I am upset today as a Newfoundlander and Labradorian - are you?
While equity in non-renewable assets is the order of the day for Williams - valuable renewable assets and associated business get the thumbs down.
A Nova Scotian based company ends up with the lucrative North American marketing arm of FPI - yahoo!
How many Sullivan's does it take to consume FPI?
Give me a penney and I'll tell you.
This is pathetic and deserves as much negative attention as the Hebron MOU deserves positive. The fishery until Danny Williams became the Premier - was referred to as the backbone of our economy. Nowadays - I think the government MHA's are careful or told not to say that.
As most of us should have observed by now Dean and Danny have a fetish for oil and gas and that is where the focus has been. It is nice to have the diversity of natural resources we have - but with Williams it will be oil oil oil and soon gas gas gas. The Premier just does not have the same protective passion for renewable - generational resources like the fishery - hydro-power - and wind.
Today I will focus on the fishery. Regardless of how the Premier or his top-spinner Ross Reid might plan and roll out announcements during polling period or just before an election - they are just inadequate when it comes to that resource of the sea.
Danny is the man to fight Ottawa over equalization (oil revenues primarily) and fallow field legislation - but when it comes to the fishery - he is impotent. The grand fisheries conference a year or so ago - has produced nothing new.
Do you see Williams pulling an ABC because there is no early retirement package - or inadequate federal money dedicated to science - the failure of the ground-fish stocks to recover well past the originally predicted time-frame? You have not heard a peep from him on proposed changes to the federal fisheries Act or the NAFO shenanigans brought to light by former DFO official Applebaum. Oil is sexy to St. John's, the business and construction labour communities - whereas fish is just this nuisance that the rural crowd keep pestering him about.
There is no doubt about it - Williams just does not have the guts - knowledge - interest - or some combination of them to take on the feds over the fishery - and further - the display of bravado to big oil companies - is just not present with the fish merchants. For some reason the Barry's - Penney's - and Risley's of the world are just too tough.
Here's a portion of the News Release put out by Highliner Foods International on the purchase of a portion of FPI assets:
High Liner Foods Incorporated today announced it has signed an agreement with FPI Limited and its subsidiary, Fisheries Products International Limited, to purchase its
marketing and manufacturing business.
FPI's marketing and manufacturing business consists of its North American
value-added food service and retail frozen seafood businesses. In 2006, the
business had sales of $452.9 million and gross profit of $43.5 million.
"This acquisition will be an important milestone in pursuit of our vision to become the leading value-added frozen seafood company in North America..."
So if they become the leading - where are we?
Just to put that in perspective:
Highliner
The company began in 1899 with the founding of W.C Smith & Company, a salt fish operation located in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia -- the current home of our head office and one of the most modern and diversified food processing plants in the world.
FPI
Fishery Products International is an industry leader in harvesting, processing, global sourcing, and marketing a wide selection of high quality seafood products. From its corporate headquarters in St. John’s, FPI manages primary and value-added seafood processing plants and a fleet of modern harvesting vessels.
From the few words which I have highlighted - can you see the problem already?
Please remember when the legislated restrictions are finally gone - the guarantees have a very short time-frame. The rural communities affected by this deal today - no longer have the protection of socio/economic policy attached to the harvesting of the resources adjacent to them.
First problem:
The Provincial Government has achieved a five-year agreement for the sustained operation of existing FPI facilities.
What happens then???
Second problem:
...we have made it a condition of sale that FPI and OCI proceed expeditiously with the transfer of the Fortune facility to Cooke Aquaculture. Is Cooke still interested? I thought not. (That's if you buy into Aquaculture being a panacea to replace the wild fishery) More on that in the next post.
So what happens now?
Third problem:
Sold to Highliner -
FPI's marketing and manufacturing business consists of its North American
value-added food service and retail frozen seafood businesses. In 2006, the
business had sales of $452.9 million and gross profit of $43.5 million. I wonder who benefits from that now?
What's the provincial portion of tax lost etc...What does Nova Scotia gain - and what does Newfoundland and Labrador lose?
NO EQUITY IN OR FOR THE FISHERY!
That's the real problem - so tilt your glasses and toast the man of the hour Danny Williams who has done what no other Premier could do before him - allow the destruction of FPI.
I will conclude by saying: In my opinion it's much tougher to make your million on a crab boat or prosecuting ground-fish than it is to make it off - let's say a bunch of poles and wires capable of bringing sports - pornography - and news into your house!
6 comments:
We will live to rue the day that we let the politicians take the emphasis off the fishery.
selena ,..........I would have to say that today the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has made a drastic Boo Boo.
Letting FPI be owned by a Canadain Company is like giving Hebroon away to the Americans.
All we need now is a few Liberials in te Governement so we can give away evrything that this administration fought so hard to get us.Pathetic,just when you thought that things were getting better ,they go ahead and allow a stunt like this too go ahead.
I wonder if Ontario would ever do this with thier Auto industry .My God ,were are we going as a Province.Two forward and one back.
Why should anyone in Labrador care?
Why should the government be so intimately involved in fish processing, anyway?
Why not let business run a business?
"Why should anyone in Labrador care?
Why should the government be so intimately involved in fish processing, anyway?"
Why not let business run a business?
August 26, 2007 1:31 AM - Ottawa and Canada first right buddy.To hell with Newfoundland and Labrador First.Let Ottawa and Private Buissness run it all into the ground.Like Exxcon and Chveron.They care about the Province
Another hatefull reason Sue ,why we need an Independant Governement.This man would see another Liberial Goverment give away everything to Quebec.
Only when every single man woman and child from this great Province is tied to the Ores of Federal dependence would he be happy.Yet he complains when the Labrador does not have enough infastructure ,control ,and say in thier Governement.
Yet when the Province plays by Ottawas Rule Book,they blame the Province for thier Woes.But,its Ottawa that sets the rule book out.
Its the same crowd that says ,"OH thank god for Ottawa ,they give us money for Highways and such"
The same crowd think that its OK for canada to keep raping The Labrador for resources,because hey its great to be Canadain.But,may I ask were was canada when we needed help closing the Hebron deal.No were.It must kill thease people to know that the Lower ChurchHill is going to be developed ,but not by Ottawas stolen money "NO".Rather with Money that we as a Province had to get on our own.Again were was canada.
It would seem that Ottawa is also in the buissness of mis-information and confusion .
Strange times we are in,arent we!!!
Calvin;
Just what resources excactly did Ottawa come here and take away for the benefit of anyone else?
As you answer (if you can), please make sure that you are aware of exactly WHO has jurisdiction over any of those resources.
"WHO has jurisdiction over any of those resources." - OH Im sorry ,Labrador "DID NOT" have a fishery and "IT WAS NOT" run by Ottawa .
So ,Lp,because im so mis-infromed on topics cocerning the labrador,maybe you can help me get a better understanding.
Why is it that Ottawa basically pushed the Province into taking the deal on the ChurchHill ,under what many have called immoral and un-ethical buissness practises.But,my question to you is .If they have the interst of the people at heart ,why do they allow this Injustice to continue.???Maybe you can help me get a beeter understanding of Ottawas graces.
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