VOL. 5 ISSUE 48 — ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR — FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6, 2007 — WWW.THEINDEPENDENT.CA — $1.50 HOME DELIVERY (HST included); $2.00 RETAIL (HST included)
Tobin’s trinkets
Former premier used constituency allowance for flags, pins and charter flights STEPHANIE PORTER
F
ormer premier Brian Tobin used his constituency allowance to buy thousands of pins, plaques, flags and pen sets — and the odd charter flight to St. Anthony, Deer Lake or Marystown.
He spent almost $25,000 on computer and other electronic equipment, and sent 27 funeral arrangements between taking office in 1996 and resigning in October 2000. Tobin’s donations from this account were modest, totalling just a little over $4,300 — nothing like his successor, Roger Grimes — but he spent nearly three times that in advertisements in The Northern Pen and various provincial magazines.
Hiring Cougar ExecJet for a flight to St. Anthony cost $5,886.45; another flight between St. John’s and St. Anthony cost $4,240.45; a helicopter to Marystown cost $3,115.49 (four other ministers were on board). In his review of constituency allowance spending, Chief Justice Derek Green called 1996-2001 “the policy-shift era,” when constituency allowance rules were relaxed and
changed, spending skyrocketed, benefits increased and, finally, the auditor general’s office was kicked out of the House of Assembly altogether. Tobin was premier for five of those years, overseeing a period of all-time low accountability in terms of spending by MHAs. But Tobin’s own constituency allowance claims seem to fall within the rules of the time — though many
wouldn’t stand up under current, stricter guidelines. In five years served, auditor general John Noseworthy noted Tobin had $107,908 in total constituency allowance spending. He found no double billings and no “alcohol-only” purchases. The Independent was permitted to See “Other expense,” page 2
Sandy Morris, Paul “Boomer” Stamp, Greg Malone, Ron Hynes and Glenn Simmons of the Wonderful Grand Band.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Still wonderful grand QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Newfoundland’s classic rockers re-release landmark album IVAN MORGAN
T
he parking is still free, but you don’t have to pay to pee at the Avalon Mall anymore. If you get that reference, you are of a certain age and time. If not, the Wonderful Grand Band — the province’s first rock stars — hope you will buy their best-selling 1981 album Living in a Fog, which they rereleased Nov. 29. Free washrooms at the mall aren’t the
only thing that has changed in the 26 years since WGB, as they are known, released their second album, riding the wave of success generated by the popular local CBC-TV show of the same name. As they line up for a photograph on a downtown St. John’s crosswalk, blithely stopping traffic on a busy Monday lunchtime, it’s clear that despite their line of work, the years have been kind to the former bandmates. While each has gone his own way professionally, it’s also clear they enjoy each other’s company, and still know the game. Comfortable in front of the cam-
era, they arse around, joking, mugging, and posing. OK, maybe they’re a little stiff in the joints, but they have the same genial cockiness that made them so popular a quarter century ago. When Living in a Fog was released in 1981, a scrappy young premier, Brian Peckford, was battling then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau for offshore oil rights. Pat Benatar and Air Supply ruled the pop charts. People were glued to their TVs watching Dallas and M*A*S*H*, and Ron Hynes, Sandy Morris, Paul “Boomer” Stamp, Glenn Simmons, Jaymie Snyder, Ian Perry, Greg Malone
and Tommy Sexton found themselves with a hit on their hands. Morris, co-founder and guitarist, says Living in a Fog was a moneymaker for the band when first released, selling an impressive 20,000 albums in both the province “and Newfoundland ghettoes across the country.” This time, Morris says the band is releasing 1,000 copies, and may release more depending on sales, hoping to appeal to both old fans and recruit new ones. See “If it worked,” page 4
Rock on BRIAN CALLAHAN
S
ean Edwards enjoyed his lucrative job as a field service technician on the Hibernia platform, but apparently likes Led Zeppelin more. A lot more. On Nov. 2, Edwards won a dream trip to see the iconic rock band’s reunion gig in London, England, but his superiors wouldn’t give him the few days off to go. So after exhausting all options, he quit his $110,000-a-year job so he wouldn’t miss the Dec. 10
resources official. That person, Dave Rahal, heads up the Hibernia Platform Employers Organization, or HPEO, an umbrella group made up of human resources representatives from the 14 Hibernia consortium companies. Edwards says it was Rahal who ultimately said no, ignoring round-theclock efforts to come up with a solution that would satisfy his employer. Rahal couldn’t be reached for comment. After carefully reviewing the union’s contract with Hibernia Management Development Co., Edwards requested a schedule rotation change, suggested working through time off for training, and even found a clause involving temporary assignment to another project
— The Echo, Channel-Port aux Basques Dec. 20, 1967. See page 3.
BUSINESS 15
Candy shop doing sweet business
LIFE 21
Hibernia worker wins Led Zeppelin trip; quits $110,000-a-year job when refused time off event. “I know there are people who will say, ‘Wow, what an idiot.’ But this has been a dream of mine for a long time … I was forced to quit to make it come true,” Edwards, 36, tells The Independent. “As soon as I won, I wanted to let (my employer) know, give them a heads-up so we’d have as much time as possible to work something out, change my rotation, whatever it would take to get the time off.” Edwards, who was with Hibernia for more than 10 years, says his boss had the authority and discretion to make the call himself and work around the concert, but instead handed off the decision to a senior ExxonMobil human
“Santa Claus did not have enough space to print all the letters he received, but he read all of them and remembers what you want.”
that might open up a window for the trip. In the end, his proposals were rejected. “They said there were no provisions in the contract for that type of time off, but there’s nothing that says you can’t, either. It’s at their discretion, but it seems as though they were just cherrypicking (for excuses).” Edwards was left dumbfounded and disillusioned by the stubbornness of his employer. “They said it would be too transparent … that ‘it’s obvious what you’re looking for and there’s no business requirement for that.’ I told them that See “I am,” page 6
Reverend Kate Crawford on the same-sex debate SPORTS 33
Brad Gushue’s new priorities Noreen Golfman . . . . . . . . . . Movie review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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2 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
Other expense funds available From page 1 view Tobin’s constituency allowance claims under the province’s access to information policy; it should be noted that, as premier, Tobin would have had other expense funds to draw upon as well. Called a “slush fund” by critics, the constituency allowance came into being in 1989, defined in the Morgan report as a fund for “expenditures incurred in the performance of constituency business … office rental, equipment, supplies, secretarial and other support services … ads, purchase of flags, pins, etc.” Being premier during the Soiree ’99 and the 2000 Viking celebrations — or perhaps inspired
Tobin’s trinkets: 12,400 325 200 36 24 24 17 12 2 Total cost:
Pins and buttons (approximately) Flags Magnetic notepads Children’s activity books Coaster sets Zipper pulls Pen sets ($41 each) Plaques Fleece jackets $12,189.01
by his Captain Canada days of the Quebec referendum of 1995 — may have offered Tobin plenty of opportunities to hand out flags, lapel
Tobin’s top 15 expenditures between 1996 and his resignation in October 2000 (excluding travel)
pins, zipper pulls and a pen set or two. In five years, Tobin bought more than 12,000 pins and buttons and more than 300 flags (including one bought in an apparent flag emergency: on Sept. 9, 1998, Tobin paid $53.37 to buy a Union Jack and have it couriered the same day from St. John’s to Corner Brook). On April 19, 1996, Tobin spent $6,818.90 on a computer; he bought another in March 1998 for $5,784.50; and one in March 1999 for $3,861.70. Other notable expenses include: $2,828.08 for a reception in his district for 80 people; $339.53 in freight on two Skidoos; and $550.85 for a VCR (but then, it was 1997). He also claimed more than $12,000 in receiptfree discretionary allowance.
$6,818.90 $5,784.50 $3,861.70 $2,828.08 $2,173.50 $1,932.00 $1,587.00 $1,536.40 $1,500 $1,497.97 $1,149.96 $844.91 $744.51 $738.53 $703.02
Computer (April 19, 1996) Computer (March 18, 1998) Computer (March 26, 1999) Reception in district, 80 meals (Aug. 9, 1999) District newsletter (Sept. 10, 1999) District newsletter (June 25, 1999) Lapel pins (April 13, 1999) District newsletter (June 27, 2000) Donation to St. Anthony air cadet squadron (June 1, 2000) Camcorder (March 19,1999) Printer and cable (Dec. 21, 1997) 226 flags (May 29, 1999) 12 flags, 500 pins (Sept. 21, 2000) Flags, pins (June 9, 2000) 17 Soiree ’99 pen sets
Sharing our blessings
I
t’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Even though we’re a good three weeks away from the blessed birthday, we’re already celebrating. Christmas is all over the television and radio, and the big-box stores are full of savage shoppers. Lots of people truly love the Christmas season; others, like me, can take it or leave it. Christmas has a lot going for it though. Retailers make excellent money, in most cases enough to get them through the slow times, usually February and March. Another positive for the season of joy is holidays. At Christmas most of us can expect to get a few days off. Paid leave during the festive season can be great unless you fill the time with demands. By that I mean too many parties, too many family visits, etc. A few days off should be just that, a few days off. Filling up that time with even more rushing around seems counter-productive. Christmas is also the season of giving. It’s at Christmas time that food banks are full, charities seem to pick up more cash than usual, and a lot of people try to do something for the less fortunate in our society. We are not only encouraged to count our blessings at Christmas, we are encouraged to share our blessings. But sometimes we get things all wrong despite our good hearts. Take the guy last year who decided he was going to help deliver food hampers and Christmas gifts to the poor. He signed up with a local charity and offered to make deliveries. He knew he would be giving up most of his Christmas Eve, but he was happy to help. He was happy when he went to the local charity and filled his car with the bags and boxes he had to deliver. He was happy when he made everything fit and determined that with only four stops he would be finished within a couple of hours. Can you imagine his face when he looked over his list? The first two deliveries were to single mothers with children. He had no problem with those. The third delivery was to a husband and wife with three kids. According to the slip of paper the mom was disabled. All of the deliveries were in a poorer part of the city. Not exactly a slum, as defined by American television, but it was certainly a downtrodden area. Our Christmas helper was a little perplexed when he got a slip telling him his last delivery was to one of the more exclusive neighbourhoods in the province. The people living there were not usually found seeking out a food bank and free Christmas gifts. The people there gave to food banks, not the other way around. Here he
RANDY SIMMS
Page 2 talk was trying to do his little bit to help the poor while these people, who obviously were in need of little, took advantage. He set about making the deliveries and was pretty sure he would have something to say when he got back to the charity office. For sure he was going to tell his wife about it. Imagine delivering Christmas boxes to a rich neighbourhood. The first single mother he met was happy to see him. “You must be a new guy,” she said. He told her it was his first year. She had been using the service ever since the kids were born and wondered what had happened to the fellow who always delivered to her. The second single mom wasn’t home when he got to her door. One of her older kids told him to put the box in the porch … next to the others. The husband and wife were both feeling the Christmas spirit when he arrived at their place. They even invited him in for a drink. He refused the offer. He was driving and had another stop to make. His final stop was to the wealthier neighborhood. He had to pull up a long laneway, park the car out front and walk up to a large, ornate doublewide door. His quota of Christmas spirit was already pretty low, but looking over the expanse of luxury made his blood boil. The man who came to the door and quickly helped him unload his vehicle could not stop saying thank you. He said it over and over again, quietly, almost in a whisper. As they unloaded the car, the man unloaded his story. He had recently lost his wife. He and the kids were now alone in the world. To add to his suffering the company he worked for had left town and left him behind. He had not been able to find another job. He was going to sell the house right after Christmas. The man didn’t want to burden his kids with this trouble — not at Christmas. Losing their mom was bad enough, so for the first time ever he had turned to a charity for help. He was totally embarrassed. Our volunteer left him in the doorway with tears streaming down his face. Sometimes we are just too quick to judge. So you call it: which family did the delivery man really help? Randy Simms is host of VOCM’s Open Line radio show. rsimms@nf.sympatico.ca
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 3
SCRUNCHINS A weekly collection of Newfoundlandia
Falklands War began, Gandhi won the Academy Award for best picture, and the Tories under Brian Peckford won the 1982 election, taking 44 of the 52 seats. The expense accounts of the poor ‘ol politicians in office today won’t even cover a night at the Fairmont (see Room at the Inn? Page 5) …
E
very now and then I come across a particularly tasty Scrunchin, a pleasure to savour but sad to swallow. The following is such a devilish bit, a story about how the Newfoundland fishery was used as an argument to keep slavery alive. Amazing Grace is best known as a song — one to rival Let me fish off Cape St. Mary’s on the soultouching scale — but there’s also a bigbudget Hollywood movie of the same name that’s just out on DVD. The film is about how William Wilberforce, a British politician, manoeuvers his way through Parliament in 19th century England, endeavouring to end the British transAtlantic slave trade. At one point in the movie, when the parliamentary debate is at its zenith, an MP in support of slavery takes to his feet and unleashes the following defence: “The Newfoundland fishing industry is kept afloat by the fact that slaves in the West Indies consume that part of the fish which is fit for no other consumption.” What part of the fish would that be, I wonder? He probably meant codfish in general, which was traded in the West Indies for rum. The rum, in turn, was shipped to the U.K.’s thirsty hordes. The trade made a killing for someone — not Newfoundland fishermen, who were slaves themselves to the merchant system. Getting back to the movie … Wilberforce, the hero, rose to his feet with this to say in support of slavery’s abolition: “I do feel that if my honourable friend continues to scrape the bottom of the barrel for objections (to ending slavery) he’s in danger of getting splinters under his fingernails.” I can’t help but think of Brian Tobin when fingernails are mentioned, and how he glued a set of fake ones on turbot …
CHAIN GANG Amazing Grace, and I’m referring to the beloved song now, was written by John Newton between 1760 and 1770 while working as an evangelical pastor. Newton was captain of a slave ship for many years, until he underwent a dramatic religious conversion while steering his vessel through a vicious storm. Repenting and regretting the misery he had inflicted on the thousands of human cargo he had transported over the years, he devoted his life to the church, and wrote the lyrics to
AROUND THE WORLD The largest meteorite, the Great Meteorite, ever discovered on earth was taken away from Labrador. The American Museum of Natural History in New York chartered Baine Johnston’s steamship Hope under Capt. John Bartlett, to go to the coast of Labrador and bring the meteorite to New York. Today the great meteorite is to be seen to the left of the main entrance to the museum. The meteorite — a great mass of iron, quite solid, except for the round holes driven in it by the air as it hurled from the sky to the earth — is 11 feet long, seven feet wide and four feet deep in the centre. Its weight is 37 tons. — The Newfoundlander, St. John’s, December 1944 AROUND THE BAY Santa Claus did not have enough space to print all the letters he received, but he read all of them and remembers what you want. — The Echo, Channel-Port aux Basques, Dec. 20, 1967 YEARS PAST We regret to announce that Thos. Ridley, Esquire, received a blow on the back part of the head, which laid him very low; Wm. Punton, Esq., also received a blow, they are now both of them quite recovered. — The Sentinel and Conception-Bay Advertiser, Carbonear, Dec. 31, 1840
ALL’S WELLS … Times certainly do change. Karl Wells, who recently retired as CBC TV’s popular weatherman, appeared this week on the NTV News … reading the weather. Toni-Marie Wiseman stopped by Wesley United Church in Town to cover Cantus Vocum, one of the country’s finest chamber choirs, which is scheduled to perform Night Before Christmas at the church this weekend. Karl knows which side the ratings are buttered on …
Remzi Cej, 24, is the newest Rhodes Scholar for Newfoundland and Labrador. Originally from Kosovo, Cej immigrated to St. John’s with him family in 2000. He is currently completing a joint honours degree in French and German studies at Memorial; he plans to continue his studies at Oxford University. Paul Daly/The Independent
many hymns still popular today. Closer to home, Let Me Fish off Cape St. Mary’s was written in 1947 by Otto Kelland of Lamaline, who also spent years surrounded by people in chains — prisoners at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s … CAPE COD Returning to Newfoundland fish, the value today of a pound of prime quality saltfish was recently priced at a big-box store in Sao Paulo, Brazil at $23 (Cdn) a pound (I got the figure from a Newfoundlander who was down there). Saltfish is served in Brazil as a special meal, comparable to turkey at Christmas. Many poor families sacrifice a few days of regular meals to afford the luxury of a top-quality saltfish dinner. If only we had fish left to catch and salt off Cape St. Mary’s … SALTFISH BRUISE Iceland, the fishing nation we aspire to be, was ranked this week by the latest UN index on human development as the EDITORIAL STAND Our planters and fishermen are generally too much occupied by their vocations to give political subjects much consideration. Mechanics look to Government or Government men for occasional employment. Old political stagers and men who have been unfortunate in business look for stipendiary offices. Doctors for an allowance for attending the poor. Lawyers for the chances of promotion, acting Judgeships, Attorney and Solicitor Generalships, etc. Schoolmasters are seeking an increase to their starving salaries. Publicans desire to have smuggling winked at in the Colonial Office. Shopkeepers desire the custom of all parties. Pilots, tide-waiters, constables, policemen, and every other official, find it to their interest to be silent, however enormous the amount of venality. Editors are moderate, hoping to get a small picking, if they do not approve, will not strike heavily. Fortunately for the country, for the indifferent, for the subservient themselves, such characters have not been wanting, and prominent among them appears the well-tried public servant whose spirited editorial gives interest to our columns to-day. — The Conception-Bay Man, Harbour Grace, Dec. 10, 1856 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor — I sure enjoyed the first Golden Age party last year and I ask the good Lord to spare me to see another one. I and my husband enjoyed the one this year even more. I won a beautiful door prize and also saw my only aunt crowned Queen again and our old friend King again. I love to hear the Wareham Brothers play or sing. They are really the joy of the party. The pic-
world’s most desirable country to live in. With a population of only 300,000, Iceland has developed rapidly. While it still depends on fishing for about 70 per cent of its economy, Iceland has harnessed its vast reserves of geothermal energy, invested heavily in technology and has a remarkably even distribution of income. Sounds like Newfoundland and Labrador in a few years, which is presumably why the provincial government recently sponsored a five-day trade mission to Iceland. That, or maybe they just wanted an excuse to pick up some cheap saltfish … MUSICAL LIES Sorry for the twists and turns this week, but I’m turning the column back to music. Don Walsh, a music producer in St. John’s, has an interesting website that lists off the “great lies of rock ‘n’ roll.” Rumour has it the list originated with Boomer Stamp, one of the original members of the Wonderful Grand Band featured on The Independent’s front page this week. Here are the Top 15 wicked
lies: the booking is definite; we can fix it in the mix; my agent will take care of it; the roadie took care of it; she’ll be backstage after the show; she doesn’t date musicians; she’s just a friend; the club will provide the PA and lights; we’ll have it ready before tonight; we’ll have it back next week; we’ll have the posters ready tomorrow; we’ll let you know; we’ll be there tonight to check out the band; the place was packed; and, last but not least, it’s on the truck. WISEMAN SAY Clyde Wiseman of The Fables added his own great lies: no ... we don’t know Da Wipeout; and got a cigarette? I left mine on my amp. HOTEL HAUNTS Many a gig, although high-end ones, has been played at the Fairmont Newfoundland (known, for the longest time, as Hotel Newfoundland) over the years. The St. John’s hotel celebrates its 25th anniversary on Dec. 5. The hotel opened in 1982, the same year that the
DOYLE BULLETIN John Doyle, television columnist with The Globe and Mail, wrote a review this week of The Rick Mercer Report and This Hour has 22 Minutes. Mercer, who manages to draw one million viewers a week, is popular “but isn’t essential viewing,” Doyle writes, while 22 Minutes, which attracts far less of a crowd, is still “very, very sharp.” And it is … BEAR NECESSITIES Finally this week, the adventure travel issue of National Geographic Adventure Magazine lists Newfoundland and Labrador’s own Wildland Tours as one of the Top 5 North American tour companies for 2007 in their categorization of the Best Outfitters on Earth. The world’s most famous journal of exploration also listed the Wildland Tours 2008 Polar Bear Expedition to Northern Labrador as one of the 25 best new trips in the world. Speaking of polar bears, a report this week by the David Suzuki Foundation, concluded that only two of seven Canadian provinces and territories (Newfoundland and Labrador and Ontario) recognize that the species may be at risk. Despite repeated warnings from government scientists and independent studies about the polar bear’s vulnerabilities, only Newfoundland and Labrador has a plan to protect them. Too bad we aren’t as on the ball with the rest of nature … ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
ture was very nice also and the beautiful supper was just grand. I am really looking forward to another Golden Age party even if I am too crippled with arthritis to dance. I enjoyed watching the younger ones – every dog got his or her day. May God bless you all until we meet again. Signed, Mrs. Alice (John) Barrett — The Cove, Arnold’s Cove, Dec. 20, 1974 QUOTE OF THE WEEK That fish writer in The Evening Telegram has the “gift o’ the gab very gallopin.” It brings tears to our eyes to think that anyone bearing the time-honoured name of McCarthy should misuse the talents inherited from a son of the Isle of Erin. — Daily News, St. John’s, Nov. 30, 1897 Daily News, 1918
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‘If it worked in Toronto it could definitely work here’ From page 1 “It’s all going on a credit card. There’s no money there, there’s no budget,” Morris tells The Independent. Malone, who with Sexton made characters like Mavis and Carmel Ann, the band’s two saucy “groupies,” household names in the province, predicts the album will be a hit with the younger generation. “I think that people will get a kick out of the Wonderful Grand Band,” says Malone. “It’s early and innocent stuff now when you look at it, but has a hardhitting edge to it still.” There’s also a DVD of the original TV shows in the works, says Morris, as well as a plan to remix their first album and develop a website. Morris says he would also like to produce CDs based on the music from the series. He says the instrumentals alone — the band did an average of one a show, and he says there are over 40 shows — would make a great CD. He says they have stood the test of time. “It set the standard for how George Street interprets Newfoundland fiddle tunes these days,” Morris laughs. Recorded in Ontario with producer Declan O’Doherty, who came to Canada from Ireland with impeccable traditional-rock credits and a CV that includes work with Paul McCartney and Wings and Gerry Rafferty, the record, with cuts like Sonny’s Dream, Babylon Mall, U.I.C. and Hard Times, was an instant classic. Despite local success, Morris says the band never really made the leap to the mainstream, which their record company at the time, EMI, wanted them to do. “They wanted us to drop the comedy and the traditional material, which was what the band was about in the first place,” says Morris. That didn’t happen. He says they were totally independent, and remembers packing up LPs in his kitchen to send out to people who ordered copies by mail. WGB started as an idea for a local TV show, says Morris. Local CBC producer Kevin O’Connell suggested Morris come up with an idea for a variety show. Morris, who says he had worked with most of the other band members before, got the idea to put them together in a band for a prospective variety show. The Root Seller, written and starring Mary Walsh and Greg Malone as Mr. and Mrs. Budgell, seemed to fit the bill. Only six episodes were shot and CBC dropped the show, but Morris says “they kept the band.” Shortly after the demise of The Root Seller the band played a live gig, but
The original cast of WGB (clockwise from bottom left): Jaymie Snyder, Ian Perry, Ron Hynes, Greg Malone, Glenn Simmons, Tommy Sexton, Sandy Morris, Paul “Boomer” Stamp.
Morris says they didn’t do very well. It wasn’t until they were asked to play at a multicultural show in Toronto with bands from Trinidad and Jamaica, says Morris, that they stumbled onto the win-
ning formula. Playing in the same hall that Jimi Hendrix once played, the band asked Malone to play his Mr. Budgell character during the sets, interacting with the
crowd and the band. Morris says it was Malone’s act that made them stand out. “We weren’t just a band, we were real people talking to Mr. Budgell,” says Morris.
“That was the lynchpin. That was the thing that sold it … having the comedy and the band.” He says Toronto went nuts for them, playing to sold-out crowds for three weeks. “We came back to Newfoundland and realized, ‘You know … it could work here too. If it worked in Toronto it could definitely work here.’” So they booked a gig in downtown St. John’s for New Year’s Eve 1978. Tommy Sexton, who Morris says was eager to be part of it all, paired up with Malone. The gig, laughs Morris, was a complete disaster, with power outages and failing lights and sound systems. The bar, he recalls, was unheated and kept running out of booze. “But it started the reputation for the Wonderful Grand Band in St. John’s and after that we just started selling out rooms all over town.” The rest — the popular local television show, the recording of two albums, and the touring that eventually did the band in — is, as they say, history. While happy for the attention and the buzz, the absence of Sexton is an everpresent sad subtext. Sexton, who died of complications arising from AIDS in 1993, was for many people the face of the band. Malone says it took them all a long time to recover from his untimely death, and Sexton never far from their thoughts. “We keep him around pretty close,” says Malone, adding he still relies on Sexton for help editing his comedy writing. “And sometimes he has very funny things to say to me too,” laughs Malone. When asked if they ever plan to play together again, Morris says if they are successful in getting a deal with CBC to release a compilation of their TV shows on DVD — and he says he’s confident they will — then they will do a reunion around that, and play together again. For now they seem genuinely surprised at the buzz they can still generate. While posing for publicity shots on a downtown street, ignoring the impatient horns in the background, a city employee stands watching. No need to tell him who they are. Asking not to be identified, the worker says he had the original LP, then the cassette, and will definitely buy the new release. He hums a few bars of U.I.C. as he returns to work. An attractive, professional-looking middle-aged woman stops to watch the band pose, turning to her companion as they walk away. “My God, what a gorgeous set of men.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Hedderson explores volunteer mandate; Michael questions need By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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ntergovernmental Affairs Minister Tom Hedderson says it’s too early to say what form — a department, agency, or a secretariat — his added responsibility for the volunteer and non-profit sector will take. He says he knows what it won’t be — a slush fund to make up for the tens of thousands of dollars no longer available to MHAs to donate from their constituency allowances. Meantime, NDP leader Lorraine Michael questions the need for government to create an agency for the volunteer and non-profit sector in the first place. Hedderson says he’s consulting with the sector to get a better idea of how government can provide support. He says the work is a result of a Tory blue-book promise to recognize the service the volunteer and nonprofit sector provides to the province. With an estimated 187,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians working for what Hedderson says is an “overwhelming diversity” of volunteer groups, he admits he has his hands full. The province has a vast array of volunteer and not-for-profit groups, from volunteer firefighters to cub scouts to Buddhist meditation groups. Hedderson says he’s still working on how to tackle his new responsibility. “The face that it is going to take on — I see the outline of the face, but I don’t see the features yet,” Hedderson tells The Independent. By mid-January, when government begins its 2008 budget preparations, Hedderson says he will have an idea
INDEPENDENTCONTACTS
Ryan Cleary, Editor-In-Chief ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca, Ext.29
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Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Tom Hedderson
of what he intends to do. He cautions it will take time. “It’s not going to happen overnight.” Michael, with 26 years experience working in the not-for-profit sector, questions why it’s going to happen at all. “Did I ever feel the need to have this kind of ministry when I was doing the not-for-profit work that I did? No.” says Michael. The volunteer sector, she says, can organize itself quite well on its own. Michael says when she worked in the volunteer sector if they wanted money from government they applied
Brian Callahan, Reporter brian.callahan@theindependent.ca, Ext.62 Paul Daly, Picture Editor paul.daly@theindependent.ca, Ext.30 Nicholas Langor, Photographer nick.langor@theindependent.ca PRODUCTION John Andrews, Production Manager john.andrews@theindependent.ca, Ext.61
Paul Daly/The Independent
to and worked with a specific agency. In terms of advocacy, Michael says every MHA is elected to be an advocate for their community. “I can’t understand what this ministry will do,” says Michael. She says she’s concerned that if funds are to be distributed by this new agency a new arm’s length body should be created. And if the new agency is only going to provide advocacy and support? “My question is why do you need a minister designated to do that?”
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NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 5
Room at the inn?
LAMER REMEMBERED
New rules force MHAs to give up St. John’s apartments By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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ew rules for MHA travel and living expenses recommended by Chief Justice Derek Green in his report on MHA spending have forced rural MHAs to give up their St. John’s apartments and seek cheaper accommodations. Under the new daily living allowance stipulated by Green, those accommodations won’t be luxurious — unless politicians pay out of their own pockets. Set at $125 a day (taxes in), the new rate for MHAs visiting St. John’s has them looking for modest accommodations. “I don’t know of any member that represents a rural district that would be able to afford to keep an apartment in St. John’s,” Speaker Roger Fitzgerald tells The Independent. Under the old rules, Fitzgerald says MHAs had access to block funding for travel and accommodations through their constituency allowances. Exactly how the money was spent — either on travel or accommodations — was up to each MHA. Many politicians used the cash to rent apartments or to pay for secondary residences in St. John’s. Under the new rules, which came into effect Oct. 9, rural MHAs are strictly allotted 35 nights a year in the capital city, outside the time when the legislature is in session. That’s far less than what MHAs used to claim. Fitzgerald, MHA for Bonavista South, cites himself as an example. Under the old rules, as a rural MHA Fitzgerald says he could claim $53 for meals, and $50 for accommodations, for a total of $103 a day. That compares to $10.33 a day he can claim under the new formula for secondary residences. The detailed formula for calculating that amount — which is a pro-rated daily cost calculated from annual expenses for things like utilities and mortgage interest — is outlined in Green’s report. Were he to stay in a hotel today, Fitzgerald says today he would be allowed $125 (tax-in), which won’t get him into half the hotels around town.
Former Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Antonio Lamer died Nov. 24 in Ottawa. He was 74. Lamer, considered one of the most influential and respected judges in Canadian history, is best remembered in Newfoundland and Labrador for his role as commissioner of the public inquiry into wrongful convictions of Randy Druken, Ronald Dalton and Gregory Parsons. Lamer suffered from heart problems. Paul Daly/The Independent
The Christmas Miller
A yarn about the day Sammy lost his Johnny Miller down another fella’s throat
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ammy and the Johnny Miller: it being part of that heart-warming trilogy including Sammy and the Christmas Crow and Sammy and the Christmas Sculpin. (It was barely less than 1,950 years since Our Blessed Saviour walked amongst us, which means Sammy was still shy of 10 years old.) “Not one word of a lie,” said Dick Head, stretching out his legs around the stove. “I shovelled down six hern, eight potatoes and five slices of lassy bread. And I said, ‘Come on Mudder, wass for dinner.’ Har, har, har.” Dick Head was ignorant. Not because he said “hern” instead of “herring”; nearly everyone did. But because he made everyone groan when they saw him coming. Sammy’s mother groaned half an hour ago when she saw him come in through the gate with a part of a bottle of Lamb’s in his jacket pocket. Here it was, three o’clock and only Christmas Eve. Christmas was getting spoiled … every year people were trying to start it up earlier and earlier instead of waiting for the proper 12 days to commence. Now here was Dick Head trying to get Sammy’s father tipsy when there was still work to be done. And everyone knew Sammy’s father was the unhandiest man in the cove at the best of times. Let him so much as look at a hammer and his thumbnail turns black, Sammy heard them say. He was proud of this because not many fathers had that knack. But now the chair cracked and gave way and Sammy’s father and the bit of decorations and all came down across the kitchen. Dick Head slapped his leg and said “Har, har, har … One man overboard, Bill Trowbridge’s wife!” Sammy’s old Nan came to the head of the stairs and prayed that the good Lord would take her away out of it where she wouldn’t be a burden to herself and everyone else. Sammy backed away as far as he could into a corner and took down his Johnny Miller to look at for a passtime. Early in the month when Sammy was out in the sheep’s house hauling down hay for the sheep, what should he see clutching on to the rafters but
RAY GUY
A Poke In The Eye a hu’mungus big miller still as much alive as he would be in the middle of the summer time. Sammy caught him in a bottle and kept him. Sammy’s Nan said that so long as she been in this world she never in her whole life heard tell of a Johnny Miller around at this time of the year … nor nothing like it. It got to mean something, she said. It got to mean that Our Blessed Saviour was coming back to take her away, personal. Or, if not, a wonderful mild winter. In her younger years she was Salvation Army down in Grand Bank and now she was older than the trees in the graveyard and if Sammy’s Nan didn’t know what was, then he’d like to know who did. One cent a look was what Sammy charged for a sight of his Miller in the bottle when he took it along to school on mild days. Business was only kind of OK. By the time the holidays came he had seven cents. “Have another little drop,” said Dick Head to Sammy’s father. “Cut the slub off your tonsils. Har, har, har.” “If I lives through this I’ll live forever,” said Sammy’s mother to herself. She was polishing off the lamp chimneys with a sheet of old newspaper. Soon there’d be lit lamps to worry about and fire was her dread. Sammy had his own when Dick Head caught sight of him in the corner. “What is you at over there, me bucko? What’s that you got? Show here. Show here.” He grabbed the bottle with the Johnny Miller in it away from Sammy and said, “Pooh, hoo. I don’t see nothing here. He must be a bit soft in the head, mustn’t he, carrying around a bottle with nothing into it!” Then he unscrewed the top and squinted one eye and said “Hah!” And just then the Johnny Miller came out and fled straight down his throat. “Fair as a fart in a child’s
arse,” was how Sammy’s father described it later. No doubt about it, a queer look came over Dick Head’s face. His eyes bulged and his cheeks commenced to puff in and out. Something seemed to be trying to pull him off the chair by the shoulders. “Be ye steadfast for the hour do be at hand!” sung out Sammy’s Nan from the head of the stairs. No odds about the rest of it. Not a very nice thing to look at for the second time, six hern, eight potatoes and five slices of lassy bread is not. It cuts no ice with older persons but to such as are of Sammy’s age it is all new. Five buckets of hot water, a cake and a half of Sunlight soap, a scrub brush and three washcloths is what it took. Nan came down and helped Sammy’s mother out saying the Good Lord had spared her for this hour. Dick Head went on about his business long ago, green around the gills. Sammy missed his Johnny Miller. Seven cents was no great fortune but he still had hopes. When he got back to school again he told his friend, Josh Cumby, what happened and Josh nearly wet himself laughing and others commenced to come around to see what the racket was. It was then that the thought struck Sammy. One at a time and a cent apiece, he said. And each one had to swear on the Book of Common Prayer with Hymns Ancient and Modern that they wouldn’t tell the story to anyone else and take away from Sammy’s custom. And so it was all news to each one. “Was there more green or more yellow chunks?” was one favourite question. “What was your father’s exact words when he got … stuff … all over him?” was another. Getting on toward Lent, Sammy had no less than 78 whole cents in his old Johnny Miller bottle. For all that Sammy knew, things didn’t get much better in this life. And that is the true miracle of Sammy and the Christmas Miller. Ray Guy’s column will return Jan. 4.
Chief Justice Derek Green
Speaker Roger Fitzgerald
Rooms at the Fairmont Hotel Newfoundland start at $125 a day, and $117 at the Holiday Inn. To his knowledge, Fitzgerald says most MHAs have moved out of their apartments and are living with friends or relatives, for which they can claim $25 a night. “Among members of the House of Assembly there’s been many conversations,” says Fitzgerald. In order to get more money, he says MHAs would have to go through the House Management Commission and then debate the issue in the House of Assembly. When asked if he thinks there is an appetite among MHAs to start changing Green’s recommendations soon, Fitzgerald says he has had no correspondence with them on the topic. He says Green was asked to be clear and concise in the rules. Fitzgerald says they will be following Green’s recommendations to the “T.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Support for Hearn not contradiction of election promise: Rideout By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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om Rideout says his support of federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn’s attempts to address overfishing through NAFO reform does not contradict a Tory election promise to impose custodial management over fish stocks on the Grand Banks. Hearn says that his work reforming NAFO is combating overfishing, a claim that seems to contradict a recent NAFO report. In a letter written to a constituent by Rideout, the minister says NAFO reforms championed by Hearn, while not perfect, have “achieved a greater level of protection to the Canadian shares of straddling stocks.” During a recent meeting with Rideout, NDP MP and federal Fisheries critic Peter Stoffer says he got the impression Rideout was supporting Hearn’s NAFO reforms, in the face of his past insistence on custodial management. “It’s beyond me, I haven’t figured that one out yet,” Stoffer tells The Independent. A recent Williams government election promise says the province will continue to campaign for custodial management. Rideout says his support of Hearn does not contradict that commitment. While he says Hearn’s approach is not the province’s preferred approach, Rideout says if NAFO reform does bring improvements, he says government will support the federal efforts. Rideout says the province cannot set the federal government’s agenda. “Short of a unilateral declaration of independence, what do we do?” Rideout asks. He says he has been told Hearn’s NAFO reforms are working, and there has been improvement on stopping overfishing. “And I think most reasonable people believe that to be the case.” A recent NAFO report, supplied to The Independent, says a NAFO-initiated 15-year plan to rebuild turbot — one of the fish stocks that straddles Canadian and international waters — have been overfished by an average of 25 per cent between the years 2004 and 2006. Hearn was not available for comment this week. Stoffer says the issue is complex and frustrating. “All I know is if the nose and tail and the Flemish Cap were off the coast of the United States,” he laughs, “there’d be a fairly large ship there, with fairly clear instructions that thou shalt not overfish.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
6 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
MCP no help for veteran By Stephanie Porter The Independent
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tephen Richard Jarvis, a Second World War veteran who says he had to travel to the United States for the surgery that saved his legs — at a cost of $85,000 — has yet to receive any indication that money will be reimbursed by MCP or the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. Jarvis, who has peripheral vascular disease, suffered for years from extreme leg pain, hindering his ability to walk and will to live. The story of his travel to Michigan to receive vascular laser treatment, a procedure unavailable in Canada, was carried in The Independent’s Nov. 23 edition. The treatment, which cleared lengthy blockages in blood vessels in both legs, was a resounding success — Jarvis can now walk without a cane, and is pain-free for the first time in 15 years. The trip, paid for by the family from savings accounts and various credit cards, has “skinned us alive,” according to Jarvis’s wife. The family continues to lobby hard to be reimbursed for some of the cost. Beryl Belbin, Jarvis’s daughter and a nurse, has been “leading the fight” and charges that MCP seems more than happy to pay for amputations and expensive recovery time — but not the one thing that worked for her father. This week, she says the family found out they could apply for some funding from MCP for out-ofprovince medical care, to the tune of $350 a day for inpatient services. “Dad was in hospital for two days,” says Belbin. “So that’s $700 out of
$85,000.” She says a representative of MCP told her “laser as a treatment for peripheral vascular disease is not insured in Newfoundland and Labrador and is viewed as experimental. “I say, ‘How experimental can it be?’ They’ve been doing it for seven years in the States and they’ve been doing people every day … the results are extremely positive.” That’s certainly true in the case of her father, she says, and at least one other St. John’s resident who had the treatment and left her wheelchair behind. A statement from Glenda Power, director of communications for the Department of Health and Community Services, echoes what Belbin says she’s been told. “Residents of this province who receive treatment outside the country are eligible for coverage for services which are insured in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to prescribed rates,” she writes in an e-mail to The Independent. “Experimental medical procedures are not considered an insured service.” Neither Belbin nor Jarvis have heard any new response from Veterans Affairs. “Sure, bypass surgery and balloon angioplasty is available in Newfoundland and Canada,” says Belbin of the more conventional treatments for Jarvis’s condition. “My father wasn’t a candidate for either one. He had a choice: get this done or lose his legs. “And which choice would you make?” stephanie.porter@theindependent.ca
Sean Edwards, wearing a “rare” Zeppelin T-shirt.
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘I am totally stoked for this’ From page 1 was bullshit. So I asked if there was any way we could do it, and they said no.” Facing that attitude, Edwards, who sports an unblemished work record, submitted his letter of resignation. “It was bigger than just the concert at that point,” says the St. Philip’s resident. “And I’ve seen other times when they wouldn’t let a guy go home for his niece’s funeral, or a guy whose father was dying. “I mean, who wants to continue working for someone like that anyway?” Edwards estimates his affection for the legendary Jimmy Page/Robert Plant collaboration dates to circa Grade 5. “A favourite record or song? Oh my God, you kidding? Where would I start?” Edwards admits he lived the life of a radio contest fanatic for several weeks, qualifiying dozens of times for OZFM’s “Power Trip to Led Zeppelin,” which includes return airfare for two to London, $1,000 spending money, all hotel and ground transportation and, of course, the magical concert tickets. “I think (OZ-FM personality) Larry
Jay said one set of tickets for the show sold for $175,000. I was going around with my cellphone on one hip and the cordless (phone) on the other, always ready to hit redial,” he says, adding he also fired off “a couple hundred e-mails” and even wrote a poem which included 30 Led Zeppelin song titles. Jay says the Led Zeppelin contest garnered more response, interest and attempts to qualify than any other in his 25 years with the radio station. “I can’t even tell you how many qualifiers we had. It was a random draw, but there’s no question Sean Edwards deserved to win it after the effort he put in.” Edwards won the trip Nov. 2, the same day he learned the concert was to be rescheduled because Page had fractured a pinky finger. It was originally set for Nov. 26, which would have jibed with Edwards’ days off. It’s now scheduled for Dec. 10, which conflicted with his work schedule. Either way, Edwards says he’ll be there. “I am totally stoked for this,” he says, adding his wife of 10 years (a part-time nurse) is behind him 100 per cent in his
decision to quit his job. The couple also has two children. His wife also sent an e-mail to Rolling Stone magazine, which has shown interest in doing a story about Edwards’ plight. He says his employer knew what the trip meant to him. “Oh, no question about it. When I first ran into this, I made my position known. I said if you really want to go down this road, you have to know you’ll lose an employee because I’m going to be in London on that day. I’m going to do whatever it takes to be there,” he says. Meantime, Edwards says while he had no backup plan when he quit, he does have a few job prospects. “I understand the opportunities in the industry. They’re huge. I’ve already made some contacts with very good leads. As a matter of fact, I think I already have a job lined up.” The Dec. 10 reunion concert is a tribute to another legend, Ahmet Ertegun, who signed Led Zeppelin in 1968, and later the Rolling Stones, Cream and Genesis. brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
Randy Druken
Druken still on missing list
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olice and close friends became increasingly concerned for the well-being of Randy Druken this
week. The RNC issued an arrest warrant Nov. 27 for Druken, 42, who was recently awarded $2 million in compensation for being wrongfully convicted for the murder of his girlfriend, Brenda Marie Young, in 1993. Druken, meanwhile, has continued to struggle with serious drug addictions. “I would be very anxious to hear from him,” Druken’s longtime lawyer, Bill Collins, tells The Independent. He added that Ronald Dalton — who along with Druken and Gregory Parsons were the subjects of an inquiry into wrongful convictions and the justice system in the province — “is also very concerned for Randy.” Dalton is now living in Edmonton. Druken is wanted on charges of common assault, assault causing bodily harm and breach of probation, but has appeared in court as required in the past. brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 7
Sugar spike Province leads country in diabetes diagnosis: report MANDY COOK
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trangely enough, it wasn’t until Riverhead, Harbour Grace native Michelle Cleary-Haire got a recent test result indicating her blood sugar levels were through the roof that her quality of life also shot up. The high school English teacher was “sick and tired of being sick and tired” and went to her doctor for blood work. Since her diagnosis of Type II diabetes, she has quit smoking, taken control of her diet, and feels like a new woman. “I feel fantastic,” she says. “I feel like I could jump over the moon. I feel better than I’ve felt in a long time … there were literally times I couldn’t get up off the chesterfield or never had the energy or I would just fall asleep right
away.” A recent report released by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information shows that residents of this province are at the top of the Canadian list when it comes to diabetes, with Nova Scotia and Manitoba trailing closely behind. In the year 2004-05, 8.8 per cent of the province’s population over the age of 19 was found to have diabetes — 90 per cent of them Type II — and that number has increased every year since 2001. Prevalence of the disease has been consistently higher among men than women. Worse, the numbers are thought to be a low estimate. Dr. Ann Colbourne, associate professor at Memorial University’s School of Medicine, says there is “more than one reason” Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are leading the pack when it comes to the rise in diabetes.
‘Dirty water fountains and outdated sunscreen’
“Genetics is one. If you look at the heritage of the majority of people living here, it is of European descent, so genetically we are more predisposed perhaps than other areas of the country,” she says. Environmental stressors such as low employment or lower education levels, she adds, contribute to “food insecurity” that help lead to chronic diseases, diabetes among them. But it is Newfoundlanders and Labradorians top ranking in yet another health category that is causing the steady rise in diabetes: obesity. “Obesity will aggravate any genetic predisposition, particularly Type II diabetes, which is really where most of the growth in numbers is taking place,” says Colbourne. If a predisposition for the development of Type II diabetes is recognized early, diet and exercise are the two
If you look at the heritage of the majority of people living here it is of European descent so genetically we are more predisposed perhaps than other areas of the country.” Dr. Ann Colbourne most effective tools for fighting it off. Eating more fruits and vegetables, increasing fibre in the diet and upping levels of physical activity will go a long way to prevent the onset of dia-
betes, which can lead to limb loss, blindness and heart attack and stroke, says Colbourne. For Cleary-Haire, her diagnosis on Oct. 5 meant an immediate wake-up call in terms of her personal habits and a two-pill a day order from her doctor. She says she got “really scared, really fast,” hasn’t had a cigarette since, bought a treadmill for her house and now reads the nutritional label on everything she buys at the grocery store. She worries about her eyesight and circulation in the years to come, when her disease might begin to complicate her aging body. “I’m 44 years old. When I turned 40, life felt great, and they say 50 is better. I don’t want to be unhealthy when I’m older. I want to be able to run and walk and skate and diabetes can really take some of that away from you.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
SUMMING UP
Federal inspectors ignored asbestos hazard, worker claims; verifying link to illnesses ‘complicated’ By Brian Callahan The Independent
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honse Griffiths was scheduled for training Nov. 30 on the safe and proper way to handle and remove asbestos from a workplace. But after 28 years working as a deckhand and maintenance worker for Marine Atlantic, and being directly exposed to the deadly material aboard the Atlantic Freighter since 2000, he wonders why he should even bother. “They had a Transport Canada guy come aboard every year and issue a safety permit,” Griffiths, 52, says from his home in Ship Harbour, Placentia Bay. “And they knew it (asbestos) was there. They knew since 1990.” He says he was morbidly amused when the inspector arrived this fall. “He comes aboard, and what’s on his mind? Dirty water fountains and outdated sunscreen. We knew he was coming because our supervisor called ahead to make sure we put on our steel-toe boots and hard hats.” That was in early October, a few days after stickers were posted throughout the Atlantic Freighter warning of the presence and hazards of asbestos. One of the stickers was on the door to Griffiths’ quarters, but that’s apparently no assurance of compensation — legal or workwise — down the road. He’s had tests done, and to date exhibits shortness of breath and a constant sore throat. But unless and until he develops an asbestos-related illness, there’ll be nothing for him outside a lawsuit. Then it’ll be a judgment call as to whether his ailments were work related. “You can’t be compensated for something that hasn’t happened yet,” notes Kathy Dicks-Peyton, communications officer for the Workplace Health and Safety Compensation Commission (WHSCC). She referred The Independent to policy and legislation regarding asbestos posted on the organization’s website. Under the section entitled asbestosrelated claims, it states, “with respect to exposure intensity and duration, those workers with significant exposures in Newfoundland and Labrador before 1980 will be considered to have had higher exposure intensities than those exposed in 1980 or later.” Griffiths would come in just under the wire, if he can show he worked around asbestos in his first two years of employment. He must also, of course, develop one of the numerous asbestos-related diseases as listed under WHSCC policy. But that’s just the introduction.
Medical officers with WHSCC admit the process of assessing claims related to asbestos exposure is “complicated and complex.” Some specific types of disease require differing levels of exposure and latency — from 10 years for lung cancer to 15 years for cancer of the larynx. Gastrointestinal cancer (including the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon and rectum) “will be judged on its individual merit,” and include such factors as exposure intensity and duration, latency between first exposure and diagnosis, as well as family history and “lifestyle factors.” Griffiths says he has considered suing Marine Atlantic for the years he insists the company knew about the presence and dangers of asbestos aboard its vessels. “We had been taking down and tearing down these tiles all July, and there were particles as big as apples all over the place, on the floor outside my room. There was dust everywhere. It was really hard on the throat and eyes,” he says. “We had no protection. None at all. Up until October it was just like I was home working with Gyproc. Then this guy comes along, and I remember him looking around and saying, ‘Don’t know what we’re going to do about all that.’” Despite the obvious presence of the asbestos material, he says he was “forced back to work” on the ship again, as recently as Nov. 1-15. “We had walked off the ship over this, and then they did air quality tests and said everything was OK?” The stickers, let alone his ailing health, were enough to convince Griffiths everything was not OK. Now, he’s just waiting to see what develops. Meantime, Dicks-Peyton says a registry of workers exposed to asbestos at the abandoned Baie Verte mine is before the WHSCC board for approval. “But I can’t comment further on that now because a decision is pending,” she says, adding the WHSCC has about 140 health claims related to the mine. Such a registry would include information on workers’ health, including whether others have since contracted asbestos-related diseases. The mine operated from the late 1950s until declining markets for the hazardous material forced its closure in 1995. Some former workers have received settlements, while many others — either sick or now dead — have not. brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
Final summations are set for Monday in the trial of Sean Buckingham, the St. John’s doctor facing 18 drug- and sex-related charges. Since his arrest in May 2005, Buckingham has faced as many as 46 charges that alleged he provided prescription drugs, particularly Oxycontin, to patients in exchange for sex. But the Crown has since been forced to withdraw 28 of those charges as it continually reviewed the strength of its case. Defence lawyers had predicted the number of charges would dwindle due to the credibility, or lack thereof, of Crown witnesses. Paul Daly/The Independent
Firefighting in ‘jeans and T-shirts and sandals’ Funding, recruitment problems plague rural fire departments By Ivan Morgan The Independent
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he head of the province’s fire services association says the recent sawmill fire in the central Newfoundland town of Campbellton is an example of the plight of rural Newfoundland and Labrador’s underfunded, short-staffed volunteer fire departments. Richard Murphy says when the town’s primary employer went up in flames, only four firefighters showed up, and as far as he could see they did not have the proper gear. “I saw it on TV. They were there in jeans and T-shirts and sandals basically,” Murphy tells The Independent. “God love them, I’ve got to say that for them.” Of the approximately 315 provincial fire departments, says Murphy, three — St. John’s, Corner Brook and Stephenville — are fully paid departments. Several more, such as Grand FallsWindsor, Gander and Conception Bay South, where Murphy is fire chief, are a composite of paid and volunteer firefighters. The other 300 are fully volunteer, although Murphy says larger ones such as departments in Clarenville, Bishop’s Falls, Carbonear and Harbour Grace get funding from their respective councils. The province has 6,100 volunteer firefighters (300 female) provincewide who donate an average of 40 to 50 hours per month in meetings, training and emergency response. It is the smaller rural departments that are hurting, says Murphy. During the recent provincial election the Liberals promised to give a $5,000
annual grant to rural volunteer fire departments. At the time, then-Liberal leader Gerry Reid said the money would take some of the pressure off volunteer firefighters in terms of fundraising for equipment. Murphy says the responsibility for funding volunteer fire departments has to rest with local town councils. Not mincing words, he says if a town cannot afford it — a complaint he says he hears a lot — then the town should get out of the business. Volunteer firefighters, he says, should not have to fundraise. “Why would you expect the volunteer firefighters to go out and sell turkey teas, have bingo, sell tickets, have a toll bridge to buy a fire truck or a self-contained breathing apparatus when no one has to go out and do the same thing to get a snow plow, a backhoe, or a new skate sharpening machine for the arena?” asks Murphy. Municipal Affairs Minister Dave Denine says government has no plans to give cash subsidies to volunteer fire departments, explaining the province already spends the equivalent of $5,000 on individual volunteer departments, with programs covering such costs as insurance, fire prevention promotion — most notably the “Learn Not To Burn” campaign — and training. He acknowledges more can be done, and says government is partnering with municipalities and groups like the fire services association to find solutions. “It’s not something we can change today.” The changing demographic of rural Newfoundland, says Denine, makes regionalization of services a possible solution.
Murphy agrees, saying municipalities need to look at sharing emergency services like they now do with solid waste management, water and sewer, and recreational services. The funding problem for rural volunteer fire departments, says Murphy, is compounded by the problem of trying to recruit new firefighters and keep the ones already active. The province’s aging population and loss of young people to larger centres and other parts of Canada is decimating the ranks of rural firefighters, he says. He says his association has agreed to work with government to form a working committee to look at the problem. “It’s a big problem and someone has got to address it before it is too late,” says Murphy. The issue was brought home at a recent meeting of the federation of municipalities, says Murphy, when the mayor of Campbellton spoke of the fire in their town. Murphy says she noted the sawmill fire opened her eyes to the need to start focusing on providing fire protection services. She says the town has been successful in recruiting 15 or 20 people and now they are going to buy some new equipment. “A little too late but at least it opened their eyes,” says Murphy. “Thankfully no one was killed, but they lost the biggest source of employment for their community.” He says there is no way to say if a properly equipped volunteer fire department would have saved the sawmill but “at least they would have been ready.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
8 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
Horse trading D
id you hear the news? “Make no mistake about it, Danny’s still the king.” Those words, spilled from the mouth of an unnamed source within Steve Harper’s camp, were printed in Thursday’s Globe and Mail. King is definitely a step up from despot dictator and comparisons to Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, which the Globe has a tendency to crown Danny over the head with now and then. But the king reference has a double edge to it. King isn’t so much suck up in tone as slightly bitchy, as if the federal source held his nose while swallowing his central Canadian pride. Turns out Steve needs Danny, what do you know, and is coming to Town to kiss the King’s ring or, in Danny’s case, brush his lips past the brass knuckles. Steve’s in real danger of losing two of the three federal seats currently held in the province by the federal Conservatives — the fiefdoms of St. John’s South-Mount Pearl and St. John’s East. Norm Doyle is retiring and Loyola Hearn is thinking about giving it up, please God. Fabian Manning, seen as a candidate to replace Hearn in the federal cabinet,
RYAN CLEARY
Fighting Newfoundlander will have a hard enough time getting re-elected in the riding of Avalon if he remains in Danny’s bad books. According to the source in the PM’s office, two members of Danny’s caucus — Tom Osborne and Jack Byrne — are seen as possible candidates to replace the laddios, Doyle and Hearn. Danny wouldn’t be giving up much — Tommy O and Jackie B were both recently dropped from his cabinet. No disrespect, but the King could cash them in for a half case and pack of smokes and still come out a winner. Imagine if the King could trade them in for having his way with equalization? I call that a no-brainer. On the other hand, Danny would have to soften his Anything-ButConservative stand, which has become his mantra. In fact, it’s mildly surprising to see the King hasn’t introduced ABC into the provincial
pitcher plant logo, with the alien tendrils sucking the brains from a Stevey-eyed candidate. Danny isn’t in the habit of backing down to anyone. At the same time, if he wants to get ahead in the Canadian federation — which remains to be seen — he has to play political ball. So Steve’s on his way to Town to see the King and “mend fences.” The downside, and there is one, is the quality of Conservative champion the King ships off to Ottawa. Osborne and Byrne are solid constituency men, no doubt, but they’re not exactly shining knights, Lancelot material. They’re aging workhorses — no more, no less, warm bodies to fill the seats around the caucus table. Meantime, the provincial Tories seem to be warming up, ever so slightly, to their distant federal cousins. When Osborne was dropped from cabinet he made it a point to say he was buddies with Hearn. Then Shawn Skinner had the gall to say he had no difficulty working with his federal counterparts, before apologizing to the King the next day for venturing off script. The King’s right-hand man, Fisheries Minister Tom Rideout,
appears behind Hearn in his foreign overfishing charade. Hearn says NAFO reforms are working, even as foreign trawlers continue to scrape what’s left of turbot stocks from the bottom of the Grand Banks barrel. But then I have to be careful not to slight the King and his outport policy. In a recent interview from his B.C. home, former premier Brian Peckford mourned the state of the Newfoundland fishery, criticizing the Williams administration for focusing on offshore oil at the expense of all else. Brian’s one to talk — he abdicated the provincial throne when he lost his will to fight. But then Peckford has a point. King Danny’s weakness has been rural policy. Danny has yet to articulate how riches from offshore oil and future hydro development will be used to breathe life back into the lands beyond the overpass. A gala dinner celebrating the 40th anniversary of crab doesn’t cut it. The people of Trouty, whose crab plant recently shut down, throwing 200 people out of work, probably weren’t in the mood to raise a toast to their futures. A crab gala also seems unusual when
the anniversary of the death of groundfish has been ignored for each of the past 15 years. Danny has more than one war to fight on the federal front. At the same time, he needs to spell out his master plan for turning our renewable resource-based industries around in the limited time that we have oil money to play with. The fishery is the future; it’s in our bones. Steve, if you’re reading, and we’ve sent extra copies of The Independent to the King’s eigth floor office to ensure you do, this province needs the power to control our own destiny, be it with the fishery and custodial management or with a power corridor through Quebec for lower Churchill power. If you take away anything from your visit, take away this: the culture of defeat that you once thought had infected this place is a lie. There’s life here yet. Good luck in securing your Newfoundland horses for the next federal election, but don’t underestimate the steel of our resolve. To do so would shag you and the horse you attempt to ride in on. ryan.cleary@theindependent.ca
YOURVOICE Waterford has ‘come a long way’ the acute-care hospitals. Dear editor, It is indeed troubling that the offiAs the union representative for the majority of employees at the cial spokesperson for Eastern Health Waterford Hospital, I would like the could find nothing positive to say opportunity to respond to the article, about the Waterford Hospital and the Institutional neglect (Oct. 26 edition, services provided by a dedicated and committed staff. All of our hospitals, by Stephanie Porter). I am disappointed that Colleen like our schools, suffered from insufSimms, Eastern Health’s regional ficient maintenance budgets throughout the 1980s and director of mental ’90s. It is grossly health and addictions, could find nothing posIt is grossly unfair unfair to portray the Waterford as any itive to say about the to portray the more inadequate than Waterford Hospital and other facilities that the valuable services it Waterford as any were underfunded. delivers as our only more inadequate The Waterford provincial psychiatric hospital. than other facilities Hospital has come a long way in the treatSimms references that were ment of psychiatric the Waterford as havillness. It is unfortuing been built in 1855. underfunded. nate that archaic This is only partially views of psychiatric correct. A significant portion of the hospital was built in the treatment as presented by the regional mid-1970s and the remainder of the director for Eastern Health erode the hospital has had constant upgrades. In good work done by so many. fact, the majority of the section built in The solution for dealing with men1855 no longer houses patients. tal illness will not be found by a cosOne of the issues identified as prob- metic integration into acute-care lematic is the existence of multiple facilities, but rather by improving bedrooms. The solution, according to the current specialized facilities and Simms, is to move acute care into a promoting the valuable expertise that general hospital. Simms ought to is available at the Waterford. Once know that floors in general hospitals again it appears that Eastern Health are made up of private, semi-private, has failed the health-care system. and multiple bed units. This is the exact same configuration as the Carol Anne Furlong, Waterford. As a matter of fact, the President, Newfoundland and rooms at the Waterford are much largLabrador Association of Public and er with more space than the wards in Private Employees (NAPE)
‘I started locking the front door’ Dear editor, When I moved to downtown St. John’s in the early 1980s, I didn’t lock my doors. Then, once too often, I woke up to find somebody asleep in my living room, mistaking it for one of the area’s rooming houses. So I started locking the front door at night. The provincial government must increase the number of police or create patrols to monitor and call in the police when required and close latenight bars so police will know that late-night strollers may likely be up to no good and monitor accordingly. The federal government must legalize and control the distribution of
controlled substances to reduce the crime associated with their acquisition. This also eliminates the funding for the Taliban, drug cartels, and a host of the world’s organized criminal activity. The City of St. John’s must push the provincial government to resolve and/or expand the traffic enforcement staff. The media must do one small thing: publish daily reports of crime so that people will realize that they’re not just isolated cases here and there and demand that government resolve the problem. Leonard Clarke, St. John’s
AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
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The Independent welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words in length or less and include full name, mailing address and daytime contact numbers. Letters may be edited for length, content and legal considerations. Send your letters in care of The Independent, P.O. Box 5891, Station C, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5X4 or e-mail us at editorial@theindependent.ca
‘I applaud your province’ Dear editor, While watching Canada AM this morning on NTV, I was pleased to see a bit on your program in Newfoundland to make the switch from old-style Christmas bulbs to LED lights, thus saving “410,000 kw/h per year, or 650 barrels of oil per year.” I applaud your province for the initiative. As a published poet of topical verse, I was moved to write the following poem and would be pleased if you would share it with your readers. Kathleen Mortensen, Kitchener, Ont. (P.S. My cousin, Stewart Read, lives in Deer Lake)
Light switch In Newfoundland this Christmas year, Along with bringing festive cheer, Santa Claus has this advice: LEDs are twice as nice. Bring old lights in to stations set, Just trade them in and you will get, Double packs of brand new lights, And LEDs are pretty sights. Not only that; these lights can save Great metric tons of power we crave; Single bulbs we use for show; 116 LEDs make glow. The holidays increase our power Consumption mega watts by hour — Enough to light the Mount Pearl spot, Or Corner Brook, and that’s a lot! So make your way to near depot; Hand back your lights of long ago; From far and wide let new be seen— Even Santa’s wearing green!
‘Value decency a little more’ Dear editor, As a “fighting Newfoundlander,” one would think you would want to fight with and for Newfoundland and Labrador — not against it. Your column, Fooling no one (Nov. 23 edition, by Ryan Cleary) let your true colours show. As a valued reporter in St. John’s, one would think you would uphold some moral standards and avoid insulting another reporter who in the grand scheme of things is a colleague no matter what local publication he/she may write for. As a reader I found it appalling that a so-called professional would refer to any other writer as “partly lazy, partly apathetic, partly just plain ignorant.” I read more than one paper and have to say that it is obvious that a good reporter does just that — reports. They have no choice but leave their personal opinion out of the story. They have no bearing on what is said by a politician. A great reporter asks tough questions, but when you have to follow a press release or a tight-lipped
politician who is fed his next answer in advance you can only present to the public the facts and quotes straight from the horse’s mouth. Perhaps it’s not that “they’re careful not to push Hearn too hard, for fear he’ll cut them off from future frontpagers,” but that they are choosing to remain professional in an occupation obviously spoiled by those who are so high up on their horse that they fail to see the real job required of the local media. As a local publication it remains your job to inform the public of what happens behind closed doors, but the more time spent on slighting the competition results in a lower quality weekly paper. Ironically, your columnist Ivan Morgan said, “As I get older the personality trait I most cherish in others is decency.” I am sure that many of your readers feel the same way, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt if you value decency a little more than your own opinion. Robyn Marsh, St. John’s
‘Go easy on eggs’ Dear editor, Many years ago I remember a brother engineer telling me he survived an influenza pandemic by eating large amounts of brandy and raw eggs. And I shall always remember the delicious plate of ham and eggs that I ate in the engineers’ mess of the old Newfoundland ferry, the SS Cabot Strait, 50 years ago. But as the years went on, so did my cholesterol and my family doctor advised me to go easy on eggs because the yolks contain cholesterol. So I was surprised to get a circular in the mail compiled by the Egg Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador, etc., advising me to eat more eggs as they were a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids, which lower blood pressure … and help manage heart disease. Reading further, I notice the pamphlet says that omega-3 eggs are pro-
duced by hens fed a diet enriched with flaxseed. Now here’s my problem: checking with local egg distributors, I am told they have no way of knowing if the hens of local farmers are fed a diet of flaxseed. I think I shall heed my doctor’s advice and go easy on eggs! By the way, my carton of eggs says each egg contains cholesterol — there’s no mention of Omega-3 fatty acid. Chas Luter, Buchans
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 9
Space race O
f all the stupid things people do — and there’s a big list — it strikes me the “race for space” continues to be one of the stupidest. China just released pictures from the moon taken by its lunar probe, Chang’e 1. The Chang’e 1 joins American, Russian and Japanese spacecraft all swirling around the rocky sphere that circles our planet. The Chinese brag they are well along in their plans for outer space. So what? Haven’t a host of nations already been there and done that? Could there not be one thing on which we as a species can all agree and co-operate on? Could we agree to work together on something? I’m all about space exploration, but why does every nation have to start from scratch? Why does China have to boldly go where so many other nations have gone before? I was 10 when American Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon. It was in the middle of summer holidays, as far from school in time
IVAN MORGAN
Rant & Reason as a little boy could gloriously be, and I got to stay up all night, too. It was 1969 and clearly, with the right technology, we could do anything. We were on our way to a bold new world. It hasn’t happened. China might be all excited about space exploration, but here in the “first world,” as we like to still refer to ourselves, no one really gives a hoot. Technology, we have learned, is never going to be any better than the humans who use it. The conquering of the moon by the Americans was an amazing achievement by any measure, but now we know the cost. The rocket genius for the U.S. was the German Wernher van Braun, who crafted the American space program on knowledge he had
gained building rockets for the Nazis. His flying bombs were built by slave labour, all record of which was whitewashed after the war so he could build rockets for us instead of the Russians. The Russian-American “space race” was never more than a thinly veiled military competition to be won at all costs despite the heady language we were fed. China — not a democracy — is spending a fortune on its space program. Why? For the betterment of mankind? That’s what we were fed by the Americans back in the ’60s. That’s what we are always fed. That’s what our ancestors were fed when the “New World” was “discovered.” Technology has advanced, but humans have not changed very much. It would have been easy to convince Christopher Columbus, or John Cabot, or Jacques Cartier and their sponsors why we need to be in space ahead of the “other guys.” Hell, closer to home, we as nations can’t even agree to look after the fish
YOUR VOICE ‘The great weakness of Confederation’ Dear editor, Where are our MPs, MHAs and senators? There are important initiatives being pursued in Ottawa that could determine whether we have more or less say in Canada’s federal government. Unfortunately, Newfoundland and Labrador politicians are not fighting for our interests. The Stephen Harper government has introduced bills to elect senators and reduce their terms (which we should support) and to increase representation for the big provinces in the House of Commons (which we should oppose if the Senate is not reformed). Others have made proposals to abolish the Senate. The great weakness of Confederation for the small provinces is the fact that we have so little power in Ottawa. We will have even less if the big provinces are given more MPs, especially if the
Senate is not changed, or is abolished. Federal Bill C-22 would give 10 additional seats to Ontario, seven to B.C., five to Alberta, but none to the smaller provinces. That would give 22 more seats to the most populous provinces, bringing their total to 192 in a 330-seat House — an increase to 58 per cent from 55 per cent of the total votes. And the premier of Ontario is campaigning for double the additional seats being proposed for his province. If the big provinces get more seats and the Senate is not made more effective, the smaller provinces will have even less influence in Ottawa. These proposals could have serious implications. Our politicians should be fighting to protect our interests and increase our influence. Walter Noel, St. John’s
style said to have been used by the English to outline their garden plots — not intended to keep out livestock as was used by the “wriggle/riggle/riddle/reglan” styles as used in Newfoundland. The question is which name came first? Or was it just an interpretation of a spoken word? Ben Dunne, Mount Pearl
NAFO picture ‘misinforms the Canadian people’ Dear editor, Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn informed Parliament recently that NAFO has succeeded in reducing fishing violations off our shores and that fish stocks are fine. Dr. Joanne Fischer of NAFO commented on CBC Radio’s Fisheries Broadcast that fish stocks were in good shape and was proud of the success NAFO has attained in reducing violations and the overall compliance to NAFO guidelines. Neither made reference to custodial management, the absence of which is destroying our cultural heritage. They emphasized the minor points about violations and compliance. The impression was that 20 nations fishing off our coast are now well behaved, following good fishing practices, and that the stocks are in good condition because of the excellent work of NAFO. This picture misinforms the Canadian people and it is in total disregard of the fisher people of Newfoundland and Labrador. As a member of NAFO, Canada’s duty is more then conferring with and policing fellow members and protecting fish stocks. She has the addi-
working together? Before you laugh yourself sick, understand I am just asking. I remember running out onto our lawn in the wee hours that night decades ago and looking up at the moon, marvelling that guys called Neil and Buzz were actually standing on it. Wow. The space station is being built right now, with people in space doing the wiring and the drywall. It will even pass over St. John’s in early December, visible in the night sky. Who’s going out to look? Who cares? After all the hype, outer space seems to have been little more than the backdrop for a series of cheesy TV shows and movies. There’s an awful lot of space out there, but the problem isn’t out there. Even the answer to this problem is almost 400 years old, not that anyone has learned much in four centuries. As Shakespeare had Cassius say to Brutus in Julius Caesar: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
Window of opportunity
Riddle me this Dear editor, Mandy Cook penned a very interesting article, Word nerds, in the Nov. 16 edition about Riddle Fence, a new literary journal to mark the 20th anniversary of the writers’ alliance. My reason for this letter concerns the use of the word riddle to highlight the name of the Mark Callanan publication. The word riddle as it relates to fences has gone through several spellings over the years/centuries. In my old hometown of Renews on the Southern Shore we called that type of fence a “reglan” fence. It may have been the original name of the “riggle” or “wriggle” fence or even “riddle” fence, which is the name used in your article. At the Ferryland historic dig site (the location of the Kirke family mansion) there is a “wattle” fence
stocks we all need. We may have great technology, but we have to grow as humans. We aren’t. So the Chinese are left to spend billions better spent elsewhere perfecting technology already invented. Seems like a waste to me. My problem is I still want to believe the high-minded sentiments sold to me by the American space program decades ago. Maybe they didn’t mean it, but I want to believe it all the same. Maybe the new international space station being built is the way of the future. With all the problems we have on Earth, with the breathtaking irony of fanatical religious groups using the Internet, military and technology to try to drag us back to the Middle Ages, maybe space exploration can give hope, and show a better way for the future. The Chinese have expressed an interest in being part of the space station project. Why not? Why is India developing a space program? Japan? Why not get all countries
tional, and far greater duty of acting at all times in a manner that is protective and supportive of the fishing cultures and peoples of her own country. What goes on in NAFO meetings, the state of fish stocks and what foreign fishing countries do off our coast is important but meaningless if 100,000 fisher people in our province are not permitted a recovery of their way of life. If the labour intensive inshore cod fishery is not restored, what difference does it make to us what Canada or NAFO does? Our fishery is first about people’s lives, our lives, not first about fish levels, NAFO meetings and procedures, governments and politicians. As such the plight of our coastal fishing people should first and foremost be behind every meeting and decision that the Canadian government is involved in regardless if it is in parliament or at NAFO meetings. Foreign countries freely take thousands of tons of our migrating stocks while our culture is allowed to die because they can’t catch the same fish. Phil Earle, Carbonear
7e love celebrations too.
Dear editor, I read with a keen interest Brian Callahan’s article, Blame game, in The Independent’s Nov. 9 edition where Elizabeth Davis, former CEO of the Health Care Corp. of St. John’s (forerunner of Eastern Health) offers her views on current troubles in the province’s health-care system. I have had some dealings with Davis. My brother, John Careen, was one of the two patients who fell to their deaths from an open seventh floor window at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital in 1998. There was also a patient who jumped to her death in 1987. Davis was in charge of St. Clare’s then in her role as a Sister of Mercy. Callahan gives the reader Davis’s recipe for restoring the public’s faith in the health-care system — honesty is the crucial ingredient. Davis is quoted as saying, “We have to make sure the leaders are completely open with the public.” Yeah right. Immediately after John’s death on July 28, 1998, the initial statement from the Health Care Corp. was that “he squeezed through a small opening.” In fact, the window was hinged at the bottom and the opening was 16 inches in height by 48 inches in length. A five-foot six, 145pound man doesn’t have to squeeze through that size of an opening! It did take some doing to get the corporation to finally agree not to use the words “he squeezed through a small opening.” From the outset, we, John’s family, were told he didn’t open the window, but nine years later the question remains who did open it and when? In her interview with Callahan, Davis speaks of flawed equipment. Yet Davis resisted modifying the windows at St. Clare’s so the opening
Sister Elizabeth Davis
wouldn’t be so huge. My brother was given an opportunity to kill himself. The opened window of his hospital room was an irresistible attraction to him. The jack blunt truth is that he was placed in harm’s way and those windows at St. Clare’s should have been fixed properly and immediately after the first tragic, unnecessary death in 1987. There is going to be a judicial inquiry into the botched breast cancer testing at Eastern Health. Coldly, clinically, dispassionately, those patients (the dead and the still suffering) have been referred to as adverse medical outcomes. Perhaps Davis will write her former employer, the minister of Health, and recommend, beseech even, that he call a judicial inquiry into the other set of adverse medical outcomes — the suicides at St. Clare’s. Tom Careen, Placentia
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
10 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 11
IN CAMERA
More than meat A moose track is spotted.
Morrissey tries out his moose call.
Peyton, right, takes lookout while Morrissey follows.
The trail is long for Peyton.
Peyton, left, and Morrissey check the map.
Scanning open ground.
Peyton takes aim under threatening skies.
Nearing the end of moose-hunting season 2007, Independent photo editor Paul Daly spent a week in central Newfoundland tracking big game with two brothers-in-law, John Morrissey and Robert Peyton. Morrissey reports on their week in the woods.
Lunch — “the three Bs” — is served.
T
he annual moose hunt is many things to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, expats included. This year, it was especially important to Robert Peyton, a Newfoundlandborn sergeant with the Canadian Forces, currently stationed in Ontario. Peyton returned home this month to hunt with two brothers-in-law — The Independent’s photo editor Paul Daly, and myself. For all of us, the week in the woods was more about bonding and enjoying fall in the Newfoundland outdoors than the potential booty of fresh meat. And I’m not just saying that because we didn’t get a moose. We all knew we’d be together in Sandy Point, Notre Dame Bay, to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Robert’s parents, Betty and
Hughie Peyton. Taking advantage of the family gathering, Peyton applied for a tag in nearby moose management area 21 (Rattling Brook). We arrived in central Newfoundland Nov. 18, a week before the anniversary party. Hunting this late in the season — this year area 21 opened Sept. 8 and will close Dec. 9 — offers a few extra challenges. It seems moose are better educated and alert to hunters in blaze orange carrying highpowered rifles. Frozen ground and snow make tracking a bit easier, but too much snow can quickly block access to remote areas. Slippery, icy ground makes it difficult for hunters to travel safely and quietly. On the other hand, most deciduous trees have lost their leaves by mid-November, offering less cover for the animals. We experienced all these benefits and chal-
lenges on this hunting trip. On Sunday and Monday, the first two days of our hunt, we traveled the eastern boundaries of the moose management area. Jumpers Brook, near the Bay d’Espoir highway, travels south to the Dowd and Christmas Pond areas, home to many moose and caribou. We got reacquainted with each other over traditional boil-ups with bologna, beans, bread (the three Bs) and steeped tea. As for the moose … unfortunately, the area has mature stands of spruce, fir and juniper trees, which made spotting our prey just about impossible. Even treks over open bog areas turned up little evidence of any of the largest members of the deer family. On a frosty Tuesday morning, we used the Tolt on the Bay d’Espoir highway — an old fire watchtower location — as a vantage point to spot
the first moose of the trip. Our efforts to track the animal to a faraway ridge were eventually abandoned; water hazards and slippery boots plagued Daly’s attempt to keep up with his more experienced brothers-in-law. In the end, our spirits were lifted by a moose sighting — but that’s all the day offered. Fifteen centimetres of snow Wednesday morning made for deteriorating hunting and driving conditions, cutting short the day’s hunt. Sometimes, we decided, it’s just better to head home and save your energy for a better day. On Thursday, many hunters in the area took advantage of fresh snow to help locate and track their quarry, and we saw more
The tags.
hunters that day than we had all week. More moose, too — we spotted a pair of browsing animals in a nearby cutover; the duo managed to elude shots by both rifle and camera. As I mentioned earlier, moose this time of year seem weary of humans pointing anything at them. We spotted five more moose on that snowladen day, but we deemed all to be out of range for rifle and retrieval. The next day was devoted to the family gathering and preparation for the anniversary party. And besides, after a week of early rises, we were all due a day of rest. But a plan was hatched that night to have all the men of the Peyton family head out for a day of hunting the following morning. Saturday dawned with high expectations.
Our party of five scouted locations along the Bay d’Espoir highway, including Tolt Brook and Miguels Lake. We all worked hard, but the odds weren’t entirely in our favour — in 2006-07, there was a success rate of 53.5 per cent in our chosen hunting area, compared with an average of 67 per cent or higher elsewhere. In the end, our hopes were dashed. Family commitments and a trip back to Ontario for Peyton ended our week in the woods. Camaraderie, not a choice cut of meat, was the goal of the hunt, and by those standards, it was a success. Hunters are by nature an optimistic bunch. I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to get together with family to bond and enjoy the Newfoundland outdoors.
12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTNEWS • 13
One final gasp Students prepare for finals, armed with sticky notes
Y
ou can hear the rush everywhere on campus. One gulp after another as November’s dates are circled and crossed off, marks pile up and final exams loom. Students take most of the worried breaths, but you hear them from professors too, accidental little gasps that slip out as they stare at stacks of term papers they once happily assigned to be 3,000 words each. Each vacuum opened up by these gulps swallows a bit of common sense. Attendance in my classes — although always dynamic — has shriveled in the last couple of weeks. One class of 30 turned into a seminar discussion amongst seven. Our professor asked us pointedly, “Why is nobody here today?” We didn’t even hazard a guess. It would be rude and very uncool to speak for missing classmates. Every student in
JOHN RIETI
Notes in the margin the room could imagine the position they might be in — frantically searching for an extra hour to finish a paper, passed out on a couch from a sleepless week (and maybe weekend as well), or simply sitting in the university centre somewhere, just not in the mood to go to class. Every student has missed class before, myself included, and yes, we all know it’s a dumb idea. We all wrote a math exam in our first year that established we could add and divide, thus we can analyze our tuition bill to discover skipping class is the equivalent of lighting a $10
bill on fire. But sometimes, giving yourself one hour of vacation from the classroom seems to makes sense. “Are you overworked?” Our prof continued, half-joking and a little bit worried. There were chuckles, and a twinkle of rebellion in eyes wearied by thousands of pages of reading, but nobody answered that question either. Admitting being overworked would also require pleading guilty to the time we’d wasted or spent procrastinating. In my five years on campus I’ve yet to meet someone who finishes papers long before the deadline. Even the ones I know on the Dean’s list. Most of my classmates are like me, writing 60 per cent (and often more) of their papers and projects one or two days before deadline. In the last hours there is tremendous self-loathing and humility, so there’s no
sense in criticizing these work habits any further. Most of us won’t learn. Students do, however, search for solutions. During registration we dream about how next semester will be different. How we’ll study in the library between classes, how we’ll make every morning class no problem, and how we’ll be much better at writing papers. This is as likely as Axel Meisen slipping me cheat notes during my geography exam. For now, I’m bolstering my hope with an arsenal of nine pens and five highlighters, a light infantry of paper — many of which will die a tragic, crumpled death — and a locker that glows gold with sticky notes. My marching orders are to accomplish at least three hours of study every day until exams are over, weekends too. They’re all scheduled, on three different calendars,
colour-coded and everything. I’m not joking. I am that big of a nerd. Truth is, all organization is fun compared to actually studying, which is often as intellectually stimulating as watching reruns of a TV show you never liked in the first place. What I do find interesting is how people study, and yes, I confess to people watching in the library. Some students are all furrowed brows and frantic scribbling, some casually underline and leaf through text books. Everyone has their own tastes in background noise, caffeine and coping mechanisms. I even know students who drive to their cabins for the weekend to read, write and stress out in perfect seclusion. So as the campus takes its final collective gasp before the holidays, students are just hoping exams don’t suck. john.rieti@theindependent.ca
VOICE FROM AWAY
Sea of people Bangladesh may have 150 million people, but Goulds native Bob Lemessurier finds his way just fine By Bob Lemessurier For The Independent
A
cyclone that devastated the southern part of Bangladesh, India in November put the unfortunate country back in the news. Usually, what we hear from Bangladesh is bad — the severe flooding that accompanies the monsoons, and now the cyclone. For a developed country, such a catastrophe would be bad enough, as we saw with the hurricane that hit New Orleans in 2005, for example. But for one of the poorest nations on Earth it is particularly devastating since Bangladesh doesn’t have the relatively sophisticated infrastructure that we have. Nor does it have our social safety net to fall back on. In this case, there were up to 10,000 lives lost, although there may never be an accurate final count. Such is life in Bangladesh, a country only twice the size of the island of Newfoundland, but with a population of 150 million, making it one of the most densely populated in the world. To live and work there is quite an experience, one that makes you appreciate what you have, and renders our everyday complaints and degree of poverty rather small by comparison. Driving to work in downtown Dhaka, the capital of 10 million-plus, from my guest house in Gulshan II, a suburb which houses the embassies, including Canada’s, is an experience in itself, and not for the faint of heart. Traffic is chaotic, and except for policemen at every intersection who attempt to bring some order, it would be almost impossible to get anywhere. Every time you stop, you are besieged by street vendors and beggars who number in the thousands. Many are young mothers with infants in tow. Others are young “street” children of whom there are an estimated 200,000 in Dhaka alone, with at least another 100,000 in other centres. Many are also disabled children and adults, plying their crutches and crude wheelchairs or carts among the rows of cars, buses, trucks, mini-taxis and rickshaws. The mini, or baby-taxi, is a threewheeled motorcycle with an enclosed, two-seater passenger compartment, and the rickshaw, a bicycle with a two-person seat. These are the primary and cheapest modes of transportation for the majority of ordinary Bangladeshis. While my trip to the office of the Directorate of Primary Education is normally in one of our project vans or cars, I have taken both the mini-taxi and rickshaw on a number of occasions, particularly for shorter rides. It can be a harrowing experience, particu-
Niru Begum in Bakerganj, southwest of Dhaka.
Rafiqur Rahman/Reuters
larly in the former as they weave in and out of regular traffic at breakneck speed. There are no doors or seatbelts — just an iron bar to hang on to. Walking, too, can be a challenge, especially trying to cross a street because, even where there are crosswalks they are seldom obeyed by drivers unless there is a traffic light or policeman present. The locals, who seldom have the right-of-way, seem to manage, and just wrestle with the traffic as they make their way along the most crowded streets in the world. As you walk among this sea of people, you experience the sights, sounds and smells of a city that barely sleeps. At daybreak, you encounter the farmers and other vendors setting up shop for the day. At sundown, they will wend their way back to their villages, in some cases many miles away, to get a few hours sleep and prepare for the next day’s trek back to the city, not unlike our inshore fishermen and farmers, putting in a 16-hour day or more. It is unbearably hot much of the time for a cold-blooded Newfoundlander like myself, with temperatures always in the 30 C and sometimes 40 C range. The working and living environment has air conditioning, when it works, except during field trips when, at best, you might get a fan. There are also daily, one-hour or more power shutoffs that are usually intentional to save electricity, but there are also many more that can simply be blamed on extreme overuse. After prolonged periods without air conditioning, the temperature indoors can soar into the high 40s or more. For all their problems and poverty, the Bangladeshi people are amazingly resilient and almost universally friendly and courteous. Most eke out a living
doing something, whether farming and selling produce in Dhaka and other cities and towns, or working in the clothing industry. Many, especially children, will sell items on consignment for street vendors and shops. While there is extreme poverty, few are actually starving to death like in Africa, though many survive on one dollar and one meal a day. (The gross national product is less than $500 per year.) Security is of some concern as there is a terrorist cell in Bangladesh with tentacles throughout the country. While I was there from March to May of this year, there were several bombings of railway facilities, with more deaths and many injuries inflicted after several of the captured terrorists were executed. During such incidents there is a heightened state of alert, with military and paramilitary people everywhere. For all of that, Bangladesh is considered a relatively moderate Muslim country by today’s rather threatening standards. I’m returning to Bangladesh in January for another three months on the second half of my assignment, where I actually get to facilitate the training that I helped plan and design last spring. The purpose of our program is to try and help improve the lot of the primary education system and 178,000 primary schools in this very challenging environment, a daunting task indeed. Perhaps I’ll get another opportunity to relate some other aspects of that experience at a later date. Bob Lemessurier is an international consultant in professional development for the second primary development program sponsored by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Canadian International Development Agency.
Notice Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Government Services NOTICE OF HEARING To non-unionized (permit) workers that were members of the Iron Workers Local 764 Pension Trust Fund during the Hibernia Development Project The Superintendent of Pensions has provided a Notice of Proposed Order of a partial wind-up of the Iron Workers Local 764 Pension Trust Fund for all permit workers who were members of the above noted pension plan while working on the Hibernia Development Project. The Trustees of the Iron Workers Pension Plan have requested a Hearing and Reconsideration with respect to the Notice of Proposed Order of a partial plan wind-up and a Hearing has been scheduled for December 13, 2007 and December 14, 2007, if necessary. The Hearing will be held at the Public Utilities Board Hearing Room located at 120 Torbay Road, St. John’s, NL and will begin at 9:30am on December 13, 2007. Any permit worker who was a member of the Iron Workers Local 764 Pension Trust Fund during the Hibernia Development Project that did not receive a pension benefit from the pension plan who would like to attend the Hearing or make a submission during the Hearing is requested to notify the Department of Government Services in advance of the Hearing at telephone number 709-729-1039. Winston Morris Superintendent of Pensions Department of Government Services Second Floor West Block, Confederation Building St. John’s, NL AIB 4J6
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
14 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
St. Anthony mayor fears for passenger safety in light of airport cuts By Ivan Morgan The Independent
T
he mayor of St. Anthony says NAV Canada’s recent recommendation to Transport Canada to discontinue its sixmember flight services station at the town’s airport will make flying in or out of the Northern Peninsula town unsafe. Boyd Noel also says the loss of six well-paying jobs will have a $500,000 negative impact on the local economy.
The recommendation comes in the wake of a study conducted by NAV Canada — the private company that co-ordinates the movement of domestic aircraft in Canadian airspace — which determined flight services now provided on the ground in St. Anthony can be safely provided from Deer Lake, a community 400 kilometres away. Noel says the council knew there was a study being conducted, but they didn’t expect a total closure of the station. “We’re totally in awe, because we don’t believe
Notice Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Government Services NOTICE TO CONSUMERS It has come to the attention of the Department of Government Services that Reyanne Briand and Earl Lawery Matthews, currently residing at Grand Bank, Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, operating as AID4FAMILIES, AID2FAMILIES and/or PAY4FAMILIES, may be trading in securities, in contravention of the Securities Act [RSNL 1990], c. S-13 (the “Act”), a statutory offence. Consumers are cautioned that Reyanne Briand and Earl Lawery Matthews, operating as AID4FAMILIES, AID2FAMILIES and/or PAY4FAMILIES, are not registered under the Act and are prohibited from promoting or trading in securities while residing in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. For further information contact the Financial Services Regulation Division, Consumer and Commercial Affairs Branch, at (709) 729-2596. 2007-11-22
equipment is as safe as people,” Boyd Noel tells The Independent. Noel says he’s busy meeting with council and airport clients to decide how to fight the recommendation. He says the region’s harsh conditions make on-the-ground weather observations essential. “As you know in our area weather can change in a moment. One minute it could be one thing and the next minute it could be something else,” says Noel. This is not the first battle the town has had with Transport Canada, says Noel. He says council locked horns with Transport Canada when it closed the airport’s fire station and handed its firefighting equipment over to the town. The town recently had a meeting with Labrador Airways, according to Noel, who says the airline is looking at resuming flights in and out of St. Anthony, which could mean 10,000 more passengers a year. Ron Singer, a spokesman for NAV Canada, says the company’s study has shown St. Anthony airport — with 4,800 take-off and landings last year — falls well short of their threshold of 20,000 to qualify for on-the-ground flight services. He says a remote aerodrome advisory service from Deer Lake will increase services at the airport from the approximately 15 hours a day now provided to 24 hour-a-day coverage. An automatic weather station will be installed, along with runway cameras, says Singer, which will provide pilots using the facility with improved overnight service. “Pilots won’t notice any difference,” says Singer, adding the airport currently has a peak of
“As you know in our area weather can change in a moment. One minute it could be one thing and the next minute it could be something else.” Boyd Noel
two landings or take-offs an hour. “You don’t need to have somebody there to advise on traffic or weather — to be on site.” The system, says Singer was tested in two inclement weather sites — St. John’s and Iqualuit. Noel is not convinced NAV Canada’s policies are appropriate to St. Anthony. “It’s an unsafe situation for those people that are flying — whether it’s 5,000 or 15,000,” he says. Noel says he’s curious to discover who is saving money on the decision. NAV Canada is a private company under contract to Transport Canada. If the six positions are eliminated, asks Noel, will NAV Canada receive less funding from the federal agency. “Are they footing the bills for it, or the federal government?” ivan.morgan@theindependent.ca
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6, 2007 — PAGE 15
Amy Lenane, co-owner of Sugar Cane Lane, a candy store in downtown St. John’s.
Paul Daly/The Independent
Sweet success St. John’s specialty candy store creates niche market
By Mandy Cook The Independent
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ustomers can almost taste the downtown St. John’s candy store Sugar Cane Lane before walking inside its doors. A confection of pink and sparkle and sound effects create the illusion of being inside a pinball machine made of bubble gum. Beatles tunes compete with the theme song from The Simpson’s arcade game in the video game section. Hula hoops hang in the window. But the company’s main attraction is candy — giant lollipops, Pop Rocks, spin-top gumballs, Brain Lickers and thousands of pieces more jammed on every surface, crowding out a Lite Brite here or spilling out of a dresser drawer there. Owners and married couple Cory and Amy Lenane want their store to be a destination location
for candy, a one-stop shop for all your sweet-tooth needs. Whether it’s a daily York peppermint patty fix or a craving for that Fifth Avenue candy bar you had on vacation in the States, the Lenanes are in the business of catering to customers needs. And by the not-too-fizzy, justsweet-enough taste of the remounted, classic soda pop The Pop Shoppe’s root beer, they’ve succeeded. “I can’t count how many times people say, ‘This is the most amazing store I’ve ever walked into in my entire life,’” says Amy. “Every day, at least three times, people say, ‘This store is like a walk down memory lane.’” Judging by the customers who come in on this particular weekday evening, the entrepreneurs are on to something. One woman who buys some chocolate is intrigued to learn it’s imported from England.
“I grew up on these,” she tells her friend as they leave the store, munching on their purchases. Sixteen-year-old Skye Williams comes in several times a day and buys three pieces each visit. She says it’s part of her “ritual” of restraint. “If I eat too much at once I’ll get sick,” she says on her way to study at the coffee shop a few doors down. In her plastic, see-through bag she carries a couple of Rockets and gummy candy — part of her no-chocolate, vegan diet. Amy, whose turn it is to mind the shop while her Connecticut-born husband Cory stays home with the couple’s 20-month-old daughter, says they see customers from the age of two to 80. They’ve been in business for two and a half years, and Lenane says it was a worry whether a niche business such as a specialty candy story could survive in the summer/Christmas spurt of
the retail season, but says people have responded to the shop’s fun and lively experience. Despite an average markup in prices — necessary to cover the cost of collectible windup robot toys or B-movie victim figurines — Lenane says store traffic is brisk. The winter months are “dead,” she says, but traditional slower months are picking up incrementally. She says tourist numbers are good, but not near what they used to be. She says she hasn’t felt any negative repercussions from the Water Street construction that has plagued some businesses, but contends the “atrocious” rents that downtown landlords demand cause her to sometimes doubt her decision to set up shop in its current location. Overall, Lenane is thrilled with the success of Sugar Cane Lane. She loves it when families travel in from places like Carbonear on
Saturdays because their kids have been begging for a visit all week. She’s following in a long line of entrepreneurs — her great-grandfather ran St. John’s corner store W. J. Murphy’s at Rawlins Cross and her father runs local graphics and sign store Foto One. The family business streak has rubbed off on the new generation. “I was raised by people who ran their own businesses, so I saw the struggle but I also saw the freedom. I’m happy that I get to come here every day.” Lenane says her store still has a way to go before she can breathe easy, but is confident she’s on her way to success. She’s banking on the fantastical (and delicious) experience she offers — something she says customers can’t get at your local bulk store. “We’re selling it with feeling.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
Balancing act
St. John’s economy as hot as ‘Second World War’; growth outpaces budget By Brian Callahan The Independent
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s property taxes go, St. John’s ranks as the best city in Canada to do business. Too bad, for the city anyway, that property assessments only come along every three years. “If every year we could grow our assessment roll through development, and increase values by three per cent, we’d be off to the races,” Mayor Andy Wells tells The Independent.
“But we’re always basically three years behind. We’re always playing catch up.” Property taxes account for about 65 per cent of city revenue. And while they remain frozen for three years after each assessment, salaries, infrastructure, inflation and other expenditures continue to climb. Then along comes the Real Property Association of Canada with a study that puts St. John’s at the top of the heap on a business-friendly property tax basis. Both Wells and deputy mayor Dennis
O’Keefe welcome that news and trumpet the city’s solid financial stability, but they also acknowledge the difficulty in keeping up with growth. This year’s projected deficit could reach as high as $5.8 million. “It’s ironic because times have never been better for us,” Wells says. “You have to go back to the Second World War, I suppose, for such buoyancy in our economy. Property values are up, employment’s pretty good, and we have the lowest level of property tax in the country.”
So why is the city cutting and eliminating subsidies for staple institutions such as the Aquarena? “Well, you’ve still got the problem of maintaining the revenue stream at a level necessary to accommodate growth,” says Wells, in his 10th year as mayor. “We tried to hire a young engineer a couple of months ago, and we thought we made a pretty reasonable offer, you know? But it was turned down. ‘I’ll get back to you,’ was the attitude. “I mean, good for the young students
coming out of university. But it’s hard on us.” The difficulty now has been dealing with the “wish lists” of city departments. Initial estimates for next year see expenditures outpace revenue by $5.8 million. And since the city must balance its $171-million budget, some of the departmental requests simply won’t see the light of day. An annual $150,000 subsidy for the See “Time for,” page 19
16 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
Opportunities Statistician II (Maternity Leave Replacement until December 17, 2008 or until permanent incumbent returns) Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, Economics and Statistics Branch, Department of Finance, Confederation Building, St. John’s DUTIES: The incumbent will: provide consultation and technical assistance in statistical and survey methods to the planning and research staff of all Government departments; use their knowledge of statistical theory to construct and implement sampling plans and provide input into other methodological aspects of a survey; prepare and conduct meetings with Government officials and write statistical reports; supervise data entry and survey coding staff; maintain and manipulate several large data files for which advanced knowledge of SPSS is required; write single-use computer programs for the processing and analysis of data and the calculation of estimates and variances; liaise with Statistics Canada; and perform other related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires sound knowledge of survey sampling and statistical theory, as well as advanced knowledge of SPSS computer software and programming, with extensive experience in statistical analysis of data. A strong background in survey sampling techniques and methodology is required and the candidate must have the ability to perform statistical research and prepare statistical reports. Proficiency in Microsoft Office is essential. The applicant must also have a sound knowledge of various classification structures, including the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the National Occupation Classification (NOC). The candidate must possess strong analytical, organization, communication and interpersonal skills and work both independently and in a team environment under tight project deadlines. The qualifications for this position would normally be acquired through a Master’s degree in statistics or mathematics supplemented by related work experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered. The successful applicant must pass an Enhanced Security Check. SALARY: $42,533.40 - $47,447.40 (GS-35) COMPETITION #: FIN.NLSA.C.SII(t).07/08.136-P CLOSING DATE: December 14th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: 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 pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. This competition is open to both male and female applicants. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-2914. November 21, 2007 207043447
Planner III
Manager - Application Support & Development
Temporary to March 18, 2010
Permanent
Parks and Natural Areas Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Deer Lake NL
Application Management Branch, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Executive Council, Confederation Building, St. John’s
DUTIES: Oversees and manages the site design, site planning and physical development of the Provincial Parks facilities and the Newfoundland T’Railway Provincial Park; conducts field assessments and surveys; designs, supervises, participates in the preparation of and implementation of park management and development plans; prepares specific project construction plans, details and specifications and amendments; reviews and recommends changes to existing maintenance standards, procedures and schedules; reviews and recommends proposed capital construction program; prepares tender and proposal call documents relating to capital construction and professional services projects; implements and monitors work and expenditures for capital construction, research and management projects; writes reports; makes presentations; liaises with contractors, consultants, departmental staff and other stakeholders; represents department on various committees and attends public meetings. A valid driver’s licence, frequent travel and flexibility to work evenings and weekends is required. QUALIFICATIONS: A knowledge of facility design, construction techniques, park planning, natural resource management planning processes, GIS, AutoCAD and related computer applications and financial management, Provincial Parks Act and the Wilderness and Ecological Reserve Act are required. Strong oral and written communication, presentation, organizational and analytical skills are essential as well as the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and work independently. Required qualifications would normally be acquired through a university degree in Landscape Architecture and/or Civil Engineering or related studies in site planning, park planning or environmental design combined with directly related responsible experience. Eligibility for registration with the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) and/or the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL) would be an asset. SALARY: $50,577.80 - $56,583.80 (GS-40) COMPETITION #: EC.C.PIII(t).07.08.0283-P CLOSING DATE: DECEMBER 14, 2007 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: 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 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) 729-5082.
The OCIO provides for the operation of Government’s computer systems and infrastructure, the planning, development and implementation of new IT initiatives, the coordination of IT and information management for Government and working with the local IT industry development while meeting the needs of government. The focus of the OCIO is on strengthening and modernizing the functions of government. It recognizes that information is a key asset that must be effectively managed to provide benefit. The OCIO will actively promote technology to support business users by providing effective services including the right tools and skills. The OCIO has a centralized structure reflecting the operational and strategic role of IT across government. The office is located in Executive Council and the CIO reports directly to the Premier. DUTIES: These positions are accountable for managing the delivery of business application acquisition, development, management and maintenance services for Government Departments and Agencies as required. This is done through the direct supervision of frontline professional resources and the application of project management methodologies and principles. Provides leadership and direction to application support and development teams providing services in support of multiple Departments’ portfolios of significant and mission critical applications. Supports the Director in budgeting and planning activities to ensure the professional delivery of application management services supporting program delivery and improvement. Responsible for contributing to the development and ongoing updating of a strategic IT plan which helps guide the OCIO and responsible departments/agencies. QUALIFICATIONS: Considerable responsible experience in information technology management. Knowledge of project management, business case development, project evaluation, business change management, application development and management principles, application development technologies, methodologies and approaches. An understanding of technology, technology architectures, and system security are required, as well as an understanding of how these areas link to business and information management. In addition, well developed analytical, managerial, team building, communication, interpersonal and leadership skills and a service orientation are required. Required skills would normally be acquired through a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer information systems or a related discipline. An equivalent combination of experience and education may be considered. SALARY: $54,302 – $70,593 (HL 22) COMPETITION #: EXEC.OCIO.C.MASD(p).07/08.145-P CLOSING DATE: December 14th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Mail:
Nov. 15, 2007
Senior Programmer Analyst
(Temporary to March 31, 2008 or until permanent incumbent returns) Social and Resource Branch, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Executive Council, St. John’s DUTIES: This position performs systems analysis, design and programming on the Client Automated Pay System (CAPS) release 2.1 development project. The incumbent will: analyze the business needs and problems of the organization and recommend, define and implement appropriate solutions to resolve these problems; work closely with users to determine scope of required modifications, define requirements for modifications and enhancements and develop time estimates; ensure that enhancements and modifications are correct and that all unit and system testing is adequate and reviewed with the user; write and modify medium to complex computer programs when required; prepare program specifications, clerical procedures, operation instructions, implementation schedules, and test documents as part of the process of delivering modifications and enhancements to CAPS release 2.1; perform other related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates should have knowledge and experience of system life cycle, design and development techniques, tools, object oriented programming and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Knowledge and experience in the following accounting areas; accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger and charts of accounts is required, along with good communication, analytical and interpersonal skills and a service orientation. Technologies and tools used by the project team include: Visual Basic, Crystal reports, Oracle stored procedures, TOAD and Visual SourceSafe. Required skills will normally have been acquired through graduation from a recognized post secondary educational program with a specialization in Computer Studies and through experience of a related and responsible nature in a technical and applications (preferably multi-platform) environment. An equivalent combination of skills and background may also be considered. Positions within the OCIO are considered “Positions of Trust” and as such, successful candidates will be subject to a background check through police/court data banks and other sources. SALARY: $50, 577.80 - $56, 583.80 (GS 40) COMPETITION #: EXEC.OCIO.C.SPA(t).07/08.144-P CLOSING DATE: December 14th, 2007
207043365
Gasoline & Tobacco Tax Inspector
(Permanent) Tax Administration Division, Department of Finance, Confederation Building, St. John’s DUTIES: The incumbent will: perform on site inspection activities and field and desk audit work to ensure compliance with provincial tax laws and regulations; obtain fuel samples for analysis, recommend prosecution and prepare court documents and provide court evidence for violations of provincial tax laws; perform audit procedures, compile working papers and reports and recommend corrective actions for non-compliance; determine the ability of tax payers to pay assessments and provide educational services to the public relating to provincial tax laws; perform other related duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires sound knowledge of tax law, business law, audit and accounting principles, and micro-computer applications. Knowledge of the “downstream” petroleum industry would be preferred. The Applicant must possess strong analytical, organizational and communication skills, along with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships. The qualifications for this position would normally be acquired through completion of a bachelor’s degree in Business/Commence or graduation from an approved college with a diploma in Business Administration specializing in accounting. An equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license, have the ability to climb bulk fuel tanks (in excess of 12 metres) and be able to visually distinguish colours. The successful candidate will be required to supply a letter of “Good Conduct” prior to appointment. SALARY: $37,273.60 - $41,423.20 (GS-31) COMPETITION #: FIN.C.GTTI(p).07/08.123-P CLOSING DATE: December 14th, 2007 Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Mail:
Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: Mail:
Fax: E-mail:
Manager of Strategic Staffing Recruitment Centre - Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. This competition is open to both male and female applicants. RNC Certificate of Conduct is a condition of employment. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-1981. November 21, 2007 207043535
Fax: E-mail:
Manager of Strategic Staffing Recruitment Centre - Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P. O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 (709) 729-6737 pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. This competition is open to both male and female applicants. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-6235. November 21, 2007 207043425
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 pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. This competition is open to both male and female applicants. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-1981. November 21, 2007 207043544
Tender DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORATION & WORKS INVITATION TO TENDER Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects: A/PROJECT # 129-07PHM – Clearing of various sections of right-of-way on R460 & R461 near Kippens, NL PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: DECEMBER 18, 2007 @ 12:00 NOON B/PROJECT – Leasing 3009 sq.ft. of office space for the Dept. of Government Services, Occupational Health & Safety to be located within the City of Corner Brook, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $N/A CLOSING DATE: DECEMBER 17, 2007 @3:00 PM C/PROJECT # 480609003A – Construction of building extension for Vet Office, Pynn’s Brook, NL. PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: DECEMBER 17, 2007 @3:00 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, P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NL. AIB 4J9, 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. Dianne C. Whalen Minister Transportation & Works 207043710
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 17
Opportunities Records Appraiser
Manager of Petroleum Audits and Assessments
Senior Petroleum Auditor
(Temporary until March 31, 2008 with possibility of extension)
2 positions - 1 Permanent and 1 Temporary (until permanent incumbent returns)
PERMANENT
Information Management Division, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 40 Higgins Line, St. John’s
Royalties Division, Energy Branch, Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Building, St. John’s
Royalties Division, Energy Branch, Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Building, St. John’s
DUTIES: The incumbent will: supervise the operation of the Records Management Initiative; undertake records analysis and archival appraisal under the supervision of the Information Management Consultant; supervise a staff of Records Technicians; work in multiple sites to ensure inspection, inventory, appraisal, disposal selection and transfer of records; work closely with the Government Records Archivist of The Rooms, Provincial Archives to appraise records; use the Information Management System for Administrative Records and clearly defined disposition criteria to recommend and dispose of records; and ensure that Excel spreadsheets are completed properly and inventoried and imported into a TRIM database. The incumbent will also be responsible for ensuring the work site is free from hazardous conditions and reports to manager for further inspection and resolution, and will perform other related duties as required.
DUTIES: Plans, co-ordinates and directs activities that contribute to developing, interpreting and administering provincial legislation and agreements and ensures compliance with petroleum project agreements and legislation; ensures all matters that may impact provincial royalties are thoroughly examined; develops and maintains in-depth knowledge of provincial/federal tax legislation, petroleum accounting/auditing issues, crude oil valuation, and transportation and industry custom-of-trade; provides advice and consultation to the Director, Departmental Executives and other Government Officials on specialized and complex petroleum matters; liaises with other Government Departments, agencies, and the oil industry; develops divisional fiscal, administrative and human resources plans, priorities and strategies.
QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires sound knowledge of the theory, principles and practices of records and information management and archival appraisal. Experience with Microsoft Excel and an electronic document system such as TRIM would be an asset. Supervisory experience would also be an asset. The candidate must possess strong communication, organization and interpersonal skills, be able to operate with minimum supervision, function under tight deadlines, and demonstrate the ability to lead in a team environment. The qualifications for this position would normally be acquired through university course work in library or information studies, the social sciences or humanities, supplemented by an archival training degree or Certificate in Records and Information Management, along with progressively responsible work experience in a records or archival setting. An equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered. The applicant must have the ability to lift up to forty pounds, be comfortable working in multiple sites for periods of time, and work with bending and stretching on a regular basis. SALARY: $42,533.40 - $47,447.40 (GS-35) COMPETITION #: EXEC.OCIO.C.RA(t).07/08-146-P CLOSING DATE: December 14th, 2007
QUALIFICATIONS: In-depth knowledge of audit methodology and planning, petroleum and joint venture accounting and generally accepted petroleum accounting principles; generally accepted accounting principles and general accepted auditing standards; and international petroleum fiscal systems; crude oil pricing, and transportation systems is essential. Candidates must be able to work independently and possess initiative together with good oral and written, organizational, analytical, supervisory, and interpersonal skills. The above qualifications would normally have been acquired and demonstrated through graduation from a recognized professional accounting program supplemented by considerable related experience. A professional accounting designation is required. SALARY: $57,059 - $74,177 (HL-23) COMPETITION #: NR.C.MPAA.(p).07.08.0266-P (Permanent) NR.C.MPAA.(t).07.08.0264-P (Temporary) CLOSING DATE: December 11, 2007 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications, quoting competition number, should be forwarded to: Mail:
Applications, quoting Competition No., should be submitted to: 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 pscecresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. This competition is open to both male and female applicants. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-5461. November 21, 2007 207043551
Education Consultant
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 – either by mail, fax or e-mail. Late applications with explanations may be considered. These positions are open to both male and female applicants. A separate application must be submitted for each competition. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-4678.
Department of Education, Student Support Services Division, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: The successful candidate will ensure the development, implementation and evaluation of the Safe and Caring Schools initiative throughout the province. This position is required to evaluate the current status of the implementation of the initiatives; provide support to schools and districts in the development of the Safe and Caring Schools initiatives; collaborate with other groups and organizations in fostering safe and caring learning environments and communities; and consult and support training to teachers and other personnel working to support safe and caring learning environments. The incumbent would be responsible for the completion of an annual review of the initiatives in all districts and will serve as a member on various internal and external committees relating to the Safe and Caring Schools initiative. QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate must possess knowledge of the Safe and Caring Schools policy and school-wide positive behaviour supports; knowledge and experience in research data collection; knowledge in utilizing word processing and presentation software; strong oral and written communication skills; and considerable initiative and independence are required. These qualifications would be acquired through the completion of a Master’s Degree in Education, Educational Psychology, Psychology, or a related field supplemented by a minimum of five years experience in a school setting. SALARY:
GS-42 ($53,125.80 - $62,589.80) or as or in accordance with the NLTA Collective Agreement- Secondment considered COMPETITION #: E.C.EC(s).07.08.223-P CLOSING DATE: December 10, 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
For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-2354 . Applications must be received before the close of business on the closing date either by mail, e-mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. This position is open to both male & female. 207043723
QUALIFICATIONS: Thorough knowledge of audit methodology and planning; computer assisted audit techniques (CAAT); generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) is essential. Some knowledge of petroleum and joint venture accounting; generally accepted petroleum accounting principles (GAPAP); and crude oil pricing and transportation systems is also required. Candidates must be able to work independently and possess initiative together with good oral and written communications, organizational, analytical, supervisory, and interpersonal skills. The above qualifications would normally have been acquired and demonstrated through graduation from a recognized professional accounting program supplemented by considerable responsible and supervisory experience in auditing and accounting, preferably related to the petroleum industry. THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE MUST BE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN A ONE (1) WEEK BASIC OFFSHORE SURVIVAL TRAINING (BST) COURSE. SALARY: $51,546 - $67,010 (HL-21) COMPETITION #: NR.C.SPA.(p).07.08.0270-P CLOSING DATE: December 11, 2007 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications, quoting competition number, should be forwarded to: Mail:
207043658
Director of Wildlife Permanent Location: Wildlife Division, Natural Heritage Branch, Department of Environment and Conservation, Corner Brook.
(Temporary to August 2008 with the possibility of extension)
DUTIES: Plans and conducts the assigned audits and examination of project participant operational and financial records through the development of audit plans, methodologies, programs and techniques; provides a comprehensive evaluation of financial and control systems of project participants; provides lead direction to assigned staff, ensuring that work is reviewed and completed in a timely, professional manner; attempts to resolve items in dispute with project participant officials to ensure compliance with agreements and legislation and to avoid excessive arbitration; attends arbitration hearings and presents audit evidence as required; assists in the development and advancement of provincial positions regarding petroleum royalty and corporate income tax issues during the research and negotiation with project participants; monitors provincial and federal tax legislation and petroleum industry customs of trade for impacts on petroleum projects; co-ordinates with Natural Resources Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, CNLOPB, federal departments and other provincial departments with regards to joint audit activities and information exchange; provides an advisory or consultative role to various government departments and agencies, external legal counsel and public sector organizations on provincial royalty calculations and other related areas through presentations, reports, conferences, etc.; and performs special other assignments concerning a wide variety of complex petroleum issues.
DUTIES: Plans, organizes, directs, controls, supervises and evaluates the policies, activities and programs of the Inland Fish and Wildlife Division with a view to ensuring that the Wildlife resources of the Province are managed wisely and protected in accordance with principles and practices of conservations, sustainability and integrated ecosystem management and in recognition of the needs of people of the Province. This includes: overseeing the administration of the Wildlife Information Management System, provincial big game small game and outfitters licensing system; Wildlife research and inventory programs; wildlife habitat protections, species management and environmental assessment processes; inland fish research and analysis: user groups (guides, trappers, hunters and outfitters) training and support programs; Salmonier Nature Park and environmental education programs. Represents the Divison/Department on various Intra and Interdepartmental Committees and at Conferences. QUALIFICATIONS: Extensive knowledge of wildlife resources and the ecology of the Province, wildlife ecosystem resource management principles, practices and methodologies, program management and administration and the Wildlife Act. Candidates must possess initiative and the ability to work independently in combination with strong negotiating analytical, organizational, presentation, oral and written communications, supervisory and team leadership skills. The qualifications for this position would normally be acquired through graduation with a degree in Wildlife Management, or related discipline, preferably a Masters Degree supplemented by considerable progressively responsible supervisory, program management and wildlife resource management experience. SALARY: $66,833-$86,883 (HL-29) COMPETITION #: EC.C.DW (p).07.0191-P CLOSING DATE: December 10, 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 pscresourcesresumes@gov.nl.ca
Information for Applicants: 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. Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date – late applications with explanation may be considered. For additional information on these positions call (709) 729-5082. Candidates who applied for the previous posting will continue to be considered, they need not re-apply. 207043613
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 – either by mail, fax or e-mail. Late applications with explanations may be considered. This position is open to both male and female applicants. A separate application must be submitted for each competition. For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-4678. 207043684
Tender DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORATION & WORKS INVITATION TO TENDER Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects: A/PROJECT # E050018 – Science laboratory equipment installation (fume hoods, drench showers & chemical storage cabinets), Nova Central School District, NL PURCHASE PRICE: $22.80 CLOSING DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2007 @ 3:00 PM B/PROJECT # 200998001 – Open web steel joist remediation, former SD Cook School, Fern Street, Corner Brook, NL PURCHASE PRICE: $11.40 CLOSING DATE: DECEMBER 05, 2007 @3:00 PM 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, P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NL. AIB 4J9, 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. Joan Burke Minister Dept. of Education 207043067
18 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
Opportunities Agriculturist III
(Dairy Herd Field Management Specialist) Permanent Production and Market Development Division, Forestry and Agrifoods Agency, Department of Natural Resources, St. John’s, NL DUTIES: This is a professional position responsible for developing the dairy sector of the agricultural economy by planning, initiating, co-ordinating and assembling business plans, programs and projects and giving scientific and technical direction to the dairy sector of the Agriculture industry. The incumbent is responsible for the delivery of the On-farm Food Safety and Food Quality program to the dairy industry. The incumbent will also be responsible for promoting the development of the dairy agricultural businesses by analysing and making recommendations on proposals and business plans to various funding boards and agencies; recommends, initiates and conducts research and technology transfer projects which will advance the development of the dairy industry; provides scientific, technical, and economic advice and training to departmental and other government staff, commercial farm operators, farming and community organizations and the general public; assists in the formulation and review of legislation, regulations and policies relating to dairy production; participates in the delivery of departmental programs which support agricultural development; prepares written reports and briefing notes for management and executive; performs other related duties. QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge of the dairy industry in production and market development, local, national and international dairy industry, animal science and technology, livestock nutrition, and microcomputer applications is essential. Candidates must be able to work independently, and possess initiative, together with, analytical, organizational, research, interpersonal, oral and written communications skills. The above qualifications would normally be acquired and demonstrated through graduation from an approved college or university with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture, supplemented by considerable experience in livestock production, livestock nutrition, and/or research preferably in dairy production or a Masters degree in Agriculture with experience in livestock production, nutrition, and/or research. Successful candidate must possess a valid Newfoundland and Labrador Class 05 driver’s licence and a Driver’s abstract may be required. 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: $45, 754.80 - $51, 105.60 GS-37 COMPETITION #: NR.C.AIII(p).07.08.0298-P CLOSING DATE: December 11, 2007. INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: 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 pscresourcesresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be received before the close of business on the closing date - late applications with explanation may be considered. This position is open to both male and female applicants. For additional information on this position call (709) 729-5082 or 637-2089. 207043802
Manager of Safety and Standards Compliance PERMANENT One (1) permanent position of Manager of Safety and Standards Compliance with the Marine Branch of the Department of Transportation and Works located at Lewisporte, NL. DUTIES: The Manager of Safety and Standards Compliance is one of six Management positions reporting to the Director of Operations. The position is responsible for the development, implementation and management of the Marine Safety Management System (MSMS). Also, the position is responsible for ensuring the marine personnel are trained and adhere to standards of the MSMS for the safe operation of ferries, and implementing directions issued by the Marine Safety Branch of Transport Canada. QUALIFICATIONS: This position requires extensive knowledge and experience related to the safe operations of a ferry fleet in a Canadian Environment. 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 as a Marine Safety Compliance Officer and post secondary course related work in the field of Marine Safety through a recognized Marine College.
Victim Services Regional Coordinator
(Permanent)
(Temporary)
Corrections and Community Services Division, Happy Valley Goose Bay
Corrections and Community Services Division, St. John’s.
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 and use of a private vehicle will be required.
DUTIES: Conducting professional work in policy, research, program development, evaluation and technical statistical methods in conducting Corrections, Victim and Youth Justicebased program research. Collecting, analyzing and interpreting justice related data, statistics and financial information. Analysing cost implications and other potential resource impacts resulting from the implementation of new legislation or amendments. Identifying the need for new policy directions as well as recommending revisions to those that are current; research and analysis of Divisional Programs: Adult Custody, Community Corrections, Youth Corrections, and Victim Services. Maintaining several database systems; verifying and coordinating related information for Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Developing and presenting other detailed analytical information and reports as deemed necessary.
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 may be considered.
QUALIFICATIONS: Considerable experience in research, analysis, and statistical reporting, combined with strong organizational, written communications and presentation skills is essential. Candidates must be skilled in the use of various computer software programs including: Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Access, and Power Point; Harvard Graphics; statistical analysis software such as SPSS; and database systems. These qualifications would normally be acquired through college or university graduation with course work in statistics, research methods, strategic planning, policy development, and program evaluation, supplemented by additional course work in criminology and/or legislation analysis. Equivalencies may be considered.
SALARY:
SALARY:
$49,012.60 – $54,836.60 per annum (GS-39) plus Labrador Allowance ($2,150 per annum - single; $4,300 per annum - dependant) COMPETITION #: J.C.VSRC(p).07.08.144 –P (Please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: December 14, 2007
$37,273.60 - $41,423.20 per annum (GS-31) COMPETITION #: J.C.SI(t).07.08.147- P (Please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: December 14, 2007 For additional information on this position, call (709) 7292327.
For additional information on this position, call (709) 8963405, ext. 224.
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
Applications should be forwarded to:
Applications should be forwarded to:
Mail:
Mail:
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P. O. Box 8700, 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
* 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. * Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their résumé that they meet all of the required qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. * These competitions are open to male and female applicants. * 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. 2007 11 26
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P. O. Box 8700, 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
* 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. * Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their résumé that they meet all of the required qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. * These competitions are open to male and female applicants. * 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. 2007 11 26 207043787
207043787
Administrative Officer I – Paralegal (Temporary) Public Prosecutions Division, St. John’s This position involves administrative and paralegal duties in support of lawyers in the St. John’s Crown Attorneys’ Office. This office is responsible for the conduct of criminal trials and appeals and prosecutions under provincial legislation. DUTIES: Researches and obtains specialized information from a variety of sources. Performs file review and prepares file inventories. Completes subpoena request forms under the direction of Crown Attorneys. Drafts Applications for Provincial Court. Assists in compiling briefs of law and case books for Traffic Court Appeals. Appears in Traffic Court and prosecutes violations of municipal and provincial legislation. Reviews disclosure items such as videotapes to ensure that the material discloses an offence. Provides accurate note-taking in court for Crown Attorneys. Attends meetings as required; Provides a broad range of legal services within precise timeframes in Provincial Court while under the supervision of a Crown Attorney; Reviews legislation; Provides legal opinions as required; Reports to/consults with Crown Attorneys and Senior Crown Attorney (Eastern). Carries out such other initiatives and projects as may be required by the Senior Crown Attorney (Eastern). Reviews case law. Provides assistance to Crown Attorneys in major cases in Provincial and Supreme Courts. Interviews witnesses. Conducts general administrative duties as required. QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must possess knowledge of the Criminal Justice System, be skilled in the use of various computer software applications and demonstrate strong communication, interpersonal, organizational and analytical skills supported by good judgment; a high level of professionalism, confidentiality, initiative, attention to detail and independence. These qualifications would normally be acquired through graduation of a recognized two-year program in paralegal administration, supplemented with related professional and responsible employment experience. Equivalencies may be considered. SALARY: $35,908.60 – $39,894.40 per annum (GS-30) COMPETITION #: J.C.AOI(t).07.149 – P (Please quote when applying) CLOSING DATE: December 12, 2007 For additional information on this position, call (709) 729-2868. INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS: Applications should be forwarded to: Mail:
SALARY: To be determined COMPETITION #: TW.C.MSS.(p).LEWIS.07.08.280-P CLOSING DATE: December 10, 2007. For additional information on this position call (709) 7291969
Statistician I
Fax: E-mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission P. O. Box 8700, 4th Floor, West Block Confederation Building St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 709-729-6737 pscjusticeresumes@gov.nl.ca
Applications should be forwarded to:
* 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. * Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their résumé that they meet all of the required qualifications. Failure to do so may result in a candidate being screened out. * These competitions are open to male and female applicants. * 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.
Mail:
2007 11 26
Information for Applicants: This Competition is open to both male and female applicants.
Fax: E-Mail:
Recruitment Centre Public Service Commission 4th Floor, West Block, Confederation Building P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL AlB 4J6 (709) 729-6737 psctwresumes@gov.nl.ca
Application 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. A separate application must be submitted of each competition. 207043738
207043787
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTBUSINESS • 19
Watchdog probing chocolate price fixing By Dana Flavelle Torstar wire service
C
anada’s consumer watchdog has launched a sweeping probe of the country’s $2.3 billion-a-year candy industry. The federal Competition Bureau says it’s probing “alleged anticompetitive practices in the chocolate confectionery industry.” Anti-competitive behaviour most commonly refers to price fixing, the agency says. The bureau stopped short of identifying the companies under investigation, but added that allegations of this type normally involve the major players. Canada’s largest chocolate bar makers, Nestlé, Cadbury, Hershey and Mars, all confirmed the bureau has contacted them in recent days. “I can tell you that we have been contacted by the Competition Bureau and we’re basically fully co-operating with their requests for information,” says Nestlé Canada spokesperson Catherine O’Brien. “All I can tell you at this stage is that we’ve been asked for information and
we’re obviously fully complying with providing any information that they’re looking for.” Hershey spokesperson Kirk Saville also confirms the bureau had contacted the company on Nov. 26, but offered no further details. “We are aware of it, but all we can say is that we can’t comment on any ongoing investigation, but we are cooperating with any inquiries,” Cadbury spokesperson Simon Taylor says. The Competition Bureau says it is conducting searches and gathering evidence. “The Superior Court of Justice of Ontario has granted search warrants based on evidence that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a number of suppliers in the chocolate confectionery industry have engaged in activities contrary to the conspiracy provisions of the Competition Act,” the bureau said in a statement. “There is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time and no charges have been laid,” the bureau said. “All evidence will be analyzed and we will refer the case to the director of public prosecutions if appropriate.”
The process could take weeks, or even months, the bureau said. Meantime, the search warrants have been sealed. Legal experts say allegations of price fixing are notoriously hard to uncover and difficult to prove. “You see this all the time with gas retailing. When the price moves at one gas station, it moves at the other, but that’s also consistent with competition,” says Edward Iacobucci, a law professor at the University of Toronto. “The nature of these agreements is they are secret. How do you discover that it’s happened and once it’s discovered, how do you provide evidence, especially when it comes to sophisticated companies?” says Ariel Katz, an assistant professor at U of T’s law school. “That’s why they have to rely on informants.” Canadians buy about $2.3 billion worth of chocolate and candy every year, according to the Confectionery Manufacturers Association of Canada. While the probe is centred on the chocolate industry, the Competition Bureau says it could expand its investigation to other types of candy.
Tender DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORATION & WORKS INVITATION TO TENDER Tenders will be received up to the dates and times indicated below for the following projects: PROJECT # FEMG09 – Inspection, testing & servicing, emergency power systems, Avalon Region, NL. (RETENDER) PURCHASE PRICE: $N/A CLOSING DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2007 @ 3:00 PM 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, P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NL. AIB 4J9, Ph# 709-729-3786, Fax# 709729-6729 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. Dianne C. Whalen Minister Transportation & Works 207043058
Time for trimming From page 15 Aquarena is on the chopping block, as is a new request for a full-time caretaker for the popular Rotary Sunshine Park on Thorburn Road. With salary and benefits, the caretaker position would cost more than $50,000. Other, more essential services will have to be more carefully considered. The city’s transportation commission (Metrobus), for example, already receives about $7 million a year to operate, and is looking for another $1 million next year. “To provide the same level of service next year, they need another $350,000 for fuel costs alone,” Wells says, explaining negotiated wage settlements and overall maintenance make up for the rest. It costs the city about $1.5 million a year to subsidize the operation of Mile One Centre and the St. John’s Convention Centre, which Wells describes as “a good investment,” citing the other option of renovations and general upkeep of the former Memorial Stadium. Then there’s the tax that would be lost without Dominion on the stadium site. Higher than anticipated accommodation taxes help service the debt on the city’s estimated $20-million investment in the $50-million Mile One facility. That said, Mile One’s management will be disappointed when the city likely turns down a request for another $500,000. O’Keefe, meanwhile, notes the city would have to find $4 million to balance the budget “even if we stood still and did the same things next year.” They hope to fix that with a little help
“The problem is you have a federal government that’s cash rich and a province that’s cash rich, while municipalities … deal with old infrastructure.”
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Dennis O’Keefe from Ottawa and the province. “The problem is you have a federal government that’s cash rich and a province that’s cash rich, while municipalities are finding it difficult to deal with old infrastructure,” O’Keefe says. The city hopes the other two levels of government will warm to the idea of reinstating municipal operating grants that were all but phased out in the early to mid-1990s. “That’s the irony. Both other levels (of government) have surpluses, yet they’ve downloaded on us. We’re right at the bottom of the downloading to the point where it’s got to start going in the other direction.” O’Keefe says he met with Municipal Affairs Minister Dave Denine Nov. 27 and impressed upon him the importance of “a new fiscal relationship with towns and cities that reflect the operational costs and crumbling infrastructure.” The province has said it will review municipal financing in advance of next spring’s budget. Meantime, O’Keefe says taxes will not be raised to balance the budget. “But we will trim in areas that will only have a minimal impact on people who live here. Most won’t even see it or realize it.” brian.callahan@theindependent.ca
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20 • INDEPENDENTBUSINESS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
Luminaries vouch for Black
Opportunity
P
Regional Emergency Management & Planning Officer (Permanent – 2 Positions) Department of Municipal Affairs, Emergency Services Division One position located in Grand Falls/Windsor, NL/ One position located in Deer Lake, NL DUTIES: Under the direction of the Manager of Plans and Operations, the incumbent will be responsible for establishing and maintaining a comprehensive database for emergency management training participants and emergency plans within the province and/or region, including the status of each participant, the status of each plan and its stage of development and/or completion. The incumbent will also provide advice, training and direction to municipalities and other stakeholders on all aspects of emergency planning; develop, design, manage, plan and evaluate emergency exercises involving municipalities, health agencies, government departments, etc. as well as assess their emergency response capabilities and make recommendations for improvement and or integration; assist in the development and delivery of procedures and training curriculum/programs that support provincial emergency plans including the development and maintenance of the Provincial Emergency Plan; and assist in the review and assessment of Emergency Preparedness training requirements and response arrangements at the Federal, Provincial, and Municipal level, assess deficiencies and Identify areas of special consideration. The successful candidate will participate in emergency response by monitoring ongoing emergency situations, consulting with the affected jurisdiction officials during emergency situations, provide advice and assistance to the affected municipalities and make recommendations on emergency management and resource deployment. The incumbent will ensure and facilitate the integration of all emergency management training, emergency plans, including municipal, private, government, etc. plans; participate in the development of a provincial critical infrastructure plan; act as the Divisional/ Departmental representative on committees concerning emergency management; supervise staff on a project basis including monitoring the work of consultants; prepare and analyze reports and documents pertaining to emergency management; ensure that all current emergency management training standards are met; assist in the development of position reports on emergency management; assist in the development of regional emergency response teams; and assess the suitability of various regions within the province for regional emergency planning and mutual aid. Per form other related duties as required by the Deputy Minister, the Director of Fire and Emergency Services and/or the Manger of Plans and Operations. This position will require considerable travel to various municipalities with the overall goal to increase the emergency response capacity within the province. QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must possess considerable experience in emergency management training, emergency planning, in particular, as it relates to municipalities and there relationship with fire departments, health responder/facilities, police, the private sector and other government agencies/departments. Applicants must clearly demonstrate sound management skills, the ability to respond quickly and effectively in times of emergency, the ability to work independently and effective time management abilities. The successful candidate will possess sound and independent judgement, considerable initiative, strong organizational, analytical and communication skills, in addition to the ability to maintain effective working relationships. These qualifications would normally be acquired through graduation from a recognized university or college with an undergraduate degree in social sciences, supplemented by a minimum of five (5) years experience in the emergency management field. An equivalent combination of education and/or experience may also be considered. SALARY: GS- 38 ($47,411.00- $52,899.20) COMPETITION #: Please quote appropriate competition number when applying: MA.C.REMPO(p).07.08.258-P – (Grand Falls/Windsor) MA.C.REMPO(p).07.08.259-P – (Deer Lake) CLOSING DATE: December 10, 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
For additional information on this position, please call (709) 729-6794 Applications must be received before the close of business on the closing date either by mail, e-mail or fax. Late applications with explanation may be considered. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their applications that they meet the above qualifications; only those applicants who demonstrate such qualifications will be considered for further assessment. This position is open to both male & female. 207043733
Lt. Gov. Ed Roberts and Red Cross Young Humanitarian of the Year Charlotte Courage.
Ches Penney, Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year, addresses the crowd.
Photos by Randy Dawe
The Red Cross Compassion Bear.
rominent Canadian businessman Gerry Schwartz, musician John McDermott and Catholic priest Raymond J. de Souza headline the Conrad Black supporters who have written to a U.S. judge in support of the convicted newspaper publisher. Black “is a person with a deep reservoir of kindness and generosity consistently exhibited to people of all stations in life and an individual who has made significant contributions to society,” his lawyers wrote in a court filing, urging a lighter sentence on fraud and obstruction of justice charges. The document, filed in response to a report issued in advance of Black’s sentencing Dec. 10, contains excerpts from letters sent to Judge Amy St. Eve. It also says that Black’s sons, James and Jonathan, “have suffered severe health problems that bear connection to the tribulations endured by the entire family.” Several public personalities were cited in the report. Schwartz’s letter, quoted in the document, said that Black’s “suffering, his financial loss and his humiliation are already recognized by everyone in the business and financial communities as a steep price already paid.” Black’s wife Barbara Amiel said her husband “always sees the best in events and people. For Conrad, the glass is always half full no matter what life dishes out for him.” Black’s lawyers also used the court filing to heap venom on media covering Black’s criminal case. “The media, to be sure, wasted no time weaving the information about Mr. Black’s possessions into an elaborate and page-turning fiction of a money-hungry elitist whose highest ambition was social advancement. … as if the trial was a proxy for all the social injustices of the world with Conrad Black the villain and his downfall the justified … result.” Lawyer Andrew Stoltmann said the testimonials were likely the defence’s attempt “to put some sort of a spin” on his lack of repentance at the trial. “The one thing that could really hurt him is just his bombastic, unrepentant statements he’s made since his conviction,” he said. — Torstar wire service
The Red Cross Humanitarian Awards Dinner.
Des Dillon (Regional President for the Canadian Red Cross in NL), Lt. Gov. Ed Roberts, Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award Winners Charlotte Courage and Ches Penney; Ian Penney (VP of Commercial Banking for CIBC, Young Humanitarian Sponsor), Denis Mahoney (Partner, McInnes Cooper Law, Presenting Sponsors).
The Salvation Army St. John’s Citadel Band Ensemble performs.
Thank you to all who supported the Red Cross Humanitarian Awards Dinner held November 26, 2007 at the Delta Hotel, St. John’s.
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INDEPENDENTLIFE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6, 2007 — PAGE 21
Dealing with the ministry of sex Reverend Kate Crawford on declining congregations, increased community and same-sex marriage SUSAN RENDELL Screed and coke I thank you God for this most amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes (e.e. cummings, quoted in a sermon by the Reverend Dr. Kate Crawford)
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ast week, I went to church twice. Not because I’d been diagnosed with a terminal illness or been slapped up the side of the head by the Holy Ghost: a family death summoned me the first time, business the second. Two churches; two very different experiences. The first church was housed in a modern building. Dull and spare, its ceiling tiles belonged in a school gym and the only concession to aesthetics was an enormous, highly stylized and brightly coloured Christ on a crucifix behind the altar. The funeral service, however, was traditional — all the usual bells and whistles, including literal bells shaken by a distant priest in ornate gear. A cold hard rain hammered the roof; the Word of God rumbled beneath it in counterpoint. But it’s later in the week, a warm Friday morning wearing a veil of small rain, and I’m standing in a round Romanesque church built in 1896. A rose window high in the northern wall is like a bright brooch on a sombre vintage coat and the air is subtle with the odour of sanctity: the smell of waxed wood flecked with the motes of old prayers and the enigmatic, elusive scent of a great mystery. I’ve come to Gower Street United Church for a chat with the Reverend Dr. Kate Crawford about her ministry, and also to talk about the church’s Year of Conversation on Same-Sex Marriages. The woman in the green turtleneck is not what I was expecting. Well, maybe: I’d read some of Crawford’s sermons on the church website, and I figured someone who stated publicly that e.e. cummings belongs in the ranks of the prophets wasn’t your average minister. But she looks so young: early 30s? Crawford laughs, tells me she’s 44. “I get that all the time … ‘Oh, my dear — are you old enough to be doing what you’re doing?’” How long has she been working for God? “Probably on God’s team since the beginning … but when you’re exploring the call into the ministry the first thing that you tend to think is, ‘Someone’s made a mistake. It can’t be me.’” Crawford, a Toronto native who’s been at Gower Street United since 2005, was 38 when she was ordained. “For me, it was a long, slow emerging, and I turned away a lot of times. I tried it, I went to theological school and I was a student minister, and I thought, ‘This isn’t for me.’ And I backed away from it really quickly. I stayed in theological school to finish my degree, but I said, ‘That’s it, ordination is out of the question. I’ll be a professor.’” Crawford completed a PhD in history, and went off to the halls of academe. But eventually fate intervened, in the form of a United Church minister’s car accident in a small academic town in Nova Scotia. Crawford was asked to preach while he recovered, and that led her to reconsider her decision not to pursue the ministry. “I wasn’t … parachuted in. I lived there, I had chosen that place. Those people said, ‘We see gifts in you, we’re prepared to nurture those gifts.’ It See “If I stopped,” page 24 Reverend Kate Crawford of Gower Street United Church.
Paul Daly/The Independent
I surrender
Noreen Golfman suggests St. John’s roll out the welcome mat for Celine Dion and her fancy tricks
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arlier this year I had a conversion experience. This might come as a shock to anyone who has written me off as an insufferable culture snob, but the conversion is all about coming to appreciate both the talent and the phenom that is Celine Dion. Sure, I still use adjectives like “insipid,” “tasteless” and “saccharine” to describe her music. And if I find myself inclining too far over the edge of blind admiration, all I have to do is recall the images of her lavish 1994 marriage at Caesar’s Palace to her father-figure manager, René Angélil.
NOREEN GOLFMAN Standing Room Only If you remember, the televised event resembled nothing so much as an Arab bazaar designed by someone who had inhaled a whole lot of Turkish hashish. You might also remember the imported camels and exotic birds and that Celine had insisted on piling up her hair like a series of bread baskets to fit a supreme-
ly hideous tiara. Let’s not even talk about the part of the ceremony where she and her 20-foot wedding-dress train were carried around on a massive stretcher by some oily, muscled attendants. But conversions are all about being surprised by your own experience, and so earlier this year I found myself in the adult playground that is Las Vegas, standing in line at the aforementioned Caesar’s Palace in search of a ticket to Celine’s famously sold-out show. I had this commonly shared notion that since I had traveled so far into the desert I
should be taking advantage of as many temptations as possible. Attending Celine Dion’s giant spectacle of a show seemed like just another guilty pleasure in a long line of distractions. Besides, she’s one of us — broadly speaking and several times removed — and I was curious. When I asked the cashier whether there were any available tickets she responded with a lecture about how lucky I was to be inquiring at that precise moment, when two of the cheap seats ($87.50 US) had just opened up. Lucky, I asked? Even more affronted
by my ignorance, the cashier observed that there were many shows in Las Vegas, and many of these selling out all their 2,000 seats. But no one had ever experienced anything like what was happening at Caesar’s Palace, with Celine selling out five nights a week, in her fifth and final year of performances, in a specially built theatre of over 4,000 seats. Lucky? I’d be the laughingstock of Vegas if I walked away from the opportunity. I know when the conversion hapSee “A study,” page 24
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
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GALLERYPROFILE KENT JONES Visual Artist
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rtist and educator Kent Jones recalls working with “the greatest” sculptor of the 20th century, Henry Moore, in England. At the age of 77, the immense energy level of the world-renowned artist left an impression on Jones, then in his early 30s. “(He was) inspiring. Remarkable,” says Jones. “I’ve never seen anyone work so hard in my life, anywhere in the world, in any field, male or female. He was an old, old man. They used to have to drag him away for his lunch and he would work solid until noon and they would make him stop in the evening.” Jones marvels at the prolific sculptor he feels privileged to have known, but his own resumé is rather notable as well. A global artist of sorts, he has studied and taught all around the world, from California to England to Papua, New Guinea. Settling in Corner Brook to raise his family 19 years ago, Jones arrived in the province to set up the newest art department in Canada at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. It was one more stop on the journey he began by leaving his Ohio home 40 years ago. “I don’t consider myself an Ohioan; there’re parts about me that are American. I’m a real Yank … I’m kind of loud and enthusiastic and in your face and sometimes I swear … I fit in perfectly with the Newfoundland community,” he laughs. Jones’s work will be shown as part of The Leyton Gallery’s group Christmas show opening Dec. 1 and running until Jan. 6. He specializes in printing and drawing but works in most media — save for sculpture, claiming to be unable to think in 3-D. Jones is currently focusing on filming the steady consumption of green space by high-end development projects on the west coast, in particular a
family campground in Deer Lake. By zeroing in on recent but drastic change to his environment, Jones hopes to tell the story of places that live in recent — or living — memory, as opposed to 100-year-old outports no one remembers anyone ever living in. Jones has, however, treated the emotional subject of resettlement in this province with his artistic eye. It is a phenomenon to which he can relate. The product of a farming family, Jones
says when he was a little boy, 44 of his cousins worked the soil for a living. Now there is only one. Referencing his own rural background has allowed him to treat the topic without “patronizing” those affected by outmigration, many of which are his own students. One lithograph print to be exhibited at the Christmas show is a whimsical treatment of a seal on a multi-coloured rock. A crudely-drawn seal balances a ball of sorts, textured by wavy lines and
contrasted to the brightly coloured balls floating and intersecting overhead. A sense of gentle chaos ricochets off the walls and peak of a striped Big Top-like tent, perhaps a sly interpretation of the annual circus that occurs between media and protesters alike on the sealing front each year. When asked about finding meaning in the images he produces, Jones hesitates. Even after 40 years of teaching art to numerous graduates of the visual
art program, he says it’s difficult to put his finger on it. He lists off things like fear, eroticism, the duplicity of human nature and life and death, a “real array” of subjects that keeps him refreshed and stimulated during an extensive career. “The work I do is more about human nature and psychology and the kind of stuff that roars around in our heads.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
The Gallery is a regular feature in The Independent. For information, or to submit proposals, please call (709) 726-4639, or e-mail editorial@theindependent.ca
The ‘magic’ C
Water Street, St. John’s
Nicholas Langor/The Independent
rystal Keeping spent the afternoon window-shopping on Water Street and says she was almost afraid to blink. “I didn’t want to miss anything,” she laughs. Keeping, who graduated from her Burin Peninsula high school this past year, headed into St. John’s this week to see a friend off to Fort McMurray. Shopping — or at least some serious browsing — was on her list of things to do while in the city. “I usually hit the mall when I come to town, but I wanted to do something a little different this time,” she says. She found everything she wanted along the way.
“I have visited Alberta before, and I spent last Christmas in Brooks (Alta.), but I have never seen anything as beautiful or as refreshing as wandering around down here.” Keeping says she has always wanted to “experience the narrow streets of downtown,” but never made the time — until now. She’s delighted she headed to Water Street. “This day will make this trip in town stand out for me,” she calls over her shoulder as she heads into the Murray Premises for the third time on this crisp November afternoon. Kelly Pardy longs for the down-
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
TIM CONWAY Film Score No Country for Old Men Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem 122 min. 1/2 (out of four)
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ormac McCarthy’s novel from a couple of years ago, No Country for Old Men, is brought to life on the big screen by Fargo’s Joel and Ethan Coen. Collaborating on both the screenplay and directing the film, the Coens, whose last two features, Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers, earned them some rather harsh criticism, seem to have redeemed themselves here. As the film opens, we listen to Sheriff Ed Tom Bell in a voiceover, ruminating about how times are changing, reflecting on the days when lawmen often didn’t feel the need to carry guns with them as they performed their duties. When faced with certain situations, sometimes he wonders how some of the old-timers would have handled things. The story takes place in 1980, about 100 years after the time many movie westerns were set in. The plot is essentially the same as a classic “duster,” and we even have Vietnam veterans where one used to find Civil War vets in those pictures. Although this film is dressed up quite differently, it could play out the same way if sets and costumes were tuned to replicate the late 19th century. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad, replete with dead bodies, a truckload of heroin, and a big bag of cash. He takes the money home, but his conscience gets the best of him, and he returns to the scene to help an injured man, the sole survivor of the incident. Upon his return, he encounters associates of the dead men, and suddenly finds himself on the run. Unbeknownst to Moss, a relentless killer, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) has been hired to recover the money. To say that Moss’s predicament becomes complicated is to greatly understate the matter, for Chigurh, armed with a pneumatic cattle gun, a well-silenced shotgun, and a rigid code of behaviour, is
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 23 the personification of unstoppable force. Bringing up the rear is the affable, somewhat unflappable Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), whose priority becomes finding Moss before anyone else does. Bringing criminals to justice becomes of secondary importance to ensuring Moss’s safety. In a year where Brolin has turned in a couple of fine supporting performances in Grindhouse: Planet Terror, and American Gangster, it’s thrilling to see him come into his own here. While on the run, his Moss is always so close, but not quite there, to regaining control of the situation. Although he’s holding someone else’s money, we’re still rooting for him, and he’s constantly feeding our optimism. Jones is as solid as ever, capably carrying the triple role of main character, moral centre and frequent source of levity. The contribution of his character to the film isn’t immediately obvious, and Jones plays it with the light touches required to successfully carry it off. Bardem, arguably one of the top five
Another fine example of how the combined efforts of hundreds of talented individuals can come together and produce a superb motion picture. actors on the planet, infuses Anton Chigurh with a complex malevolence that almost defies scrutiny. This character is not likely to be found between the pages of any textbook, unless a publishing error manages to combine pages on abnormal psychology with detailed biblical passages of atrocity. The Grim Reaper would step aside on a bad day to let him pass. These three lead actors enjoy the benefit of an all round, well-crafted motion picture. They get to deliver memorable lines in carefully constructed scenes accompanied by talented supporting players. The cinematography and sound are among the best the big screen has offered this year, and there is enough thematic material here to keep us chewing for days.
Just as Joel and Ethan Coen have managed to successfully collaborate with one another over the years, No Country for Old Men is another fine example of how the combined efforts of hundreds of talented individuals can come together and produce a superb motion picture. Likewise, as with many of the Coens’ previous pictures, this one is sure to remain a favourite for a long time.
August Rush Starring Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers 100 min. (out of four)
A boy who seems to be a hybrid of Wolfgang Mozart and Oliver Twist serves as the central figure in this modern fairy tale. Off to the orphanage from birth, thanks to the overbearing father of a talented concert cellist, young Evan has never known his parents, but is convinced that they’re out there somewhere looking for him. Blessed with an extraordinary ear for music, he is sure that all he has to do is harness the gift bequeathed to him by his parents and they will find him. So it is that he heads to the big city, and gets himself mixed up with a modern day Fagin known as Wizard (Robin Williams). Here he is renamed August Rush, for his musical talents are beginning to attract attention, and agents for child welfare are trying to find him. In the lead role, Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) and the dimple of his right cheek are constantly plucking at our heartstrings in a sophomoric story that seems written by someone just introduced to symbolism and metaphor. More sentimental than a greeting card and just as deep, this is the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy. Young Highmore isn’t at the top of his game here, but he manages to keep us engaged, and for those of us with no musical prowess of any kind, the film offers enough novelty to distract from the numerous clichés. Shamelessly melodramatic, August Rush is sure to satisfy those of us looking for a feature length equivalent to a teary long distance commercial. Tim Conway operates Capitol Video in Rawlin’s Cross, St. John’s. His column returns Dec. 14.
Coen brothers rise again No Country a classic duster with year’s best cinematography, sound, and performances
Javier Bardem stars in No Country for Old Men.
of downtown St. John’s town area this time of year. The Conception Bay South native now makes St. Catherine’s, Ont., her home. While she’s surrounded with shopping options there, nothing equals the experience of spending a day wandering Water and Duckworth Streets and all the nooks and crannies in between. “Our Newfoundland culture is right there in the windows of Water Street,” she says, her newborn cooing in the background. Pardy won’t be “home” to do her holiday shopping this year; her life is much too busy. A mall is a mall no matter where you go,
but no one has been able to capture what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can find in the capital city’s downtown core, Pardy says. “It’s the rich colours in the tartans, the feel of fishermen’s knit sweater, the smells coming from the restaurants,” she says. “It’s the architecture, and the magic of how the sea meets a city. It’s the mixture of the types of people you see and the memories of all the times you spent there shopping, browsing or hanging out with friends and family.” A day in downtown St. John’s is “an
event,” not to be missed on any trip home, Pardy says. “Even if I just buy a book and a pair of gun mitts and have myself a nice lunch, I’m happy.” Pardy will be coming home in January to christen her new child, and on the first nice day of her trip she says she’ll bundle the baby and take her for a stroll down Water Street. “I want to start her off right,” she says, “and introduce her to everything she needs to know about Newfoundland all in one afternoon.”
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
24 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
‘If I stopped loving it, I would stop doing it’ From page 21 became … a very mutual experience. They needed me, I needed them.” The congregation asked her to stay. Pregnant with her second child (Crawford is the divorced single parent of two young daughters), she declined. The church responded by offering her as their candidate for ordination, and she accepted. She gives me one of her straight-up smiles. “I’m their gift to the Church, in a way.” Does she ever feel like taking the gift back? Crawford shakes her head; her clear voice rises. “I love what I do. I tell people that I get paid to eat icecream. But, I’ll tell you, if I stopped loving it, I would stop doing it. I think there’s nothing that will kill a community quicker than having a person in leadership who is depleted or unwell or depressed.” Community is a word Crawford uses frequently; she’s profoundly committed to the concept. She says the best thing about her job is “the deep sense of privilege that I have, being invited to do two things with the community. One is to interpret God’s presence … through interpreting scriptures, but also at meetings and in visits. And the
other one is to accompany people in the very highs and the very lows of their lives. I’ve been invited into moments in people’s journeys that are rich and intense and complex and holy … and I don’t feel worthy of that. “You just say, ‘Well, God, um, seems to be you’ve picked me for this again (rueful laugh), so go with me into this.’ And in you go. And people welcome you in all your frailty and inability and vulnerability, and they welcome your presence because your presence reminds them that God is present.” What a great job, I say; her words, her voice have seduced me. “Amen!” Crawford replies. Saucy rather than sanctimonious, it sounds like a kind of liturgical “Yeah, baby!” Crawford is against tradition when it comes to sermons. “It’s a challenge … the model we’ve inherited is the preached sermon, 15 to 20 minutes of people sitting and listening to an individual give their opinion. “I’m actually conversing, because I think your mind can hear a conversation better than it can hear a speech. So you put in natural pauses, you search for a word; you’re looking for something, and the congregation’s doing it too, they’re engaged. I’ve had people
say, ‘Darn, I can’t sleep through church anymore.’” Gower Street United, like most churches, is faced with declining numbers and an aging congregation. Crawford is quick to dismiss “bums in the pews”; she says that’s a raw measure. “People … are they connecting to each other, are they welcoming each other, are they talking? That’s how you build community. And we’re seeing an increased level of energy and connection and commitment.” In 2003, the United Church of Canada voted to accept same-sex unions, but left it up to individual congregations to decide whether or not to include them in their sacraments. This year, Gower Street United stepped up to the plate on the issue, the first United Church congregation on the island to do so. (Two same-sex couples have already approached the church hoping for wedding bells.) They’ve been holding meetings and discussions since last April; by the time the issue is decided (likely early in 2008), Crawford will have preached eight sermons on it. “The sermons have been so much fun. The big one, of course, has been Sodom and Gomorrah. Everyone knows about that one.” Crawford says
she used an alternative approach to the traditional interpretation of that text, “which is homosexuality is a sin … Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because it’s a sin. God was mad … ‘Never do that again!’ “The church has not been faithful in communicating … all of what theology has learned and understood. People make a set of assumptions. Once you can take away those assumptions, they’re quite happy to go in and float around in the biblical text.” I ask how the church’s older members are responding to the issue. Her smile nearly makes her eyes button up. “I’ve been delighted to discover that many of the older people in the congregation are actually very much in favour of this. And that one knocked me off my feet, it really did. Which isn’t to say it’s right across the board … we have faithful members who are really struggling. They don’t like this, they know they don’t like it, they will never like it, and we are honouring their position.” According to her sermons, the bottom line is love. “That’s right. And love is not punitive; love does not punish.” Crawford sends me off with a hug. Before I leave, I pay a visit to the
Celine Dion
women’s washroom, but not for the regular reason. Sheets of newsprint hang in both washrooms with markers dangling on strings beside them so parishioners can comment on samesex marriage in private. The conversation is lively, to say the least: “All love should be accepted, gay or otherwise.” “We’re more the same than we’re different from one another. Everyone should be treated as equals.” “Even God can change His mind.” “The clergy are disciples of God. Their place is to teach right from wrong. We all need to pray for the wrong, not encourage it.” “I like to think that when Jesus made the loaves and fishes, He included some rainbow trout.” “Gay is wrong.” “Who are we to judge?!?!” “Homosexuality is wrong, love the people not the sin.” “No God of mine discriminates against any kind of love. He loves, unconditionally, all people.” “Homosexuality was a sin of Sodom and God destroyed it.” My favourite is the one from a parishioner who’s apparently not ready to commit to either point of view, but who is certainly getting into the spirit of things (and I hope she’s at least 80): “Sex! Sex! Yur sexy!” srendell@nf.sympatico.ca
REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
A study of excess From page 21 pened: it stretched out from the first moments of being in the theatre and extended over the course of the production, about 90 minutes. By the time it was all over, after the last carefully scripted encore, with the star returning to the stage to belt out her bazillionth version of My Heart Will Go On, Celine had put the Titan in Titanic and we were all devout worshippers. The diva’s CDs are often dismissed as overproduced and, indeed, if the word “schlock” hadn’t existed someone would have invented it to describe almost all of those flamboyant artifacts. Highly wrought and practically crying with nostalgia, a Celine Dion song is a study of excess. Clearly, most of the world likes them that way, for to date she is one of the most successful commercial artists in history, with well over 100 million albums sold. I confess — or is it boast? — that I have never purchased a single one of these and never intend to, and I assure you my iPod is a Celine-free zone. But the Vegas experience was a whole other experience, one that showed me the enormous power of her voice and its massive appeal. It also showed me how far you can go when
Is anyone at Mile One thinking what I’m thinking? We can do friendly, hospitable and welcoming way better than Halifax. you draw on the design and choreographic expertise of Cirque de Soleil, not coincidentally also from Quebec. The marriage of the Cirque imagination with Dion’s boundless singing talent produced one of the most entertaining spectacles I have ever seen, and suspect ever will see. I don’t have to tell you how thin and bony she is. But watching that excuse for a skeleton with skin spin around an enormous stage while performing remarkable vocal gymnastics — never lip-synching, never falling flat or off key or breaking stride for a single noticeable minute — is as powerful as it gets. And being surrounded in the cheap seats by dozens of francophones who had made the pilgrimage to witness her success felt as tribal as singing the Ode to Newfoundland.
And so here’s the thing. Halifax has rejected her. Some cranky columnist who has never seen her show or experienced the conversion wrote a dismissive piece about her scheduled stop on her upcoming our. The diva’s people scanned the press and didn’t like what they saw, and so they have pulled out. Is anyone at Mile One thinking what I’m thinking? We can do friendly, hospitable and welcoming way better than Halifax. We’ve already hosted Cirque de Soleil. We know how to hoist pulley systems and hang all those fancy ropes. Never mind Caesar’s, we can transform Mile One into Andy’s Palace, charge a fortune for a ticket, book the show for several repeat performances, and as sure as you can say Because You Love Me they will come. The profits will go a long way to paying off that troublesome stadium debt and I’ll get to say I told you so to all those detractors who think I’ve lost my mind. Now if anyone ever hears me talking like this about Yanni, please stage an intervention. Noreen Golfman is a professor of literature and women’s studies at Memorial University. Her column returns Dec. 14.
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTLIFE • 25
’Tis the Spreeson Traditional musicians Dave Panting and Tom Boland pair up as Gulliver’s Spree; CD launch this weekend By Stephanie Porter The Independent
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ometimes, even in a musical community as familiar as the traditional scene in St. John’s, a partnership can still appear almost out of the blue. Such was the case with Dave Panting and Tom Boland, both accomplished musicians. Guitarist and singer Boland has played around downtown St. John’s for several years, most popularly with the band Dungarvan. Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer Panting has many more years’ experience as a solo artist and a member of both Figgy Duff and Rawlin’s Cross. One evening about two years ago, Panting filled in with Dungarvan for a gig. “And shortly thereafter I was doing some solo work and had a gig lined up down here at Erin’s Pub and asked Dave if he’d like to sit in with me,” says Boland, picking up the story. “We sort of took it from there. There was a great vibe on stage and we started rehearsing together. “We realized over time that we were coming from the same wavelength, we have the same sort of ideas, in terms of Dave wanting to do more Newfoundland music and I was really interested in wanting to learn about that, too.” So Gulliver’s Spree was born, becoming a regular gig for the musicians. This weekend, they’ll release their first CD together, The Sunny Long Ago: Newfoundland Classics, 12 tracks pulled from Newfoundland
Tom Boland (left) and Dave Panting of Gulliver’s Spree in Erin’s Pub, where the duo are slated to release their CD with a free performance Dec. 2. Panting will screen the video for his song Terra Nova (a still is shown at top) at the intermission. Paul Daly/The Independent
songbooks, new and old. “We wanted a mix of songs, some that were somewhat well known and ones that hadn’t been heard before,” says Boland. “They had to be good, solid, Newfoundland songs … and there’s one quite contemporary one (Patty Ryan) that people seem to relate to as well.” “We just had to pick songs we really love to do,” adds Panting. Those include Rabbits in a Basket, a “comic bawdy song” from Panting’s days with Figgy Duff; traditional sea shanty Sally Brown; The Old Coaker Engine, learned from Mose Harris of Lethbridge,
Bonavista Bay; and, of course, Gulliver’s Spree, a song about a spree gone awry, from Newfoundland legend Dorman Ralph. “I was a great admirer of Dorman and I played with him a few times,” says Panting. “There are a few of his songs in my repertoire and that was one I always particularly liked and always wanted to do and finally did.” The name fits the music and musicians, too — a little Irish Newfoundland content, energetic sounding, fun and catchy. Panting mentions one more track, The Bloody Gardener, which has been with him a long time.
“It’s a weighty song and the one that got me into all the trouble I’m in,” he says with a laugh. “Because I heard Noel Dinn and those guys performing it in sort of a precursor group to Figgy Duff that Noel had … when I heard this song, I said ‘I want to know more about this music.’ I was a teenager at the time and about to be recruited by the Dinn brothers. “I’m able to go back and have another go at it. These are songs I want people to hear again, too.” The Sunny Long Ago is purposely fairly light and acoustic, sticking close to what Boland and Panting play on stage. Not to say they didn’t
call in friends and family for guest spots on the disc — and most of them, including Pamela Morgan, Graham Wells, Geoff Panting, Curtis Andrews and more — will be on hand for the official launch show, Dec. 2 at Erin’s Pub. Panting and Boland plan to evolve their duo into a larger group and — CD in hand — are ready to take on bigger events and functions than the corner of Erin’s Pub where they formed a bond. “This is the nicest thing I’ve worked on in a while,” says Panting. “And I’m really proud to be part of it.”
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
26 • INDEPENDENTLIFE
EVENTS
Submit your events to Kayla Email: kayla.joy@theindependent.ca Phone: (709) 726-INDY (4639) Fax: (709) 726-8499
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30 • Waking Ned Devine by Deadpan Alley Productions, at LSPU Hall, 8 p.m. Also Dec. 1. • Senior’s appreciation tea, special guest Margaret Hitchens will perform humourous recitations, A.C. Hunter Library, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 2-4 p.m. • Not the Real Noose, a combination comedic sketch, round table, talk show of local folk who find themselves in the noose, Rabbittown Theatre, corner of Linscott Street and Merrymeeting Road, St. John’s, 8 p.m., also showing Dec. 1, 739-8220. • Our Divas Do Christmas, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, 8 p.m., until Dec. 2. • Return to the Madhouse, presented by The Sketchy Lot, students of MUN’s English 4401 class, Reid Theatre, MUN Arts and Administration building, St. John’s, 8 p.m. and Dec. 2, 2 p.m. • Atlantic String Quartet at D.F. Cook Recital Hall, St. John’s, 8 p.m. • Bruce Springsteen Tribute featuring Jody Richardson, Mark Bragg, Blair Harvey, and more, bar shows, 11 p.m., Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, and evening show 8 p.m., Dec. 2. • Comfort and Joy annual Christmas show at Craft Council Gallery, Devon House, opening reception 5:30-7:30 p.m. • From the Studio, group Christmas show and Ethereal, new work by Diana Dabinett, opens at Christina Parker Gallery, 5:30-8 p.m. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 • Feist at Mile One Centre, 8 p.m. • Bishops College Christmas Gala, unforgettable evening of food, entertainment and activities in aid of graduation activities, 579-4107, bridgetricketts@esdnl.ca. • Giant book sale in aid of Pouch Cove Foundation, 70,000 books to be sold, 14 Gruchy’s Hill, Pouch Cove, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. • Cantus Vocum Chamber Choir presents A Night Before Christmas, Wesley United Church, Patrick Street, St. John’s, 8 p.m. • Visit one of three locations of St. John’s Public Libraries and enter the Golden Compass Movie Pass Contest draw for movie passes, snowglobes, compasses, books and more. Winner to be announced Dec. 2. • The Leyton Gallery of Fine Art presents Our Biggest Annual Christmas Show, opening reception 3-5 p.m., exhibit continues until Jan. 6. • Shallaway, Newfoundland and Labrador Youth in Chorus presents At the Rim of the Carol Singing Sea, Cochrane Street United Church, St. John’s, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with special guest Robert Joy reading the Dylan Thomas classic A Child’s Christmas in Wales. • Photography flea market, The Studio, 272 Water St., St. John’s, above Auntie Crae’s, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Stevie Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen in concert in Dublin. Local musicians Jody Richardson, Mark Bragg, Blair Harvey and many more get together for a tribute to the Boss, NOv. 30 and Dec. 1 (at 11 p.m.) and Dec. 2 (8 p.m.) at the Ship Pub, St. John’s. Graham Hughes/Photocall
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2 • A Merry Little Christmas presented by The St. John’s Choir, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Queen’s Road, St. John’s, 8 p.m., 895-3528. • Advent Festival of Carols and Scripture, Basilica of St. John the Baptist, St. John’s, 2:30 p.m.. • A Truly Family Christmas, music by the Palmer Girls, The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave., St. John’s, 2-3 p.m. Craft demonstrations from 1-4 p.m. by artists featured in the gift shop. • St. John’s Farmers Market featuring crafts, international foods, vintage clothes, photography, handmade soap, produce, caricatures, stationary, jewelry, art and more, Masonic Temple, Cathedral Street, St. John’s, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. • Gulliver’s Spree (Dave Panting and Tom Boland), CD launch and performance with plenty of special guests, 8 p.m., Erin’s Pub, Water Street. MONDAY, DECEMBER 3
• Newfoundland and Labrador Musicians’ Association Open House, Crow’s Nest Officer’s Club, St. John’s, 6:30-9 p.m. • Public seminar presented by Canadian Mental Health Association on work/life balance, E.B. Foran Room, City Hall, St. John’s, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., RSVP Geri, 753-8550. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4 • Chillin’, opportunity for teens to spend time with friends and participate in activities in a positive and safe environment, Reid Community Centre, Mount Pearl, 3-8 p.m. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5 • SNAPP, by the Stephenville New Animation Philm Phestival, screening at Callahan’s Pub, Stephenville, 8:30 p.m. • Michelle Brophy, Rob Brown, Allan Farrell, and Andrew Dale at Folk Night, Ship Pub, St. John’s, 9:30 p.m. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6 • Let’s Have a Green Christmas, help stop global warming one Christmas decoration at a time, program for adults on homemade decorative boughs and cones, The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave., St. John’s, 7:30 p.m. • Melton the Warm-Hearted Snowman, presented by Gander Academy Grade 2 students, Gander Arts and Culture Centre, 7 p.m. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 • Tax filing workshop for registered charities, CSC Boardroom, suite 201, Virginia Park Plaza, Newfoundland Drive, St. John’s, 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. • Global Day of Action to Stop the Climate Crisis, Newfoundlanders to stand with millions worldwide to demand that leaders take action on climate change, Court House steps, St. John’s, 12 noon. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8 • Ferron, back by popular demand, special guest Amelia Curran, LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria St., St. John’s, 8 p.m., 753-4531. • Topsail United Church Men’s Club breakfast with Santa, St. John’s, 8-11 a.m. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 • The Sights Before Christmas, Beni Malone, of Wonderbolt Circus, is a magical elf who lets kids meet mummers, The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave., St. John’s, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. • Paul Anka, award-winning Canadian singersongwriter, in concert at Mile One Centre, St. John’s, 7:30 p.m., in aid of Coalition for Kids International. UPCOMING • Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church presents Glen Tetford, Newfoundland gospel music artist, Labrador West Arts and Culture Centre, Dec. 10. • Home Again, Gone Again: The Social and
Economic Implications of Commute Work, public lunch talk with Prof. Keith Story, MUN Geography, noon, Dec. 11, for more information contact Ken, 576-6121, kobrien@stjohns.ca. • Spirit of Newfoundland and Restaurant 21 presents Spirit of Newfoundland Luncheon Buffet, Dec. 1214 and 19-21, 579-3023. • An Amber Christmas with renowned artists Pamela Morgan, Anita Best, and George Morgan, The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave., St. John’s, 7 p.m., Dec. 12-13. • Kittiwake Dance Theatre presents the new Nutcracker; St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, Dec. 14-16. • Mandala Healing Workshop on how geometric shapes and colours can help restore balance and facilitate healing, 1-4 p.m., 693-1624, www.lifeonfire.ca. • It Must Be Santas, with all 24 Santas returning this year and Kevin Major reading from his book The House of Wooden Santas, 1 and 3 p.m., The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave., St. John’s, Dec. 16. • Lady Cove Women’s Choir choral performance at The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave., St. John’s, 2 p.m., Dec. 16. • Corner Brook Christmas Bird Count, Saturdays, Dec. 15–Jan 5. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Lois Bateman, 634-7206, lbateman@swgc.mun.ca. ONGOING • Resource Centre for the Arts Theatre calling for submissions of scripts for the 2009-2010 season, 3 Victoria St., St. John’s, 753-4531. • Street Reach, outreach service targeting disconnected youth of the downtown St. John’s area, seeking donations of new or used hats, mittens, gloves, and socks from the general public, 754-0536. • Chant and drumming, Lotus Centre, 52 Prescott St., Sunday nights, 7:30 p.m., everyone welcome, donations accepted. • Reading Pals, A.C. Hunter Children’s Library, St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, free help available for children in Grades 2-3 needing practice reading. To register as participant or teen volunteer, contact Betty, 737-3317, bettymacdonald@nlpubliclibraries.ca. • The Rooms, St. John’s, free admission Wednesday nights, 6-9 p.m., www.therooms.ca. • Basic Digital Photography, course offered at The Studio, 272 Water St., St. John’s, Thursdays, 7-10 p.m., until Dec. 13, 739-0346, www.shanekellyphotography.com. IN THE GALLERIES • Comfort and Joy exhibition featuring a variety of unique works for the season by Craft Council Gallery, until Dec. 18. • Hot Wax, exhibition, The Rooms, St. John’s,. • Melancholia, first project of the Space-Based series, The Rooms, St. John’s, until Jan 6. • Tilting: Rugged Landscape, Strong People, Fragile Architecture, The Rooms, until Jan. 13.
INDEPENDENTSTYLE
FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6, 2007 — PAGE 27
Bootylicious Whether purple and patent leather or adorned with funky flaps and buckles — you gotta have ’em By Mandy Cook The Independent
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omen know that boots add “oomph” to an outfit that could just as easily be forgettable. Even jeans and a T-shirt can be dressed up for a rock show or art opening with the addition of a slouchy, riveted purple pair. And the season’s signature tunic/extra-long sweater doesn’t look complete without boots, whether over leggings or the still popular skinny jean. A wardrobe staple, boots are a must for fall in particular. Think
of them as a bribe to yourself to face the dreaded snow season. But how to choose? Local shoe shops have stepped up to increased demand for every manner of style and heel height, so you’d best have a pair in mind before you hit the stores lest you get overwhelmed. While knee-high still rules in these parts, the ankle boot — favoured by many because there is no worry about fitting them over large calf muscles — is making its presence known. Patent leather is hot, as
Patent leather Eject boots, $420, provided by Twisted Sisters Boutik.
See “The perfect fit,” page 30
Paul Daly/The Independent
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
28 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
Master chef, master food I
n the culinary world there are a group of chefs who have achieved the pinnacle of their profession and have earned the title of master chef. In much the same way a master of martial arts is given the title, the master chef is subjected to a series of trials which measures the chef against the best of the best. It is a happy few who succeed; band of brothers. Newfoundland is not known for being a world tour stop of culinary adventure, but for the past week, The Fairmont Newfoundland has brought a true master to the island to show the city what only a master can do. Until Dec. 2, Taste of France is back at the Cabot Club, Fairmont Newfoundland. Master Chef Dominic Quay has brought his considerable skill with him to showcase the finer side of very French cooking. For our tasting, we were delighted
NICHOLAS GARDNER Off the Eating Path with a cross-section of the menu, giving all the highlights of some seriously good food. Lightly cooked duck foie gras, fruit quenelle and tender Champagne and grenadine jelly was the first offering. The classical pairing of rich dark fruit purée and foie gras was a fine opening salvo. Where the first plate showed a strong classical side, the next proved what happens when a master plays on the classics. The second course — seared jumbo scallops with sorrel coulis, curried vegetables and a mushroom duxelles — was a fine counterpoint to the richness of the previous one.
Duxelles, a simple technique of finely sautéing mushrooms and onions, is generally used with poultry, but this time, sitting atop a scallop which must have been two inches across, was a wonderful dish. It was simple and flavourful and, when paired with a very aromatic but dry white wine, was elegance and craftsmanship served perfectly. Much the same could be said for another fish course — salmon fillet with lobster, asparagus and coral sauce. Well cooked and beautifully presented on oblong plates, each component was featured on the plate, the perfect example of what it should be. With the respite of a citrus sorbet to cleanse the palate and relax, we were treated to a well-received main event: pan-roasted veal, on herbed couscous with baby vegetables and a veal demi glace. This is fine classical cookery. Each part of the plate had the hallmarks of a
good dish. Premium ingredients highlighted by the buttery soft veal you could cut without a knife. Perfectly hand-turned vegetables. (Turning is a knife technique, used to make perfectly shaped footballs out of square objects, and is very rarely done anymore. It made me smile as I saw it once again — something I had not seen since my days in whites and under the command of a chef instructor.) Finally, the veal demi was silky and rich and not gritty or greasy as an unrefined sauce can be. The real culinary highlight for me was a sweet. I am not usually big on sweet things — I prefer to taste the savoury foods. But this time, something took my attention and I savoured it like nothing I have eaten in a long time. Our dessert was a basil macaroon with chocolate delights. I just about passed over the hardened chocolate form, with a jaunty piece of chocolate tipped over the side, in favour of the basil macaroon.
There are some foods which are quintessentially French, and the macaroon in this form is one of them. While in France last summer, we marvelled at how many restaurants — even the smaller ones — offered the simple macaroon. This one was not so simple and not so mundane. I have always thought basil lends a sweet note to foods, and this time, it was in a very aromatic cream form which made me savour it until the bitter end. I was the last person to have his plate cleared after the meal — I couldn’t let it go. It was that good. I still have that taste memory now. Simple and sophisticated, that is Taste of France in a nutshell. Bon appetit. Taste of France runs until Dec. 2 at the Fairmont Newfoundland. For reservations call 726-4944. Nicholas Gardner is a freelance writer and erstwhile chef living in St. John’s. His column returns Dec. 14.
Buy Local. SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS IN NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Women doing what they love From cupcakes to trench coats, local businesswomen turn hobbies into thriving businesses
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ainie Rideout turned her hobby into a business called Cupcake Laine. “I always loved baking alongside my grandmother and now I do it with my own three daughters,” she says. The only difference is Rideout now bakes much more than she used to — and she sells her goods around the Avalon Peninsula. Rideout has a unique twist on sending “a little something” to a loved one. Cupcake Laine designs and delivers everything from simple cupcake bouquets (designed to look like flowers, beautifully arranged in a flower pot) to elaborate flag patterns — such as the popular pink, white and green — made from different coloured cupcakes.
Rideout says she’s “thrilled and amazed” by the response her quirky idea has received. She averages three orders a week, but she also has a calendar filled with upcoming events like weddings and showers. “Good thing I love to bake and find it such a stress reliever,” she laughs. “I get to do what I love and the bonus is that people pay me for it.” Another local businesswoman doing what she loves is Bonnie Cook of Abbyshot Clothiers. She and her business partner Adam Bragg realized their passions and experiences worked well together — Bragg has a graphic design background and Cook operated a home-based sewing business. Together they help customers around the world
“wear the movies.” Abbyshot makes screen-accurate, movie-inspired clothing, both custom made and set sized. They specialize in outerwear, especially trench coats. “We started out as a web-based business and our first coat was the Lobby Trench, inspired by the movie The Matrix,” Cook says. The company now has a large selection of jackets inspired by anything from movies to video games. While Cook is incredibly proud of her products — all hand-stitched, individually cut designs made from the highest quality materials — she is also eager to share letters she has received from satisfied customers. “When someone wears their coat they feel the power of the person that inspired that design and that seems to drive some customers to write us some pretty powerful and passionate letters,” she says. Cook takes the time to read each one at company staff meetings. “You can see people sit up taller in their chairs when they realize they had played a part of that satisfaction,” she says. Cook, like Rideout, feels that being “creative and quirky” and focusing on quality products has created opportunities for businesses in this province. “It’s a great feeling to make someone’s day a little brighter and that’s just what we like to think that we do here.” For more, visit www.cupcakelaine.com www.abbyshot.com pamelamichpardy@yahoo.ca
Gary Noseworthy models the Stampede Duster, a coat Abbyshot Clothiers based on a popular Japanese animated character “Vash.” Paul Daly/The Independent
20% OFF all double priced Canadian and US books Canadian distributors of American books have been lowering the prices to reflect the rise in the Canadian dollar’s value. We feel that this has not happened quickly enough. In an attempt to address this rapid rise, Granny Bates has cut the prices on most books in the store until Christmas. Although we are still being charged at the higher rate, hopefully by year end prices stamped on our books will be more closely aligned to the true value of our dollar. As a result of our decision to offer a 20% discount, some books will actually be priced below par. Thank you to our loyal customers who have valued the importance of independent bookstores.
709.739.9233 1.800.563.8851 info@grannybates.com
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTSTYLE • 29
The price of pot One badly timed joint got Ed kicked out of Alberta
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d just finished paying for his mistake. Literally. It took a year. His error in judgment? Smoking a joint while on a training course paid for by his Alberta company. Or perhaps, he laughs, his mistake was being “stupid” enough to get caught doing it. Ed had worked in Alberta before. He knew the rules and followed them. He passed the “piss test” it took to get there and says he could have passed any one after that. On the job, that is. Because Ed says one of his problems was that he knew how long it takes for dope to get out of his system. “The training course in Calgary was for three weeks, then we would head back to work in Grand Prairie,” he says. He knew that by the time he headed back to the job site, the drugs would be out of his system. As he enjoyed his draw one evening — on the sly, hidden outside, alone in a dark corner while the rest of his class drank inside — he smiled to himself and enjoyed the once familiar buzz. Ed had a wife and young son back home in Newfoundland. He was making $1,200 every two weeks for what he calls “shop pay.” When he worked in the field — which was often — he made an additional $150 a day. His company paid for his hotel room and all transportation costs. Life was good. That was until someone saw him. Nothing was said that night, but Ed knew he had been “ratted on” three days later.
PAM PARDY GHENT
Seven-day talk “I was singled out, pulled right out of class,” he says. “Some woman” followed him into the washroom and handed him a bottle. He wasn’t offered any privacy, and he did as he was told. “Pee in the bottle, any leftover in the toilet, don’t flush — and she checked,” he remembers with a hint of a laugh. Five minutes later, still standing by the toilet, he was told he had failed. He was shocked. “I mean, I knew that drugs would show, but this was one joint — one joint in three months — I didn’t think there would be enough of anything in my system after three days,” he says. He was wrong. An hour later he was at the airport, headed back to Grand Prairie. The company told him to stay put in the hotel room they were paying for. He did as he was told. Three days later, he was brought in to see his supervisor and given his options. “I was told I would be on a threemonth probation with no field time,” he begins. He would be given a weekly drug test and would have to attend narcotics anonymous meetings regularly. “I thought ‘not so bad, right,’” he says. Then, they told him he would have to find, and pay for, his own lodgings.
Ed did the math. “They didn’t want me around, that much was clear,” he says. “They knew I couldn’t make $1,400 a month and afford a place in the city — if I could even find somewhere to live.” He took his stuff and jumped a bus to stay with friends in Jasper while he figured out what he needed to do. He had to explain the situation to his wife. “Let’s just say she wasn’t pleased,” he says. He borrowed money for a ticket home, figuring he would pay it back when his EI began. “Guess what? You don’t get EI when you are let go for breaking company policy,” he says. He borrowed more money to get by while he tried to find work in Newfoundland. Times were rough. Besides the financial hardship, there were the looks and the comments. “I knew I had been stupid, but it’s a different thing altogether when someone else tells you that you are or just looks at you that way,” he says. “I had one rough winter.” Things have worked out for Ed and his family. He ended up with a good job at home and paid off his debts to family and friends. He has a scattered draw at the end of a hard day when he wants one and he doesn’t mind saying so. While Ed enjoys a joint in his personal time, he agrees worksites should be drug free. “You’re running these big machines, running pipe, and anything can happen at the best of times. If your
Trust pomegranates to zip it By Susan Sampson Torstar wire service Nutty, crunchy, tangy, pretty and healthful — this grain salad has a lot going for it. POMEGRANATE QUINOA TABOULLEH Adapted from a recipe by POM Wonderful, a California grower. The jumbo pomegranates now on the market yield up to two cups of arils (the tangy red seeds). This is a take on Middle Eastern taboulleh, a salad made with bulgur and parsley. One cup of raw quinoa makes about three-and-ahalf cups cooked. • 2 cups water • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed • 1 cup pomegranate arils • 1 cup cucumber in 1/4-inch dice, drained • 1/2 cup green bell pepper in 1/4-inch dice • 1/2 cup chopped green onions (including green parts) • 3/4 cup sliced almonds • 3/4 cup finely chopped parsley • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro • 1/4 cup finely chopped mint leaves • 1/4 cup each: lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil • 1 tsp sea salt • Freshly ground pepper to taste Bring water to boil on high heat. Stir in quinoa. Return to boil. Turn heat to medium low. Cover
and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender but chewy. Remove cover. Fluff. Cool to room temperature. Put two cups quinoa in large bowl. (Reserve remainder for another salad or side dish.) Add pomegranate, cucumber, green pepper, green onions, almonds, parsley, cilantro and mint. Toss gently. In large measuring cup, whisk together juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over quinoa mixture. Toss gently to combine. Makes about six cups.
Hair from a bottle
W
hat if you could sprinkle on hair from a shaker in 30 seconds? That’s what Boom Boom Hair, a hair styling product named after the target market, claims to do. It is available in eight colours and used by both male and female celebs throughout North America (whose identities Lisa De Angelis, executive director of Vaughan-based manufacturer Ya Ya Beauty, refuses to divulge) to help pump up the appearance of fine or thinning hair. Its demographic is wide ranging, from ages 20 to 80-plus. The product, powder-like filaments made from the same organic protein as human hair, is shaken
over scant patches. The powder resembles the remains of shaved whiskers. In seconds, thousands of tiny, colour-matched filaments intertwine and blend in with your own hair. Magnetized with static electricity, the filaments bond securely, staying in place until you shampoo them out. You can also use your own styling products, including mousse. The product doesn’t stain, run or harm clothing or skin, is colour-fast, non-toxic and wind, rain and perspiration proof. For more, visit boomboomhair.com. — Torstar wire service
Linocut print by John Andrews
reaction time is off someone could get hurt — or worse,” he says. Still, while marijuana has become enemy No. 1 on the Alberta work scene, he wonders if the employers are after the right vice. “I know fellas who drink so much after work they’re still drunk the next morning,” he says. More than once men he worked beside men with hands shaking from a bad case of the morning-afters. And there are harder drugs that leave your system much sooner than weed does. “I worked with more fellas that were in one nasty way all day on the job site,” he says. There were never any tests on those guys. No one ever got pulled out and sent to a bathroom to pee while supervised. “Only me. For that one joint,” he says. Ed accepts that he was solely responsible for his predicament. “I knew what could happen,” he says. He risked it and he lost. While Ed is happy to be working at home, he admits what he makes now is nowhere near what he was making while away. Would he give Alberta another try? He chuckles. “Why not? If the right opportunity came up, I’d give it another shot,” he says. Would he follow the rules? “Let’s just say I won’t forget what happened out there,” he says. Once bitten, twice as cautious.
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
30 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
‘The perfect fit’ From page 27 are shiny metallics. Purple is the shade to pair with a party dress or fun patterned tights. Finally, you must pick from flats, wedges or sky-high stilettos. At Twisted Sisters Boutik, 175 Water St., St. John’s, the focus is on funky. Owners Jaclyn Gruchy and Tennille Ashley have a flat patent purple pair on display, but mix up the style with textured leather to pick up the colour — a rich Merlot. Gruchy says the prevalence of purple is an indicator of hues to come. “Burgundys are very popular,” she says. “Metallics are big but burgundy seems to pop up everywhere — maybe because grey is becoming popular too and they complement each other so well. Grey will be very popular in upcoming
seasons.” Other options are a wedge-heeled knee-high boot in classic black that gathers at the top and around the ankle. Two belt buckles at the top of the boot add to the visual interest. But if you’re really looking to make an impact, they’ve got a fuchsia ankle-high pair set off with brass rivets and scalloped edges. A few doors down at Gallery Shoes, 179 Water St., glamour is key. An impressive collection of shiny spike heels are tempered with lower stack heels, but the overall selection is formal and elegant, says Katalina Zidarova, a high heel enthusiast herself. “The BCBG Girls at $200 will give you the perfect fit on the leg,” she says. “They are a stretch synthetic leather with lots of square buckles. They have a very
high, skinny heel, pointy toe and are hot and sexy.” Zidarova says the majority of their boots are shiny, many with a copper or silver metallic sheen, and can be found in green and other unusual shades. She says women are looking to lighter colours to brighten up the dreary months of winter. As for your final purchase, no matter which pair (or pairs!) you select in the end, you can rest assured your boots will be worth the investment and will get those gams noticed. Gruchy says boots are classic for a good reason. “People put on a tall boot and it elongates the leg and makes them feel sexy. Sex sells. That’s why they’ve been around for so long.” mandy.cook@theindependent.ca
The return of the three-piece suit Derick Chetty Torstar wire service
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hen 24-year-old Matty Tsoumaris dresses for work, most likely he will put on a three-piece suit. Tsoumaris’s office hours start at 7 p.m. and his place of business is the swank King Street West watering hole Cheval, where he is co-owner. He is one of a growing number of young professional men embracing the return of the three-piece suit. “It’s a very powerful suit. It’s edgy and fashionable,” he says of the four three-piece suits he owns. “It has a cool factor and a professional factor. I can take the jacket off in a hot nightclub and still look dressed up.” “You can’t get that with a two piece suit — which just looks too Bay Street,” he declares. Not only was this matching vest, jacket and pant combo seen in designers’ fall collections, but a variety of young musicians and actors are adopting this elegantly waisted look. Canadian actor Ryan Gosling showed up on the red carpet at TIFF this year in a windowpane check threepiece suit and he is on the cover of the November issue of GQ looking louche in a navy pinstripe three-piece. Bringing not just any sexy back, Justin Timberlake has been making it seductively dressier in suits and vests. Even hip-hop kings like P. Diddy and Jay Z. have all but abandoned their earlier uniforms of slouchy jeans and oversized hoodies for sharply tailored suits befitting their music mogul status. But it’s also a sign of these boom times. James Hou, 33, who ordered his custom-made three-piece suit from Trend Custom Tailor, the made-to-measure atelier on Gerrard Street East, says it is a sign of how well the economy is doing. “Venture capitalists, private equity, hedge funds — these industries are driven by formality. It is the uniform of this segment of business,” he says. The last economy boom we had like this was with the dot.com set, where the look was khakis and polos. It worked well for those times, since the nerve centre was the laid-back environment of the West Coast. The pendulum in menswear is swinging from the sloppy casual looks to one that is sartorially sharp. It’s now hip to be fashionably formal. “Classic menswear style is coming back — hats, vests, ties — things that your dad or grandpa used to wear,” says Melissa Austria of Gotstyle, the King Street West menswear emporium. “It’s almost a rebellion of younger guys wanting to dress better than their dads
or guys in their 40s and 50s.” Austria says it is mostly younger guys opting for the three-piece looks from her store. “The older guys laugh and say, ‘I remember wearing that in the ’70s.’” What’s even more surprising is these young bucks are upping the style notch by having their three-piece suits custom made. Despite the off-the-rack three-piece styles from labels like Tiger of Sweden and Z Zegna the store sells, men are opting for Gotstyle’s made-to-measure service. It offers a well-priced, madeto-measure package — two suits, four dress shirts and four ties for $2,500. For the third piece, the vest, it’s an extra $125. “They like the bragging rights to owning a made-to-measure suit,” says Austria. “Especially the guys in finance. They are very competitive, they try as much to outdo the other guy.” But it’s not just a Bonfire of the Vanities thing. “They also want to get more involved with the purchase — selecting the crazy linings, the different colour buttonholes — details that give it their signature look.” Austria believes the three-piece look shows individuality, creativity and says you’re a risk-taker. “But when the younger generation dresses better, it also shows a sign of respect,” she adds. But not all guys are taking the traditional route and matching their three pieces. Shawn Hewson, the Project Runway Canada judge and creative director of Toronto menswear label Bustle, showed the three-piece suit in his fall runway show with mismatched and contrasting fabrics. “We were going for that British gentleman look, but quirky,” he says. “This is not your grandpa’s three-piece suit; we mixed it up. It’s sexier.” Hewson also says he paid a lot of attention to the third piece — the vest — adding lapels, multiple pockets and even making it double-breasted because a lot of guys are wearing just the vest with the pant. You can almost credit this third piece for the revived interest in the threepiece suit. The vest, or waistcoat, was a big hit this summer, worn with a T-shirt or even on its own like a high-end tank. And that’s what some men are finding appealing about this very traditional look: its surprising versatility. It works overtime from board meeting to bar hopping. As Darcy Pack, co-owner of the Yorkville menswear boutique AntiHero puts it: “The three-piece suit is really two characters. It’s Tommy Lee with a tank top and it’s Tom Wolfe with a tie.”
NOVEMBER 30DECEMBER 6, 2007
What’s new in the automotive industry
FEATURED VEHICLE
Replacing the Freelander, the 2008 Land Rover LR2 is new from the ground up, delivering outstanding performance as well as the off-roadability of a true Land Rover. Featuring a brand-new 3.2L inline-six engine producing 230 hp and a new six-speed automatic transmission with CommandShift, the LR2 accelerates effortlessly to 60mph in just under 8.4 seconds — not too shabby considering a curb-weight of more than 1900 kg. The benefits of the transversely-mounted I6-engine include an improved interior package with greater cabin space and a full complement of safety features, including full-curtain airbags and a lower driver’s airbag to protect the knees and legs from steering column injury. Once the “go anywhere” vehicle, Land Rover has also become the “must be seen in” vehicle. No wonder, with features such as adaptive Xenon headlights, a panoramic glass ceiling, keyless ignition, rainsensing wipers and a 12-speaker Dolby Pro-Logic II surround sound theatre. Synonymous with luxury and style, the LR2 makes good company with its big brothers: the LR3 and the flagship Range Rover. The only question is … do you have the stomach to cover yours in off-road mud? Visit the all new LR2 at Global Imports next to O’Neill Motors, Topsail Road, Mount Pearl. Photos by Nicholas Langor/The Independent
‘Race on Sunday, sell on Monday’ P
eople are very finicky about what early days right up till now it was they eat, what they wear, and always good ol’ boys building and racwhat they drive. Everything has ing American cars to protect their huge to be perfect. Personal satisdomestic market. faction and public perception To put it in perspective, go hand in hand. The North California sells roughly as American consumer is a wily many vehicles as the entire creature and won’t spend a country of Canada. To tap dime unless conditions are abinto that market, Toyota built solutely perfect. That’s why it manufacturing plants in was so important seven years Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, ago for Toyota to do its homeTexas, West Virginia and has work before introducing the another scheduled to open in MARK WOOD Tundra, its first full-size pickMississippi in 2010. (Canada up truck. has one Toyota plant in CamWOODY’S bridge, Ont.) Toyota’s main target is the American market. Now they got good ol’ boys WHEELS Since the very beginning of building American Toyotas, mass-produced motorized the first phase of swaying transportation, America has adopted the public perception and sentiment. automotive theme as a way of life. When Toyota introduced its first fullCanadian actor Dan Aykroyd (whom sized pickup truck in 2000, the Tundra America has embraced) once summed it came with a choice of mild engines — a up in a stirring onscreen speech as 190-horsepower (hp) 3.4-litre, V-6 or a “home of the 440-cubic-inch engine.” 245-hp, 4.7-litre V-8. Nowhere else in the world do they covet Then, somehow, Toyota gained acand glorify such large engines and race ceptance in NASCAR racing, perhaps them for the masses in a spectacular because the company was manufacturshow of thunder and speed. From the ing vehicles in the Excited States of
America. I don’t know how, but I was thoroughly impressed. At first Toyota fielded its Tundra in the Craftsman Truck Series, followed by the Camry in both the Nextel Cup Series and the Nascar Busch Series. On July 31, 2004, a Toyota Tundra won its first race at Michigan International Speedway. In 2005 the engines were slightly revamped, the V-6 was bumped up to a 236-hp, four-litre and the 4.7-litre, V-8 was tuned to produce 271 hp. In 2006 Toyota landed its first championship truck series with driver Todd Bodine winning 12 of 25 races entered. The achievement worked perfectly with the long-standing creed of using motor sports to promote and sell vehicles. Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. In 2007 the most dramatic change happened in the second generation Tundra when a larger V-8 was also added to the menu; it was now possible to get a 5.7-litre, V-8 churning out 381 hp. Enough to stand next to the wellestablished line-up of full-size pickup trucks and be counted as one of them.
2007 Toyota Tundra
Now the good ol’ boys could slap the red clay dust off their boots, hop in a Tundra and smoke the tires all the way to the store. Yep, a Nascar-winnin’-built-in-Texas Toyota Tundra. What we have here is no mere coincidence. The Toyota Tundra didn’t sud-
denly arrive on the scene. It was a brilliant execution of a well thought out marketing plan. The product itself is nothing less than a bolder example of the solid, dependable line of vehicles that established Toyota’s reputation. I See “A powerful,” page 32
32 • INDEPENDENTSHIFT
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
Drivers beware
A powerful machine
PILES OF LEAVES AND BANKS OF SNOW ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE IRRESISTIBLE TO KIDS
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ike many parts of municipalities with Innocuous, the rubber tubing disappeared into old-growth trees, autumn around here is the heap. And I was reminded why I drive so a bonanza of fallen leaves. We rake them slowly around piled leaves. to the curb to await the leaf sucker, What many people take to be an narrowing the streets with multiurban legend (or an old Dad’s tale) is coloured tunnels on either side. actually true. Children have been Some of my favourite photos are of killed by cars hitting them as they the boys buried in huge piles of leaves, hide in piles of leaves. Not frequently, just a head showing with two strange but one is too many. A few years back, feet at odd angles. They would take an off-road motorcyclist in New York our wheelbarrow and actually go State was paralyzed after hitting a pile around getting more leaves from of leaves that someone had allegedly neighbours, creating a bigger mess concealed concrete blocks in. As a LORRAINE than ever. A big enough pile of leaves parent, I may mainly be on the lookSOMMERFELD could hide five kids. out for bird and dog droppings; as a Like my dad before me, I would driver it’s far more dangerous than a insist the leaves remained on the lawn little poop. until they were finished playing. The Snow is even more magnetic for road was out of the question. We live kids. We’d watch for the blue light of on a quiet little court, and as a youngthe snowplow, knowing huge mounds ster I always thought Dad was being a spoil- would be left behind. We’d race out in the dark sport, denying us the literal windfall of leaves to build tunnels and slide down them. And one on the road. of my parents would dutifully grab a shovel and I drove through a neighbouring street today, hang out there with us, warily watching for cars. weaving around the mounded piles. Something We’ll be into snow soon enough. And where caught my eye on the pavement. The end of a there is snow, there are children. Remember that skipping rope, the plastic handle part. amazing feeling as you burrowed down into a
POWER SHIFT
From page 31
snow bank? It was soundproof. You couldn’t hear your friends, you couldn’t hear your mom calling you in, and you certainly couldn’t hear a car headed your way. A kid in Ohio was injured after being buried by a plow earlier this year in a snow trench he was hiding in. His friend found him, but the plow driver never knew a thing. It’d be great if kids didn’t play near the street, but face it; that’s where all the good snow is. Remember perching on top of the same snow bank, balancing your saucer or plastic toboggan and laughing like crazy when it tipped the wrong way and you scooted down onto the road? Climbing back up and sliding back down, your friends playing King of the Castle and laughing as you tumbled down yet again? Yes, roads are for driving. And yes, parents are for supervising. But one of the most amazing things about being Canadian is being able to open your front door and jump in a pile of leaves or bounce into a bank of snow. It wasn’t always just one more season to get through, so please let your 10-year-old self bring back some memories as you drive in the coming months. www.lorraineonline.ca
should know, I’ve been following the company’s progress closely for a long time and it was more than just a little bit ironic that I should park my 12-yearold Toyota pickup at Toyota Plaza on Kenmount Road and drive off in a 2007 Tundra. If anyone could feel the difference it would be me. Besides the room for five adults and all the latest high-tech modern conveniences and comfort, I expected it to behave as well or better than any other Toyota four-wheel drive that I drove over the years. And it did. The Tundra is a powerful machine and they beefed up the running gear to match it. The Tundra has oversized brake discs to match the pulling power, and a massive ring-gear in the positrac, rear-end to torque the wheels without fail. I wouldn’t expect anything less; none of my stuff ever broke. It may be a pretty truck, but years from now someone will come crawling out of the hills in it loaded down with firewood and covered in mud. With any luck at all that someone will be me. Mark Wood of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s loves a good marketing plan almost as much as four-wheeling in the woods.
WEEKLY DIVERSIONS ACROSS 1 Feeler 5 Not at work 8 Mimic 12 Groove 16 Wound souvenir 17 Seed cover 18 Lech Walesa, e.g. 19 Object of worship 20 Era 21 Tropical fruit 23 Worker’s pay 24 Craving 26 Marseilles miss: abbr. 27 Calgary team 29 N.S.’s mineral 31 Nordic toast 32 Unwind 35 Ribonucleic acid 36 Weakerthans’ hometown 40 Bosc or Anjou 41 Tail verb 42 Craft that’s portaged 43 Hullabaloo 44 Pop 45 Winter need 47 Swindle 48 Recipe direction 49 Personal view 51 ___ blanche 52 German “please” 53 Helps 54 Spanish port 55 Deal out sparingly 56 Starbucks order 58 Crazy (Fr., fem.)
59 First woman on Atomic Energy Control Board 62 Fire sale phrase 63 Sorrowfully 64 A roll of the ___ 65 Salon, sort of 66 New: prefix 67 Depressed spirits 68 Consume 69 Ontario’s official bird: common ___ 70 Mafia milieu 72 Welcome ___ 73 Michael’s wife (“FBFW”) 75 Mona ___ 76 Italian dessert 78 Muslim ruler, once 81 Site of Rita MacNeil’s Tea Room: Big ___, Cape Breton 82 Relating to stars 85 Roman poet 86 Symbol representing an idea 89 Singular of Inuit 91 Small particle 92 Void 93 Repulsive 94 Cigar end? 95 Pitcher 96 Obtains 97 Koffman of “Curried Soul” 98 Nothing (Fr.) DOWN
CHUCKLE BROS
1 Victoria time 2 Vinegary 3 Crippled 4 Iron-fisted one? 5 Bay window 6 Fish appendage 7 Originator of standard time: Sandford ___ 8 Jonagold, e.g. 9 Vatican head 10 Extension 11 Bandage tie, often (2 wds.) 12 Hindu Festival of Lights 13 Man in a garden 14 Venetian ruler, once 15 Cheers 17 The “cruellest” month 22 Prov. with Wetaskiwin (site of Reynolds vehicle museum) 25 Mineral: suffix 28 Solitary 30 Terrible tyke 31 From that time 32 Coiffure for a gala 33 Kind of tide 34 Cancer therapy 36 Strauss piece 37 “FBFW” family name 38 Revise for print 39 Climate activist (U.S.) 41 Pallid
42 Discoverer of radium 45 Conceal 46 Greek dawn goddess 47 “___ off in all directions” 48 Farm storage tower 50 Lice eggs 51 Phone communications 52 Portend 54 Scrambled for secrecy 55 Xmas mo. 56 K.D. with “Watershed” 57 Cruising 58 Flora and ___ 59 In good shape 60 “Once ___ a time ...” 61 Japanese syllabic script 63 Hockey infraction 64 Facts and figures 67 Radar screen event 68 Tympanic membrane 69 First francophone P.M. 71 Unpowered aircraft 72 Chinese dynasty 73 Yummy looking 74 East in l’Estrie 76 Carpenter’s kit contents 77 Canadian tree 78 ___-by-Chance,
Nfld. 79 Acknowledge 80 Lo-cal
81 Animal skin 83 Not for 84 Troubadour’s instru-
ment 87 Owing 88 Past
90 A Dryden Solutions page 34
Brian and Ron Boychuk
WEEKLY STARS ARIES (MAR. 21 TO APR. 19) Although taking advice isn’t always easy for the headstrong Sheep, you might want to consider what someone you respect says about an upcoming decision. TAURUS (APR. 20 TO MAY 20) A new offer is tempting, but don’t be bullied into a quick decision. Rely on your keen Bovine business sense to alert you to anything that might be questionable. GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) Your Gemini Twin nature rallies to help you deal with this week’s hectic schedules, both in your personal and professional lives. One caution: Watch your diet. CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)
Avoid rushing to make up for time lost on a stalled workplace operation. Best to set up a schedule and pace yourself. Welcome the help of colleagues. LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) Despite those glittering holiday distractions you love so well, be sure to keep your feline senses set on high to alert you to anything that might require fast action. VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) Making an effort to restore fraying relationships proves to be more successful than you dared hope. The holidays also bring new friends into your life. LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) Private and professional matters compete for your attention. Be
honest in your assessment of which should get more of it, and for how long. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) A seemingly endless list of mustdo tasks is best handled by tackling them one by one, and taking energy-restoring timeouts between each job. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) A vexing relationship seems destined to deteriorate no matter what each side tries to do. A third party’s advice just might prove helpful. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) Reach out to ease any tensions caused by home or workplace pressures before they threaten the relationship-building progress
you’ve made. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) You often go out of your way to show kindness to others. So, don’t be surprised if other people want to do something nice for you this week. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MAR. 20) People in your life respect your Piscean wisdom, so don’t hesitate to speak up about a matter that you feel isn’t being handled quite the way it should be. YOU BORN THIS WEEK Your personal warmth helps you make friendships, and your sense of fair play helps you keep them. (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, NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6, 2007 — PAGE 33
Olympic champion curler Brad Gushue.
Paul Daly/The Independent
‘It’s just a game’ Brad Gushue was told that about curling many times, but until he went through some life experiences, he never believed it. Now, he does By Don Power For The Independent
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hen Brad Gushue goes home from work now, the world stops. As he enters his house, Gushue is greeted by his wife Krista and — perhaps more importantly — his new baby daughter, Hayley Sophia. The troubles of the day all melt away when he picks up the newborn. Work and curling are the last things on his mind. It wasn’t always that way. Ever since he was a teenager, Gushue was consumed with one thought: winning an Olympic gold medal. The St. John’s curler did everything in his power to attain that goal. From training year-round to postpon-
ing university courses to throwing thousands and thousands of rocks alone in the St. John’s Curling Club, every move Gushue made had a singular purpose. His entire life was devoted the chase for Olympic gold, and nothing could derail him from that goal. Curling was his life. Or so he thought. When he lost games, he took it personally, and he took it hard. In 2000, Gushue was on the verge of a Canadian junior championship, when his final stone against British Columbia came up short. Gushue was seen on TV crying uncontrollably. “For a long time, especially in my junior career, (a loss) was the end of the world,” Gushue tells The Independent. “When I missed that shot in 2000, I was a wreck for a couple of
months.” Recovery took a long while, but when he did rebound, Gushue did so with more fervour than before. He was bound and determined to win at all costs. As the team progressed, Gushue became completely immersed in the game. Winning wasn’t just the primary goal, it was the only one. “Before, it was practise, practise, practise, compete and just grind it out and try to win at all costs,” he says. “The last two years have definitely changed me as a player and a person.” Two events outside of curling — his mother’s illness and Hayley’s birth — have affected him more than any draw to the button ever could. In the summer of 2005, Maureen Gushue was diagnosed with cancer. Reality hit the young curler. Suddenly,
he was prepared to quit curling to be with his mother. But she insisted he continue — perhaps as much for her own sake as his. “I was willing to pack it in at that point when she first got sick,” Gushue says. “We had a really busy fall. I said to her I was willing to not go on any of these trips. She told me not to be foolish, and go follow my dreams. For the most part that fall, I went through the motions. “Then I had the same realization that if I am going to be away then I might as well put my heart and soul into it and make it worthwhile.” The St. John’s curler did, of course, capture an Olympic gold medal in 2006, beating Finland 10-4 in the title match. He and teammates Mark Nichols, Russ Howard, Jamie Korab
and Mike Adam were on top of the world, and — with the exception of Howard — were all still in their mid20s. Today, Gushue’s mother and daughter are doing fine. But the two episodes have changed him as a person. He often scoffed at people who said curling “is just a game.” Now, he says, he understands. “To look back (on the loss in 2000) now and realize that I let that affect my life so much is silly,” Gushue says. “It’s just a curling shot. It’s just a game. That would never happen again. You have something much more cool to come home to.” Gushue is still chasing an Olympic dream: he wants a return trip, this time See “I’m enjoying,” page 34
What’s in a name? A lot, especially when corporations plunk down big wads of cash; just be careful what you get
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nybody who has driven by Crosbie Road in St. John’s lately has seen the massive structure dominating the landscape next to Swilers Rugby Complex. The Newfoundland and Labrador Sport Centre is well into the construction phase. What that means is that the leaders on the project will soon announce they have secured naming rights to the structure, or are still looking for corporate partners to purchase naming rights. According to their website, there are three naming stations available. From the looks of the site, one is
DON POWER
Power Point already gone, the foundation level which puts your company name on the inside of the building. Still available — according to the site — are the combat room and the multi-purpose boardroom, at a cost of $25,000 each. With Pat Parfrey leading the team in search of sponsors, there’s no doubt the sport centre will be successful in ending up as the Exxon-Mobil Centre,
or some such thing. Naming sports facilities is hardly new, although not always successful. It seems the key to naming a building after a corporation for a big wad of cash is actually christening the new facility. It’s when current stadiums or arenas change their names that the trouble starts. For example, Mile One works because that’s all the building has ever been. Stadium or centre… tomato or to-mah-to. It’s Mile One. Prince of Wales Arena hasn’t been as successful with its transition to Capital Hyundai Arena, simply because it’s been Prince of Wales for
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close to 50 years. That’ll take a while. Even before that, the Royal St. John’s Regatta has long been a bastion of naming rights. The famous old Blue Peter, the racing shell used in the rowing of the 9:13 record back in 1901 by Outer Cove fishermen, was actually named after Blue Peter Steamships. Same with other boats like The Royalist (which was never well-liked by competitors), The CJON and The Miss India (after the beer, not the country). They were regatta standards for years. Ironically, while stadiums are losing See “Name game,” page 34
Prince of Wales Arena hasn’t been as successful with its transition to Capital Hyundai Arena, simply because it’s been Prince of Wales for close to 50 years. That’ll take a while.
34 • INDEPENDENTSPORTS
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
Good for more than gin
‘I’m enjoying it much more’
Juniper roots, bark and berries have many uses
From page 33
PAUL SMITH
The Rock
Outdoors
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ast week I wrote about the Hubbard expedition into Labrador, which ended in the untimely and tragic death of team leader Leonidas Hubbard. Hubbard died in his tent, while the others risked all in a dash to civilization. Heroically, Hubbard’s expedition companions returned with help but it was too late. Hubbard succumbed to starvation and the elements. Hubbard’s physical condition had been deteriorating for weeks. He suffered constantly from diarrhea, which both dehydrated him and robbed his body of muchneeded nutrients. Might there have been anything in the flora of Labrador that could have curbed or cured Hubbard’s affliction? I’ve done a little research and discovered Newfoundlanders have used their fair share of traditional remedies since we began settling here some 500 years ago. I can recall my father telling me about juniper tea for stomach ailments, so it was there I began my search. First, I must clarify what exactly we Newfoundlanders refer to as juniper. Remember my piece entitled Juniper sprinkles from a few weeks ago? I was writing about the tamarack or Eastern larch, and that is what most of us here mean when we say juniper. So I’m not quite sure what my father meant by juniper tea. My father has passed away and it’s too late to ask him. In Newfoundland, we have both true juniper and the tamarack. Both have traditionally been used for medicinal purposes. The tamarack — or, scientifically speaking, Larix laricina — resembles an evergreen but sheds its leaves in late fall. It grows well in both swampy bogs and dry upland soils, so naturally it thrives in the combination of marsh and rocky barren so typical of Newfoundland and Labrador’s wilderness. Its soft green needles grow in tufts from knobby spurs along tough branches. I say tough, because they are almost impossible to break or crack off. Tamarack is an amazingly tough and durable wood, often utilized for sled runners, boat frames and snowshoes. The James Bay Cree traditionally use roots and twigs of tamarack to weave goose decoys that, while fully functional, are most definitely works of art. The fresh spring shoots of tamarack are rumoured to be both tasty and Solutions for crossword on page 32
A juniper bush.
nutritious for man and moose alike, although humans should boil them first. The Ojibwa use tea steeped from the bark as a laxative and diuretic. Newfoundlanders have been known to make potent juniper beer from tamarack boughs. We are no doubt a resourceful lot. I’ve found reference to tamarack roots being used as a remedy for coughs or colds. The bark, pulverized to a salve, is used for the treatment of sores and frostbite. I have no idea if any of these concoctions actually work — as time and opportunity allow I might try a few and report back. I might even give that juniper beer a go if I can find the recipe. True Junipers (J. communis and J. horizontalis) are evergreen and occur naturally in Newfoundland. Both have a rich history of traditional medicinal use. These juniper prefer exposed rocky habitats suitable only for the heartiest flora. These are the low shrub-like mats of prickly juniper that grow around rocky knobs and boulderstrewn barrens. The berries take two to three years to mature from greenish white to a deep blue-black hue. Actually, they’re not really berries at all but edible seed cones. Their Solutions for sudoku on page 32
Paul Smith photo
resinous taste reminds me of pine and it was no surprise when I discovered that juniper cones give gin its distinctive flavour. I’ve always said gin tastes like trees. Juniper berries are used extensively in the cuisine of central Europe. Sauerkraut, a German speciality I’m very fond of, is seasoned with dried juniper berries. INDISPENSABLE ADDITIVE In the alpine regions of Europe, where juniper grows abundantly, crushed cones are considered an indispensable additive to wild game. I’m definitely giving it a try on moose and caribou. It’s rumoured to combine exquisitely with black pepper, marjoram and laurel berries. But what of a cure for diarrhea? Newfoundlanders have traditionally used a tea steeped from dried juniper berries for kidney problems, bladder infections and, to a lesser extent, stomach disorders such as diarrhea. I guess this might be the juniper tea my father spoke of drinking in his formative years. Sugared juniper tea was often given to infants in their bottles as a cure for colic. I wish I had known this when
Megan, my youngest daughter, was in diapers. Nothing else worked for her colic besides me patting her on the back all night. Many nights we both fell asleep in my rocker-recliner with her comfy across my shoulder, drooling down my neck. There was a notion in 19th century Newfoundland that spring tonics were essential to ridding the body of “bad blood” stored up over the long, cold and snowy winter. Homemade recipes often included the inner bark of juniper, together with other natural ingredients. There is a revitalized interest in herbal medicines all over the world. In Germany, juniper tea is officially approved for treating stomach problems and loss of appetite. Science has recently confirmed the juniper plant’s anti-inflammatory properties. Maybe there was really something to those old spring tonics. And maybe juniper berries would have helped Hubbard. We will never know for sure. Paul Smith is an avid outdoorsman and freelance writer living in Spaniard’s Bay. flyfishtherock@hotmail.com
to Vancouver in 2010. But he admits leaving home for his first spiel after Hayley was born was a difficult chore. “To be honest, I never believed it when people said (having a child) would give me more perspective, but it does,” he says. “The first (spiel) was very difficult. The first two games I just was not into it, and I even said that to the guys. Then I snapped in, I’m away from home so if I waste this, it is a real waste. “The second time was a little bit easier, but still tough and you want to be home, but you realize you need to focus on what you’re doing. It just makes it that much nicer to fly home.” Gushue won’t spend that much time at home in the next month. He’s in Quebec City this weekend for the first Grand Slam of Curling. Next weekend, it’s off to Rama, Ontario for the TSN Skins Game, followed by another spiel in Ottawa. He concludes his month with the second Grand Slam in Port Hawksbury, N.S., returning home Christmas Eve. Because of changes to the Olympic qualifying process, this month is huge on the team’s schedule. But don’t expect the skip to get stressed out. Yes, he wants to pick up points and perform on the ice. And yes, the team will still play an aggressive style of play. It’s off the ice where you’ll see a change. “I’m enjoying it much more,” the 27-year-old says. “Things are much more in perspective and you realize it’s only a game. You come home and see Hayley and that makes everything OK.” And now for the scary part: Gushue says having a family gives him more focus. “You can’t put as much time into it as you did before, but when you do get the time, you’re much more focused,” he says. “So all of a sudden that hour-anda-half turns into an hour, but it’s much more focused and you get more out of it. “When it’s time to curl, it’s time to curl. When it’s not time to curl, it’s time for family. That’s where you get that extra little bit of focus. It’s time to compartmentalize.” donniep@nl.rogers.com
Name game From page 33 their historical or regionally significant names to corporate partners, the new grocery store on King’s Bridge Road is actually Dominion Memorial Stadium. Nationally, of course, naming rights hold greater significance, and cost much more. A Google search of naming rights produces some interesting tidbits. While most people recognize Chicago’s Wrigley Field as a national landmark, it was named after the Wrigley Company. ENRON FIELD Names haven’t always worked out for the various teams or organizations. Anybody remember Enron Field in Houston? Whoops! Let’s get that changed. Back in 2002, when Enron collapsed, the Houston Astros renamed their field Astros Field almost immediately. (It’s now Minute Maid Park, and a beautiful facility it is, too.) The old Boston Garden was demolished and replaced by a new structure next door. That new facility has gone through 34 names since it opened in 1993, including a period where a company sold naming rights on EBay for a day at a cost of roughly $3,000. (Two days were sold and the building was legally known as Yankees Suck Center. Gotta love those Boston fans.) In fact, hospitals and subways are being renamed in the United States right now thanks to an infusion of money from willing companies. And while a team or sports organization can never know when a bank will be bought out and the name on their arena change, at least that’s not as bad as what happened at Villanova University, just outside Philadelphia. That scandal made Enron seem small in comparison. When the university built a new basketball facility on campus in 1986, much of the funding came from a local wealthy individual, John duPont, and the building became known as duPont Pavilion. However, John duPont was found guilty in 1996 for the murder of an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler. The university quickly removed any references to the family name (with permission from the rest of the family), and the building is now known as The Pavilion. donniep@nl.rogers.com
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
INDEPENDENTSPORTS • 35
Leaf shootout woes a mystery By Kevin McGran Torstar wire service
A
s the Maple Leafs plummet to the bottom of the standings, there is no shortage of areas they need to work on: the power play, back-checking, passing, shooting, the list goes on. To their credit, they know how to work on those shortcomings in practice. But there is one area that has been their failing for more than two seasons — the shootout — and the team hasn’t got a clue what do about it. “We’re running into hot goalies maybe,” says forward Matt Stajan. “I don’t know what to say about the shootout. It just hasn’t been our thing the last few years.” Already this season the Maple Leafs are 0-3 in the shootout. They’re 7-17 since it was introduced at the start of the 2005-06 season. For a team that missed the playoffs by one point last year, and two points in 2005-06, that’s a lot of opportunities missed. “You’ve got to win your fair share of shootouts,” says Stajan. “If … we win half our shootouts, we’re in the playoffs the last two years. We obviously know that. We’re working on it. We’re trying to get some moves down. Guys are trying to get some confidence on breakaways.” Nik Antropov and Mats Sundin are the only Leafs to score in the shootout so far this season. Meanwhile goalie Vesa Toskala is 0-3 in the shootout, having allowed six goals on 10 shots. So there were the players yesterday, dutifully coming down on breakaways on Toskala and Andrew Raycroft. Still, nobody’s even sure that’s necessarily the right way to go about it. Antropov, for one, figures there’s no point to practising. “Every goalie is a different style, you know,” says Antropov. “You can go and do 100 shootouts every day. Every goalie has a different style. You go and see what you’ve got and just make up your mind basically from the blue line.” Coach Paul Maurice has little patience for questions about the shootout. He acknowledges the entertainment value of the format, but little more. “It’s part of our practice, sometimes the guys do it on their own at the end. Sometimes the goalies want them. It’s not something you want to do every day with a goaltender, one shot right after the other after practice,” says Maurice. “We’ve got a scouting report on each goaltender, video on each goaltender. It’s
optional for our players to look at it prior to the game, usually our defencemen don’t. We do not tell the players where to shoot the puck.” And he points out that shootout success does not make a team great. The Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks were 4-10 in the shootout last year. The Tampa Bay Lightning, eliminated early in the playoffs, were 10-2. “I don’t know how much is chance,” says Maurice. “That stat doesn’t bear any weight into how those teams fare in the playoffs.”
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INDEPENDENTCLASSIFIED FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6, 2007 — PAGE 36
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