VOL. 5 ISSUE 34
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ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 24-31, 2007
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SPORTS 13
Riding the DRL bus across Newfoundland
Three provincial teams ready for fastpitch nationals in St. John’s
The Hebron effect Premier says offshore project should boost wages; Marystown may have better offer IVAN MORGAN
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n the wake of his Hebron deal, Premier Danny Williams says Newfoundland and Labrador employers will have to start attracting labour back to the province by raising wages to be more competitive with other parts of Canada such as Alberta. He says benefits from the Hebron project will spread across the province and reach all sectors of society — either directly or through spin-offs. Marystown Mayor Sam Synard is lukewarm to Hebron benefits, saying his town is in the unique position of possibly having a better offer in the form of a federal Navy contract. Williams says the key to drawing professional and skilled labour back to the province is higher pay. Even though it’s not strictly applicable to the Hebron project, the premier says even the province’s minimum wage must go up. He says a worker making $100,000
The Marystown shipyard will likely see work from the Hebron project, but Mayor Sam Synard has higher hopes for a Navy contract.
in Alberta can’t be expected to return to Newfoundland and Labrador for half that amount. “There’s no reason for people who are doing comparable work in the province to be paid considerably less,” Williams tells The Independent. The reality for provincial employers, he says, is that if they’re profitable and they can afford to do it, then they should pay employees more.
FPI, OCI, High Liner deal imminent: Rideout By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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isheries Minister Tom Rideout says the legal work on the memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between FPI, High Liner Foods and Ocean Choice International is near completion, and an announcement on the final sale of FPI will be made “within the next few days. “I can’t make an announcement until all parties are ready but my understanding is that legal binding agreements are just about ready and hopefully will be signed pretty soon — within days, hopefully,” Rideout tells The Independent. He says it has taken time to draft the legal documents to reflect the MOUs signed earlier this year between FPI and the two other fish companies. Rideout says that work is just about finished. “Well, legal binding agreements finally follow from memorandums of understanding, according to some of the stuff I was hearing today (Aug. 22),” laughs the deputy premier, referring to the Hebron announcement. In May, the provincial government announced it had approved in princi-
The Hebron project is good news for rural Newfoundland and Labrador, says Williams. He notes shipyards in Glovertown, Clarenville, Port aux Basques, and Marystown as examples of rural towns that will directly benefit from the project. He also cites small fabrication shops throughout rural areas that will get work because there’s going to be so much of it to go around. As an example, Williams offers the
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The last polls we were at an 83–84 per cent approval rating. So far be it from me, I can tell you, to do a deal to try and pick up that last 16 per cent.” — Danny Williams on the timing of the Hebron announcement
STYLE 15
Gadgets for back to school Tom Rideout
Paul Daly/The Independent
ple the sale of the assets of Fishery Products International Ltd. to High Liner Foods and Ocean Choice International through two separate MOUs, which included terms and conditions that protect the interests of the communities where the assets are located. The time lapse since the announcement has generated increasing anxiety in towns like Burin, which is heavily dependent on the local plant, and has seen production drop significantly over the past year under FPI management. Ross Pitcher, deputy mayor of See “A lot more,” page 2
Paper Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Movie review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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scenario of 4,000 people working in Bull Arm, the likely site of construction of Hebron’s gravity-based structure (GBS) — which, he says, is “as rural as it gets.” They will be making significant salaries, says Williams. Spin-off benefits will be there for small businesses poised to offer goods and services. But at least one of the areas Williams cites as poised to benefit greatly from
Paul Daly/The Independent
Hebron — Marystown — may have a better offer, according to the mayor. Sam Synard says a federal government joint support ship (JSS) contract to build Navy ships, which the Marystown shipyard is in the running for, is the better of the two projects. “If we had to make a decision, if we were omnipotent and we were going to See “I’ve always considered,” page 6
‘Hard to get excited’ Harbour Mille amn weather. I woke with a start in the wee hours Wednesday morning. Thunder, and it was close. I rushed to my office in time to see flames shoot out of the PC’s tower. We were hit by lightening. I rushed around unplugging everything upstairs, cursing to beat the band over losing the damn computer. The smell of smoke was stronger downstairs and I knew instantly that the television in the living room was also history. I was checking everything a second time in Brody’s room just as another boom sounded and his TV went fitzz, but there was a sound that disturbed me more than those of the savage storm and a frying television. A horn. When you live in the city the sound of a car horn at night — usually an alarm — is common. Not so out here. I knew something was wrong and I woke Brody up and tossed him and the dog in the car. There was a fire and very few folks were up and on the go. Brody and I offered to go door to door and get the men up and out of bed. The shock, or
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Outport columnist Pam Pardy Ghent reflects on what the Hebron deal means to families around the bay and their men who work in Alberta the reality, hit me as I wondered where to go. There weren’t any men for us to roust out of slumber. Those who weren’t away at work in Alberta were across the bay preparing for the next round of fishing. We had to make do with what we had. When Blair and I first moved here the shipyard in nearby Marystown employed so many people they couldn’t all car pool together. My quiet was interrupted each morning as the headlights of commuters cast a fleeting glow on the wall behind me See “The money,” page 6
2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AUGUST 24, 2007
Dumaresque seeks nomination Danny Dumaresque, president of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, wants to return to the House of Assembly. Dumaresque was to announce today, Aug. 24, that he will seek the nomination in the Labrador district of Torngat Mountains. Liberal MHA Wally Andersen recently vacated the seat after he was charged with fraud, forgery and breach of trust in connection with the political spending scandal. Dumaresque, a 47-year-old fish company entrepreneur, served as parliamentary secretary to former Premier Clyde Wells in the 1990s while representing the former Labrador district of Eagle River. He says he will retain the party presidency until the Oct. 9 provincial election, and will step down if his bid for the seat is successful. At that point, party vice-president Tom Hann would take over as interim president. — brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
Danny Dumaresque
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘A lot more secure’ From page 1 Burin, says people in his south coast town are concerned about the future of their fish plant. He says production has dropped and FPI is offering no explanation. Pitcher says employees were working full tilt for the past few years, often 42 weeks a year with two shifts a day. “Now it’s like they work a week, they’re off a week. That’s after happening several times.” He says he has heard rumours there will only be 20 weeks of work this year. “Well, if the plant were staying with FPI, I’d be concerned about it too, but it isn’t,” says Rideout. The minister says the final sale of the Burin FPI plant will solve the issue. Rideout notes one of the reasons government worked so hard on the file was to try and secure a future for the town. “The future for Burin is a lot more secure with High Liner than it was with a continued FPI operation.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Dean MacDonald
Paul Daly
MacDonald not running — now Rumours that Dean MacDonald, CEO of Persona and chair of Newfoundland Hydro’s board of directors, plans to run in the upcoming fall election for the Liberal party are untrue, says Premier Danny Williams’ former business partner. “Certainly not this election,” says MacDonald, who laughed when asked the question by The Independent. MacDonald has been outspoken on a number of public issues in the past. Earlier this year his company was part of a consortium of cable companies that received an untendered contract for $15 million to string a second fibre-optic cable to the mainland. The nature of the awarding of the contract and MacDonald’s former close business association with the premier caused an outcry from the Opposition. — ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
H e l p
f o r
t o d a y .
H o p e
f o r
t o m o r r o w . . .
Heads Up for Healthier Brains Here are 4 simple things that you can do at any age to improve your brain health and that may help reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s disease: 1. Challenge your Brain – give it a daily workout 2. Be Socially Active – connecting socially helps you stay connected mentally 3. Choose a Healthy Lifestyle – be active, eat well and watch your health numbers (cholesterol, weight, blood sugar, blood pressure) 4. Protect your Head – use a seatbelt and wear a helmet for sports Take action for a healthier brain today. Find out more at: www.alzheimernl.org or call 1-877-776-0608
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3
SCRUNCHINS
Licence plates from across North America can be spotted provincewide these days.
A weekly collection of Newfoundlandia
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TV should be recognized this week for breaking the story of the Hebron deal the night before Danny officially announced it. NTV is usually a follower in terms of news, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them kick some media butt. Well done, b’ys. It was also fascinating to watch how CBC TV revealed the “breaking news” a few minutes after NTV. David Cochrane was seen hovering on air over his Blackberry, reporting the Hebron deal from e-mails as they apparently poured in from various sources. NTV viewers, one suspects (and his mom maybe?). As luck would have it, CBC TV doesn’t pay for the tip of the day, probably saving itself a fortune from the tens of thousands of NTV viewers out there in TV land. The lead story on CBC TV Tuesday night was the generous severance package given to George Tilley, the president and CEO of Eastern Health, a package that included a year’s salary of $255,000, plus all the employment benefits he was entitled to while on the job. The scoop was a decent one, just not as big as NTV’s whopper. Interestingly, The Telegram’s main line, front-page story on Wednesday, the day after CBC TV broke the Tilley story, was … the Tilley story. You would think The Telegram would bury the story a little further back in the paper after CBC kicked their butt. No siree, The Telegram had the story front and centre, with a picture of Tilley and a tacky graphic of a calculator showing his severance total. Come on Telegram, can’t you try to be a little less original … DOUBLE STANDARD On a side note, it was interesting to see how CBC TV chose local blogger and long-time Liberal Ed Hollett to provide some on-the-ground analysis of the Danny deal. Hollett works as a communications consultant by day. He has provided communication consulting in the past to such clients as disgraced Tory cabinet minister Ed Byrne. God knows who Ed Hollett is providing communication consulting for these days, he’s not saying. It could be the Liberal Party of Canada or Big Oil for all the public knows. I’ve made this point before, and I’ll make it again: shouldn’t communication consultants like Hollett, Simon Lono, Sue KellandDyer and Geoff Meeker reveal who they’re working for before offering what they claim as their own opinion? CBC would demand as much from its own employees and regular commentators. What makes consultants any different? SUE ME Speaking of Sue, the one-time Queen of Open Line and self-described “research and media consultant,” is slated to address the upcoming 17th annual meeting of the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Sector Pensioners’ Association in mid September. “Ms. Kelland-Dyer (Sue) looks forward to addressing you at the Convention and will focus on the topic, ‘Our power to influence change,’” reads the association’s newsletter. But change for whom? One more time, who do you work for these days Sue? Ed? Simon? Geoff … WELFARE WAYS We can always count on The Globe and Mail to find a negative slant on a good-news Newfoundland and Labrador story. Canada’s “national paper” carried a front-page story on the Hebron deal the day after it was announced, with a headline that read: Newfoundland faces oily tipping point, Hebron could mean loss of federal transfers. “On the face of it, Mr. Williams’ insistence on an equity position in Hebron could reduce the government’s revenues in the medium term, which could make it more likely it would once again receive equalization payments.” What would we ever do without our cake and welfare too? Mainland perceptions of this place are as healthy as ever … WHIPPING B’YS Which brings me to the subject of newfie jokes. The Ottawa Citizen carried an interesting article recently
headlined, Distinct or not distinct? The writer, Bruce Deachman, went in search of Canadian humour and apparently found it at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. His story began with a newfie joke that was told around the festival, where, over three weeks at two-dozen venues, close to 1,700 comics and artists from 19 countries performed for more than two million people. To make a long and predictable newfie joke short, an Ontarian, Quebecer and a newfie go into a bar where they meet a stranger who looks like Jesus Christ. The Ontarian and Quebecer buy Jesus a drink and He thanks them by touching them and curing them of their ills. “The stranger then moves to the Newfie, who spins around in his chair and shouts: “Don’t touch me! I’m on
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Workers’ Comp!” Deachman writes that the above “Canadian joke” is his favourite. “It slightly mocks Quebecers, a common target in the country, before shifting its aim to Newfoundlanders, Canada’s long-suffering whipping boys.” He writes that the workers’ comp line at the end is “wholly Canadian.” “But does it reveal the heart of Canadian comedy?” Deachman asks. “Is there, in fact, a distinct essence of Canadian comedy?” He doesn’t really say. I can tell him one thing, newfie jokes aren’t funny. I wonder did he hear the one about Stevie Harpo … LICENCES TO KILL This year happens to be the 40th anniversary of Come Home Year in 1966, which I’ve mentioned before in this space. I mention Come Home Year
again because it was written on the ’66 licence plate, and there are so many different plates around these days. From Alaska to Florida, from B.C. to Ontario, plates are turning up from all over. The City of St. John’s first began issuing metal plates (made by a company in St. Louis, Missouri) in 1920. The words “And Labrador” were added to the Newfoundland plate in 1965; “Canada Centennial” ran in 1967; “Canada’s Happy Province” in 1968; “The Mighty Churchill” (complete with electric bolts) in 1969; “A world of difference” (with a Viking ship) in 1993. Maybe it’s time for a new licence plate. Hebron heaven maybe … PARDY TIME Finally this week, reporter Pam Pardy Ghent writes a front-page arti-
cle on the impact the Hebron agreement will have on her family, including her husband who works in Alberta’s oilfields. There was a fire in Harbour Mille this week where Pam lives, and the ladies and few men who responded (most of the men work away) found a fire truck with flat tires, flashlights that didn’t work, and a fire extinguisher that malfunctioned. The people of the town formed an old-fashioned fire brigade and got the fire under control until the next morning when the nearby Town of St. Bernard’s send over a truck to hose down the hot spots. Here’s to Hebron and the hope of better times … ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
4 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AUGUST 24, 2007
Province launches study on bat rabies By John Rieti The Independent
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ho’s afraid of the little brown bat? The province’s chief veterinarian says everyone in the province should take their encounters with bats seriously, as the creatures could be carrying rabies. In 2004, a bat removed from a house in Cartwright tested positive for bat rabies, a specific mutation of the disease that is just as deadly as other strains of rabies. A dead fox in the province has also tested positive. Hugh Whitney says cases of bat rabies have been reported in every province, but they are especially prevalent in Atlantic Canada. Three people have died of bat rabies in Canada since 1985. The disease is often contracted through a bat bite that can easily go unnoticed because the marks are so small. “You don’t want to over-emphasize bat rabies, but the reason people are dying is that they didn’t think bats were a concern. We don’t try to make people paranoid but people should be informed,” Whitney tells The Independent. Bats are a common sighting in western Newfoundland and in Labrador, but Whitney thinks they can migrate all over the island. Because there haven’t been major studies on bats in the province, he doesn’t know how big their populations are, or what exactly their role is in the ecosystem. Whitney is working closely with Memorial University’s biology department on the project, announced
by the province on Aug. 15. Whitney knows of two bat species in the province — the little brown bat and the northern long-eared bat — but says it’s possible there are more. To the casual observer these bats — brown, furry and small enough to fit in your hand — are difficult to differentiate. The nocturnal creatures live on agricultural land, in forests and even residential areas, and often seek refuge in abandoned cabins and mines. Rabid bats display a change in behaviour and co-ordination, such as flying wildly about in daylight or flapping around on the ground. Whitney recommends anyone who’s been in an enclosed space with a bat to report it to a doctor. “A few weeks ago an eight-year-old boy stepped on a bat that bit him. (The bat) tested negative, but that’s a perfect example of how a bite could have happened and caused rabies,” says Whitney. He also advises the public to keep an eye on their pets, especially outdoor cats that catch birds. House pets that become rabid can become dangerous, although secondary bites aren’t as likely to spread the disease. Rabies, a viral disease that attacks the brain, is treatable if diagnosed shortly after the bite. Whitney hopes the public will keep a lookout for dead bats, and take the time to carefully collect the carcass with a gloved hand and keep it in a plastic bag for local conservation officers to deal with. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
Memorial University political science professor Alex Marland/
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Honour system Campaign financing self-monitored By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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lections Newfoundland and Labrador does not police the Elections Act, relying instead on the honour system as well as public scrutiny and the media to uncover wrongdoing, says a spokesman for the office. Memorial University political scientist Alex Marland says while the system does work, provincial election financial regulations need to be significantly improved. The three main political parties say they regulate their candidates and opponents, but the NDP is also calling for electoral financing reform. Marland says the financial regulations are “nowhere near as thorough” as federal election rules. He says the provincial electoral office has few resources and government is unlikely to remedy that until there is a major problem or scandal. “The amount of legislation that exists federally is incredible in the amount of detail that’s involved, and here locally it’s so minimal it’s incredible. It’s the absolute other extreme,” Marland tells The Independent. He says the federal legislation should be looked at and some features should be adopted. The provincial Elections Act stipu-
lates how and when money can be raised and spent. After the vote, audits are performed on each candidate and party with the results made public, says the elections office spokesman who requested anonymity. As a rule of thumb, he says each candidate can spend $3.83 per voter, based on a formula using the number of voters in the district on the date the election is called. Political parties may also spend $3.83 per voter in the province. Statistics for 2003 showed there were 383,783 voters in the province, which would make the limit for each provincial party $1.4 million. A candidate running in a district with 11,000 voters would have a limit of $42,000. The spokesman says limits will be set when the writ is formally dropped for the Oct. 9 election. Some expenses are exempt from the formula, the primary one being travel since candidates in large, rural districts require more money than a candidate running in St. John’s. Tory campaign chairman Ross Reid says he and party treasurer Jim Oxford recently conducted seminars for campaign managers and chief financial officers on the official rules and expectations of the party. Asked what the party expectations were, Reid says “that the law be complied with.” “We’ve made it clear to them on that
issue and others that we will keep a close eye on what the opposition is doing, and that we expect all people to play by the rules,” he says. “And that should pertain to any of the rules.” Reid will not comment on finances, except to say the Tories will run a frugal, responsible election campaign. Liberal campaign chairman Rex Gibbons is also up-front about how his party will conduct itself. “I want to be clear that we make sure we do things by the book,” says Gibbons. “We’ve got to do things right. We’re not going to put up with anybody doing things outside of the rules that are in place.” The Liberals imposed a $400,000 spending cap on campaign spending as part of an agreement with its bank to settle debts from the last election. Gibbons won’t comment on that, other than to say the party will run a prudent and careful campaign, following all the rules. A spokesperson for the NDP says official agents ensure financial propriety with each candidate’s campaign, and the party expects its candidates to follow all regulations and guidelines in the Elections Act. The spokesperson also says the NDP will call for long-needed electoral financing reform after the fall election. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Bob Cole’s Hockey Nights numbered?
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ob Cole’s role as lead play-byplay man on CBC Television’s Hockey Night in Canada will be reduced again this year, with the 2008/09 season likely being his last, several national media outlets reported recently. Cole, 74, was notably absent from a half dozen games last year without an explanation from the CBC. He has been given a two-year transitional contract, while his longtime colour commentary partner, Harry Neale, 70, signed a oneyear deal, also with a reduced workload. The Globe and Mail reports that while Cole will continue to call games this season — working with Neale or Greg Millen — Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson will take on the role as the show’s “de facto A team.” Neither Cole nor CBC Sports executive director Scott Moore returned Independent telephone messages this week. But the move would reportedly reunite Hughson and Simpson, who
Bob Cole
Paul Daly/The Independent
called national cable telecasts on Rogers Sportsnet from 1998 to 2002. Hughson, who began calling some of the late, West Coast games two years ago, is also the first choice to replace Cole, both the Globe and Toronto Star have reported. Last year Hughson was the regular play-by-play man on all West Coast
games and also took over some of Cole’s workload during the playoffs. Millen, who works with Hughson, would likely move into Neale’s spot, the reports say. Cole and Neale have worked together since 1985. And according to the Star, Scott Moore is “happy to have them both back.” Blogs on both the Globe and Star websites are littered with backhanded compliments for Cole; they continue to praise his voice, yet criticize his increasingly obvious inability to keep up with the play, misidentifying players and plays. Cole, with Hockey Night in Canada, for 35 years, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 and has been honoured with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for excellence in hockey broadcasting. He began as an announcer and newsreader in 1956 in St. John’s where he still lives today. — Brian Callahan
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5
6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AUGUST 24, 2007
Labrador party to run candidates in October election; NL-First takes a pass By Brian Callahan The Independent
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wo-hundred-and-ninety-three votes. That’s how close the socalled “fringe” Labrador Party came to gaining an historic presence in the House of Assembly in the 2003 provincial election. Party leader Ron Barron insists the count will be even closer, if not a win for “the good guys” come the Oct. 9 general election. “Only for some statements made by the premier in the last few weeks last time, we would’ve won the seat,” Barron tells The Independent on his cellphone next to a pit at Wabush Mines, where he works as a shovel operator. He’s worked at the mines for 20 years. “I don’t think people will fall for that this time around. Commitments are fine, but until you actually see it happening and being done, what’s the good of it?” It was Tory John Hickey — the current Transportation minister and minister responsible for Labrador affairs — who won the Lake Melville seat over Labrador Pardy candidate Brandon Pardy four years ago — 1,778 to 1,485. It was a stunning breakthrough in many ways for the Labrador Party, demonstrating the level of discontent
and isolation many Labradorians have felt for years. “It’s the same story again,” Barron says. “Major projects like the lower Churchill — the benefits that come from that have to benefit Labrador first. It’s as simple as that. “All we’re asking is to start making this happen, because if it benefits us it benefits the rest of the province. We just want our issues dealt with the same way they are in the rest of the province.” Barron expects to run a solid candidate in each of the four Labrador districts. He himself is seeking the nomination in Labrador West. He says government’s continued procrastination on crucial roadwork, a hospital for Labrador West, and a new auditorium for Goose Bay will prove costly for the Tories. Separation from Newfoundland, he noted, is not a plank in the party’s platform. “There are people who still think that way. I personally do not. It’s not something I’m going to impose on anybody. The people of Labrador will speak loud and clear on that issue down the road. “You know, we don’t resent the people on the island; it’s government and its neglect over the decades.” Meantime, the Newfoundland-First
Party — while registered as a provincial party — will not field any candidates in the election, choosing instead to focus on the next federal vote. The first order of business is becoming registered as a national party, says interim leader Tom Hickey. The party has no concrete strategy for the provincial campaign, but does support Premier Danny Williams’ stand with Ottawa. “We are our own group of people, but we do support the Williams administration in so far as their position with the feds,” says Hickey, noting that doesn’t mean the party endorses the Tories. “Our party will not support another party. No, certainly not. Not as a party. We will tell our members, of course, that that’s a choice they have to make.” The party did contest the PlacentiaSt. Mary’s seat in a February 2006 byelection “purely to keep the party on the radar screen,” says Hickey, who landed 31 votes. (Winning Tory candidate Felix Collins tallied 2,247 votes.) Hickey reminds people that the party — with a membership of about 1,500 provincially and 600 nationally — is not for separation. “We can’t separate from something that we are not in. We don’t want out, we want in.” brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
Top: Premier Danny Williams and Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale hold a news conference Aug. 22 to announce details of the memorandum of understanding with industry partners to develop the Hebron oilfield. Bottom: Williams (centre) with Dunderdale (right) following the news conference. At left is Memorial University president Axel Meisen. Paul Daly photos/The Independent
‘I’ve always considered myself fairly lucky’ From page 1 decide which project to take, I think, as mayor of the community, I would advise people to take the JSS contract and our second choice would be the Hebron project,” says Synard. He says the nature of the Hebron project, which he says will mirror the White Rose project, is such that it won’t start for at least four years, offering upwards of 900 jobs at its peak a few years after its start, and then it will be over. Synard says offshore oil construction is always a “boom and bust” cycle. On the other hand, the federal government JSS contract offers upwards of 20 years of more stable employment for 600 people. Synard says it would sound pretty arrogant for the mayor of a small town to say the preferred option is to not get the Hebron work, but if they
could choose it would be the JSS contract. He says the preferred option for everyone is to get the JSS project and hopefully then be able to play a part in the Hebron project. “That’s my opinion and I think that reflects the opinion of the community.” When asked about the timing of the Hebron MOU announcement being so close to the election, the premier says it is his trademark luck proving itself once again. “From a luck perspective, I’ve always considered myself fairly lucky and it continues with the timing of this,” he says. “I can tell you that from our own perspective the last polls we were at an 83–84 per cent approval rating. So far be it from me, I can tell you, to do a deal to try and pick up that last 16 per cent.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Pam, Blair and Brody Ghent at St. John’s Airport last year before departing for Alberta.
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘The money is good away’ From page 1 as I wrote. Things were good for our store then too. Men would buy their beer and smokes after work and shell out handfuls of coin to nagging children as women bought hard cheese and processed meats for the next day’s lunches. That didn’t last long. The layoffs came and the men headed west, and my husband followed behind them. That first stint away was enough to tell us we needed a better game plan and Blair decided to go back to school and get himself yet another trade. There were a few he considered, but he made sure it was a trade that could eventually see him working back at home when, or if, an opportunity presented itself. He settled on instrumentation. It’s an instrumentation mechanic’s job to install, maintain, and repair measuring and control instruments — like those used in the extraction of oil — and keep them working. Surely with the Hebron project on the horizon there would, one day, be a job here in the province.
Blair is working his way up in his trade and grabbing all the experience he can get so that when a job comes up, he can grab it. Or so I thought. When I told Blair over the telephone about Danny’s Hebron announcement he didn’t sound overly reassuring or all that optimistic. While I was disappointed, I can’t say I was surprised. The shipyard in Marystown has been calling some of its tradesmen back, but not many are jumping at the chance to leave Alberta just yet. The guys who used to grab a six-pack at the end of a hard day’s work are now pretty settled in on their rotation schedules. The money is good away. They get taken to work and shuttled back at the end of their shift. They are fed and not expected to help with the dishes. There are no lawns to mow and when they are home, well, time flies when you’re having fun. And did I mention the money? We have no expectation that Blair will be working in this province before 2012 — well after Hebron construction has begun. I find that hard to get excited about. I’m not being negative, just realistic. I
spoke with some tradesmen and women and their partners and most just chuckled at Danny’s big news day. It’s good, and in time Newfoundland and Labrador will benefit, we just find it hard to see how a potential job in 18 months — more likely much, much longer — really changes anything for us. Will I still be running up and down the road looking for men to help put out a fire in the year 2010? Perhaps, but maybe the road I will be running on will have newer payment and the men will be offshore instead of away in Alberta. Who knows? The real test of the impact Danny’s news had on the people it should impact significantly — the separated families — was at the post office the morning after the news broke on NTV. I walked in and waited to find out what the buzz was. The first thing I heard was, “some shockin’ weather we’re having, isn’t it my dear?” Just as I thought. When Danny’s news can top the weather as the favourite topic of the morning, maybe then I’ll get excited. pamelamitchpardy@yahoo.com
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7
‘Made in Newfoundland’ Does province have engineering manpower to handle Hebron? By Clare-Marie Gosse For The Independent
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he imminent Hebron development will likely cause in-migration, increased oil and gas recruitment at Memorial University, and a substantial transfer of technology, industry insiders says. That would all go a long way toward setting the province up with a skilled workforce for future projects, but can Newfoundland provide the labour needed by 2010, the date Hebron’s construction is expected to begin? “I think the broad answer is no, we won’t have the capacity to do all the work that’s required in engineering,” Steve McLean, executive director of the province’s engineering association, tells The Independent. “There’s no doubt in my mind … there will be a considerable number of engineers that will have to come from Canada, or in fact from other parts of the world.” It’s not such a bad conundrum to be facing, as Randolf Cooper, executive director of Memorial’s oil and gas development partnership asks: “Is it possible Alberta might hear this large sucking sound from the East, which is actually Newfoundland pulling people out of the oilfields there?” According to Premier Danny Williams, the memorandum of understanding (MOU) drawn up by the province and the Hebron consortium states all work on the project’s GBS (gravity-based structure) will be carried out in this province. Williams says as much work as possible will be carried out here for the duration of the project, and the man hours generated are predicted to be much more than those created by either Terra Nova and Kelly Hawboldt, a Memorial University professor specializing in chemical and petroleum engineering. White Rose. “There’ll be more work than we can handle,” the premier says. going on, so there’s an enormous list of benefits: fell apart and Chevron moved their people out, Williams also makes it clear the province $120 million for research and development; those (graduates) went elsewhere.” intends to draw on the expertthere’s a million going into CONA She says the university’s engineering recruitise of ex-patriot (College of the North Atlantic) and ment rate has dips and valleys, but she anticipates “Is it possible Alberta Memorial University. These are Hebron will stir up increased interest in oil and Newfoundlanders around the world. might hear this large small amounts in the big scheme gas-related courses. “I think we can start courting of things, but they’re critical McLean says Memorial is looking to expand its sucking sound from because they’re basically saying student capacity in oil and gas programs and them and let them know. I have heard of people in the last couthis is a made-in-Newfoundland September already promises higher enrolment the East, which is ple of weeks … a professional module.” than in previous years. couple — one is an engineer — actually Newfoundland Kelly Hawboldt, a professor at “I think they’re actually changing their program and they said, ‘look, if Hebron Memorial specializing in chemical as well, to take students right out of high school. pulling people out of and petroleum engineering, says So there is a significant change underway at the goes we’re coming home.’ ” Williams says the Hebron the oilfields there?” she believes the province at least engineering faculty,” McLean says. MOU also includes a provision possesses the range of engineering Still, he adds, Hebron will likely come on that if any engineering work knowledge a project like Hebron stream too soon for new oil and gas-focussed Randolf Cooper can’t be carried out in the would require — from structural graduates to participate in the start-up work. province, for whatever reason, to reservoir, mechanical and Engineers Canada, the industry’s national reguthere will be money available to send local work- chemical. lating body, is in the process of conducting a couners away to do it. “A year ago, when it (a Hebron deal) was in the try-wide labour market study to determine exactly “There’s a small travel budget to allow people works, there were basically offers out to people how many engineers and student engineers there to travel to get some expertise and learn what’s who had freshly graduated. As soon as the thing are, by province.
Realtors expect housing market to swell, stabilize in long term By John Rieti The Independent
R
ealtors in the St. John’s area are anticipating a busy future as more oil and gas executives and labourers move to Newfoundland to work on the Hebron proj-
ect. “Our market has had a very good, positive feel for the last number of years … this is just going to make it that much better,” Bruce Mullins, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Realtors, tells The Independent. Mullins says the real estate market is up 18 per cent over 2006, based on figures from the first half of the year. He doesn’t predict a massive boom, but says the Hebron project will stabilize the housing market and be beneficial in the long term. Mullins says his association wasn’t upset when Premier Danny Williams walked away from Hebron negotiations last year. “We felt that a bit of short-term pain would be better for the industry overall and I think this deal … will be a bigger impact for us in the long term, for new construction and existing inventories.” Predicting what properties will be the biggest sellers is difficult. “It’s really going to depend on the workers the Hebron project brings in and the income levels those people will have,” says Mullins. He says oil executives who bring their families will likely look for large houses, while experts in the province for short periods of time may opt for condominiums. “You see a splurge in (condos and high-end properties) whenever we get good news, or whenever oil executives move in,” says Debbie Hanlon, of Coldwell Banker Hanlon. “I wouldn’t want people to put all their hopes in it, because sometimes we do that. But I imagine that the local condo market will see a lot of growth as a result of more oil and gas development in Newfoundland for sure.” Hanlon says oil executives work hard and appreciate the
Debbie Hanlon
Paul Daly/The Independent
convenience and safety of a managed building. She notes new condominiums are being planned for the Quidi Vidi, Roosevelt Avenue, Topsail Road and Water Street areas of St. John’s. And Hanlon says it’s not just oil executives who will be buying. “With the Hebron deal comes more than just people moving into Newfoundland. It spurs a positive feeling, and when people are in an optimistic mood, they buy.” She says Newfoundlanders who move into the city — a demographic usually driven by an aging population and rural decline — for work associated with Hebron like to settle on bigger patches of land in the outskirts of C.B.S and Torbay. Executives coming from big cities often choose to settle downtown, and King William Estates in the east end of the capital city will continue to be a big seller, Hanlon adds. Neither Hanlon nor Mullins expect real estate prices to skyrocket as there is still a large supply of houses, and newhome construction is continuing at a steady pace. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
The study, which is expected to be completed next year, will look at how many people there are in which disciplines, versus what the industry needs. McLean says the aim of the study, which is being conducted with the help of the federal government, is to determine the country’s needs in terms of immigrants and the skills they can bring to the industry. Oil and gas expert Cabot Martin, one of the original architects of the Atlantic Accord, says without a doubt the Hebron deal’s focus on retaining engineering jobs for the province is one of its most attractive aspects. Ultimately, he says the crucial part of the entire agreement is the fact the province will finally own an equity stake in an oil and gas development. “We do now have, for lack of a better word, a state oil company and this is, in the Norwegian model, a key element in ensuring overall benefits are maximized. The equity stake is fundamental.” claremariegosse@hotmail.com
8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AUGUST 24, 2007
Everyone loves a parade I
hate to sprinkle on the Danny Williams love parade, but I have a question for our leader about the multi-billion dollar Hebron deal: did you settle, Mr. Premier? Could we have gotten a hell of a lot more than we did? Was the true miracle not the fact that a deal was done, but that a businessfriendly conservative deal was done and hailed as a miracle? In yet another of our ironic twists, Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan leader Danny’s been so often compared to by central Canadian media, would be embarrassed by our Hebron homerun. So would the Norwegians. Alberta would have laughed in Big Oil’s face. Russia would have spit in it. The Hebron deal has been praised far and wide as the golden ticket to the Promised Land of Have, but it’s virtually the same deal that Big Oil walked away from in the spring of 2006. The difference between that deal and the one announced this week appears almost trivial. The province will have to pay a few more bucks for its 4.9 per cent equity stake, and wait a wee bit longer for payout, while Big Oil gave up some tax concessions it was after, not to mention the equity stake. That’s about it from what I can see.
RYAN CLEARY
Fighting Newfoundlander Something made Big Oil see the Newfoundland and Labrador light. Maybe it was the fact that Danny had won over the Canadian public to his side in the fight. (The one up side of outmigration is that ex-pat Newfoundlanders, Big Landers too, are slowly taking over the mainland.) Maybe what made Big Oil blink first were the widespread predictions of $100-a-barrel oil and another war in the Middle East. Maybe it was the possibility of Danny sitting on the project for another four years, the length of his next mandate. (Take that to the Bank of Dan.) Big Oil walked away from negotiations, meaning the deal they left on the table was actually off the table. Could Danny have pushed for more? The ball appeared to be in his corner; oil companies are having a hard time around the world these days. The Globe and Mail reported this week that in Russia, where the Kremlin seized control late last year of a large
oil development from Royal Dutch Shell for a pittance, the state takes 90 cents of every dollar when oil is above $29 a barrel. (Hibernia’s break-even point was $13 a barrel.) In Venezuela, which produces less oil than Canada, President Chavez officially seized control of several developments in June. Some multi-national companies decided it was better to stay in a bad situation than depart altogether. Others, including ExxonMobil Corp. (ExxonMobil Canada has the biggest ownership stake in the Hebron project, at 37.9 per cent,), said forget it and walked away from its Venezuelan investment. Norway owns 70 per cent of its offshore oil play, while in wealthy Alberta — where the provincial government’s take is actually shrinking — a review panel is trying to determine whether Albertans are actually getting a fair share of energy revenue. BEND OR BRAWL? Danny may be known as a brawler, but did he actually bend in not going after more? The Hebron deal comes less than two months before a provincial election. The obvious question is whether the timing played a factor in a deal being
done in the right here and now. Could Danny have gotten more than he did? We’ll never know for sure, but conditions suggest it. When you think about it, up until now Danny hadn’t had many solid achievements to speak of, other than an ongoing heavyweight fight with Stephen Harper, and who doesn’t love a fighting Newfoundlander (besides the CBC). There was Paul Martin’s promise of a new Atlantic Accord deal — a definite feather in Danny’s cap — but Stevey turned out to be a welcher and that feather was lost. You could argue Danny needed a solid success under his belt and fell down on the premier’s job by not holding out for more. But Danny’s approval ratings have been through the roof for a dog’s age. He needs a Hebron deal like Bill Gates needs another laptop, like Gerry Reid needs another frown line. (Hold steady, Gerry.) Like most media, the first thing The Independent did with Danny’s deal was try and rip it apart, to poke it full of holes to write about. From what we know of the agreement (the opposition say we know far, far too little) the project appears a winner. (Danny would invest in it.) The deal appears solid from every
angle — jobs, royalties, cash and continuity. Even if Danny didn’t get all he could have he’s still managed to shake his mainland image as a big business ball buster, and Newfoundland as a welfare whiner. Wouldn’t it be something if — and you’re damn right I dare to ask — every Newfoundland mother’s son was returned home? Imagine if the sun did some day peak through the Canadian clouds, shining bright and beautiful, burning the have-not mist from the land. It’s so hard to accept good news here, especially in the absence of an opposition, with a media that’s been bred in the Ray Guy School of Skepticism. Asked by the media whether he plans to bring the Hebron deal to the legislature for a vote — like Danny demanded of Roger Grimes over Voisey’s Bay — Danny said it was a whole different kettle of fish, like he would. I can’t help but wonder whether the CBC would have been so immediately down on Hebron if the Corp. — and not NTV — had broken the story. Danny’s Hebron deal appears to be a good one, maybe it’s as simple as that. The Danny parade marches on. ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
YOUR VOICE Quebec we hardly know ye Dear editor, (the straight line running east-west) I write regarding Aaron O’Brien’s was established by the Imperial Voice From Away article (Persecuted, Statute of 1825 and is the 52nd — proud and perplexed, Aug. 10 edi- degree of north latitude. On the rest tion). of the peninsula, the boundary is the Contrary to what Mr. O’Brien “height of land” — that is, the coast. writes and what many Quebecers The judicial committee was not might believe, there was no decision empanelled to make or give a boundby the British government in 1927 to ary to anyone or to decide where the give Labrador or anything else to boundary should really be, but to Newfoundland. make a determination as to where the The question, the reference, to the boundary actually was. Thus, the Judicial Committee of the Privy southern boundary is at the 52nd Council of the British Empire leading degree of north latitude and not the up to the 1927 deci“height of land,” sion was: “What is which would give the location and defiQuebec the headnition of the boundwaters to the five It would serve us ary as between rivers running into well to visit and know the Gulf of St. Canada and Newfoundland of the Lawrence. our neighbours. Labrador peninsula, Thanks largely under the Statute, to the efforts of a orders-in-council and relatively unknown Proclamations?” Newfoundlander — Sir Patrick T. Notice, please, there is no mention McGrath — it was determined that in the reference of the Dominion of Newfoundland had and should conCanada, the province of Quebec, a tinue to have the right and responsiprovince called Newfoundland (pre- bility to administer the coast of 1949), or the colony of Labrador as part of her territory. Newfoundland. The reference was Mr. O’Brien is correct when he between Canada and Newfoundland writes it would serve us well to visit to what was then their commonly and know our neighbours. One of the shared highest court. great mistakes in 1949 was we Quebec, being a mere province, did allowed Ottawa to lump us in with not have the status to petition the the Maritimes. Our neighbour — our court. Canada represented Quebec natural ally in this Confederation, and was well represented by lawyers indeed a big sister (but a bit younger) from the Quebec bar association. in North America — is Quebec. Canada was also well aware of We need a new, more mature relaQuebecer’s feelings and concerns tionship with Quebec. about “Nouveau Quebec.” Tom Careen, The southern portion of the border Placentia
‘Do not read the terrible piece’ Dear editor, I read reporter Brian Callahan’s article in the Aug. 17 edition (‘Already crucified,’ Grand FallsWindsor Coun. Barry Oake speaks publicly for the first time since sexual assault charges) and shame on him for portraying Oake in a “poor-me” situation.
Perhaps if more graphic material were included on what Oake allegedly did to these children a more accurate picture would have been presented? I hope the families of these alleged victims do not read the terrible piece. Deanna King, Grand Falls-Windsor
AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
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For sale: Newfoundland homes, dreams and history Dear editor, People from other regions of the world like Germany, Ireland, England and the U.S. are all coming to Newfoundland to buy our land, our homes, our dreams, and our history for as little as $10,000 while we book oneway, $2,000 plane tickets to Alberta. For 500-plus years our ancestors have toiled this land and now we put side our rights to this privileged rock and sell it for the price of a used vehicle. There is always someone willing to buy our homes and flip them when the time is right to sell. In Nova Scotia, Americans already own an entire stretch of coastline and locals have no
access to the water at all — as security guards enforce the ownership. Soon it will be our shores. We are willing to sell everything we own — even our hearts and souls — for a plane ticket. The only thing keeping the U.S. economy from the brink of collapse is the war. With mortgage companies going bankrupt, the U.S. debt at $9 trillion, and the world being generally annoyed by American arrogance, residents of the United States are seeking refuge in our dear province. Ask yourself, why are foreigners and even our own fellow Newfoundlanders buying up rural beachfront properties, deciding
to seek refuge in our backyards? A $10,000 house today in Newfoundland might bring $100,000 or more in just a few years — a mighty good return on a short investment. It would surprise you to know how many $40,000-$70,000 homes in this province are resold in the U.S. for $170,000. Quebec and Iceland are willing to take measures that protect their culture, heritage and economy while we, proud Newfoundlanders, take our tail between our legs and accept what is or isn’t dished out to us without so much as a flinch. Dean Penton, St. John’s
Danger: decaying military history Dear editor, As a resident of the Battery, and regular hiker on the trails surrounding Signal Hill and Quidi Vidi, I find it disappointing to see the deplorable state of the Second World War-era gun batteries that once guarded The Narrows. Tourism has become an important element of Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy and I can’t help but wonder why we would allow these structures that are historically significant and interesting to rot away. Anyone who ventures out to Fort Amherst is greeted by a picnic table and a sign telling them to go no further due to the decaying structure. Those who grew up around St. John’s probably have some memory of walking around the former military structures and their great guns; no doubt these are interesting sites with their stories of torpedoes, German U-boats and chain nets guarding the harbour entrance in times of danger. These should be preserved and promoted as part of our heritage and something that everyone — including our guests from away — can learn about and appreciate. While in Budapest last
The Signal Hill Tattoo.
year I toured an otherwise inconspicuous concrete bunker the Nazis had occupied during the Second World War. With the bunker restored to its warera state, along with costumed re-enactors and museum displays, the experience was well worth the entrance fee.
Paul Daly/The Independent
We have succeeded in maintaining the Signal Hill Tattoo and other sites such as the Quidi Vidi Battery. It would only make sense to do the same for military installations from a more recent era. Stephen Penney, St. John’s
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9
Love in a big glass bowl T
here was a big fuss in France recently over the fact French President Nicholas Sarkozy’ís wife blew off a lunch with American President George Bush and wife Laura, saying she had a “sore throat.” The next day Cecilia Sarkozy was seen shopping. People were quoted in the press saying she was “uncontrollable.” My first reaction is to applaud her. Long gone, I hope, are the days of subservient political wives. I got the distinct impression Mme. Sarkozy was as tactful as I might be, were I supposed to have lunch with Bush. A sore throat is so much better than a full-blown diplomatic incident. A generation ago it was common for “upwardly mobile” couples to work together to promote the husband’s career. I remember the mothers of some of my friends working hard to achieve the image of the perfect house, kids and meal for their husband’s business clients. Being a young liberal tutored by feminists, I didn’t admire them. I thought them pathetic and oppressed. Perhaps they were, but I admire them
IVAN MORGAN
Rant & Reason now. It was their choice, their career and they worked hard, often in the face of real family problems, to maintain a sense of security and calm. It took sacrifice, commitment and hard work — all values I cherish. I am just glad women and men have the choice to say to hell with all that today. Women not to have to play that role, and men not to be judged when their spouses don’t, and visa versa. Mme. Sarkozy, say the reports, is unpredictable. She makes appointments and then doesn’t keep them. She has said being France’s “first lady” would be boring. She split with her husband during his presidential campaign. In short, she is an interesting woman. France is interested. The world press is interested. The issue of her “suitability” has been raised in some French political quarters.
Interesting as it may be, it strikes me that this is an issue for President Sarkozy and his wife, and no one else. French sensibility is very different from Canadian sensibility. Former French President Francois Mitterand’s mistress and their daughter attended his funeral in 1996. So did his wife and their children. No doubt that proved awkward. But it happened. In our country the idea of a politician having an extra-marital affair would put his or her career in jeopardy. I’ll go even further. A male politician could be damaged by public revelations of an extra-marital affair, but a female politician would be finished. Why do I think that? Dunno. Just do. Double standards still flourish in politics. Growing up I admired Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark, but often heard it said by older men “How can he run the country if he can’t control his own wife?” I never knew what that meant. Clark’s wife, Maureen McTeer, while generally supportive of her husband and his career, most certainly had
her own career, and her own opinions. That seemed to threaten many men, and women. When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s marriage went south in a spectacular way, with his wife photographed draped all over members of the Rolling Stones at a club in New York, Trudeau went about his business, treating press speculation with his trademark icy contempt. That too spoke to me. In the United States, where the religious right still holds the political agenda hostage with their so-called “values,” a whiff of marital trouble jeopardizes a political career. It has hurt former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bid. As a long-time observer of American politics, I really enjoy when the pious, so quick to judge others, get “caught” themselves. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich comes to mind. He came nowhere near the personal standards he held his political opponents to. Relationships can be tough at the best of times. Trying to have one in the public eye is unimaginable. The role of
“spouse of” is an unenviable one, and I have always thought that Canadians, in general, have been sensitive to that. In Newfoundland and Labrador, for the most part, politicians have had their private lives left just that — private. Quite often someone whispers rumours of politicians’ affairs, break-ups, sexual orientations, peccadilloes, and all manner of scandalous goings-on in my ear. But come off it, it’s St. John’s. I have heard gossip it’s being considered as a trial sport at the next Canada Winter Games. The Newfoundland team is guaranteed to place. My understanding of the phenomenon in this province is the more popular the politician, the more salacious and persistent the rumours. I have often wondered: do people in this province have a respect for the private lives of our public officials, or is it that no one powerful has ever been caught doing anything particularly juicy enough to launch a scandal? Guess we’ll have to wait and see. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
YOUR VOICE
‘We can only hope’
‘Why the big (Memorial/Grenfell) fuss?’ Dear editor, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador — St. John’s Campus; Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador — Marine Institute; Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador — Grenfell Campus. Are these labels really that alarming? Is this really what all the fuss is about? Let’s start with the simple facts. Memorial is not being broken up; on the contrary, it is being strengthened and improved. The “second” university at Corner Brook already exists. It offers 16 undergraduate degree programs and is in the process of developing graduate degrees. It has evolved from a two-year feeder campus with some 400 students in 1975 to its current status as an excellent small university in the liberal arts tradition, with some 1,400 students. Every aspect of the institution has evolved accordingly, with one exception — how it is governed. It is true that the university campus at Corner Brook has plans to grow to 2,500 and develop graduate programming, but these plans are to a significant extent independent of the “governance” question and should be considered separately. Let’s focus on the “governance” question. First, let us recognize that while every aspect of Grenfell has undergone evolution since 1975, how it is governed has not. All major decisions and many of the minor, even trivial ones require approval from some person or office in St. John’s. This approval has not always been granted easily and all the major programming developments have been resisted, sometimes fiercely, on the St. John’s campus. Grenfell is governed now in exactly the same way as it was in 1975 when it was a “feeder campus” that only offered first- and second-year courses. This is no longer appropriate and has not been so for many years. John Crosbie et al argue that one board of regents could not possibly govern two universities under the Memorial banner. It now governs four campuses. One has to ask why this model — which is already working at Memorial — would cease to work. Changing the governance structure will cost very little. It will actually save on the travel and accommodation costs of sending four or five Grenfell senators to St. John’s each month. In any event, the actual costs of these changes would be small. Most of the cost estimates provided cover the establishment of a graduate studies office, an improved recruitment process, an alumni office and so on. As Crosbie knows only too well, if one does not agree with the actions of the government of the day, the easiest attack is to accuse them of being “politically motivated.” But this government does not need to score political points. It is also the proper role of government to establish and finance the education system. Finally, the drive to further develop Grenfell originates in Grenfell and predates by many years the current government. It is
Dear editor, Stephanie Porter’s article, ‘It should be stopped’, in The Independent’s July 20 edition focused on concerns raised by a former DFO official on Canada losing jurisdiction to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) inside its 200-mile limit. In the article, the former official pointed to the inability of NAFO to curb overfishing outside the 200-mile limit as one reason to question NAFO’s capacity to manage. However, it should be noted — and the record is clear on this — that neither Canada nor NAFO have ever been effective in stopping overfishing, either inside or outside the 200-mile limit, using their current fisheries management practices. One would be hard pressed to name any commercial finfish in the northwest Atlantic that has not been overfished over the past 50 years. It was only in May 2005 that Canada recognized overfishing as a cause for the 1992 northern cod moratorium. Prior to then, the official Canadian position on the decimation of fish stocks was attributed to “environmental condi-
Memorial’s St. John’s campus. Paul Daly/The Independent
not a government initiative, but a Grenfell initiative, the merits of which have been recognised and advanced by the current government. The ad hominem attacks of Crosbie and others on the motivations of those who support these initiatives are wholly inappropriate. As John Crosbie has seriously undermined the traditional and expected political neutrality of the office of the university chancellor he should resign. He should also publicly apologize to the commissioners whose work he has inaccurately cited and unfairly criticised and, which, it would seem, he has not read. He and others should also apologise to those they have named and demeaned in the press. They only cheapen the public discourse by this kind of behaviour. At the end of the day, and when all the recommendations are implemented, the Memorial flag will still wave over its campus in Corner Brook, its students will transfer with the same ease from one campus to the other, its name will still be on all degree diplomas, and its board of regents will still provide oversight on behalf of the people of the province. So why the big fuss? Dr. Paul Wilson, Professor at Grenfell College and Memorial senator
tions” brought on by “cold water.” At the last NAFO meeting in September 2006, NAFO made significant gains towards protection and ultimately recovery of ocean habitats and fish stocks with its efforts to establish closed areas for cold-water corals, seamounts and sensitive deep-water areas. Ironically, it was Canada along with other NAFO members that pushed for such changes in a move that acknowledged current findings of ocean habitat scientists in Canada and elsewhere. Unfortunately, since that time little apparent action has been taken to follow-up on those initiatives. We can only hope that Canada and other NAFO members remain committed to an ecosystem approach and move to establish protections for sensitive highly productive deepwater areas in the NAFO zone during the next NAFO meeting, scheduled for Lisbon, Portugal this October. Fred Winsor Chair, Atlantic Canada Chapter, Sierra Club of Canada, St. John’s
AUGUST 24, 2007
10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 11
IN CAMERA
A DRL Coachlines bus near the beginning of its daily run around the island.
Lunch break in Deer Lake.
Waiting for the bus in Clarenville.
Bus driver Bill Vincent greets a passing truck.
Passengers get comfortable however they can.
On the home stretch: Vincent’s coach nears St. John’s.
Checking for bags in Corner Brook.
Long ride home After a weekend aboard ferries in the Cabot Strait, photographer Nicholas Langor and managing editor Stephanie Porter take the only public transportation available to get home to St. John’s from Port-aux-Basques: the bus. The ride is long, the stops frequent, and the seats not especially spacious. But the drivers are efficient, the passengers blessedly quiet, which is apparently the norm.
I
t goes without saying: most people cringe when they think about hopping on a DRL bus to get from one end of the province to another. The reaction has nothing to do with the company, its employees or even the other passengers (with some exceptions, of course). It’s not the $100 ticket price, either. DRL Coachlines runs the only daily public transportation service across the Newfoundland portion of the TransCanada, and the operation has become an essential service for many, particularly in rural areas. But the fact is, the thought of sitting on a bus, however temperature-controlled, for a 13-hour, 900-km drive, is enough to make anyone’s back stiffen and seize. For many, though, taking the bus from Port-aux-Basques to St. John’s, or any portion of the route, is the only option. It’s certainly cheaper than flying — you’d be lucky to land a one-way fare from St. John’s to Deer Lake under $200, taxes in — and the schedule is exactly the same, 365 days a year: depart Port-aux-Basques 8 a.m., arrive at the final stop, Memorial University, at 9:40 p.m. Going westward, the coach leaves campus at 7:30 a.m., reaching the Marine Atlantic terminal at the other end of the province about 9 p.m. that night. There are about two dozen stops in between According to DRL general manager Jason Roberts, the coach has been more
than 15 minutes late at its final destination only four times in the past six months. Whether it’s someone needing to get to St. John’s for a medical appointment, to Port aux Basques to catch the ferry, Gambo to visit a friend, or Stephenville to start classes, Roberts takes the company’s obligations seriously. “If we’re running late, we try to make up the time along the way,” he says. “And unless we have a mechanical problem, we usually do, whether it means one bus just does drop-offs and we put another on for pick-ups … “In 11 years, there’s only three days we haven’t departed St. John’s … though sometimes we have had to stop in Goobies or somewhere along the way for a while. But there’s not many nights we don’t get into Port-aux-Basques at some point.” ••• Photographer Nicholas Langor and I spent the weekend riding Marine Atlantic’s MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood across the Cabot Strait, from Argentia to North Sydney, North Sydney to Port aux Basques. We had hoped to arrive back in Newfoundland in time to catch the Sunday 8 a.m. bus to St. John’s, but between the jigs and reels — and the kind of delays typical of ferry travel — we missed the bus by more than five hours. Roberts laughs when I tell him that, although DRL is not “classed as a Marine Atlantic connector,” he estimates the bus
waits around for the ferry’s arrival about a third of the time. But five hours is a little much. “Very seldom will Marine Atlantic be waiting on us,” he says. “But I’d say, out of 365 days a year, we wait for them probably 100. “We’ve waited an hour at the terminal for the boat, and we get the call: ‘Please don’t leave, we’ve got 65 walk-on passengers and we don’t know how many of them want the bus …’ They just don’t want all those people hanging around the terminal for them to deal with.” We manage to catch a ride as far as Corner Brook, thinking we might be able to rent a car to get us home to St. John’s. No luck. It’s the height of tourist season and nobody’s got anything on the lot. The next morning, there are 10 others waiting at an Irving gas station for the 11:25 DRL pick-up. We were promised a seat on the coach — there are no reservations, but when the bus is filled, another is promptly added to the route. DRL leaves no one behind. The televisions on the near-capacity bus are playing Mrs. Doubtfire. It seems the bus only gets going when it turns off the highway to make a drop-off in Pasadena. A few minutes later, it’s time for the 30minute Deer Lake lunch break. The stopping and starting seem endless, picking up and dropping off all the while. At 2:30 p.m., at Springdale junction,
there’s a crew change. Gone are driver Dave and ticket agent Tracy; on come Bill and Anita. ••• Triton-native Bill Vincent has driven this road — at least the leg between Springdale Junction and St. John’s — too many times to count. He logs between 6,000 and 7,000 km on an average workweek, and has done so since DRL started 11 years ago. Vincent says 98 per cent of his passengers are best kind or better. From time to time, there are those who complain about the temperature, the schedule, or the smell. (“You can imagine hot weather, the bus traveling back and forth and people doing their thing,” he says, “but they’ve upgraded a lot and that is about 80 per cent better than it was. Believe me, I know.”) Once in a while he’ll catch someone drinking, call the RCMP, and have an officer meet the bus at the next stop. At the moment, fresh from two days off, Vincent is ready to go. His usual year-round schedule is eight days on, seven off, work seven, off six (while working, he spends every second night in St. John’s). “In the summer, the work is there if you want it,” he says. “We usually work quite a bit … because in the winter times then, if we get bad weather, you’d like a few days off. In the summer, you’re busy, but it’s only a pleasure.” On a beautiful, dry day like this, it’s easy to put thoughts of winter driving conditions
out of mind. Covering as much of the island as Vincent does, it’s not unusual for him to run into three or four different weather systems, all in a day’s work. “There’s always something to keep your mind occupied,” he says. “We usually leave in the morning, and the only thing that stops us … well, the visibility has got to be pretty much down to zero before we stop. We’ve got people riding these buses, a lowincome people, people on social assistance, trying to make it to town for an appointment, or someone trying to meet up with a friend or catch a flight. “We’re not going to endanger anyone’s life … you’re driving the coach itself, you’re the captain of the ship. You don’t want to make a bad call for the sake of pulling over for a few hours and end up over the side of the road with 40 or 50 people and look what you’ve got on your hands then.” Vincent, 51, figures he’s in for another three or four years of driving fulltime, then he’d like to ease back to seasonal work, avoiding the stressful winter runs. For now, he’s happy to live in Triton and keep his eyes on the road. “It’s a job, and if you can stay home and make a living it beats Alberta. Probably I’m a bit of a sook that way, I don’t know.” ••• DRL, once a group of companies operating throughout Atlantic Canada, has scaled back operations and is currently only driv-
ing in Newfoundland. (General manager Roberts’ brother, who managed the Nova Scotia operations, died suddenly last year, effectively closing that division.) Roberts figures the company’s 20-odd coaches log a total of 1.6 million km annually. Given the famous Newfoundland weather variations, he says “the poor old buses don’t know how to condition themselves.” Still, he says mechanical issues hit less than three per cent of the rides, and each vehicle will log much more than a million clicks by the time it’s ready for an overhaul. He believes in the necessity of a daily around-the-province bus service — as do the powers that be. While the company is not a Crown corporation and doesn’t receive a cent from government, it is “regulated and scrutinized” by the Public Utilities Board. “But still, we’re not to talk about profits,” he says. “We’re not supposed to go there.” Roberts oversees 35 employees. He says while rates have only increased twice in 11 years, for a total of 18 per cent, salaries have skyrocketed. “If you don’t pay the drivers a good wage, you’re not going to have anyone in the province to do the work,” he says. “I mean, yah, I could pay $11 an hour for a driver, but I want good, dedicated drivers. When I walk out of the door, and I know Bill Vincent is one the road, I’ve got that
comfort zone in my heart.” In spite of being the only company doing what it does in the province, Roberts admits the future is always up in the air. “We keep plugging away,” he says. “It’s a bit unknown right now, and has a lot to do with the number of people residing in rural Newfoundland. Ninety per cent of the business is rural residents going to the city … but their numbers are dwindling.” ••• At one point during our drive, Vincent says he’s running 30 minutes behind. He’s determined to make up the time — he’s got people on board with a flight to catch. Another bus is brought on; the stops seem shorter and less frequent. The rest station breaks are extremely efficient — a strict 10 minutes pass in Goobies and everyone is hustled back into their seats. True to form, the bus arrives at the Crossroads Motel in Mount Pearl minutes early. Vincent doesn’t hide his smile as he unloads baggage and sends the folks he’s spent the day with on their way. “What do you accomplish by being contrary looking?” he says. “I’m only human. I go to work in the daytime. I’ve got my problems too, but I try to leave them at home and put it in a good day’s work. “I think what I enjoy most of all is meeting people. I’m definitely a people person … but I do love to drive.” stephanie.porter@theindependent.ca
AUGUST 24, 2007
12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
‘All things related to photography’ PhotoTec draws on years of experience
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eter Snow is proud of the services his business offers right here at home. “PhotoTec has been in business since 1995, yet there is still a need to get the message out that we are here,” Snow says. Snow spent more than 25 years working for Tooton’s until they closed. “This was what I knew best,” he says of the photography business, “so I went into the camera repair business on my own, drawing on everything I had learned over those years.” PhotoTec repairs most cameras on site, which can reduce turnaround time, Snow says. They also pride themselves in offering free quotes on all repairs. Sometimes the camera you think is trash is just in need of some minor repairs or a good cleaning, Snow offers. There are also times when owners need a little instruction on how to use what they have. PhotoTec sells, services, and says instruction on the products they carry in their store and online. Being a smaller store means they know the value of providing quality products and service. Snow says they will ship products and camera accessories all over Newfoundland and Labrador. They also commit to going that extra mile when it comes to helping customers purchase the camera that suits them best.
Shopping at PhotoTec is much more than pushing a cart down an aisle and putting something in your basket,” Snow says. “We take the time to get to know our customers — from the professional photographers to the amateurs — and work hard to provide quality service they will remember.” PhotoTec carries a wide range of cameras in a variety of styles, models and price ranges. They also carry a host of photography accessories; lighting, tripods, batteries, lenses, memory devices, flashes, filters, bags and cases are all available in store or online. Besides quality camera repair, PhotoTec provides other services from printing to graphic services. “I was 20 years old when I started out in the photography business and I learned a lot working for a business that was 100 years old (Tooton’s),” Snow says. “Check us out and see what that kind of experience can mean when you are in the market for all things related to photography.” For more information on PhotoTec, visit them at their location at 50 Pippy Pl., Unit 1A, online at http://www.phototec.ca/ or call 709-753-0047. PhotoTec is a Foto Source partner. For more information, check them out online at http://www.fotosource.com/ pamelamichpardy@yahoo.com
Peter Snow, owner of PhotoTec.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 13
Belbin’s maintains ‘small-store’ feel, whilst keeping up with the times
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elbin’s Grocery has been in busi- the club. Belbin stresses that no matter what ness at 85 Quidi Vidi Rd. since 1943 and “No, I am not the orig- services he provides, or what products inal proprietor,” quips owner Robert he sells, Belbin’s would be nothing if it wasn’t for the dedication of what he Belbin. “My father and grandfather started calls “the incredible staff.” “People come in this store to be one of for what we offer, the many local commubut they come back nity grocery stores in for many reasons, the province, but we and the friendliness rose from those humble As the bigger of the staff is certainbeginnings to become ly a big draw,” he more than a place to go stores get bigger, says. for groceries,” he says. Belbin’s is a store Belbin is proud that Belbin’s prides that offers shoppers his store has become a convenience and destination and reason itself on focusing quality. But perhaps to visit Quidi Vidi Rd. more importantly, “We strive to be an on becoming Belbin states, they interesting alternative never forget their when it comes to buybetter. roots. ing groceries,” he says. “We make sure As the bigger stores you can get everyget bigger, Belbin’s thing you need, and prides itself on focuswe strive to make shopping easy, yet ing on becoming better. “We have everything you need and we are still a small, locally owned more, but our small size and friendly, neighbourhood grocery store. “To shop here is like taking a walk helpful staff can help get you in and out back in time.” in a hurry,” he says. And while Belbin’s maintains a For more information on Belbin’s small-store feel, they have also gone high-tech to make the lives of busy Grocery, or to shop or place orders, visit them online at http://www.belpatrons run a little smoother. bins.com/ or call (709) 576-7640. In 2000, Belbin’s had a facelift. “We renovated and expanded pamelamichpardy@yahoo.com because we knew we were off the beaten track and if customers were going to make an effort to come, then we wanted to provide a reason to come back.” Besides grocery items, Belbin’s offers a full range of healthy, high-quality, fully cooked, prepared meals in a variety of sizes to suit a multitude of tastes. “We have different homemade soups, 24 different meals, and a variety of fresh deserts that are prepared daily and are ready to take home,” he says proudly. Belbin is honoured to support local producers. Besides locally grown berries, Belbin’s has a selection of locally grown organic lettuces, lettuce mixes and fresh herbs. The store will soon be offering a wide range of other locally grown produce. To complement the fresh produce, Belbin’s created a line of salad dressings that are made in-house. Popular varieties like Greek, honey curry, and tarragon have received high compliments from shoppers who return for more of the same. While maintaining the small-store feel is important to Belbin, offering convenient options is just as valued, and Belbin’s offers a variety of ways to shop. Too busy to pop in? Why not call, fax, or place your order online. Belbin’s can deliver if needed. Another popular online feature is the store’s cheese club. Belbin’s offers members a chance to buy a variety of cheeses — many of which are not available anywhere else in the province — at a reduced cost. “We pre-sell the cheese and that keeps our costs down and we pass that savings on to our customers,” Belbin explains. There are more than 320 members in
Owner Robert Belbin outside Belbin’s Grocery, Quidi Vidi Road, St. John’s.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
AUGUST 24, 2007
14 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
AROUND THE BAY The man Hare, who escaped from the Lunatic Saturday afternoon was captured at his former home Harbour Grace by Head Const. Sheppard and brought back to the institution on last night’s train. He is thought to have made the trip round the Bay on top of one of the railway coaches, gaining that position at Waterford Bridge. — The Daily News, St. John’s, Aug. 4, 1914
AROUND THE WORLD The liquor-control scheme adopted by Newfoundland on July 1 seems to a New Yorker temporarily sojourning here to work so beautifully that one is impelled to describe it in a few words for the benefit of the reasonable in the wet camp and the dry. The most powerful beverages are sold in stores operated by government agents. One procures without cost a permit
to purchase a maximum of three bottles a week. For beers and light wines no permit is needed. It is a land of very moderate drinkers. Even the Americans soon catch the spirit. I have not seen a drunken American since coming here, and only one slightly tipsy native. — The Liberal Press, St. John’s, Aug. 17, 1929
YEARS PAST His Excellency the Governor in Council has been pleased to appoint Mr. James Kelly, of St. John’s, to be an Inspector of Pickled Fish. — The Morning Chronicle, St. John’s, Aug. 26, 1880
trickery. On the previous occasion discussion was postponed at special request until the following day. Many women attended, to find themselves tricked. On Tuesday without any intimation of his intention, availing of the enforced temporary absence of several members, amongst them several strong supporters of the movement, a snap vote was taken, referring the Bill to a Select Committee, in other words, giving it “the Six Months Hoist.” Possibly the Prime Minister’s purpose is to wean the women from entering public life, by giving them a preliminary surfeit of the insolence of office. Will he succeed? We think not. — The Free Press, St. John’s, Aug. 9, 1921
EDITORIAL STAND The efforts of the women to obtain the right to exercise the franchise are being met, not with open hostility, but with gross discourtesy and persistent
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Sir — One of the most proper subjects which the House of Assembly could just at this moment bring under consideration is the multiplicity of
Dogs with which the Island of Newfoundland, above all other places in the world, is literally overrun and infested. There is not a town or settlement in the Colony, in which Dogs of all sorts and sizes — “Mastiffs, Lurchers big and small/And Curs of low degree” have not become an INTOLERABLE NUISANCE. — Signed, A Patriot — The Harbour Grace and Conception Bay Journal, Aug. 15, 1838 QUOTE OF THE WEEK We stepped inside, into the crowd and my eyes could not believe the treasure of beauty that lay within. Heaven. It was like some sort of fluffy heaven, or like a perfect pastry shop that left your taste buds swelling for the finest taste. — Reporter Ken J. Harvey at the Midsummer’s New Year’s Eve Party at the Hotel Newfoundland — The Metro, St. John’s, Aug. 4, 1985
Memorial attracts more international students; union says services lacking By John Rieti The Independent
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emorial University has accepted 70 more international students than in 2006 for the upcoming term, good news for a campus that plans to increase its international population to 1,800 by 2010. Shona Perry-Maidment, Memorial’s associate director of student recruitment, says a total of 494 new international applicants were accepted, as well as 234 transfer students. Final enrolment levels won’t be available until mid-September. “We recognize that if we are to increase our numbers here at Memorial, international students and students from outside the province are going to need to be a part of our student body,” Perry-Maidment tells The Independent. Her department develops and produces recruitment material, commissions recruitment agencies in China,
and works with the provincial government and other school systems in the province to increase Memorial’s profile. James Farrell, executive director of external affairs with the Memorial University Student Union, says while Memorial has one of the lowest tuition rates in Canada, it’s far more expensive for international students. They pay $880 per course — about $600 more than domestic students. Farrell says foreign students deserve better for their money. Last year the student union lobbied the administration not to raise international students’ tuition again. “Tuition increases for international students negate the efforts made by the university and the government to get them here,” says Farrell. “The communities that international students have in other places don’t exist in Newfoundland. The population just isn’t here, and a lot of them find themselves coming here with no support
services on campus, like a place to nearby landlords, and a new campus pray,” says Farrell. residence which is scheduled to be up Bruce Belbin, Memorial’s director of and running in 2009. international student advising, says the Belbin says there are prayer spaces campus is ready to and multi-purpose greet foreign stuareas on campus, “Tuition increases for dents and provide but the university them with all the has also worked international students same services with groups such domestic students as the local Muslim negate the efforts receive. community to “From the arrange buses to made by the university take students to moment (they) are confirmed as stuprayer. and the government to Friday dents at Memorial, Belbin says that we know about service is expected get them here.” them,” says Belbin. to expand dramatiHe says internacally this year. James Farrell tional students are Belbin’s departpicked up at the airport and can seek ment is also finalizing a document to out language programs, counselling explain why international students have and financial advising on campus. He to pay more than Canadians. says finding accommodations is the Farrell welcomes that news, and says biggest challenge for international or it will be interesting to see how the unidomestic students, but that’s alleviated versity justifies charging international by contacts the university has with students triple the tuition domestic stu-
dents pay. “(The university) can charge them pretty much whatever they choose,” says Farrell. “They clearly see them as a dollar figure, and that’s unfortunate.” Farrell says the union and its international student centre will fight any attempt to further increase foreign students’ tuition. Both Belbin and Perry-Maidment say they receive positive reviews of Memorial University, and that the Memorial is continuing efforts to make Newfoundland a destination to study. “We’ve been travelling to different parts of the world talking about Memorial, (and) we have other faculty members travelling abroad assisting us in getting the word out,” says PerryMaidment. But will Memorial meet its goal of 1,800 international students within three years? “Hopefully we will get there. It’s our target,” says Perry-Maidment. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 24-30, 2007 — PAGE 15
A worker holds a mink at a fur farm in Minsk, Germany. Mink farmers in this province are raising the question of who would pay for a possible mink cull in Newfoundland.
Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters
To kill or not to kill Aleutian solutions harsh, expensive: mink farmer By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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he head of the province’s fur breeders association says mink farmers struck with an outbreak of Aleutian disease in their stock face three options: kill and replace all their animals, battle the disease in their existing stock, or walk away. Each has its costs, and Merv Wiseman, head of the association, says whatever is done, government must help. Wiseman says it is his association’s goal to regain the province’s Aleutian-free status — the main factor in attracting investment in the first place. He says they are looking to government for financial assistance to attain that goal. “Government at this stage has
not said the word no. I haven’t heard the word no,” Wiseman tells The Independent. Aleutian disease is a highly contagious virus affecting mink and closely related animals. It greatly reduces the commercial value of the stock it infects. Killing and replacing stock in the larger infected farms in the province, which have upwards of 70,000 animals, will cost up to $5 million per farm, says Wiseman. “That is a massive major overhaul, to consider something like that.” There are no guarantees the plan would even work, he says, as Aleutian disease is highly contagious and hard to eradicate. Battling the disease is also expensive, says Wiseman. Each animal would have to be tested each year for several years, with
those testing positive for the disease being killed. That process would cost an estimated $80,000 to $90,000 per year on the bigger farms. Wiseman says the cost of the disease will have to be factored in over time as well, such as its impact on production and lowered pelt quality, as well as a farm’s inability to expand or sell breeding stock to other farms. Those combined costs make that option a tough one as well. The third option, he says, is to shut down the operation, burn the infrastructure, and walk away. Wiseman says he doesn’t know which is the better choice, although he notes killing and re-populating on smaller farms would cost much less, and would give the industry a fresh start.
In an e-mail to The Independent, a Natural Resources spokesperson says financial questions regarding the current situation in the industry are premature until the source of infection is known. The spokesperson says the province is covering the costs of blood testing as part of monitoring and controlling the disease, and funding will be given under existing provincial programs to assist the industry. The spokesperson also says other jurisdictions have managed to stem the spread of the disease and, over a period of time, returned to Aleutian-free status. Wiseman says he doesn’t have “the perfect answer” to why government will have to pay to kill animals they invested in and then start again, other than to note the
mink farming industry has the potential to be an industry worth “a couple of hundred million dollars,” providing 800-1,000 jobs over the next several years. Wiseman says government has to step in to save an industry he says is compromised “in a big way” by the Aleutian outbreak. Government assistance in this case, says Wiseman, is no different from assistance given to any other embattled industry. The industry is not mired in gloom and doom, says Wiseman. The disease seems to be contained to farms on the Avalon Peninsula and in southern Labrador. He says farms on the west coast of the island are following strict practices which should protect their animals from Aleutian. ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Private islands
Interested in your own sanctuary? Grebe’s Head Island off Grand Bruit is going for $400,000 By Clare-Marie Gosse For The Independent
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n Wayne Johnston’s book, The Custodian of Paradise, heroine Sheilagh Fielding takes herself off to live on a deserted Newfoundland island towards the end of the Second World War. Fielding makes the trip after a string of personal calamities, taking with her a high quantity of alcohol and little else. As Johnston put it in an interview with The Independent last year, “ You know that a woman heading alone to an island in the 1940s with two trunks of
Scotch has got something on her mind.” People seek island life for many reasons: to think in solitude, to hide away, to invite all their friends to visit. Maybe they just want to prance around naked without having to worry about Mrs. Smith at No. 42 peering out from behind her sheers. Farhad Vladi, one of the most successful island brokers in the world, has sold over 2,000 in a career spanning 35 years. He says he once tried to construct a profile of the kind of people who generally buy their own islands, but they seemed to have little common
aside from the fact they were all strong $800,000 US, with the average price in individualists. the $300,000 US range. Many of In an interview Vladi’s sales are via e-mail from his islands off Canada’s head office in It’s rare to find privately East Coast. Hamburg, GermIn fact, his compaowned islands in a any, Vladi sheds ny’s second office is some light on what province where 95 per located in Halifax. it takes to own a The Vladi Private private island. Islands even has a listcent of the land is The most surprising in Newfoundland owned by the Crown. and Labrador, where ing thing? Chances are you can afford it’s rare to find prito buy one. vately owned islands in a province The vast majority of his transactions where 95 per cent of the land is owned have been between $200,000 and by the Crown. In places like Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick, that figure is closer to just 30 per cent. Blame Newfoundland and Labrador’s odd geography and the high rate of outport resettlement, which left abandoned land titles in its wake. Vladi Private Islands’ current Newfoundland and Labrador listing is Grebe’s Head Island (also known as Bald Eagles Head Island), off Grand Bruit on the province’s south west coast. The cost of the island is $400,000 Cdn and for that you get around 10 acres. See “An island fitted,” page 19
AUGUST 24, 2007
16 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
Provincial Airlines disputes security breach in St. Anthony By Brian Callahan The Independent
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oth the fines and publicity surrounding a security breach at St. Anthony airport are excessive and unfounded, says Provincial Airlines. The airline and two of its executives have been fined a total of $28,000 for bypassing normal passenger and baggage screening on the morning of June 26. The executives — including Provincial Airlines president Gus Ollerhead — drove to the airport, used their passes to drive onto the tarmac and to their Provincial Airlines commercial flight, and boarded the plane without going through security. “It is strictly prohibited for someone to use a restricted area pass to circumvent screening to board a flight,” Transport Canada spokesman Maurice Landry tells The Independent. “In other words, just because you have access to the tarmac, doesn’t mean you have access to the flight.”
But Provincial Airlines chairman Tom Collingwood says officials with Provincial and other airlines have been doing that for years at smaller, remote airports. “Basically, I think the fines are excessive, given the nature of the event and the circumstances in St. Anthony,” Collingwood says. “It seems to have taken on a life of its own, given the people involved. That’s how I see it. “There are just so many things that go on that I’ve seen. So why this incident? If I was in the (control) tower … normal practice is they’re communicating back and forth anyway. So you just say to the pilot, ‘Look, I’ve observed some people that I feel may have breached security. Can you just park your plane and ensure those two people who got on board have gone through the appropriate screening and security?” Landry says the only people exempt from the screening process are the flight crew members, and any other in-flight personnel who are considered on duty, but not necessarily working on that specific flight.
Notice
Provincial Airlines spokesman Bob Halliday contradicts Landry outright. Halliday insists the executives had clearance to do what they did without being screened at all. “Nothing happened that day that hasn’t happened, in terms of procedures, for years and years,” he says. “Why (the fines) now? That’s a matter for speculation that may come out. But nobody took any action at the time to express their concerns. We’ve done it that way for years at that airport. “There are rules for screening passengers. But there are provisions for airline employees to board aircraft. They don’t have to go through the regular screening. “And we want to be clear that these people were processed by Transport Canada and the plane was cleared to take off.” Halliday described Transport Canada’s actions as “an unannounced revised interpretation of the screening rules being delivered to us with monetary penalties.” He said Provincial Airlines’ lawyers are reviewing the decision and preparing an appeal. Collingwood suggested there are different rules for the smaller, northern airports. “I just came back from Labrador. And what goes on at both the coastal strips and Goose Bay … mistakes are being made up there. You’ve got helicopter guys flying all over the place, out on the ramp, walking around with their gear bags on, going back and forth. You really have to be there to see what goes on all the time.
“I wonder why, when the Nav Canada employee witnessed this event, he just didn’t contact the aircraft immediately, and indicate that he felt that the appropriate conduct didn’t take place. “He could have asked the plane to stop and indicate to the pilot, ‘Look, here’s my observation.’ I wonder why that person didn’t act right away? I think there should be someone looking into that. “Everybody in St. Anthony knows those two people. My God, the people in the tower up there knew exactly who they were. I mean, that’s what security is about. When you go on board, people want to know you are who you are. It’s as simple as that.” Provincial Airlines was cited for seven infractions under the Canadian Aviation Security Regulations and the Air Carrier Security Measures Act. Five were the fault of the airline totaling $25,000 in fines, while the two executives were fined $1,500 each. The maximum fines are $100,000 for a company and $5,000 for an individual. They have 30 days, as of Aug. 17, to challenge the findings before the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada. “While none of the breaches constituted an immediate threat to aviation security or the safety of the public,” Laundry says, “allowing these practices to continue could eventually contribute to a serious security incident.” brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
URANIUM SETBACK Public Notice PUBLIC NOTICE NAVIGABLE WATERS PROTECTION ACT R.S.C. 1985, Chapter N-22 The Department of Transportation and Works of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador hereby gives notice that an application has been made to the Minister of Transport pursuant to the Navigable Waters Protection Act for approval of the work described herein and its site and plans. Pursuant to Section 9 of the said Act, the Department of Transportation and Works of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has deposited with the Minister of Transport, and in the office of the Registrar of Deeds and Companies of Newfoundland, at St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, a description of the following work, its site and plans for the proposed new temporary two-span (2 spans at 42.672m) single-lane steel panel bridge structure to be constructed approximately 40m upstream over the Kenamu River crossing (located 62.74 km from the Goose Bay junction) on Route 500, in the electoral district of Lake Melville, in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The aforementioned plans shall also be made available for public viewing at the Department of Government Services offices in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. Comments regarding the effect of this work on marine navigation may be directed to: The Superintendent Navigable Waters Protection Program Transport Canada P.O. Box 1300 St. John’s, NL A1C 6H8 However, comments will be considered only if they are in writing and are received not later than 30 days after the date of this notice. Although all comments conforming to the above will be considered, no individual response will be sent. Dated at St. John’s, this 21st day of August, 2007. Robert Smart Deputy Minister
Avis Public AVIS PUBLIC LOI SUR LA PROTECTION DES EAUX NAVIGABLES L.R.C. 1985, Chapitre N-22 Le ministère des Transports et des Travaux publics du gouvernement de Terre-Neuve-etLabrador avise par les présentes qu’il a soumis au ministre des Transports en application de la Loi sur la protection des eaux navigables une demande d’approbation des plans et de l’emplacement des traveaux décrits aux présentes. En vertu de l’article 9 de la dite Loi, le ministère des Transports et des Travaux publics du gouvernement de Terre-Neuveet-Labrador a présenté au ministre des Transports et au Registrar of Deeds and Companies of Newfoundland and Labrador, à St. John’s (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador) une description des travaux, de l’emplacement et des plans relatifs au nouveau pont temporaire en section métallique, à deux travées (ayant chacune 42,672m) et comprenant une voie que l’on propose de construire, à environ 40 km en amont, au dessus de la rivière Kenamu (situèe a 62.74 km de l’intersection de Goose Bay) sur la route 500, dans la circonscription électorale de Lake Melville, province de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador. Le public pourra aussi consulter les plans susmentionnés aux bureaux du ministère des Services gouvernement aux de Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador). Tout commentaire concernant l’impact de ces travaux sur la navigation maritime peut être soumis au: Surintendant Programme de protection des eaux navigables Transports Canada C.P. 1300 St. John’s (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador) A1C 6H8 Veullez toutefois noter que seuls les commentaires présentés par écrit et reçus au plus tard 30 jours après la date de publication du présent avis seront considèrés. Même si tous les commentaires conformes aux directives susmentionnées seront considèrés, nous n’enverrons pas de réponses individuelles. Signé à St. John’s, le 21 août 2007. Robert Smart Sous-ministre
Mark O’Dea, president and CEO of Aurora Energy Resources Ltd., is facing complaints from Innu and Inuit leaders in Makkovik, Labrador. Community leaders say a land claim needs to be worked out before Aurora can start mining the area’s uranium deposits, and the local community won’t make a decision until environmental reports and feasibility studies are reviewed. Paul Daly/The Independent
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 17
Opportunities Architect IV
Temporary (Min. 3 years) One (1) temporary position of Architect IV in the Building Design and Construction Division with the Department of Transportation and Works located at St. John’s, NL. DUTIES: This is a responsible and varied professional position performing a full range of architectural work, requiring knowledge of the full scope of a broad field of architecture. Liaises with contractors, clients and planners to interpret project objectives, to review project status and to coordinate all functions of the project; performs on site inspections to ensure conformity to specialized standards and to provide guidance, and supervision to required project personnel; designs, reviews, plans, specifications and estimates for public building projects; reviews and revises plans, specifications and estimates for systematic and economic feasibility, conformance with design criteria, regulations and other sound construction and environmental principles and practices; reviews and recommends amendments to codes, regulations, procedures or legislation. QUALIFICATIONS: Considerable progressively responsible experience in work in the Architectural field; successful completion of a degree in Architecture; eligible for membership with the Newfoundland Association of Architecture. Consideration will also be given to a senior professional engineer demonstrating significant experience in facility planning, design and building codes, and is eligible for membership in PEG-NL. SALARY: $57,111.60 - $67,394.60 (GS-44) COMPETITION #: TW.C.ARCHIV.(t).07.08.153-P CLOSING DATE: September 3, 2007. INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
Maintenance & Engineering Project Supervisor One (1) temporary position of Maintenance & Engineering Project Supervisor with the Department of Transportation and Works, located in Baie Verte. DUTIES: This position is responsible for planning, organizing, implementing and supervising employees and equipment engaged in a variety of highway, airstrip and ferry terminal maintenance and construction activities, applying modern techniques in construction & maintenance under a planned maintenance system for seasonal snow and ice control activities within a Departmental Unit area. This position is accountable for executing highway and bridge construction and contract work within the unit and ensures projects are carried out within specifications and budget. The Supervisor will act as a unit manager, conducting all regular business in the area & consults with the Superintendent of Operations and or the Regional Engineer on major problems. The Supervisor maintains good relations with the general public by investigating and resolving complaints while adhering to departmental policy. QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge of project management, snow and ice control and civil engineering; ability to plan, organize and provide direction to employees engaged in maintenance and construction activities. Successful candidate should possess strong communication, analytical and problem solving skills; as well as the ability to motivate employees and establish effective working relations with staff and the general public. These qualifications would normally be acquired through experience in highway maintenance and civil engineering work, three years supervisory experience; graduation from an approved College with a Civil Engineering Technology program.
Applications SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO:
SALARY: $41,004 - $57,406 (HL-16) COMPETITION #: TW.C.MEPS.(t).07.08.155-P CLOSING DATE: September 3, 2007.
Mail:
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
Fax:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Bldg. P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL AlB 4J6 (709) 729-6737
Application should be received before the close of business on the closing date – either by mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call (709) 729-3369.
Court Counsellor I (Family Justice Mediator)
Applications should be forwarded to: Mail:
Fax: E-Mail:
Ms. Daphne Bouzane Regional Administrator (A) Department of Transportation & Works P.O. Box 10 Grand Falls-Windsor, NL A2A 2J3 (709) 292-4364 bouzaned@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 709-2924306.
(Temporary to February 28, 2008 or until permanent incumbent returns) Family Justice Services Division, St. John’s DUTIES: The Family Justice Services Division is a multi-departmental operation which provides family justice services (education, dispute resolution and counseling) as an alternative to litigation in family law. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, the Family Justice Mediator conducts mediation and other types of dispute resolution between separating partners or spouses to resolve family law issues, with an emphasis on meeting the needs of children. Conducts intake assessments with clients to determine the most appropriate dispute resolution process; screens for violence/abuse/power imbalance; and refers clients to other appropriate resources. Conducts parent education programs and performs other related duties. This is a highly confidential and independent position reporting to the Family Justice Regional Lead. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate will have experience in the family law environment. (S)he will also have a proven record in mediation and dispute resolution in the family law area. (S)he will have proven ability to keep sensitive information confidential and to communicate effectively; additionally, the successful candidate will have demonstrated initiative and independence and will have developed and maintained effective work relationships. Necessary background normally acquired through completion of a bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related social sciences or equivalencies. Knowledge of current legal practices and legislation in the family law area would be an asset. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out.
Heavy Equipment Technician
Temporary One (1) temporary position of Heavy Equipment Technician, with the Eastern Transportation Division of the Department of Transportation and Works located at Clarenville Garage. DUTIES: This is skilled journeyperson level work with the diagnosing of problems related to light and heavy equipment and advanced work in a variety of other trades associated with the repair of vehicles and related equipment carried out in the region; equipment includes trucks, loaders, snow plows, snow blowers, graders and air powered equipment; work involves designing/redesigning, repairing, rebuilding and fabricating parts and components of light and heavy vehicles, its systems and related equipment; performs emergency road services and makes field repairs as needed; performs related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: Possession of a journey person certificate as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic issued by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; experience as a heavy equipment mechanic as well as some experience in the various trades associated with repairs of vehicles and equipment; possession of a valid driver’s licences; graduated from high school with completion of an approved apprenticeship program for heavy equipment technicians and courses in welding, machinist, autobody repairer and automotive repairer and automotive mechanic trades; experience in electric welding and acetylene cutting would be an asset.
Positions within the Department of Justice are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such successful candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court banks and other sources.
SALARY: $17.44 – 19.28 (MS 26) COMPETITION #: TW.C.HET.(t).07.08.154-P CLOSING DATE: September 3, 2007.
SALARY:
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
$49,012.60 – $54,836.60 per annum (GS-39) COMPETITION #: J.C.CCI(t).07.077 - P CLOSING DATE: September 4, 2007
* 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) 7294513. 2007 08 16
(Temporary) to March 31, 2009 or until permanent incumbent returns Corrections and Community Services, Department of Justice, Corner Brook DUTIES: To provide a range of supports and professional services to victims of crime, both adult and child. This includes providing general information on the criminal justice system and case developments, delivering court orientation services, conducting psycho-social assessments and providing short-term supportive counselling and emotional support. To assist caregivers when their child must testify in a criminal proceeding. The successful applicant will also be responsible for delivering the Victim Impact Statement Program and liaising with other members of the criminal justice system and the community to provide coordinated services. This position requires presenting educational sessions and community development activities with various target groups. Limited travel will be required. Use of private vehicle is required. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful applicant would be expected to possess knowledge and experience in working with victims of violent crime and understand the victimization cycle, dynamics of abusive relationships and appropriate counselling techniques, and family dynamics when a child has been victimized. Understanding of child and adolescent development and the impact of trauma on development is expected. Knowledge and experience in the criminal justice system is required in addition to well-developed analytical and oral and written communication skills. These qualifications would normally be acquired through a relevant degree in the Social Sciences and through related experience. Equivalencies considered. This is a “position of trust” involving work with vulnerable clients; candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court banks and other sources. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. SALARY: $49,012.60 – 54, 836.60 (GS-39) COMPETITION #: J.C.VSRC(t).07.068 -P CLOSING DATE: September 4, 2007 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications with cover letter should be forwarded to: Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: 709-729-6737 or e-mail: pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca * 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) 7290885 2007 08 20
Engineer I
One (1) temporary position for Engineer I, Highway Design and Construction Division, Department of Transportation and Works, West Block, St. John’s, NL. DUTIES: Performs entry level project management work in roads, highways and bridge maintenance and construction; designs, estimates and supervises related work, reviews design drawings and specifications; liaises with consultants, clients and contractors on all aspects of projects. QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge of engineering, project management, contract administration and related codes and standards as required. Sound analytical, management and communications skills are essential. These qualifications would normally be acquired through a degree in Engineering supplemented by some experience in design, construction and maintenance of roads, highways or bridges. Candidates must be eligible for registration in APEGN as an engineering trainee. SALARY:
$38,547.60 to $42,897.40 per annum (GS-33) COMPETITION #: TW.C.ENGI.(t).07.08.151-P CLOSING DATE: September 3, 2007.
Applications SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO: INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Mail:
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications should be forwarded to: Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 Fax: 709-729-6737 or e-mail: pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
Victim Services Regional Coordinator
Fax:
Ms. Jennette Reader Regional Administrator Dept. of Transportation & Works 3 Duffitt Place Clarenville, NF A5A 1E9 (709) 466-3927
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - either by mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call 709-4664121.
Applications SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO: Mail:
Fax:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Bldg. P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL AlB 4J6 (709) 729-6737
Application should be received before the close of business on the closing date – either by mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call (709) 729-0570.
AUGUST 24, 2007
18 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
Opportunities Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Project Coordinator
Industry Development Officer II
Director of Maintenace and Engineering
(Contractual – until March 31, 2008)
Permanent
Permanent
Corrections and Community Services, Department of Justice, Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Innovation Research and Advanced Technologies Division Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development West Block, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL
One (1) permanent position of Director of Maintenance and Engineering with the Marine Branch of the Department of Transportation and Works, located at Lewisporte, NL
DUTIES: This position is responsible for assisting the growth of the province’s innovation and advanced technology sector, including the enhancement of business opportunities, research and development, commercialization strategies, and strategic planning within the sector. The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining in-depth knowledge of provincial, national and international innovation agendas and assisting in the development, delivery, monitoring, evaluation and revision of policies and procedures related to provincial innovation programming. The position requires detailed analysis of applications and proposals under the Department’s Commercialization and Innovation Enhancement Programs, and Industrial Research and Innovation Fund, to ensure consistency with program guidelines, criteria and policies. In particular, the successful candidate will contribute to implementation of the provincial Ocean Technology Development Strategy, and ocean-related initiatives under the provincial Innovative Strategy. The incumbent will be responsible for the development of specific project initiatives in ocean technology that the Department might undertake as a part of the strategy. In addition, this position will maintain effective business relationships with local, national and international stakeholders, including technology companies, government agencies, industry associations, R&D institutions, and other academic, scientific and educational organizations. The successful candidate will be required to represent the department at meetings, conferences/workshops and will provide advice and information on research and innovation to seniorlevel government executive, as well as key representatives of the business and research communities in the province. Travel will be required.
DUTIES: The Director of Maintenance and Engineering is one of three senior Management positions reporting to the Assistant Deputy Minister. The position is responsible for the overall inspections within the Maintenance & Engineering Division, including providing technical support related to vessel refits and the development and implementation of a comprehensive vessel maintenance program, maintaining of all applicable budgets, recruitment of sub-technical, professional and non-professional staff, and ensuring the Department’s fleet of eleven vessels are maintained in accordance with Canadian ferry standards.
QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires considerable experience and detailed knowledge of the province’s innovation and advanced technology sector. The ideal candidate will have experience in economic development, project management, general business management practices and principles, and technology development. Specific knowledge of the ocean technology industry and the local ocean clustering initiative is preferred. The position requires an in-depth knowledge of provincial and federal funding programs and other related services, complemented by knowledge of innovative-related issues, policies and programs. The incumbent must be highly motivated and possess strong analytical, communication and leadership skills and the ability to maintain effective working relationships with clients and colleagues. Working knowledge of computer applications is necessary. The qualifications would normally be acquired through a Degree in Commerce, Business Administration, Economics, Science/Technology, or a related field of study, with a minimum of three to five years of relevant work experience; or through an equivalent combination of experience and education.
Mail:
Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION & WORKS INVITATION TO TENDER
DUTIES: The Coordinator will liaise with Departmental representatives and the community to enhance the bridging necessary for FASD cases being released from the Labrador Correctional Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing the FASD research project (screening and estimating incidences of FASD at the LCC). The goal of the position is to support the research project while simultaneously supporting an offender reintegration process that bridges the institution and community support. The position will build capacity in the communities for the FASD clients and assist in establishing supports to the mothers and other identified support systems. The Coordinator will be responsible for linking with key aboriginal stakeholders to ensure they have knowledge of and input into the research process. The development of a strategy for working with FASD clients in the justice system will be a primary focus. This includes assisting with the development of internal processes that relate to the care, custody, and reintegration of FASD individuals. Research agreement requirements will need to be assessed. This position will contribute to the existing body of knowledge pertaining to offender care, custody, reintegration and corporate management. Other duties will be determined that support this developmental position. QUALIFICATIONS: Understanding of Aboriginal communities/culture. Excellent communication skills. Experience in supportive interventions and facilitation. Working knowledge of government and quasi government agencies, Aboriginal groups, and community support services. Preference will be given to individuals with a degree in the Human Sciences, and/or those who have extensive experience dealing with aboriginal communities and/or FASD individuals. Equivalencies will be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet all of the above qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. Positions within the Department of Justice are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such successful candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court banks and other sources. SALARY: $48,600 per annum + Labrador Allowance COMPETITION #: J.C.FASDPC(t).07.076 - P CLOSING DATE: September 4, 2007 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications with cover letter 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
* 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) 7290457 2007 08 17
Department of Education Starting Date – Starting Immediately Student Support Services Division, Department of Education, Topsail Rd, St. John’s, NL The Newfoundland School for the deaf (NSD) is a residential school that supports provincial school districts in providing educational programming for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students from Kindergarten to Level III. The NSD offers a supportive environment to meet the signing communication needs of DHH children and youth. The NSD is operated by the Department of Education and follows the provincial curriculum and program planning mechanisms, including The Model for Coordination of Services to Children and Youth and Pathways to Programming and Graduation. DUTIES: The principal is responsible for the leadership, administration and coordination of all NSD programs. The position requires an understanding of the continuum of supports provided to DHH students and of Deaf culture; and strong leadership skills and collaborative ability. The principal reports to the Director of Student Support Services Department of Education, and is required to liaise with personnel from the referring school districts located throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate must have a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration, Special Education or related discipline, with a minimum of five years teaching experience; knowledge of the latest trends and research as they apply to the development and implementation of educational programming for students who are DHH; and demonstrated administration/leadership skills. Equivalencies may be considered. SALARY:
In accordance with the NLTA’s Collective Agreement with applicable bonus. COMPETITION #: E.S.P(t).07.08.133-P CLOSING DATE: Sept 4th, 2007 Applications, quoting competition number, should be forwarded via mail, fax or email: Mail:
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscsocialresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call (709) 729-3008.
SALARY: $65,342 - $91,479 (HL-28) COMPETITION #: TW.C.DME.(p).07.08.156-P CLOSING DATE: September 3, 2007. INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO:
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Bldg. P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 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 709-7293278.
Tender
SALARY:
Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects:
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
A/PROJECT # CLEA08 – Cleaning Services Arts and Culture Centre, St. John’s, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $11.40 CLOSING DATE: SEPTEMBER 5, 2007 @ 3:00 PM
$50,577.80- $56,583.80 per annum (GS-40) COMPETITION #: INTRD.C.IDOII(p).07.0091.P CLOSING DATE: September 10, 2007
Applications, quoting competition number, should be forwarded via mail, fax or email: Mail:
Principal – Newfoundland School for the Deaf
QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires extensive knowledge and experience in Marine. The incumbent is expected to exercise considerable independence and initiative and must possess effective organizational, analytical, problem solving, interpersonal and oral/written communication, management/supervisory skills as well as the ability to work in a dynamic, service oriented environment. These qualifications would normally be acquired through extensive experience in maintaining a fleet of Marine Vessels and be the holder of a First Class Marine Engineering Certificate from a recognized university/college or Naval Engineering Institute.
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscresourcesresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on this position call (709) 729-2994. August 21, 2007
B/PROJECT # 086-07PHZ – Erosion Control at Fox Island River, Route 462, NL PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: SEPTEMBER 6, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering and Contracts, Ground Floor, East Block, Confederation Building, 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 and Works must be delivered to Tendering and 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 not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Hon. John Hickey Minister Transportation and Works
Tender DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION & WORKS INVITATION TO TENDER Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects: A/PROJECT # 087-07PHM – Clearing of approximately 24 hectares of Right-of-Way on Route 370, Buchans Highway, between Buchans Junction and Buchans, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: SEPTEMBER 11, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON Upon receipt of the purchase price indicated above, (NON REFUNDABLE, HST INCLUDED) plans and specifications may be obtained from Tendering and Contracts, Ground Floor, East Block, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL, A1B 4J6, Ph # 709-729-3786, Fax # 709-729-6729, the Regional Director, Transportation and Works, Building #86, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, A0P 1E0, Ph # 709-896-7840, Fax # 709896-5513 (PROJECT A ONLY), and viewed at the offices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association. Tenders addressed to the Deputy Minister of Transportation and Works must be delivered to Tendering and 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 not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Hon. John Hickey Minister Transportation and Works
Request for Proposals Advertising Agency Services The Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development wishes to secure the services of an accredited, full-service advertising agency (Agency of Record) to provide market research, strategic market planning, advertising, promotion and public relations services for all its lines of business, including small and medium-sized enterprise development; industrial diversification; innovation; and business promotion, trade and export development. The proposal submission deadline is 12:00 p.m. (NST) on Monday, September 17, 2007. The complete Terms of Reference is available on the Government Purchasing Agency website at www.gpa.gov.nl.ca or you may request a copy by contacting: Jonathan Brockway Marketing Coordinator t: 709.729.5680 f. 709.729.3208 e. jbrockway@gov.nl.ca
AUGUST 24, 2007
An island fitted with modern amenities From page 15 The island is fitted with modern amenities (phones, electricity, water etc) and contains a 160-year old house with panoramic views that was restored in 1995. The property once belonged to a wealthy merchant and today boasts its own helicopter pad, not to mention a convenient 100-foot causeway to the village of Grand Bruit. These niceties have inflated the price. An Internet search shows another private, 10-acre island, Burnt Island, was recently sold off the province’s northeast coast by a different broker (Private Islands Online) for $100,000. Scott Strickland, a realtor based in Corner Brook, oversees the sale of Grebe’s Head Island on behalf of Vladi Private Islands. He says it’s unusual to come across a privately owned island in Newfoundland and Labrador, but there seems to be an ever-increasing level of interest in the province’s more remote locations. “Strangely enough, over the last year, year and a half now I’ve had quite a bit of business and enquiries every other day from people in the U.S. and Great Britain and all over, enquiring about these settlements that are very isolated, (including) island properties,” he says. Unfortuately, any Crown land located in remote parts of the province — such as an island — can’t be purchased outright. Clyde Jackman, minster of Environment and Conservation, the department that oversees Crown land in the province, says the few privatelyowned islands here would have been handed down, or sold, directly over the years since the first settlers owned them. LICENCE TO OCCUPY If a modern-day island buyer spots a deserted Crown location off Newfoundland and Labrador’s coast their only option would be to apply for a “licence to occupy” for up to five years at a time with the option to potentially renew at the end of the period. “They would put in an application to Crown Lands and they’d become the lease holder of the land and they actually are buying the property, they’re buying the home and everything, but they still end up being a leaseholder on the property,” says Strickland, adding the leaseholder could still build on the land. Jackman can’t exactly rationalize the reasons behind the rule for purchasing (or not purchasing) remote Crown land, but he says much of it has to do with the fact that after resettlement, many people abandoned their lands but still retained the titles — meaning re-selling those lands could prove incredibly complicated. Vladi says some of the reasons islands off the East Coast are so desirable is because not only do they tend to be cheaper, but they’re also abundant, buildable and beautiful, located in a stable political region, surrounded by good infrastructure, and a lack of dangerous animals. So whether buying or leasing, your own affordable private island may well be up for grabs somewhere around the bay. The perfect spot if you happen to like privacy, rugged beauty and you don’t mind taking a foggy, often chilly, always unpredictable deviation from the classic tropical island ideal. claremariegosse@hotmail.com
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 19
20 • INDEPENDENTSPECIAL FEATURE
AUGUST 24, 2007
Active kids: worth the cash L
Members of the Kittiwake Dance Theatre stretch before a performance.
Paul Daly/The Independent
eo Hynes of St. Bernard’s has two children — a son aged 12 and an eight-year-old daughter — and both are involved in a variety of after-school activities that has him driving around the Burin Peninsula once school begins. He takes a moment to reflect on the hectic pace that will soon replace his “somewhat peaceful life.” Beyond a community-based karate class — something the entire family participates in since Hynes instructs the class — there are swimming lessons, piano and guitar instruction and dance classes, and all are more than 30 kilometres away in Marystown. “When we made the choice to live in rural Newfoundland, we knew what would be involved if our children wanted to participate in activities that interested them,” he says. Having children who participate in extra-curricular activities is not cheap, Hynes acknowledges, though he strongly believes in the value such programs provide all youth. Hynes started up the local karate class for that very reason, so everyone would have a chance to participate. Before he founded Fortune Bay Kempo, children had to be driven to Rushoon. As a result, too many were excluded, he says. “Kids grow out of their sporting gear so quickly, and without proper gear they can’t participate properly. So, when you add on high transportation costs and long commutes, joining something and staying involved isn’t very likely,” he says. Being aware of your community is important, Hynes adds. He modified his karate class so everyone could participate at their own level. Extra instruction is offered after the regular class, at no additional cost, for children who purchase sparring gear and weaponry. All children learn to spar with or without gear, but each activity is modified depending on the available equipment. Hynes also keeps the costs low by encouraging the class to purchase as one. “If I order everything myself, then the shipping and handling costs are reduced and the savings are passed on to the students’ families,” he explains. He encourages students to sell the gear they outgrow to other participants. “Anything you can do to cut down on costs is a good thing,” he says. Hynes also directs parents to secondhand stores and encourages them to check out programs like Canadian Tire JumpStart and KidSport. “Kids can out-grow gear before it is a bit used, so places like Play It Again Sports can be a great starting point. And if costs are keeping any child from participating in an activity, there are options,” he says. Canadian Tire JumpStart is a community-based charitable program that helps kids in financial need participate in organized sports and recreation — from hockey to dance to soccer or swimming.
B-boy and breakdancing instructor Tony Ingram busts a Paul Daly/The Independent move.
National in scope, but local in focus, Canadian Tire JumpStart delivers support to children through a Canada-wide network of local chapters, made up of a variety of community leaders committed to helping kids get active. Groups like the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, and Parks and Recreation help identify children who could benefit from the program. Sport Newfoundland and Labrador launched KidSport, designed to enable more young people to participate in sporting activities by providing grants to financially disadvantaged youth across the province. These grants cover registration/participant fees and provide personal sports equipment. Hynes says while costs can be high, the cost of not participating can be even higher. “If your child has an interest in something, then try to have them as involved as you can. And if you hit a snag, financially or otherwise, reach out and see if it can be overcome,” he says. “In the long run, the time and money you spend will be worth it.” For further information on KidSport Newfoundland and Labrador visit www.sportnl.ca or contact the office at (709) 579-5977. To find out more about the JumpStart program, visit http://www.canadiantire.ca/jumpstart/ pamelamichpardy@yahoo.com
INDEPENDENTLIFE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 24-30, 2007 — PAGE 21
Dick Green, owner of Pollyanna Art and Antique Gallery, in his store on Duckworth Street.
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
‘Picking ground’
Newfoundland antique furniture ‘most distinct,’ highly sought after
By Clare-Marie Gosse For The Independent
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t the end of a row of boutiques on Duckworth Street in downtown St. John’s stands a quaint, three-storey green building full of old treasure. Dating back to 1894, the building, once a liquor store, is home to Pollyanna Art and Antique Gallery. A glance over the tastefully aligned window display is enough to grab a shopper’s attention and a few steps over the threshold later, any preconceptions of antiques as musty or dusty disappear. This antique store has some rich (as well as rustic), beautiful, seriously desirable stuff — originating from within the province and overseas. One piece that immediately captures attention on the main floor of the shop is a magnificent, sturdy walnut bed, dating back to 1870. The warmly polished headboard is about as tall as an average ceiling. Dick Green, Pollyanna’s owner, happily explains he just sold the bed — the most costly thing in his store — for a modest $12,000. He purchased it along with a matching dresser and washstand from a local homeowner, and he says the piece is originally from England. The large and lustrous bed aside, surpris-
ingly, with most prices in the hundreds of dollars, the average furniture shopper can afford to shop here (with the help of a payment plan, if need be). “People think that antiques are expensive, but they’re not, compared to new furniture,” says Green. “They’re better built, and they’ve lasted for years and years and years. New furniture is going to fall apart; it’s only stapled together … made in China too.” Green has had his antique shop and gallery for over 20 years and as a self-confessed hoarder, he says he had to open it because his house was getting too full. Some of his prize pieces include Joey Smallwood’s liquor cabinet and some signed art nouveau items from the turn of the 20th century. Today, he’s an industry professional who clearly knows the trade. Despite the fact his store has an extensive variety of items — mostly furniture, but some knick-knaks too — there isn’t a single piece that could be described as junk. The layout of its contents is a careful composition (every so often Green gets in local decorator Eric White to pleasingly re-arrange things) and that attention to detail makes all the difference. Aside from being a good sales tactic, the regular rearranging is also necessary because Green’s stock moves quickly and there are
always new holes needing to be filled. He points out an impressively heavy, marbletopped walnut serving table, which is already spoken for. “I had it here for a day and the same person who bought the bed wants this. “If you come in here next month, everything will be changed,” he says. “If I run short I go to auctions in Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont…” Most of Green’s treasures come locally, however. He says St. John’s is best, and that most of the outports have already been “picked over.” He prefers going to auctions rather than dealing in direct owner sales (“with sentimental value comes dollar value and it can be high”), and most of his business comes from regulars and local residents, rather than visitors or tourists. One exception to that rule is ex-pats. Green says he often has interest from Newfoundlanders living in Alberta who want antique Newfoundland furniture because it reminds them of pieces they grew up with back home. He points to a country-style, hand-made Newfoundland side board. “If the kitchen was eight feet and they needed a piece four feet, they built it for four feet,” he says. As the oldest settlement in North America,
Newfoundland and Labrador has held the attention of antique collectors on this continent for decades — starting shortly after Confederation. Walter Peddle, a part-time folklore lecturer at Memorial University and the former history curator for the Newfoundland Museum, is a lover of traditional Newfoundland vernacular furniture. He says the province was a “very lucrative picking ground” for antique dealers, interested in both locally-made pieces and anything imported by wealthy merchants. “From all over the North American continent, they came here even before the roads were put through,” says Peddle from his home in Spaniard’s Bay. “They came in boats and they had even the most remote areas picked clean.” Still, there are always finds left to be made. Green says there’s not much original Newfoundland furniture left, but Peddle has a fair amount in his collection. It seems he too suffers from the hoarder’s disease and sheepishly confesses he actually had to purchase a second house years ago, just to accommodate everything. As it is, his main dwelling is already “three layers deep. “I have an insatiable appetite for collecting See “Insatiable appetite,” page 23
Seeing green
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couple of weeks ago at the sixth annual Winterset Writers Festival in Eastport, it was announced Flanker Press is going green. In September the press will publish its first book on ancient forest friendly paper, an acid-free, 100 per cent post-consumer recycled issue of St. John’s: City of Fire by Paul Butler. The title is particularly apt for a recycled text, since the book covers the three major fires that have devastated St John’s in the 19th century, each resulting in a massive rebuilding of civilization out of the charred ruins. It is also fitting, of course, that Flanker
NOREEN GOLFMAN Standing Room Only Press, “a bright spark in the Newfoundland and Labrador publishing scene,” as they rightly boast, would be publishing such a book. To be sure, Flanker is lighting the way. When the Winterset crowd heard the announcement there was brief but enthusiastic applause, before everyone drifted away into their SUVs and head-
ed out to burn some fossil fuels for the rest of the weekend. OK, that’s a cheap shot, and largely unfair, since the Winterset audience is a respectful, book-loving, knowledgeable group of people who choose to spend glorious summer afternoons indoors listening to authors read from their works over digging their toes into the gritty warmth of Sandy Cove beach. Go figure. Flanker claims its shift to producing just one friendly-paper book will save 28 fully grown trees, 12,239 gallons of water, 16 million BTUs of energy, 1,349 pounds of solid waste, and 2,663 pounds of greenhouse gases. You don’t
have to be David Williams to know those are high numbers and that the more rainforest growth we save on the planet the better the ozone. Trees clean the air, especially the increasingly polluted air. Health Canada just told us that more and more of us are acquiring asthma or environmentally-caused allergies, and so the connection between the publication of St. John’s: City of Fire and our ability to breathe seems more urgent than ever. To her credit, bajillionaire writer J.K. Rowling insisted that the last issue of her famous series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, be printed on 100 per
cent post-consumer recycled paper. In view of the millions of copies of her work selling worldwide, the effect on the environment is likely more significant than all the speeches Al Gore could ever hope to deliver — and the fuel-burning jets it takes to make them. Of course, without the Forbidden Forest or the Whomping Willow, Rowling wouldn’t have much of a plot to place Harry in, and so perhaps her environmentally wise practices are a form of fictional self-preservation. Never mind — Rowling’s progressive See “Surely the rest,” page 23
AUGUST 24, 2007
22 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
GALLERYPROFILE
BILLY GAUTIER Stone carver
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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
illy Gauthier, a Goose Bay native and stone carver, says much of his inspiration for his works in soapstone, alabaster and serpentine — a dark green stone found in Nain — comes from his nightly sojourns in the realm of his subconscious. “I come up with a lot of my ideas when I sleep,” he says, “and sometimes I’ll wake up and sketch out a quick idea. Whenever I do that, my dreams are always distorted with me, and whenever I think of a spiritual world I think of it as more of a dreamlike state.” Gauthier, who works out of his studio in Miramichi, N.B. but visits his hometown as often as possible, says the carvings that result from his dreams are fluid and surreal, the elongated and exaggerated limbs of his human forms lending the pieces an otherworldly air. One piece by the artist is particularly influenced by his active dream life. An Inuit man balances on one foot, the other raised above his snowy perch in mid-dance step. His arm’s reach is at its apex, fingers extended and gripping a simple mallet. He is about to drop the weight into the smooth disk of a drum; however, the distorted fingers match the length of the kututarq and would do just as good a job producing a beat from the sacred qilaut. Gauthier says stone carving — which he’s done since hanging out at his cousin and well-known Inuit carver John Terriak’s studio at the age of 18 — is a way of staying connected to his native heritage and beloved elders. He says “everything” he sculpts springs from his people, traditions and culture. The memories his grandmother shared with him over the years about his long-passed grandfather resonate when he hunts and fishes the Big Land himself. “He was a trapper and my greatgrandfather was a trapper and his
father was a trapper, so there was a lot of stories about being out on the land and hunting and fishing and I’m fascinated with it. I was quite young when he passed on. I find that’s one of the reasons why I do carve because it kind of makes me feel I am closer to them.” Ready for Flight, a work in alabaster, antler and serpentine, depicts a sight familiar to a seasoned outdoorsman of Labrador. A snowy owl ruffles its feathers in anticipation of flying, gracefully perched on its branch. Despite the weighty material, the bird looks light as a feather. It is a quality that intrigues and sustains the interest of the artist. “That’s one of the challenging parts of it and one of the parts I enjoy the most, the fact that in the end, sometimes the stone can look light even though it’s heavy and can look very fluid rather than solid,” he says. Gauthier seems to relish that sort of challenge, pushing himself out of “curiosity,” to see what he is capable of and what he can coax from the unforgiving stone. Zeroing in on detail and scale, he once carved a man in a kayak, estimating the length of the boat to be seven eighths of an inch long and the man only a couple of millimeters. He holds a harpoon the size of a needle in one hand and a paddle in the other. There are three creases in the folds of his coat and fur around the hood. Having spent countless hours on the piece, he has set it aside as an heirloom for his six-year-old daughter Chelsea. Gauthier carves eight hours a day, five days a week, even if many of those hours are just spent looking into the stone and visualizing its eventual shape. When asked what draws him to the work, Gauthier is quick with a response. “Why do you breathe? I have to. It’s a part of me. It’s a deep passion. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 23
HOW GOOD IS ME LIFE?
‘Insatiable appetite’ From page 21
Fergus O’Byrne (left) and Jim Payne perform at the Crow’s Nest in St. John’s Aug. 21. The duo were there to launch their latest CD, How Good is Me Life, released by SingSong and now available in stores. Nicholas Langor/The Independent
almost anything old … but I especially lust after Newfoundland vernacular furniture. “Domestic furniture here, I would say, is perhaps the most distinct and highly innovative example of regional, country furniture maybe on the entire continent.” Peddle was unable to single out any one item in his collection as a favourite (“there’s so many amazing finds”), but he says the oldest piece he has dates back to around 1750. Uninterested in expensive auctions, he tends to stick to visiting flea markets and house and yard sales. Before Confederation, Peddle says most people were living in a barter system and tended to hold on to their furniture, which was all handmade. As soon as the economy picked up they started throwing out the reminders of poorer days, and turned to buying imported, factorymade items. Newfoundland vernacular furniture was made with a strong likeness to Irish vernacular furniture and Peddle says not only is there evidence of southern Irish influences — which is to be expected — but also northern Irish. He says many pieces are embellished with symbols of the Orange Order, a protestant fraternal organization based in that part of the country. “Here in Newfoundland we have wonderful (Orange) lodge furniture … all hand made using Orange symbols and this was never the case in Ireland. I’ve talked with people there and they’re amazed at the number of objects we have in our Orange lodges here.” Peddle and his wife are currently trying to convince the Newfoundland museum at The Rooms to run an exhibition of Newfoundland vernacular furniture, donated from their collection. The one condition is that Peddle wants to curate the display, but he doesn’t want any payment for his wares or work. “It’s so people can be educated about the value of the stuff and so they can learn how distinctive it is,” he says. “We have things here that exist nowhere else in the world and people don’t know about it.” claremariegosse@hotmail.com
‘Surely the rest of us can make some adjustments’ publishing decision has in turn led to a massive shift in business practices, with Flanker Press now joining the over 300 publishers worldwide that have adopted environmental policies. Publisher Gary Cranford and his Flanker crew need to be applauded for taking the environmentally friendly step, especially since it obviously takes a while to change human behaviour, and the thinking that precedes it. The eco-initiative by Flanker Press is a terrific step towards inspiring such change. It gets you thinking. If a small local press like Flanker can commit to changing its business practices, then surely the rest of us can make some adjustments. Well, easier said than done. Apparently downtown St. John’s is having trouble adjusting to the ongoing curbside project aimed at improving waste management by “diverting” garbage to recyclable or biodegradable matter. The other pilot project area of town, Cowan From page 21
Heights, is boasting about a 65-per-cent participation rate, with downtown showing an embarrassing 35 per cent. There are some practical reasons for this radical difference, as city officials have been gamely explaining, but, still, the low percentage is discouraging. Since the pilot is just that — an experiment to test the level of interest — it is alarming that so few of the so-called rubber boot or artsy and gentrified crowd are loathe to separate their plastics from their organics. Is the three-stream curbside approach too complicated for the likes of the Heritage District? City staff are going door-to-door encouraging people not only to buy into, but at least to understand the program, performing a kind of waste management for dummies routine, albeit a necessary one. To be fair, it is a leap to go from tossing the baby diapers out with the bathwater to streaming paper, cans and food wastes. But what a difference a few weeks practice makes. Even those ugly green garbage nets don’t look so hideous beside the recycle bins and the translucent blue bags containing carefully separated materials. Garbage
never looked better. Moreover, they say Robin Hood Bay will eventually resemble a respectable landfill instead of a toxic dump. And in our lifetime, too. It is hoped that slowly, surely, more residents will get the connection between the environment, health, and beauty. City Council’s sins can almost all be forgiven for finally going with and sticking to the plan. A creative way to show appreciation to Flanker
Press, clearly a business in mind of the big picture, would be for the city to deliver a copy of its first proud, green publication to all those residents willing to participate in the recycling scheme. Politics and art would never look — and smell — better. Noreen Golfman is a professor of literature and women’s studies at Memorial. Her column returns Sept. 7.
AUGUST 24, 2007
24 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
Superbad: how lucky we are Superbad Starring Jonah Hill, Michael Cera 114 min. 1/2 (out of four)
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ll through high school, best friends Seth and Evan have been making big plans. Excluded from larger social circles, they visualize college life as the inevitable launch pad into the kind of decadent hedonism they’ve been craving since puberty. Unfortunately, as happens sometimes with even the best of strategies, while Evan gets accepted to Dartmouth for the fall, Seth’s application is denied. Having devised a Plan B, the pressure is really on, for there are only a few days left before the end of the school year. Somehow, the friends seem to believe that if they can get into a high school party, and make out with girls while they’re drunk, that this could lead to some kind of summer romance. The chance to apply these tactics presents itself when the attractive Jules asks Seth to pick up the booze for a party she’s having while her parents are out of town. It couldn’t have happened at a better moment, for his friend Fogell is having a professional-quality fake ID made, and should have it that evening. Unfortunately, this would mean having to bring him along, and Seth is worried that being seen with Fogell would affect his newly acquired prestige. Despite his misgivings, this is probably the only shot at the perfect summer that he and Evan had planned, so they’re going for it. Superbad is a little shaky near the beginning, when conversations between Evan and Seth are obviously comic lines written for them to deliver in a movie. While some of what they disclose to one another is arguably what’s going on in their heads, in real life, they’d keep it to themselves. Fortunately, as the film moves on, so does the material, and with the characters established, everything falls into place.
TIM CONWAY Film Score Navigating in a territory somewhere between American Pie and There’s Something about Mary, Superbad offers a broad range of irreverent, crude, and often outrageous comedy. Even the most offended audience member is sure to laugh a couple of times, while most are bound to be howling. Fans of Arrested Development should be pleased to find Michael Cera, as Evan, giving us a slightly understated variation of his George Michael character, and providing the film with some of its most resonant moments. Jonah Hill, as Seth, confidently aces a challenging role that requires him to be constantly moving and talking. Pretty much a driving force in the film, like Evan, we spend most of our time following Seth’s lead. Finally, newcomer Christopher Mintze-Plasse, in the role of Fogell, is a real scene stealer, and no less responsible for this film’s entertainment value than his more experienced cast mates. In addition to superb performances, where this film stands out from most teen comedies is that it’s not made for a teen audience. Although Superbad was conceived by the screenwriters when they were teenagers, it has evolved into an almost nostalgic reminiscence of what it was like to be horny young men. Consequently, there are moments through the film where our laughter is perhaps a little nervous, or maybe we even wince, recalling our own youthful ignorance and how lucky we are to have survived it. The Invasion Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig (out of four)
Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman in The Invasion.
The third remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers features Nicole Kidman as psychiatrist Carol Bennell. Although distracted by her ex-husband’s renewed interest in re-establishing a relationship with their young son, she manages to discover unnatural sudden changes in the behaviour of her clients and some of their family members. With the assistance of her friend Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig), she uncovers an unusual biological life form that is infecting people and taking over their bodies. Their memories are intact, but their emotions have been erased, except for the one driving motivation of spreading to every human host avail-
able. Our familiarity with the story works against The Invasion. The original motion picture has manifest itself in numerous forms in film and television, and could even be argued to be the inspiration for zombie films. Knowing this, one would assume that this film would try a little harder to build tension and suspense, but it doesn’t. There are a few chase scenes that liven things up for a few moments, but otherwise the whole experience is fairly dull, as though the folks making the movie have been robbed of their emotions, victims of the same biological threat featured in the picture. There are stories circulating that this
was heavily edited, rewritten and reshot earlier this year, almost a full year after initial filming had ended. My guess is that a film called The Invasion was probably a little closer to a political allegory of another recent invasion, and less the high flying exploitation of America’s xenophobia that the studio hoped. Whatever the case, it would be interesting to get a look at the original version, because it couldn’t be any worse than this. That is, of course, unless you prefer creepy movies that just aren’t creepy. Tim Conway operates Capitol Video in Rawlin’s Cross, St. John’s. His column returns Sept. 7.
INDEPENDENTSTYLE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 24-30, 2007 — PAGE 25
iSchool Students bring computers, cellphones and iPods into the classroom By John Rieti The Independent
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tudents will bury their heads in textbooks this September, or maybe they’ll be listening to their iPods. “Cover (your iPod) with a book, like, on your lap, and like, if you’re supposed to be, like, following along in the book, like, put your head down on your desk so (teachers) can’t really see … that works,” 14-year-old student Scottie Atkinson tells The Independent. Atkinson knows all the tricks — covering your ear with a sleeve, pulling up a hood, or growing shaggy hair can also work — although, of course, he says he doesn’t do it himself. This fall he’s entering Grade 10 at Gonzaga high school in St. John’s, and like many fellow students he’s outfitted with the three most common student technologies — his own computer, a portable digital music player, and a cellular telephone — items students now consider essential to their education. Atkinson says he uses his computer to research school projects and type up longer papers on Microsoft Word. Most of the time his computer runs MSN Messenger to chat with friends, plays music on iTunes and his Internet is connected to social-networking sites like Facebook and other favourites like YouTube.com. See “Soundtracks,” page 26
Gillian Williamson, 11, pose with an Apple laptop, iPod and Motorola cellphone. Paul Daly/The Independent
My oh my, what goin’s on out here A
young couple returned from their new Fort Mac home to tie the knot and there was some discord amongst the wedding party participants. “Never seen the likes,” I heard murmured more than once. What got tongues tittering was a wickedly delicious love triangle, involving the affections of the best man — a local lad known as Young Cyril. (Not sure why folks call him “Young Cyril” since “Old Cyril” is now “Long Dead and Gone Cyril” but I s’pose calling a fella “Young Cyril” is better than calling him “Still Around Cyril.” I am curious however as to what happens when “Young Cyril” gets old.) Our boy Cyril isn’t what anyone would call a Casanova-type and such shenanigans took him (and everyone
PAM PARDY GHENT
Seven-day talk else) by surprise — thus the community interest. The maid of honour was a lovely lass, a townie with bay ties. The rival for Young Cyril’s bayman heart was a bridesmaid down from Edmonton. She was visiting our province for the first time and found herself smitten with the unassuming handsomeness of Young Cyril and his Chevy-driving, cigarettesmoking, dart-playing, cod-jigging, moose-shooting (in season of course), beer-drinking maleness.
To make a long (and very dramatic) story short, the blonde gal from Alberta won our boy’s heart (smart move by Cyril considering he might be up there to work one of these days and need a place to stay) but the brunette Townie didn’t take defeat lying down. She put up an honourable fight for the heart of the temporarily unemployed carpenter. The maid of honour (the Townie) had to walk down the aisle with her lost love and she struggled to mask her disappointment. All hands waited for fireworks, but everyone (sigh) behaved themselves — in public anyway. The wedding brought excitement in other ways as the community filled with friends and relations. Late-night knocks were common and I kept opening my door to mystery and adventure.
Out here when someone knocks late you open your door blindly, flicking the lights on would give “eyes” (like those on the lookout for love triangle antics) access to what you are up to and by morning everyone would know some version of what you did the night before. There was nothing thrilling — just beer and darts in some dim-lit shed, but hey, that’s rockin’ action where I live. The excitement continued. A boat caught fire out on the Atlantic with a fella from down the bay on board. Chickie — the fella who is potentially going to build me a patio — spent three agonizing hours in the water before being rescued. His live-in love stripped him of his wet clothes upon his return, tucked him
in the bed, buttoned the door (anyone familiar with rural Newfoundland knows that buttoning your door means you aren’t at home so stay away) and headed up the harbour to fill the curious in on what happened. Damn dramatic, but life goes on. I’m waiting for things to calm down before I ask him (again) if he can get started on my patio now that the boat he was working on is out of commission. A lot of tourists were around last week too. I was walking my dog and this lady jumped out of her car and took my picture — or so I thought. Just as I was starting to feel like a celebrity (I do have two fans you know, and a special hello to Libby and Gordie), the lady See “Are those bike,” page 27
AUGUST 24, 2007
26 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
TASTE
Gazpacho gets fresh with this pasta ZITI WITH GRILLED GAZPACHO SAUCE By Susan Sampson Torstar wire service
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o crazy with fresh local produce as you whip up this pasta. It’s superb and will feed a crowd. For vegetarians, omit the sausage. For a mixed get-together, serve whole sausage on the side instead of slicing them into the pasta. Adapted from Gourmet magazine. This is saucy; depending on the size of your vegetables, there can be enough sauce to coat another quarter-pound of ziti. Ricotta salata is a firm, tangy sheep’s milk cheese; go to a cheesemonger for it. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least half an hour.
• About 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil • 2 tsp sea salt • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper • 1 1/2 lb (700 g) cherry tomatoes • 3 green bell peppers, seeded, halved lengthwise • 3 large zucchini (about 2 lb/900 g total),halved lengthwise • 3 small red onions (about 1 lb/450 g total), peeled, quartered lengthwise with root ends intact • 4 cloves garlic, peeled • 4 mild Italian sausages (about 1 lb/450 g total), optional • 3 tbsp sherry vinegar • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar • 1 lb (450 g) ziti • 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley • 1/3 cup chopped basil • 1/4 lb (120 g) ricotta salata, crumbled or shaved Preheat barbecue to medium-high.
In small measuring cup, stir together six tablespoons oil, one teaspoon salt and pepper. In medium bowl, toss tomatoes with bit of oil mixture. Thread onto skewers. Brush peppers, zucchini and onions with some oil mixture. Put garlic on double-layer square of foil. Drizzle with some oil mixture. Seal well. Put vegetables on large barbecue tray. Place on grill. Place garlic and sausages (if desired) on grill. Cover. Turn garlic frequently, and vegetables and sausage occasionally. Grill until tomatoes are charred and slightly wilted, about three minutes. Grill zucchini and onions until tender but still firm, about eight minutes. Grill peppers until skins are blistered and blackened, about 10 minutes. Grill garlic until softened, about 10 minutes. Grill sausages until browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes. As ingredients are done, remove to platters and cover with foil to keep warm. Peel peppers. Coarsely chop two pepper halves and two zucchini halves. Transfer to blender. Trim
and discard root ends off four onion quarters; add onion to blender. Add half the tomatoes. Add garlic. Add vinegar, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and sugar. Add enough oil (about two tablespoons) to remaining oil mixture to make a quarter cup. Add to blender. Purée until smooth. Cook ziti in large pot of boiling, salted water until tender but firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well. Meanwhile, add remaining tomatoes and their juices to large serving bowl. Cut remaining peppers and zucchini in small dice; add to bowl with their juices. Trim and discard root end off remaining onions. Coarsely chop onions; add to bowl with their juices. Slice sausages (if desired) in 1/2-inch rings; add to bowl with their juices. Cover to keep warm until ziti is done. Add ziti to bowl with vegetables. Add puréed vegetable mixture. Toss to combine. Sprinkle parsley and basil on top. Sprinkle ricotta salata on top. Makes eight servings.
Tomatoes ready for harvest.
Soundtracks of their lives From page 25 Craig Head, manager of the Computer Purchasing Centre at Memorial University, says almost every student buying a computer for the upcoming semester opts for a laptop outfitted with wireless Internet and the ability to use multimedia features like streaming video. The two most popular laptop brands are Toshiba, which runs the Windows operating system, and Apple, which has its own unique operating system. Head says Apple’s Macbook laptop (starting at $1,200) is one of the best sellers on campus, especially because it comes with a free iPod and printer. “Students want to be mobile. They want to be able to go to the library here on campus and work away … high-speed Internet is a must wherever you set up,” says Head, who adds that most of the MUN campus has wireless coverage. Students also pick up laptop accessories like cases, connectable mouse and keyboard kits and printers at Head’s store. He says portable memory sticks, some that come small enough to fit on keychains, are also very popular with students. The evolution of student technology is evident on websites like YouTube. Search for “high school sports highlights,” “classroom dancing,” or “teachers sleeping,” and you’ll find an assortment of videos put together by students using cellphone videocameras and digital movie editing software. Atkinson says a few of his friends record their own skateboarding footage and edit it together, often investing heavily in cameras and lenses. Digital point-and-shoot cameras have also become hugely popular with students who upload pictures from every party and event to sites like Facebook or Flickr.com. “When I go out with my friends, at least two of the girls will bring cameras and just go nuts,” says Atkinson, who adds it’s more of a girl thing. He says his junior high school had to crack down on cam-
eras in the classroom last year. The Eastern School District says its has no policy regarding what technology students can use and how they use it in the classroom, instead leaving it up to schools and teachers. “For the most part kids are asked to turn off their cellphones and iPods when they come into the classroom,” says a school board spokesperson. “(Technology) is something that certainly pulls in more challenges … it’s an emerging issue and we’re keeping an eye on it.” Apple’s iPod remains the most ubiquitous technology used by students, identified immediately by their white headphones and signature style. Atkinson says almost all of his friends own one. iPods range in price from $90 to over $300 based on model, storage space and capability to play video. Atkinson had a two-gigabyte Nano that he used before every basketball game until it died when he spilled water on it in his gym bag. He now owns a Creative Zen music player. “Sometimes I’ll be with a friend and he’ll have one headphone and I’ll have the other … it makes it really easy to learn about new music,” says Atkinson. Students now live sound-tracked lives, their every move accompanied by their favourite and most fitting tunes, right down to their ringtones. Atkinson has an LG cellphone from Telus. It’s already his second, replacing a Motorola he lost. His new phone doesn’t have a camera, but Atkinson says he can do everything he needs to — make calls, text message and store contacts. Text messaging has become extremely popular over the past two years, and kids often send over 100 messages a month from their cellphones. Texting can be costly if not anticipated when selecting a phone plan. Atkinson says his friends constantly text message, but he prefers a good old-fashioned phone call. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 27
Why the beer tastes better abroad ENGLAND here is an old saying that the grass is always greener on the other side — and it is true, I’ve seen it. Having travelled back and forth across the pond since I was a young boy, it has always been that the journey itself was the greatest pleasure. It’s sad to say the great British Motorways, the same roads that captivated me as a child, with all the fancy cars travelling on the wrong side of the road at great speeds, have changed. Those days are forever gone. The motorways are clogged, speed cameras are on every road and the continuing nanny state has crippled the nation that brought massed transit to the public during the Industrial revolution. During peak periods, Britain is a giant parking lot. However, because of this congestion, it has forced a change for the better. The smaller roads — the B roads — have become the future. The winding and meandering routes take you through small villages and opens up more of the country than sitting in a four-lane traffic jam. You see the countryside and in so doing pass by the best part: the village pub. The pub, along with a cup of tea and a biscuit, is a British institution. As you would expect, the establishments serve the locals a pint of beer and sometimes food. Throughout the country each pub has created its own character or personality. Some haven’t changed their appearance in hundreds of years. In one place I visited recently, one of the rooms was nearly 600 years old. The pub is part of the mystique of the land, and beer is as much a part of the pub as the building itself. More and
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NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the Eating Path more of the beers being served are locally made. As you travel you will see some of the pub standards, but wheat ales, browns, bitters and lagers served in one pub disappear once you move on to one a few miles away. The choices are massive and the pints are served not cold but cool. This practice of serving beer cool preserves the hops and the aromatics, retaining all the flavor, complexity and taste. Here, beer drinking is a national pastime and the real enthusiasts treat beer with the same respect as oenophiles give to wine. Where beer is served, food sometimes follows. Pubs here are warming up to the notion that good food is required to go with some of the better beers. Along the way, an industry of public houses where food dominates is developing. The rise of the gastropub in the countryside has changed eating for the better. I am a great fan of the modern gastropub. Although there is something a bit strange about ordering a cheese plate and a fresh sampling of antipasti at a local pub, that’s just what we did last week at the Inn for All Seasons in Burford, Oxfordshire. The plate consisted of several salamis, hams and prosciutto as well as local cheese made from both goat and sheep’s milk. Combined with the chef’s own chutney and hand-brined and picked olives, it was heaven. This is but one of many examples of
A traditional "last orders" bell behind the bar at The Speaker pub in Victoria, central London.
a really good deal: local food produced honestly and with integrity is what this country is all about. A few things to remember when driving through the English countryside looking for a spot of food and a pint of local ale. All pubs will sell a drink but not all sell food. The best way to check is to ask at the bar but, if you are planning on travelling from one pub to the next — as I have done over the last little
while — get a good guide. The Pub Guide, published by AA (the map makers) is a good starting point. Sometimes you see “free house” on the outside of the pub. This indicates the owners are not tied to a certain brewery or product and are more likely to have more variety of beers on hand. However, some pub chains have begun to acquire these “free houses” for their air of quality and are not very free at all.
Toby Melville/Reuters
Most pubs serve food for only a couple of hours at lunch time, generally from noon-2 p.m. After that, you’re out of luck until supper begins around 7 p.m. Cheers! Next week, I’ll be writing from Paris ... Nicholas Gardner is a freelance writer and erstwhile chef living in St. John’s. nicholas.gardner@gmail.com
‘Are those bikes licensed?’ From page 25 with the camera asked me to back out of her shot. Jack, our Cocker Spaniel, has a habit of lugging large chunks of driftwood home from the beach, which no one pays much attention to around here, and this snap-happy come-from-awayer found it picture-worthy. The same thing happened the next day, only this time the carload of Jack admirers piled out and we took to yarnin’ on the side of the road. The driver was a lady from Ontario who, on a weekend trip to Newfoundland, purchased a house in a nearby outport and was touring the area with more comefrom-away friends visiting her and her new rural Newfoundland home. They were in awe of the “simpleness” of our way of life, they said, as they gazed at our com-
munity from the road above. Something about that bothered me. I looked down and tried to see what they were seeing. I pointed to the only old-fashioned dory tied to a government wharf filled with expensive recreational and fishing vessels. The boat was owned by an American who came for a visit and bought a home, I explained. No one here actually fishes for a living from such boats anymore, I continued. I was ignored. They talked about tossing a rock and building a home where ever it landed, playfully picking a particularly picturesque spot out on the point where no home currently stood. I remembered when a house did stand there. I hung out often on its porch, waiting for my friend to come out to play.
The talk swirled around me about the “quiet beauty” of our outport and the “simple unassuming ways” of the people, just as some community boys roared up the hill towards us on dirt bikes. Conversation ceased — you can’t hear anything over those souped-up bikes — and eyes were covered to protect them from flying dirt and dust. The kids spun around, rocks spewing in all directions, just above us and sped past us once again. “Are those bikes licensed?” one fella asked, dis-
gusted his calm had been shattered. They climbed back into their vehicle to head for places more civilized. I merely shrugged. I couldn’t answer, I would have laughed out loud. I treated the kids to a bonfire on the beach that night, right next to the “no open fires” sign. As the kids roasted weiners I racked my brain for someone local to set Young Cyril up with. My oh my, what goin’s on out here. pamelamichpardy@yahoo.com
AUGUST 24, 2007
28 • INDEPENDENTFUN
EVENTS
Submit your events to Kayla Email: kayla.joy@theindependent.ca Phone: (709) 726-INDY (4639) Fax: (709) 726-8499
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24 • Dancin’ in the Street, Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre, 7:30 p.m. • Thomas Amusements, Kincourt, Stephenville, until Aug. 26. • The Beaches Heritage Centre, Eastport, presents Terra Nova National Park in The Return of Clayton, comedy play, 7 p.m. SATURDAY, AUGUST 25 • Voices from the Past – Remembering Days Gone By, Bell Island dinner theatre, St. Michael’s Hall, town square, 7 p.m., 351-2013, islanddinnertheatre@hotmail.com. • Introduction to Zine Making, workshop with Craig Francis Power, St. Michael’s Printshop, 72 Harbour Dr., St. John’s, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., 7542931. • First View of the Sea, Tramore Theatre, Cuslett, Cape Shore, Placentia, 8 p.m., 337-2104. • Munsch ‘n’ Music, 3 p.m., and CanCon Opry, 7:30 p.m., Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre. • One Night Stand, ’70s and ’80s dance band, Bella Vista, 26 Torbay Rd., St. John’s, 9 p.m. • Mt. Pearl Minor Hockey Skills and Drills/Sweat Camp, 364-5352, until Aug. 30, www.bladeshockey.com. SUNDAY, AUGUST 26 • Samarpan Meditation Workshop, council chambers room, 2nd floor University Centre, MUN, St. John’s, 4-5:30 p.m., 754-1133, free admission. • Grease, Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre, 7:30 p.m. • Traditional Latin Mass, Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Mercy Convent, Military Road, St. John’s, 9:15 a.m., also 12:10 p.m. Aug. 28. • A Traditional Kitchen Party with tunes, tales and dance, The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave., St. John’s, 2 p.m. MONDAY, AUGUST 27 • Edge of the Water, artistic performance of original dance and live music, Majestic Theatre, St. John’s, 8 p.m., Aug. 27-28. • So You Think You Can Dance … Like a Newfoundlander, The Seabird Theatre Festival, The Theatre, Newtown, 8 p.m., 1-866NLPLAYS. • Films on the Go 2007, Twin Cinemas, Clarenville, 7 p.m., Aug. 27-28. • Painting Studio with Tara Bryan, workshop for individuals with previous painting experience, Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art and Design, St. John’s, 739-7623, until Aug. 29. • Drawing in Ink workshop with Boyd Chubbs, previous skills required, Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art and Design, St. John’s, 739-7623, until Aug. 31. TUESDAY, AUGUST 28 • The Gill’s Dinner Theatre and a Show, Episode 53, The Seabird Theatre Festival, The Theatre, Newtown, 7 p.m., also showing Aug. 29, 31, and Sept. 1, 1-866-NLPLAYS. • Sounds of Summer concert series, Majestic Lawn, Corner Brook, 7-9 p.m. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29 • Thomas Amusements, adjacent to Marine Atlantic, Port-aux-Basques, until Aug. 31. • Films on the Go 2007, Arcturus Theatre, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, 7 p.m., Aug. 29-30. • Picket Line at Folk Night, Ship Pub, 9:30 p.m. THURSDAY, AUGUST 30 • The Novaks at Summer Music Showcase, Hotel Gander, 8 p.m. • Wrong For Each Other, The Seabird Theatre Festival, The Theatre, Newtown, 8 p.m., 1-866-
Edge of the Water, featuring choreography by Meghan McCabe (above) and music by Mark Bragg, at the Majestic Theatre, St. John’s, Aug. 27-28. Paul Daly/The Independent
NLPLAYS. • Sounds of Summer concert series, Margaret Bowater Park, Corner Brook, 7-9 p.m. • Midsummer Night’s Dream children’s performance at Arts Under the Stars, Elizabeth Swan Park, Clarenville, 7:30 p.m. • Weaving the Wind Celtic harp recital, Basilica Museum, Military Road, St. John’s, 1-2 p.m. FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 • The Admirals Feast dinner theatre, The Colonnade, St. John’s, 576-2779. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 • Final showing of First View of the Sea by Tramore Productions, Cuslett Art Center, 8 p.m., 337-2104. • Tour de Shore 2007, two-day cycling event, Riverhead, St. Mary’s Bay to Goulds, www.tourdeshore.ca.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 • Viking to Vinland Half Marathon, L’Anse aux Meadows, 623-2018, www.valhalla-lodge.com. • The French Guy Art Show, paintings by Alain Potrel, Distortion night club, St. John’s, 8 p.m. UPCOMING EVENTS • Equestrian Association Show, provincial horse show, Sept. 8, 22-23, St. John’s, 726-0826, free admission. • Fall Plant Sale, MUN Botanical Gardens, Mount Scio Road, St. John’s, 10 a.m., Sept. 8. • Flatrock Penitential Pilgrimage, walk to begin at junction of Windgap and Torbay roads, 12 p.m. Mass at 4 p.m. • Bridget Mulrooney Memorial Golf Tournament, in aid of the Children’s Wish Foundation, 2 p.m., The Wilds, Salmonier Line, Sept. 14. • Walk for Life and Family Fun Day, presented by the Right to Life Association, Legion Hall, The Boulevard, Quidi Vidi Lake, St. John’s, Sept. 15, 579-1500. • Big Land Fair, annual fall harvest festival, E.J. Broomfield Memorial Arena, Happy ValleyGoose Bay, Sept. 15. • Eyes Across the Province: Newfoundland and Labrador’s Invasive Alien Species, workshop, MUN Botanical Gardens, Mt. Scio Road, St. John’s, Sept. 22, registration required, 737-8590. • The Fables, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, Sept. 22, Gander Arts and Culture Centre, Sept. 24, Gorden Pinsent Centre for the Arts, Grand Falls-Windsor, Sept. 25, Labrador West Arts and Culture Centre, Sept. 27, Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre, Sept. 28, Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre, Sept. 29. • AIDS Walk for Life, Quidi Vidi Lake, St. John’s, Sept. 23. • CLB Band Reunion, CLB Armoury, Harvey Road, St. John’s, Oct. 11, 747-5701 or 579-4800. ONGOING: • Easter Seals seeking clothes donations, includ-
ing overalls, rubber boots, fleece jackets, pajama bottoms and tops, wigs, mannequins, and canes, and volunteers over 16 years of age for Harbour Haunt 2007, contact Amanda, 754-1399, or apply at www.easterseals.nf.ca. • 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. • 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, call 364-6845 for reservations, 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 St., St. John’s, 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. • Summer activities, Cochrane Street United Church, tours, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., lunch, 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., organ recitals, 1:15 p.m., bridge or auction, 2-4 p.m., Thursdays, until Aug. 30. • Sounds of Summer Concert Series, Corner Brook, until 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 through Fridays, 1-3 p.m. • The Capital Project, exhibition of 28 paintings of St. John’s, 1850-1950 by Realist Artists of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s City Hall Lobby, throughout summer. • Gros Morne Theatre Festival, Main Street, Cow Head, until Sept. 15, 1-877-243-2899, www.theatrenewfoundland.com/gmtf.html. • Wartime St. John’s Oral History Project, sponsored by the Paul Johnson Family Foundation, will result in a book tentatively entitled Occupied St. John’s. Interviewees needed, 747-4113, or please email k_ohare@alcor.concordia.ca. IN THE GALLERIES: • Newfoundland a Place Called Home, clay sculpture exhibition depicting life for a Newfoundland family before Confederation, second floor Heritage Shop, 309 Water St., St. John’s, free admission. • Conception Bay Museum, 1 Water St., 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, St. John’s, throughout summer. • The Battery: People of the Changing Outport tells the story of The Battery, of dramatic social, cultural and economic changes occurring in many outport communities, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Sept. 3. • Two Artists Time Forgot, highlighting the achievements of Margaret Campbell MacPherson and Francis Jones Bannerman, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Sept. 3. • Building a Boat Before Your Eyes, Jerome Canning’s construction of a Rodney from stem to stern, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Sept. 3. Schedule available at www.therooms.ca/museum. • Brian Jungen’s Vienna, giant sculpture in the form of a pristine whale skeleton suspended from the gallery’s cathedral ceiling, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Sept. 16. • Finest Kind: Objects of Identity, sampling display of Newfoundland’s stories of nationhood, World War I, and life on the land and sea through artifacts, artwork, images and documents, The Rooms, level 2, St. John’s, until Sept. 16. • Natural Energies by Anne Meredith Barry (1931–2003), including 90 works created since 1982, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Sept. 30.
AUGUST 24-30, 2007
FEATURED VEHICLE
The 2008 Subaru Impreza’s performance edge comes from its distinctive powertrain, as this model has always been available with all-wheel drive. It provides extra traction in wet conditions and, on higher horsepower models, works in combination with the Impreza’s well-sorted chassis to provide excellent handling. For power, the Impreza has always been equipped with its unusual, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder engine. In just about every measure, the current model is the best yet. With a 173-hp, 2.5-litre Subaru Boxer engine, 166 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpms, symetrical all-wheel-drive, sport-tuned four-wheel independent suspension, sport-designed front seats with height-adjustable active front-seat head restraints and an eight-watt, four-speaker audio system with single in-dash CD player, the 2008 Subaru Impreza combines power and comfort in one package. The 2008 Impreza is available at Capital Subaru, 33-37 Elizabeth Ave., in St. John’s. Nicholas Langor/The Independent
Separation anxiety How will columnist Mark Wood get by without his roadster fix?
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n the fourth and final badges to indicate the lineweek of my vacation I age. Placing the wheels well lived out my teenage forward and rearward into fantasy and took out another the body gives it an aggresroadster. sive stance. Brushed aluAt this stage of my life I minum door handles inside deserve both. I’ve worked at and out are a 350Z tradethe same place for two and a mark flair. The power roof half eternities with my nose to opens or closes in a mere 10 MARK the grindstone and it takes a seconds (by my watch) and WOOD full month to grow it back. As only engages when the vehifor the roadster, if you’re past WOODY’S cle is completely stopped. the basic transportation stage The roof storage cowling has WHEELS a pair of subtle, tapered in your life and can fully appreciate the thrill of driving accents that blend nicely then you should try one too. I should with the seats and work in conjunction caution, however, that short-term expo- with a small wind deflector between the sure to super fine machinery leads to a seats to eliminate wind buffeting. small amount of separation anxiety and As with almost all machines these “demi” depression, as I call it. Unless days the 350Z is abundantly computeryou’ve got intentions of maintaining a ized, making it an incredibly responlong-term relationship, I’d advise you sive vehicle. The first indicator of highto stay well clear of the 2007 Nissan er technology is the left gauge of the tri350Z. cluster in the center of the dash. That It’s very hard to give the keys back. particular gage displays current speed, It’s a car I’ve admired for a long time average speed, fuel efficiency, distance and lately gotten to know very well. to empty, outside temperature, tire presVisually, it’s stunning, with subtle sure and total driving time.
The vehicle may have brains, but have perspiration sensors in the steerthere’s brawn too in the form of accel- ing wheel or something to figure that eration, traction, braking and linear one out.) When things are going fine, momentum. though, and acceleratThe 306 hp, 3.5L Ving smoothly, the trac6 is controlled by a tion control system As I cruised New fly-by-wire throttle (TCS) and the limited system with variable Gower Street … the slip differential apply timing actuated by maximum power to dual exhausts barked whichever rear wheel vehicle speed, engine speed and the driver’s has the best grip. beautifully and intent to accelerate. If one wheel should Acceleration is also imperceptibly slip reverberated off each then the EBD will affected by input from the Vehicle Dynamic subtly brake it to the tall row of Control (VDC) syscorrect speed. Tractem, which measures tion control was multi-coloured lateral momentum or deemed to be a disunnecessary vehicle “nexty-next” houses. tinct advantage in drift. If that cuts in competition and banyou could also expect ned from Formula a visit from the Electronic Brake-force One racing. It’s completely reassuring Distribution (EBD) system, which to note that the entire computerized would apply anti-lock braking (AB) in process of acceleration with the most efficient manner unless you’re VDC/EBD/AB/TCS is constantly already in a panic to stop. Sensing your measured at a rate of about 200 times urgency it will apply maximum emer- per second. gency (EBD/AB) braking. (It must Roll that computerized package on a
load of sticky 18-inch tires, crank up the 240-watt Bose audio system (six CD in dash, mp3/wma) with a pair of over-sized speakers directly behind the seats, and head into town. Row through the short-shift, close-ratio six-speed transmission, goose it in the corners and realize that Nissan’s VQ35HR engine (HR for high-revving) has 268 ft/lbs of torque. Rather than winding out the engine to 7,500 rpm redline, play with the abundant mid-range power and realize that the 350Z is an extremely stylish, deft-handling torquemonster. As I cruised New Gower Street in downtown St. John’s the dual exhausts barked beautifully and reverberated off each tall row of multicoloured “nexty-next” houses. As a sports car it possesses the final essential ingredient, a distinct signature exhaust note, and she sounds as good as she looks. Mark Wood of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s is currently in roadster remission and will probably burn up on reentry to the workforce.
AUGUST 24, 2007
30 • INDEPENDENTSHIFT
Factors that affect car insurance rates By Ellen Roseman Torstar wire service
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hat determines the rate you pay for car insurance? If you’re in a more populated area with more vehicles on the road, your chances of getting into an accident are higher — and your chances of losing your car to theft are higher, too. Besides your postal code, here are other factors that car insurance companies can take into account when setting your rate. THE CAR YOU DRIVE Insurance companies rate makes and models of vehicles according to their actual claims experience. They look at the likelihood your car will be stolen or involved in an accident and how much it will cost to repair. You can find details for 1993 to 2005 models in an online booklet, How Cars Measure Up, at the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s website, www.ibc.ca. YOUR DRIVING RECORD This includes at-fault accidents, the length of time you’ve been licensed to drive, whether you’ve taken a driver’s training course that the insurer recognizes, and driving convictions, such as speeding and impaired or careless driving. HOW MUCH YOU DRIVE The more time you spend on the road, the higher your chances of getting into an accident. If you live close to work, you probably will have a lower premium than someone who lives far from work or who needs to use his or her vehicle for business. You can reduce rates by using public transit, but you should tell your insurer if you drive to a subway, bus or train station. YOUR AGE AND GENDER Mature drivers generally pay less than younger drivers. At 25 years old, drivers usually can see a decrease in their insurance premiums. Also, young male drivers generally pay more than young female drivers. This may sound discriminatory. However, car insurance companies must have their rates approved by an arm’s length agency of the provincial government. “Companies have to provide us with actuarial data that supports any of the rates they’re charging,” says Rowena McDougall, a spokeswoman for the the Financial Services Commission of Ontario. Here’s a list of factors that car insurance companies can’t take into account when deciding how much you will pay: • Your employment history. • Your credit history or credit score. • Your gross or net worth and level of indebtedness. • A bankruptcy or history of bankruptcy. • Whether or not you own a credit card. • How long you’ve lived in your residence. • Whether or not you own a home. • Whether your vehicle is owned or leased. • Whether there was a period of time when you had no car insurance coverage.
hope
SAVING WAYS To save money on car insurance, you can increase your deductibles (the outof-pocket amount you pay on collision and comprehensive claims). You can install a theft deterrent system — but check with your insurance company to find out what systems qualify. Ask your insurance company, agent or broker about any discounts that may apply to you. Can you save money if you insure more than one vehicle or if you buy your home insurance from the company? What if you have been with the company for a certain number of years without an at-fault accident? What if you’re retired? What if your teenaged driver has good marks in school? It never hurts to ask, since each company applies discounts differently.
For every question there is an answer.
We’re here.
Hope through education, support and solutions. 1.800.321.1433
www.arthritis.ca
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTSHIFT • 31
Burgess to race at Mosport Norris McDonald Torstar wire service
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oronto’s Tony Burgess, the 24 Hours of Le Mans veteran who keeps in shape for racing by tooling around Toronto in a Smart car, will partner American LeMans Series driver Chris McMurry at the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport Aug. 26. Burgess will drive a brand new Jean Richard Creation CA06 Judd for Autocon Motorsports in the P1 category. Burgess and McMurry will be going head-to-head with the all-powerful Audi diesel-powered team. “Tony brings a ton of experience at Mosport that can only help boost our efforts at this wonderful track,” Autocon team owner Michael Lewis says. “We always look forward to racing at Mosport, which is among the best and most challenging circuits in the world. To have an experienced prototype pilot such as Tony will help us achieve the results we search for at each event.” Burgess, who’s driven numerous classes of cars at Mosport in years past, has recently been racing in Europe in both production
and prototype cars. He has driven in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race five times and his top finish was third place in the GT2 class in a Porsche in 2000. “When I am in Toronto, I practice in my Smart car,” he writes in an e-mail. “The control inputs are similar: paddle shifting, left foot braking and maximum throttle for 95 per cent of the time. And even then it’s hard to exceed the speed limit! Great fun.” Added Burgess in a release: "Mosport is my home track and I think it is the best in the world, right up there with Spa. Mosport suits the high-power aero cars, as there have been no awkward corners inserted to slow the cars down. “I am really looking forward to climbing into the Creation in front of my home crowd and bringing Autocon a good result. The ALMS has some of the best drivers and teams in the world and it is a privilege to join them in competition." The Grand Prix of Mosport flags off at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26, at the historic Bomanville-area track. World-class international drivers like Emanuele Pirro, Allan McNish, Bryan Herta and Canadians Ron Fellows and Scott Maxwell will see action.
‘Every time we talked oil, we talked love’
M
en communicate with each other in a secret code. I was made aware of this code through my father. While my mother could meet and bond in 30 seconds with a complete stranger over labour pains or a potato salad recipe, my father could sit for three hours with his best friend LORRAINE of 30 years and utter just one SOMMERFELD sentence: “So, you change your oil recently?” If the conversation got especially warm and fuzzy, they’d progress to mileage. I had no idea if they were actually commenting on how work was going, if the Leafs were going to screw up their picks again, or if marriage truly was a game of give and take. No matter how I twisted my secret decoder ring, I only heard “oil.” This was a generation who changed their own oil. Twenty years ago, I worked at Consumers Distributing. We used to sell oil by the case, and my father would wait for a sale and have me bring home a few cases of Quaker State at a time. I probably still have some in the garage, and he’s been gone nearly eleven years. Other than tomato plants, it’s one of the few things I can recall my father purchasing. Every time one of us came home, you’d see my Dad popping the hood of our cars and checking our oil. He wasn’t a guy to dole out hugs with much frequency, and if you got a “love you, kid” every few months it made you dance. But I knew that every time we talked oil, we talked love. I also learned to never have all the ansMy father drove his wers, even if I did. He needed to cars hard, and tell me something I didn’t believed that frequent know, and I needoil changes would ed to let him. If I or my sisward off repairs like ters brought home a guy, my garlic would fend off mother would feed them and vampires. fuss over them and covertly try to ascertain if they might one day end up going to med school. If my father liked them, he’d ask what weight oil they were running now it was getting cold. It was a conversational dipstick to measure the lad’s suitability to be dating one of Al’s girls. More than one prospective boy was snuck the right answers on the way to the door. My father drove his cars hard, and believed that frequent oil changes would ward off repairs like garlic would fend off vampires. It worked in theory, though when I hopped in the kitchen one day and told Mom that I was helping Dad replace the brakes, she put an end to the driveway clinics and insisted he take it to the heavy hitters. He also ate a lot of garlic, come to think of it. Though I think that just warded off Mom. If a new neighbour moved in, the kids would size each other up instantly as the moms discussed garbage days and grocery stores. You’d soon see a cluster of men just standing around a boat, a lawnmower, a car or a chainsaw, until you’d hear the inevitable line. “So, what you running in that thing?” Years ago, when I first met my boyfriend’s folks, I babbled nervously with his family as he sat stoically. His father was equally quiet, until I heard what I’d been waiting for. “So, you been changing the oil in your car? You keeping it in good shape?” Not just words to live by; words of love. www.lorraineonline.ca
POWER SHIFT
VINTAGE ROADSTERS
A driver walks past former Formula Junior race cars during the 35th AvD-Oldtimer-Grand Prix at the western German Nuerburgring circuit earlier this month. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters
AUGUST 24, 2007
32 • INDEPENDENTFUN
WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 Change employers frequently 7 Alaskan island 11 Prophet 17 A moon of Jupiter 18 Hunk 20 Kind of mould 21 ___ Continents (Ronald Wright) 22 Owl (Fr.) 23 Weasel’s kin 24 Mark animals to study 25 Ladies of Limoges 27 Advantage 29 Maid’s introduction? 30 Old-fashioned oath 32 ___ tongues (NL dish) 33 Divided nation 35 Rock music feature 36 Gives a new title to 38 ___ couture 39 Bartletts 40 Train service 41 Author Sakamoto 42 Max.’s opposite 43 Author Gallant 46 Causes of disease 47 He calls Muslims to prayer 51 Among 52 Cuban dance 53 Dagger handle 54 Shogunate capital 55 Retina receptor 56 Afternoon TV fare
57 Trivial 58 Shut-eye site 59 -ish 60 Search thoroughly 61 Indian capital 62 Highland hillside 63 L. Okanagan creature, first sighted in 1920’s 65 Deserves 66 Mountain range between Asia and Europe 67 Magnetite, e.g. 68 Refuge 69 ___ Lanka 70 Has not 73 Choir voice 74 Alta. town with giant Ukrainian sausage 78 Impressed 79 Stephen or Avi 80 Dripping 81 Dash 82 Musical instrument, for short 83 Noon in Nantes 84 Influence 86 Motel features 87 Northern vehicle 89 Winter hat 92 Ottawa canal 94 Wound 95 Inuit ancestors 96 Come into one’s own 97 Goes in 98 Thaw
CHUCKLE BROS
SOLUTION ON PAGE 34
99 Somehow just knew DOWN 1 Clown 2 Interruption 3 Coarse leather work shoe 4 Whole: comb. form 5 Page facing the editorials 6 Cure-all 7 Needed liniment 8 The one here 9 Bathroom fixture 10 Italian one 11 Greek finale 12 Not quite done 13 Banking convenience 14 Black Sea peninsula 15 Straight and narrow 16 Brings to bear 19 Pianist, Beethoven specialist 26 Nov. and Dec. 28 River to the Irish Sea 31 Michelangelo sculpture 33 Reaping what you sow 34 Belonging to us 35 German car pioneer 37 Wrong: prefix 38 Rosemary and rue 39 Religious devotion 41 Neatly kept 42 Interpreter of
Muslim law 43 “The Magnificent” Lemieux 44 Surrounded by 45 DVD’s forerunner 46 Seabirds’ droppings 47 Alg. and trig. 48 Mussel menacing L. Erie 49 Standard of perfection 50 Centre points 52 Red (Fr.) 53 Trojan beauty 56 Brusque 57 A Gzowski 61 Swiss resort 62 Veiled marcher 64 Ocean ___, NL 65 Raipur royal 66 Container 68 Longtime hockey broadcaster 69 Surgeon’s stitches 70 Bother 71 Come to 72 Misogynist 73 Lindsay of Hockey’s Hall of Fame 74 “Cultural Revolution” leader 75 Changes 76 Do ruinous damage 77 Followed 79 B.C. athletes 80 Armada 83 Tie up (a boat) 84 Select from a large quantity
85 Beauty’s enemy, maybe 88 Stop running
90 Unit of electrical resistance 91 Prov. with about
25% of Canada’s population 93 Kick-back room
Brian and Ron Boychuk
WEEKLY STARS ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 19) Be careful not to allow the backers of a new financial “deal” to pull the wool over the Lamb’s eyes. It could hold fewer plusses and more negatives than you were first led to believe. TAURUS (APRIL 20 TO MAY 20) It’s a good idea to finish all incomplete tasks so that you can devote your attention to next week’s projects. The weekend could hold surprises for romantic Fernandas and Ferdinands. GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) A workplace suggestion you made a while ago that you might have forgotten could come back with a request to turn it from idea to reality. Your social life picks up considerably this weekend. CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)
Someone from the past could return with an intriguing opportunity for a future project. By all means, check into it. But don’t neglect your current responsibilities in the meantime. LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG.22) Keeping your claws sheathed and using good humor instead to counter someone who’s badmouthing the Big Cat isn’t easy. But it’s the best way to avoid more problems down the line. VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) A workplace situation could improve if you’re less critical and more supportive of those who are, after all, trying to do their best. Let them know you’re there to help when necessary. LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) A new job offer might not carry all the benefits you’re seeking.
Make sure you know what you’re entitled to, what is off the table and what is negotiable before you make a decision. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) A social obligation you would rather get out of could hold some surprisingly positive aspects. Why not go and see for yourself? A family member makes a curious request. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) Before tackling that new project awaiting you at home or on the job, take time out for some muchdeserved pampering to help lift your spirits and restore your energy levels. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) Your social calendar begins to fill up more quickly than you expected. And that’s great. You deserve to enjoy some good fun after so
much time spent on serious matters. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) A domestic situation continues to improve, thanks to all the tender, loving concern you have shown. A colleague makes a questionable move that you might want to check out sooner, rather than later. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MARCH 20) A sudden turn in a romantic relationship calls for both a rational and passionate response. Keep the love level high, but also find out why the problem arose in the first place. YOU BORN THIS WEEK: You often set high standards for others. But to your credit, you set the same expectations for yourself. (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 34
INDEPENDENTSPORTS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AUGUST 24-30, 2007 — PAGE 33
Ward Gosse is one of many key players on the Host Newfoundland fastpitch softball team.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Great expectations By Brian Callahan The Independent
F
or Glenn Littlejohn, life these days is all about perseverance and winning. As mayor of Bay Roberts, the havoc wreaked recently on his town by tropical storm Chantal is a daily challenge. Then there’s his Tory candidacy for the provincial district of Port de Grave in the upcoming Oct. 9 provincial election. Oh, and by the by, he’s also coaching a team in a national softball tournament next week. Not just any tournament. In fact, whichever team wins the Labatt 2007 Senior Men’s Fastpitch Championships, slated for Aug. 26Sept. 2 in St. John’s, would be a solid contender for a world title. So is Littlejohn feeling the pressure? “With the type of leadership we’ve got, I don’t think I’d call it pressure,” Littlejohn tells The Independent. “I think it’s expectation — our own expectations. We expect to be playing on Sunday (Sept. 2 in the final). And we’ve got every intention of being there.” It’s hard to argue that point. Newfoundland has three teams entered in the tournament. Grumpy Stump and Impact Signs are solid contenders.
With three teams entered in 2007 national fastpitch championships in St. John’s, province expected to do well; Alberta team has 10 Newfoundlanders But with names like Colin Abbott, Ward Gosse, Blair Langmead, Robbie O’Brien, et al on Littlejohn’s lineup card, one might suggest his Host Newfoundland team is stacked. Not Littlejohn. “I wouldn’t call it ‘stacked.’ We’ve assembled a good team and we’ve attracted some quality players,” he counters. “We’ve just tried to put a good team on the field that gives us the best opportunity to win. “And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?” At this level, yes. Make no mistake, however, it won’t be easy. After all, it’s still a team game. Bats can go cold, and pitching — which dominates the fastpitch game at this level — can go south. Hits are often scarce when the best teams square off, although Littlejohn is confident his lineup will make a dent or two. Portugal Cove-native Colin Abbott, for example, is coming off a world title and first all-star team
performance just last week at the 2007 International Softball Congress World Tournament in Kitchener, Ont. “He’s played for Canada and in international competition for the last 15 years,” notes Littlejohn. “If he’s not the best player in the world, he’s one of the most feared. When you have a Colin Abbott on your team you have instant respect. That’s just the type of individual he is.” Watching Abbott in action will be worth the price of admission alone, says national tournament chairman Gary Corbett. But there are other reasons to take in the show, not the least of which is the presence of two other Newfoundland entries. In a nutshell, the tournament will feature the crème de la crème of the province’s fastpitch softball elite. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for some of those top players — many of whom have moved away to work and play — to return home and show their wares. They won’t all be playing for
their home province, though. The Alberta team, for example, sports no less than 10 born-andbred Newfoundlanders. One of them, James Dunphy, will actually find himself in the unique position of playing against his province and father, Jim, who’s coaching Grumpy Stump. “It’s definitely different. But it’s all softball, too. You just have to get yourself into a different mindset,” Dunphy, 27, told The Independent shortly after arriving home from Calgary where he’s worked as a geologist since 2004. “Basically, we are a Newfoundland team. Newfoundland No. 4, I guess. But I’d give us a very good shot this year. We were a sleeper last year and this year too, because we don’t have any big names. But we have a good team. We play together a lot.” Dunphy says the toughest part will be separating vacation time from the “big tournament. “So I’ve got to have that mindset of playing ball, but also trying to see and meet up with everyone
before I go back (to Alberta). Lots of obligations, trying to balance that out and trying to win the thing, too.” Littlejohn, for one, won’t be taking the so-called Come From Aways for granted. “You’re always afraid of teams that have nothing to lose,” he says. “Obviously, the boys are coming home and they would like to put on a good show … and any time you play locals there’s always reason to be a little bit nervous and a little bit anxious. “And there’s a little bit of pride and bragging rights, too.” Corbett, meanwhile, who was only tapped in early May to make the tournament happen, credits everyone else with making it a reality. “The city, for example, has been great with a tremendous amount of workers flat out. It’s because of them the field will be ready,” Corbett tells The Independent. “Same goes for the province. It would not have been possible without that support.” He notes it can take a year or two to organize an event of this magnitude. “When I took over, I’ll admit I was worried, but fortunately I was able to get a core group of people See “The work,” page 34
A smashing success
Canadian men’s rugby team returns to capital city for final World Cup tuneup game against The Rock
P
at Parfrey has always been known in sports circles to tell it like it is. Whenever a Parfrey-coached team plays in a rugby match, the Irishman will tell you what he thought after the game — whether his team played well or poorly. He’s not one to mince words, or to sugarcoat things. In Parfrey’s rugby world, there’s black and white. So when he says something is going to be good, you can take it to the bank. Tuesday morning at Swilers Rugby Complex in St. John’s, Parfrey did just that, informing the assembled media that Saturday’s exhibition game between the Rock — with Rugby Canada SuperLeague titles in 2005 and 2006 to their credit — and the Canadian senior men’s team is definitely worth watching. “People are going to see top quality (rugby),” Parfrey stated in the press
DON POWER
Power Point
conference, “the best rugby game that’s going to be played in Newfoundland this year, and probably for years to come.” Even Canadian head coach Ric Suggitt, who jogged up from the practice pitch to participate in the question and answer session with the media, agreed. “It’s gonna be a great game,” Suggitt concurred. “The Rock has 12 players on the NA4 East team. I don’t think we’re going to score 70 points against them.” What makes the game more impres-
sive than just another exhibition match say a heck of a lot about the sport here, is that the Canadian team — Suggitt’s and the respect it garners nationwide, boys — asked to play it, and asked to then nothing does. finish their World Cup training camp “It’s a huge measure of respect that here in St. John’s. they asked to play here,” Parfrey told The national men’s me after the event, team is preparing for walking across the “… they like playing in Swilers pitch to the rugby World Cup, which starts Sept. 9 in watch the national France. (Canada plays front of a knowledgeable team practise. “I Wales, Fiji, Japan and it is an honour crowd, even if they’re think Australia in Group B.) that they did so. It’s The team has trained not supporting them.” an ideal place to in Vancouver and train. Ottawa prior to their “We’ve got good Pat Parfrey St. John’s visit. facilities because They’ve played the weather is not British Columbia out west and the side roasting hot. from Portugal in the nation’s capital. “We’ve got a friendly environment But this is where Suggitt wanted to where they can socialize in the city bring his charges for the final prepara- without any big problems. tions. St. John’s. To play Newfound“The players playing for Canada like land’s top rugby team. If that doesn’t being in St. John’s,” Parfrey continued.
“They like it from a social perspective and they like it because the facilities are good, and they like playing in front of a knowledgeable crowd, even if they’re not supporting them. “They really enjoyed themselves last year.” Ah, yes, last year. Canada was in the midst of its qualifying rounds for this year’s World Cup when it again chose St. John’s for a monumental event. Canada “smashed the United States” 56-7 (Suggitt’s words) in that match, propelling Canada on to France. And when Rod Snow scored his try for Canada, many people thought it was an exclamation point in Snow’s illustrious and international career. How wrong we were. Snow, the 37-year-old prop, has been once again added to the national side See “On national,” page 34
AUGUST 24, 2007
34 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
Last crack at the trout I
t was chilly this morning when I first poked my nose out though the patio door and ventured onto our deck. There could be no doubting that fall was in the air. I darted inside to check the kettle — no coffee outside this morning. I sipped my morning java at the kitchen table and embraced the warming sensation of caffeine seeping into my blood stream. My favourite chemical vice, well worth the ensuing heartburn, relaxed my body and set my brain cells in motion. And what did my firing neurons bother themselves about? Fishing of course. I love fall but late summer’s first hints of yellowing leaves and cold winds always make me a little forlorn. The final curtain is falling on another summer’s fishing. Much snow must fall and gales blow before another is born with the buds of spring. Only the fall sea trout fishery and hunting keeps me sane. Enough of this lamenting. There’s still a few weeks of pond trouting left and those August brookies are always plump and tasty, not to mention eager to devour a floating offering of fur and feather. They’ve been gorging themselves on mayflies and caddis all summer but their appetites remain unsatisfied. Something like me and fishing — I guess it’s nature’s way of seeing them through a long, ice-covered winter. I’ve certainly been blessed this summer and done more than my share of casting flies. There are a bunch of new angling friends listed on my Hotmail contacts and even a couple of fishing stamps on my passport. But there is something about an
evening trouting here on The Rock that keeps me rooted; that and our 177 salmon rivers. Evenings spent trouting is where fishing started for me, albeit not quite as sophisticated. At 10 I knew nothing of entomology or hatching insects. Trout loved worms and that was that. Later, I wondered why I never saw any fat, juicy earthworms crawling or swimming around my favourite ponds. Funny thing about fish and worms — the truth is, of course, that a trout’s natural diet is predominantly insect-based. I began dangling black gnats, cow dung, and dusty millers and discovered fly fishing. This evening the mayflies are out. The water is still and glassy — not a breeze remains of this morning’s gusty preamble to fall. Ephemeroptera are lying on the water drying their propped-up wings — sitting ducks for hungry trout. Here and there one disappears under a dark swirl in the otherwise slick surface. A loon is calling from somewhere down the pond. A mother and six young mergansers are feeding near the mouth of a small brook. I’m sure they need the trout more than me and are far more efficient at catching them. For me it’s just a game and I’m anticipating an entertaining evening. Although I will certainly appreciate a few trout fried in butter for tomorrow’s breakfast. I’m not an expert on aquatic insect
Solutions for crossword on page 32
Solutions for sudoku on page 32
PAUL SMITH
The Rock
Outdoors
Some of Paul Smith’s favourite mayfly patterns.
taxonomy so I can’t tell you the exact species, but I do know they are about size 12, with brownish bodies, two tails and translucent wings. And I have a fly in my box that matches them close enough for the hungry and not-so-fussy trout on New Harbour Barrens. I cast my imitation and it lands gently on the still pond. Nothing. I twitch it along just a few inches and wham! My fly disappears, my rod reaches skyward and the line goes taut. I ease the feisty brookie gently toward the shoreline, trying to keep him under water. Too much pressure and he’d be splashing up a storm, sending all his buddies swimming for cover — mayflies or none. He reaches the rocks and I lift him out of the water and into the soft, green moss that lines my favourite pond. I take a moment to breathe the evening air and look around me. Both the mergansers and the trout are still feeding, undisturbed by my fun. I untangle my line from the bushes and make another cast toward a bigger swirl. I always consider myself blessed to be in the middle of a mayfly hatch. They usually occur in late evening and
Paul Smith photo.
are a spectacle unto themselves aside from the trout that are inevitably chasing them. Mayflies have a characteristic fourstage life cycle: egg, nymph, dun, spinner. Eggs are laid in summer and mature into an underwater swimming form called a nymph. This phase of the mayfly life cycle can last anywhere from two months to two years depending on the species. Mayfly nymphs have two and sometimes three tails, paddle like gills on their abdomens, and a single wing case. These tiny swimming creatures dart and swim about our ponds, feeding on tiny plant matter and avoiding hungry trout until they reach full size. Then it’s time to reproduce. The nymph swims to the surface and, like the Incredible Hulk, undergo an astounding metamorphosis. Swimming, water-breathing aquatic creatures shed their outer skins on the surface film and emerge as beautiful, ready-for-flight insects called duns. All that remains is to dry their wings on the surface before taking flight. Both the emerging and drying times are like dinner bells for trout.
While on the surface, mayfly duns hold their wings upright and drift erratically in the wind or current like tiny sailboats, hence the twitching to entice a trout. Some, like the hexagenia, are over an inch long with huge wings, while others, like the trichorythodes, are tiny — almost too tiny to see on the water. After their wings are dry, mayflies leave behind their watery world of hungry fish and fly off into the nearby bushes to mate. The entire process of emerging and flying off to mate is called the hatch. It is what purest flyfishing for trout is all about. After just a few hours of mating, mayflies return to the world of trout as spinners to lay their eggs. When the job is done they lay spent on the water’s surface again, food for trout. And yes, fly-fishers, forever the opportunists like the trout they seek, have fur and feather imitations of those poor spent critters as well. Paul Smith is a freelance writer and outdoors enthusiast living in Spaniard’s Bay.
‘The work goes on’ From page 33 together who I’ve worked with in the past. They deserve so much credit.” The Caribou Complex near Quidi Vide Lake in east end St. John’s hasn’t hosted a fastpitch game since 2001. But Corbett promises the facility will be as good if not better than it ever was in the mid-1990s. “Esthetically, the field needed a tremendous amount of upkeep. All the buildings, the TV booth and main office has had a lot of work with all new windows, flooring, paint, outside paint. It’s been refurbished — the fencing, bleachers, welding, etc., a safety net put up which has been missing for years and years … “The work goes on and on, but there hasn’t been an obstacle so far that the city, for example, hasn’t been able to find a way around.” If there’s one thing Corbett could use more of, it’s volunteers. He urges anyone with some time on their hands to visit the tournament website and check out the volunteers form. Up to press time, more than 600 reserved seats had been sold for the event, which Corbett is more than happy with. “We have a budget of $200,000, and we’d like to break even. But as we all know with these types of outdoor events, everything depends on the weather.” brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
On national rugby map From page 33 for the World Cup — although on Saturday he’ll play for The Rock. Next month in France will mark Snow’s fourth World Cup, a remarkable achievement. But Snow is just part of the story on this weekend. Saturday will be a celebration of rugby in Newfoundland, a continuation of last week’s tremendously successful national rugby festival which saw hundreds of players descend on the city and participate in national playdowns. St. John’s is very clearly on the national rugby map, thanks in large part to Parfrey. Suggitt admitted his relationship with Parfrey, former women’s team manager Roxanne Butler, Snow, and all the other locals he knows, helped with the decision to come here. But it’s not totally altruistic. Parfrey says the team will benefit by being here. Suggitt agreed his club could have finished its training camp anywhere (read: Toronto), but he likes taking the sport to the various corners of the country. It’s the only way, he says, to find rugby jewels. Suggitt’s players will undoubtedly be treated like royalty until they return to Toronto next week for final preparations. As he noted before running back across the game pitch to rejoin practice, it’s a week well spent. “It’s a beautiful place and we’re treated with a lot of respect,” the man Parfrey calls Sluggo stated. “We know we’re going to be treated like world class people by world class people.” Game time Saturday (Aug. 25) is 3 p.m. at Swilers. Don’t miss it. donniep@nl.rogers.com
AUGUST 24, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 35
friday through thursday, august 24-30, 2007 — PAGE 36
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This gorgeous home sits on a large cul-de-sac in Clovelly Trails. Beautiful four-bedroom, four-bathroom R2000 home with attached garage and bonus room. Some of the many features of this beautiful property include granite countertops, whirlpool tub and shower with spray. Hardwood stairs, hardwood on main and second floor, family room on main with built-in entertainment unit and propane fireplace. Basement completely finished with custom-built home theatre with 60” Sony flat panel high definition TV plus 92” motorized remote control projection screen, video stand, DVD player. Partially fenced backyard, pavers at front entrance and planters in front of veranda with oversized deck. This property is located just seconds from two executive golf courses and offers immediate possession. Call Donna Squires of the Jim Burton Sales Team at 682-8207 for complete details. Asking $439,000.