance for the last Saturday in July. “We know now that in 2008 our regatta is scheduled for July 26,” Baker says. Collins was under the impression the Harbour Grace event used to run on Mondays. “I don’t want to get into an argument with Harbour Grace, we’ve always had good relations, but the fact is they used to have their regatta on Monday and changing that created potential for the problem right there.” If both schedules remain set in Saturday stone, there is potential for the scheduling blip to happen again. Should the Triple Crown even be offered anymore in light of the annual threat? Both committees claim to be willing to co-operate to come up with
The women on the Canadian Forces Station's (CFS) rowing team, winners in the July 28 Harbour Grace Regatta, are all in the military. Clockwise from top: coxswain Paul Ring (top); Sonya MacParland (No. 1); Jennifer Carroll (Stroke); Nicole Saunders (No. 4); Christa Simmons (spare); Amanda Butland (No. 2); Allison Power (No. 5); and Nicole White (No. 3). Nicholas Langor/The Independent
an alternate plan. Collins is open to the idea. “Yes, I think over the next little while we should have discussions with Harbour Grace to see that this doesn’t happen again,” he says. “What will be done, I’m not sure, certainly we will get in touch with them. Maybe the St. John’s committee could even be in on these discussions.” The Harbour Grace committee also has an open mind. “People just have to work together; all committees know the dates of all three regattas so they
should work together,” Baker says. “There is no reason why they should end up on the same day.” On the subject of the Triple Crown, Collins says, “The way I see it, top crews from St. John’s normally haven’t been coming to Placentia. Crosbie men didn’t even register.” Collins says the women’s predicament was a “bit different. “(The) potential for Triple Crown was taken away this year and we apologize for that, but we were just following policy. We were left with no
choice. We don’t want to hurt any crews.” On that note, Collins invited everyone back for Placentia’s 45th anniversary celebration in 2008. Amanda Hancock has been involved with fixed-seat and slide-seat rowing since 1995. She has won multiple regatta championships with the OZFM Ladies Crew and was a member of the 2003 course-record setting team. This year she represents O’Dea, Earle Law Offices on their Senior Women’s Team.
34 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
MAY 7, 2007
Regatta Day 2007 After a day’s delay — thanks to the remnants of tropical storm Chantal — the 189th Royal St. John’s Regatta kicked off at 10 a.m. Aug. 2. Before noon, a new course record had already been set: Crosbie Industrial posted an unofficial time of 8:52, besting the previous top time of 8:57. Clockwise from top: Crosbie Industrial men’s rowing team beats the course record in their first race of the day; clowns Cathy and Keith Reardigan; Adam Shea (foreground) and Adam Nichols (behind) of the Lamb’s Rum crew before their race; Amanda Thorne serves up some pondside cotton candy; Breant and Jade Williams cheer on their dad, a member of the Crosbie team; Chris and Madeline Kavanagh cheer on their son, Adam, also a rower on the record-shattering Crosbie team. All photos by Nicholas Langor for The Independent.
AUGUST 3, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 35
TFC, not Beckham, takes root By Cathal Kelly Torstar wire service
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s soccer disappointments in Toronto go, this is a big one: Danny Dichio, out for Sunday’s match against the L.A. Galaxy and many more after. Oh yeah, David Beckham might not play either. The injury to Toronto FC’s bruising forward has generated an aching feeling of loss among fans. Without him, prospects for a long-shot playoff berth seem bleak. As for the second guy, well, waddyagonnado? He’s hurt. Too bad for him and for us. You’re here for five years, right David? So get better. We’ll catch you next time. Not all supporters have been so understanding. In Texas, our rivals at FC Dallas had a near revolt on their hands when it turned out the only soccer player to have penetrated popular consciousness south of the Mason-Dixon line wasn’t coming after all. Michael Hitchcock, Dallas GM, was left in the unusual position of begging the opposition to bring their best player along with them, if only to sit on the bench. When that didn’t happen, Hitchcock turned his doe eyes on the public. “We share our fans’ disappointment,”
Hitchcock says, possibly while kneeling with hands clasped. “But we want our fans to know that we’re going to make it up to them.” Nearly doubling ticket prices for the rare sellout didn’t help his cause. Even after a rollicking 6-5 match, Hitchcock was still trying to make amends. “For those fans that were coming out to see David and that was the only reason why, we’re going to figure out a way to make this up to them,” he says. Figure out a way? A refund leaps to mind. Ours, not Hitchcock’s. Instead, Dallas’s celebrity watchers will get first dibs the next time the Galaxy’s circus rolls through town. Contrast that with Toronto’s reaction. Down at the BMO bunker, the team has had a total of zero complaining calls from its 14,000 season-ticket holders. “No, nothing,” MLSE vice-president Tom Anselmi says. Seven months ago, the Galaxy sold 2,000 season tickets within hours of Beckham’s signing. Toronto sold about 200 — a happy blip for the bottom liners. BMO Field is packed for every game. Until Beckham’s arrival, the Galaxy could only fill out half of the similarly sized Home Depot Center. Same soccer planet. Different soccer
worlds. That difference allows TFC to act in a more dignified manner when it comes to the will-he-or-won’t-he question of Beckham’s fitness to play. Thus the club announced “we are not in a position to guarantee that any player will appear in a match.” Well, duh. Right now, TFC is calling the likelihood of a Beckham performance “50-50.” He’s been 50-50 for a month now. Fifty-fifty is starting to sound like code for “cross your fingers.” Without doubt, plenty of fingers will be crossed on Sunday. Beckham is still a wizard. A chance to see him run up on a dead ball ranks up there with watching Gretzky operate from behind the net. But missing him on Sunday and picking him up down the road seems OK by us. I predicted months ago that Aug. 6 was soccer’s sell-by date in Toronto. If we hadn’t sown the seeds by the time the Beckham carnival was rolling out of town, the game had no chance here. We’re hours away from that deadline and Beckham seems more like a sideshow than the main attraction. Along with everything else — the seasontickets sales, the rowdy crowds, the sold-out jerseys — it’s affirmation that soccer has not only been planted in Toronto. It’s taking root.
friday through thursday, august 3-9, 2007 — PAGE 36
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