Blue Glare and Cover-ups

The Confederation building is presenting itself these days as a reflection of the current government.

There's the blue glare from the new glass - precisely the look one gets when one criticizes the government. What's not a blue glare is shrouded, covered up, or tarped. Certainly a reflection of Bill 29 and the rest of the information you and I can't see as the taxpayers and citizens of the province.

First of all the building could have been reno'd keeping the same style and colours but - no - that sense of importance has been wiped clean.

This business of companies cutting deals with government and crown corps like Nalcor - in a shroud of secrecy is unacceptable.

We are the shareholders, taxpayers, citizens - if you want to use our money then all information is on the table. Open and transparent! Stop allowing this "commercial sensitivity" excuse for not telling us the things we are entitled to know. Nobody is asking for their financial statements online - however a publicly traded company info is available. Do not confuse "commercial sensitivity" with "political sensitivity".

The hiding of this $90 million will not cut it. By the way backbenchers - who do you think you are? You think it's okay to keep information from the people who employ you?

It's time for MHA's to do what they are paid to do - represent the people. Don't tell us what we need or want - listen to what we need and want. Do not delude yourselves - like an overbearing adult - into thinking you know what's best for us. If that's your thought process then we need to do a more thorough screening before we vote.

How about like other corporate executive jobs which entail handling billions of dollars - do a drug test, submit to a polygraph and demonstrate your IQ.

It's time we put an end to the blue glare and cover-ups.

Minister Jerome Kennedy - Running Interference?

Let's look at the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill situation using logic.

Minister Jerome Kennedy is accusing Gerry Byrne MP of escalating the situation. He says that what Byrne is doing is not helpful.

The Premier made her position clear - let the union and company work out their issues.

So when Kennedy stated that the mill was on the "verge of bankruptcy" - he demonstrated hypocrisy and absolutely acted contrary to the Premier's wishes.

First of all - Joesph Kruger the owner of the mill - did not state publicly that the mill was on the "verge of bankruptcy". This means either Kennedy was negligent and out of his authority when he made the statement - or Kennedy was speaking with the full approval of Kruger.

If it is the first - Kennedy has done more harm than anybody else could with respect to the continued operation of the mill and if it is the second - then the Minister is acting as an agent of the company.

If Joseph Kruger wanted to cause a panic in the workforce of the mill - in order to gain an unfair contract - he certainly was backed up by the Minister.

If the mill is - in fact - on the "verge of bankruptcy" then let that statement come from Kruger himself. In that way the bankers, the city, workers, and taxpayers will take note and judge their actions accordingly.

But the Minister was very cute what he said was "based on what we know" the mill is on the "verge of bankruptcy" - leaving the province clear in the event the statement was found to be false or misleading.

If the statement is misleading or false it serves only to pressure employees to accept something/anything in a panic.

If the statement is true then it should have been made by Kruger himself - followed by absolute direction such as entering a process with suppliers, banks, and the union to prevent bankruptcy and determine a long-term viability plan.

Instead the only thing Kruger did was to deliver an ultimatum which essentially said that a deal MUST be reached with the union by this Friday or the mill would close.

In normal circumstances the union may have seen this as a negotiation tactic of a hardball capitalist. But the circumstances were changed by ministerial interference when Kennedy made reference to bankruptcy.

There is no doubt the Gerry Byrne is a political animal from the Tobin era. He was raised by him (politically speaking) - and no doubt has learned how to talk to the electorate - like him. On this issue though what Byrne has offered up is probably helpful - at least to the workers. Byrne was discussing like he usually does - with reports and figures - a topic that is of great importance to his constituents.

I have no idea what Kennedy was doing - but I'm guessing based on the "information available to me" that he was running interference for Kruger. The Minister should know that Kruger is not a part of his electorate.

The Romance is Over - NL on Death Watch

As I sat down the other morning - looked at the beautiful blue sky and dancing ocean - something happened.

I was listening to CBC Radio to a story about Quinlan's fishplant in Bay de Verde. Primarily it was regarding the import of workers from Thailand to process crab.

The "shock" value is they could not find 20 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to take the employment - rate of pay $12/hr.

Here are my questions:

1. How much does it cost to bring 20 Thai workers to Canada?

2. How much does it cost to house and feed them?

3. Where is the FFAW on this story?

4. What is up people?

So I gulped hard and listened to another story about an Otto Young from Twillingate and how he has essentially turned an old beauty salon and couple of outbuildings into cabins for tourists looking for icebergs and scenery.

It also talked about Otto's later in life discovery that he was a model boat builder and artist. Very folksy, charming, and romantic - it really turned my stomach.

Yes that's right - it made me feel ill.

There is nothing charming, quaint, or pleasantly poetic about a place - my country - Newfoundland and Labrador becoming extinct.

I am actually tired - exhausted - from fighting for the survival of one of the greatest food baskets in the world - our fishery.

The story about Otto would have normally warmed my heart and promoted feelings of pride - but today - after a month where we've seen a half dozen fish plants were eulogized - it just rubbed me very wrong.

I watch Darin King - the latest political clone of ineptness - blabber on and on about nothing and everything. I - Darin - am a Minister - and may yet be the next Premier - thinks he.

The ladies, Kathy - Joan - and Susan are like a trio of hen peckers on a partisan journey of retribution. They have the power to destroy and so far a fine job is being done.

Kathy was muttering something the other day about Harper and the fact he represents all Canadians whether they voted for him or not. Well Kathy - if he took a page from your book he would learn he is not being vengeful enough. 

So now we are on death watch for the Corner Brook mill - time for the violinists to begin.

The same old garbage will spew - it is not the end for Corner Brook - we will recover - we will recover.

Meanwhile as more industries are lost weekly - the apparent need for power increases?

We must take our collective ostrich head out of the sand and boot these people out. We are going to leave nothing but debt and leave our children and grandchildren destitute.

Our culture so rich and unique - disappearing - under the watchful eye of the House of Assembly.

The Premier's "glass is half-full" translates into a vision "half-baked"

Premier Dunderdale appears to have a whole new concept on "good news". She's taken "the glass is half-full" to a whole new dimension.

Quebec and Ottawa sign deal on Old Harry and the Premier says "this is good news" - now we can fight for it.

Peter Kiewit pulls out of a 30 year 35 billion dollar deal and the Premier says "this is good news" - Kiewit is too busy to bother with it.

It is going to cost the people of Newfoundland and Labrador a fortune to develop and export Lower Churchill Power and the Premier says "this is good news" - we can now avoid Quebec.

Oh and almost forgot, The Abitibi Mill in Grand Falls-Windsor gone the Premier says "this is good news" we can expropriate the assets and the whole town if we want. 

Let's speculate on other good news announcements:

Another fishery has shut down - This is "good news" we don't have wharf upkeep.

Nova Scotia not Newfoundland and Labrador gets an aluminum smelter - This is "good news" don't have to worry about the environment.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians leave their province to work elsewhere - This is "good news" it will take strain off health care.

Loss of the Stephenville Airport - This is "good news" - we can now concentrate on Deer Lake.

Loss of Kruger paper mill - This is "good news" - the trees can grow back. 

Can you offer some suggestions for the Premier on "good news" announcements to come?

Renewable Energy is the only future left - they have taken the rest

Oil is here - Oil is gone

To be competitive in today's world you must have an advantage.

Newfoundland and Labrador is rich in natural resources - unfortunately either by giveaways or mismanagement we have lost the industrial edge we were geographically gifted with.

Our non-renewable ores were shipped out without processing fuelling the economies of Ontario, Quebec, and even Manitoba. The rich iron ore from Bell Island was shipped out to Nova Scotia for processing and do you believe Labrador has gained properly from its iron ore?

The Upper Churchill was developed by an astute Quebec and is a major reason Hydro Quebec is an "energy giant" today. The fishery (best in the world) was taken over by Ottawa a few years after confederation and was destroyed by Ottawa in a few short decades. The forestry resources were given away and advanced industrial development on the paper mill side was non-existent.

The boom in metro is at the cost of rural communities and is only as a result of oil. Where are the real oil jobs? What of our oil do we refine or process into goods?

Politicians of all stripes have contributed to the mess we have today - short-term prosperity for Newfoundland and Labrador - long-term prosperity for others who process what we own.

We lost at least 40,000 people to the fisheries moratorium and numbers of plants while decimating rural communities. Who owns what is left of our fishery now? Is it still being plundered (shellfish) and when will that collapse?

We are down to one paper mill when we should have kept at least two. Politicians made fine work of that planning - there was grest opportunity in Stephenville but it was squandered by politicians who did not have foresight and certainly no vision. What we do now in Grand Falls-Windsor and Stephenville is manage the loss. Can we bring in a Costco or Walmart a Canadian Tire or Sobeys or Kent - that is the mantra. Maybe haul a few government agencies or divisions to (decentralize). Where is the new money in this - it is simply hauling the same money around and in this case giving to mainland companies so that reinvestment happens outside Newfoundland and Labrador instead of local companies reinvesting here. What happened to our airports?

About the only thing we have managed to hang on to is renewable hydro - and only because the people waged a three year battle against the policy. Now we are set to start giving it away again. We need this energy to attract industry. Industry goes where the power is and we are making sure that it is everywhere but our province.

We will give it to Nova Scotia to either use themselves or transport to other provinces or states to use there. Nothing in Labrador! Labrador who relies on Quebec and thermal generation for power. What a joke.

We must stop this Emera deal and start again - go back to an energy plan which uses that raw resource to generate industrial growth right here. If we go ahead with the Emera deal we will have escalating costs for our own domestic power and have nothing to offer industry which will follow our power out of the province.

We continue to have excessively high unemployment, our rural communities continue to be decimated and Labrador continues to be raped of its tremendous resources without any real return. This must stop.

Where is the vision of government - does it rest with senior faceless bureaucrats who quite often move on to the same private industrial sectors they help through policy? Is it politicians too lazy to read - to understand - or are they incapable of real vision. Do we ever really know who stands to gain personally from decisions they have played a part in?

Then there is Ottawa - Danny gains 2 billion (gets hit with the stock crisis) net??? and then loses 10 billion in the change-up of equalization while Quebec the (have-not) province continues to receive the most equalization.

When you take on the establishment the banks, brokers, investors,  basically private sector greed there is a price to pay. Personally and professionally they attack you until you starve. They run political parties like they are their own assets. They move saviors in and out and ensure that their policies continue to move forward.

When they go after the last of our hopes for the future - we must take a stand - and that we will do. Premier Dunderdale and her Cabinet take note - this will not happen without thorough  discussion and consultation and it will be done to benefit us not to ruin our future.

I ask the backbenchers of the Tory government - do you want to be responsible for a giveaway as great as the Upper Churchill?


And while we are at it why does the a crown corporation of Saskatchewan deliver tv service to hospital rooms in Newfoundland and Labrador

Quebec uses subsidies to save and upgrade a paper mill...

Here we go again - "the Quebec Program" is successful in saving and updating the pulp and paper industry in that province.

Kruger will invest 200 million while Quebec will contribute $20-million non-refundable subsidy from the province, a $30-million energy-efficiency grant from Hydro-Québec and a $50-million loan from Investment Quebec.

In this way - Quebec has saved many high paying industry jobs - a renewed industry with the latest technology - and achieve significant energy efficiencies. The de-inking plant reduces the plants energy consumption of power by 46 MW's - and that 20% reduction equals almost 25,000 households.

The Company News Release says:

Mr. Bernard Routhier, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Kruger, emphasized that this project will allow the company to improve its competitive position while offering its customers papers with high recycled fiber content. “Almost half of the fiber currently being used in our mills’ manufacturing processes is recycled. This project, in addition to our other recent initiatives, allows us to improve our environmental balance sheet even more,” says Mr. Routhier.

and

The project will create 200 full-time jobs with a total payroll of $50 million during construction, while purchases of goods and services are estimated to be $125 million.

This is great news for Trois-Rivières - now Danny et al how about Stephenville and Grand Falls-Windsor?