I recognize that right now - it is difficult for one to question Premier Williams on anything he does - as the "fan power" right now is similar to one NFL player before they found dead dogs on his property.
One example - the Sullivan boys from the Southern Shore. Loyola - after just leaving as the Minister of Finance for the province - emerges to become Canada's new "Fish Ambassador" - Karl - Senior Manager of the Barry Group - has managed to steer assets - quite cheaply into the Barry Group's list of holdings with government guarantees - and just the other day - significant assets of FPI purchased by Ocean Choice - of the Penney Group - with Ches Penney flanked by Martin and Blaine Sullivan President and CFO respectively.
Think about the various potential conflicts or influence here - and within one of our most important resources - fish.
Then let's look at the fibre optic deal - remember that one? Persona - whose chief is Dean MacDonald and his buddy's government pumps a 15 million dollar investment that way - without any Request for Proposals - arguing that anybody that could be in the deal already was - Rogers - Persona - MTS Allstream. That's if first you can get past the potential conflict or influence with Rogers involved - with the Premier's selling of his company Cable Atlantic to them or the Premier's former law and business partner Steve Marshall's brother Ken Marshall remaining in a senior position with Rogers.
Then there was the whole mess of Aurora Energy appointing Dean MacDonald to the Board when the company is involved in uranium potential for energy - even though Dean at the time was the Chair of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro including the responsibility of the Lower Churchill Development. Although MacDonald quit the Aurora Board within a couple of days after Sue's Blog and then media pointed out the potential conflict - we are left to wonder what type of influence Aurora has and more importantly Altius - which as at January 2007 held a 10% interest in Aurora - 30% Rambler gold-copper mine - 37.5% interest in Newfoundland and Labrador refining corporation (you know the refinery proposal) and then there was and is their proposal for financing the Lower Churchill project described this way:
Altius has also made a proposal to the provincial government for financing the Lower Churchill hydroelectric project. Its proposal was put on the three-bid short list; its proposal (involving a royalty foundation for provincial residents) has the benefit of benefiting the local populace, a sensitive issue in a poor province where many projects have been sold to outside interests. Altius’ proposal could also be combined with other financing proposals. Currently, the provincial government is working on the development plan. Once this plan is complete, after three or four months perhaps, then it will turn again to the financing proposals. If successful, Altius would likely end up with a free-carried interest generating cashflow, for very little initial cost.
So there we have the fisheries - minerals - oil and gas - hydro - and communications all wrapped up in a little corporate gang.
For more specifics refer back to the following posts:
Dean MacDonald Please Resign
Why it's okay to question Dean and Dan on the Fibre Optics
The Fibre Optic Deal and Lobbyist Part 1
The Fibre Optic Deal Part 2
The Fibre Optic Deal Part 3
The Fibre Optic Deal Part 4
Political Patronage "Persona"fied
Now we can fight with Ottawa (as we should) but there is no plan to correct the deficiencies in our federation - and it will do wonders to keep our eye off the ball.
Williams is becoming the master of red herrings - to cover for:
rural Newfoundland and Labrador decimation,
FPI fiasco,
Paper Mill in Stephenville,
the Metis,
continued loss of our graduates and job fairs to Alberta,
Danny's friends and colleagues and positions of influence,
no energy plan,
net outmigration,
high unemployment,
giveaway of wind power resources - in part to the Government of Italy,
Persona and fibre optics,
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro hires Summa to lobby Ottawa on the Lower Churchill - including the employment of Timothy Powers - a strategist for the federal Conservatives - while Danny launches an ABC campaign,
Failure to release MOU with Hebron partners.
Keep your on the balls being juggled by Williams while he attempts to divert your attention with nationalistic heroism.
2 comments:
Sue. even more obnoxious than the sleazy deals you list is the con job presently being pulled off on the hard-pressed people of the South Coast by deluding them into believing that salmon and cod farming is the elixir to their social and economic woes The plastering of the bottom of Fortune Bay with Cooke salmon cages is the ultimate offense, not only in terms of environmental and ecological debasement, but in terms of compounding a tragedy that has already taken its terrible toll. Astonishingly but not surprisingly, the media has pretty well turned a blind eye to this.
The corporate gang you refer to here in NL are called the oligarchy in Russia. Approximately 10 men own 50% of all the wealth in Russia, the oligarchs. With the help of the government these men continue to view Russia as their oyster. Very little trickles down to the common man. I see our own little oligarchy developing. Perhaps the Chavez label is not quite the correct one. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin seems more appropriate.
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