All Seal Seal Seal

For me - it's simple - the comfortable, warm, durable, and practical seal clothing products are the best. From my head to my toes - seal skin hat, jacket, boots, gloves, and even a purse.

When it rains - snows - is windy - or is freezing cold I am comfy warm and dry in my seal skin.

This material is superior to most others and provides a long life of use.

One last thing - there is nothing better than flipper pie - so give it a try. 

Below please find a link to some of the shops that carry great seal products.

NaturaL boutique, St John's

Jennifer and Kerry Shears are the owners and operators of Natural Boutique, which is a Newfoundland and Labrador-based business.  They are young Newfoundland Mi'kmaq and are very passionate about this province.  Natural Boutique is a division of Gros Morne Wildlife Museum and Gift Shop – a popular attraction on the West Coast of Newfoundland.   Natural Boutique specializes in high quality nature-based products – from sealskin coats and boots to authentic Inuit-made soapstone carvings.  A brick and mortar store is now open in downtown St John’s at 152 Water Street.  You can get updates and information by following us on Twitter @NaturalNL or on Facebook at facebook.com/NaturaLboutiqueNL

NAFG North Atlantic Fur Group

Vogue Furriers

About Us

Always In Vogue is a High Fashion Retail Store in Canada, that has built its reputation on Quality and Service..we also manufacture a large amount of our merchandise.
Like many other companies that have been in business for a long period of time, we at VOGUE still believe in Quality with exceptional Service. Today's customers,really do not ask for much... They need to know they are getting good value and they expect service if something goes wrong....  That's really not asking a lot. At Always in Vogue we have been making our own products forever!!!  That makes us a manufacture and a retailer. It also means we know our product . Thanking all our customers for considering Always in Vogue and we look forward to making new customers all over the World..through our new Web Site.
Bernie Halloran

Slippers 'n Things

 

About Us

Our inspiration, slippers made by Mary Voisey.
(larger version)

Slippers 'n Things is a small family owned business, we work hard to please our customers by providing quality handcrafted products in a warm and welcoming atmosphere, we do our best to offer excellent customer service and the hospitality Labrador is known for. We are located at 55 Grenfell Street in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.

We carry a excellent selection of traditional hide, sealskin and duffle slippers, mitts and hats made by local artists. We also have an exquisite selection of crafted Labradorite Jewelry and semi-precious gemstones, not to mention a selection photo's and prints. Check out our handmade Labradorite "gifts" such as lazy susan's, trivets, coasters, paper towel holders, serving trays, candle holders, business card holders and more!

Drop by and check us out we have the perfect gift for any occasion and many souvenir items. We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express, ask us about mail orders. At Slippers 'n Things there is a little something for everyone!

 

 

Support the seal industry - support retailers - support sealers

 

You can be a member of the Canadian Sealers Association - you do not need to be a sealer - you can be a supporter. The fee is only $25 per year! I am getting my membership this week - why not get yours too. 

 

Click HERE to buy a membership

Here is a recipe for Seal Flipper Pie Live Rural Newfoundland and Labrador 

 

Great local food shops like:

 

Taylor's

 

Address: 528 Con Bay Hwy, Foxtrap

Phone:(709) 834-8638

 

Belbin's Grocery

 

What a great place to buy a gift - local meals packaged up and delivered.

 

Bidgood's Supermarket

 

Celebrating 50 years

Yummy food - local fare

 

The Seafood Shop

 

Address: 7 Rowan Street  St John's

Phone: (709) 753-1153

 

If there is a great Newfoundland or Labrador shop you'd like to recommend let me know. I will add it to the list.

 

The House of Dis-Assembly - Get your Act(s) Together

Okay now maybe I get it. If the House of Assembly were opened now - the questions would be primarily about closures, downsizing, rationalizing, outsourcing, and generally the disassembling of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Seal Harvest
Fish Plants
Shipbuilding
Fabrication
Old Harry
New Energy
Old Stephen
New Stephen
Lost Jobs
Lost Communities
Lost Plants
Abandoned Proposals
Federal Cuts
Marine Atlantic
Paper Mills
Aging Population

If Danny were Premier now would he admit the Hip and Coolest Province in this Country today is Nova Scotia? He should - he has been a real part of their growth. Try and compare the headlines over the past year for Nova Scotia and then do the same for Newfoundland and Labrador.

No worries the House of Dis-Assembly has more important things to deal with - like perhaps how much money each side gets to generate no ideas, no questions, and from our government - how low can we go? The reality is - they each have a compliment of staff - plenty to do what is necessary to keep this government in check. Is it fair? No probably not - but get on with it - with the numbers you have there is no trouble challenging this government.

They should remember all the bloggers - most have other jobs - look at the questions they generate, the news stories they cause, the talk shows they fuel and all that for what? Okay Stephen (NL Blogroll) we need you to head up a committee on this. The government spends more time on the local Bloggers sites than searching through the policy papers, News Releases, or studies generated by the Opposition parties.

And finally this recommendation: your new bedtime story should be a Chapter of the Auditor General's Annual Report. Happy Reading.

Have you found our Cod? Have we found our Guts?

Minister Shea - proudly announces the sale of seal meat to China. Well and good. Europe is feeling the pain. Have you ever listened to the pain in Gus Etchegary's voice as he talks passionately about our fishery?

I think Gus put too much faith in Danny Williams when he expected him to do something real about it. Political expedience was Danny's mastery. He fought Ottawa under the Liberal regime and gained 2 billion from Martin. Unfortunately he did not invest that money into the Lower Churchill so we took a hit on the markets. We don't know what the net result of that was.


Then Danny lost the battle with Harper, Manning, and Hearn and we lost 10 billion dollars as Quebec's position remained enhanced. I do believe equalization should be renamed the Quebec federalist fund but anyway back to Gus.

Gus of course is right and we have been robbed - but Gus needs to turn to real Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to get the fight started. First we need to admit that the federal government lied. The fish have not come back and as a result we are down over 500 million a year and tens of thousands of citizens.

We must not be fooled by the overall value of our fishery by including all species - because by doing so we let the gross mismanagement go uncompensated for. It is time Newfoundlanders and Labradorians - who are really passionate - demand recovery of either the stock or cash.

Listen to Gus listen to his plea. Why do you think Gus does this? He's not looking to be elected - nor is he looking for a plum government job. He loves this place and her people. Do you believe that Gus knows more about the fishery than your MHA. You know he does. His advice is free and well meaning and above all he is right and you know it.

As parents we have a broader responsibility than putting a roof over their heads and food in their bellies - we have a responsibility to pass to them a province of renewable resources that we have protected and nurtured for them. If you turn your back on the fishery, fishers and the wonderful communities built on the resource - you really turn your back on your children and grandchildren.

Sometimes it is really hard to watch the apathy of our people while watching rural Newfoundland and Labrador's is decimation. We get more reaction to the Haitian crisis than when tens of thousands of our own citizens pack their bags, leave their homesteads, leave their elderly parents, uproot their children, and cry in a U-Haul while they await the Canadian ferry.

I have never been able to stop myself completely from wanting to protect this place - and as such continue to receive the ire and professional attacks from political zealots who do not see past 50 signatures. Sometimes I receive the most hateful of emails and barrages of personal slander from Tory or Liberal party hacks. The fact that I have reinstated this blog has caused the usual of "where are you running to now Dyer", "why don't you just shut-up and go away", or some of what Cabana was talking about today to the media.

Problem is - I don't need this - the same way you don't. What's the option? The option is - say nothing allow the plundering to continue and try to tell our grandchildren that "we did not know". That's what we were told. We do know - so do you want to say of our fishery and our beautiful communities "we knew but we did nothing - thought somebody else was looking after that".

Gus represents what is good about passion for the place he calls home. That readers is real passion - not the type that occasionally lowers a Canadian flag or cites the alphabet to punish Stephen Harper. Trust me when I tell you Canada nor the federal government cared a bit when the only punishment was Fabian losing a seat. I don't imagine Manning is suffering the same way in his Senate seat as the people from his own home who are bawling all the way out of their devastated community without a cent in their arse pocket. People who lived in a house that lost 80 percent of its value when a plant closed.

This October while we will not get political change whether it be Tory or Liberal - we can demand that for our vote certain things must be done. This will have to do until we place real passionate leadership in place - unencumbered by corporate lobbyists hailing from everywhere but here.

Welcome Summa - Welcome to Democracy

I love a lobbyist under oath. Jack Abramoff super lobbyist appearing before a US Senate hearing. From an NBC story.




Summa appears to be spending time here at Sue's Blog - so I have some questions.

The Tory Strategist and Summa VP Tim Powers - has his fingers in many pies.

Currently Tim is a lobbyist for CTV globemedia. That's great Tim - and you also appear on CTV programming too right - speaking conservatively of course.


Here's the registration basics.

Mr. Timothy Powers
Consultant Lobbyist
Lobbyist number: 13527
Registration number: 13527-29
Effective date: 2007-01-09
It also says on that particular registration document - that your client CTV globe media has subsidiaries which have a direct interest in the lobbying activities.

They are:
CTV INC.
BCE Inc
THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Your work includes:

Any policies or programs with respect to broadcast matters within the Department of Canadian Heritage, Canadian Radio Television Commission, Industry Canada and any other related issue that impacts CTVglobemedia .

Who you may lobby includes:

Prime Minister's Office, Finance Canada, Health Canada, Privy Council Office, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Canadian Heritage, Treasury Board of Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Let's see if I can get this all straight. You sit on television and defend the Conservatives - on the same station you lobby for to the Prime Minister - seems everybody is happy here.

The question is - how do you have such access to the Prime Minister's Office?
Why do you have such access to various government departments?


Remember now this is the Prime Minister that's going to clean all this up - renew democracy. So Harper replaces the Liberal lobby hacks with his own.

Who is this person Timothy Powers? He is not elected is he? He has a job where we sells the ear of the Prime Minister. Wonderful! How about the Conservative MP's - the people we elect and pay - their staff including Minister Hearn and staff - John Fitzgerald the Province's connection to the feds in Ottawa - our Premier - his staff - the Minister of Business - Minister of Energy - Chairperson of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro or the CEO of NLH - all paid for by the people - except the Chairperson - but he got 15 million from government for his communications company - all get off their behinds and do their jobs. Why is it necessary for Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to pay some unelected Conservative hack in Ottawa to have "communications" with the PM and Ministers?

What specifically are you paid to lobby for Tim?
Have you been instructed on what to ask the feds for with regard to the Lower Churchill development? Have you seen the elusive energy plan or draft thereof? How much are you paid by our Crown Corporation? Who do you speak on behalf of? What have been the results? What have any of the office holders said to you?

You see as one of the owners of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro - I for one want the details. Next time you are on CTV sparring with Scott Reid - give us some answers.

Here's how a reasonably minded person could see this. You hop in a cab - run down to the CTV studios - while there you spin the Prime Minister's message - then you hop back in the cab and run to the PMO and spin CTV's message. You call it lobbying - I call it political prostitution. It would be good to remember Tim this is a democracy - and likely will be more of one when Harper is defeated.

On your issue with the IFAW - why not take the reference to them off the Summa site -if you don't want to recall the services and strategy you provided them. It remains however all over the Internet. Why don't you tell us specifically what advice and strategy you gave them. You are originally from Newfoundland and Labrador Tim - so I assume you know the damage that organization has tried to cause this province and our fishermen.

Of course Hydro is just one client:
Here are some of your others.
How do you get all those interests packed into a cup of tea at the PMO or Privy Council?

The Canadian Transit Company
Oracle
CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS (CICA)
Invista (Canada) Company
and more....

Remember Tim - none of these clients (organizations or companies) are voters - we are - and the access you sell to the PMO's ear is interesting. Is that what it takes to get something done in Canada?

I am not a fan of lobbyists - unless it is unpaid and for the public good.

One last question - how do the "informal" conversations on hydro go? Something like this? I know you and the Premier really can't stand each other - and he's promised to wipe you out of Newfoundland and Labrador - but how about that loan guarantee for the Lower Churchill? Loyola is really not up to meeting with you today and Dean and Ed are tied up so - it's all on me now?

Hydro Patronizes Company who lobbied for the IFAW

Sue's Blog readers know the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is no friend of ours. Their blatant use of our seal hunt to fill their coffers should be unacceptable to us all. That's why we have choices. When a Crown Corporation does business with a company - they should check the firm out.

In this case Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro should have checked Summa Strategies Canada.

Here's what they do:

Summa Strategies Canada Inc. provides strategic consultation and government relations and the development and management of public policy.

If we need public relations - research and development of public policy - or strategic consultation - perhaps we should employ people in Newfoundland and Labrador - especially with respect to energy issues. In either case the province has chosen Summa out of Ontario.

Well Summa also lists the IFAW as a client. Great - the company who has been involved in strategic planning for an organization planning to end the seal hunt - will get a contract from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. Not acceptable - we have control of this. There are other companies including Newfoundland and Labrador companies that can do this work. Even if government should want to hide these discussions and are planning to woo the people with energy policy messaging - they can use somebody else in Canada.

It makes us look foolish - don't you think.

So Dean MacDonald let's see if you can do something with this fiasco.

Click Here to visit Summa

News Break Seal Hunt

Let's see Stephen in action now. This should be good.

THE US House of Representatives today unanimously passed a resolution demanding Ottawa end the hunting of baby seals in Canada.

According to a news story in the Herald Sun in Australia - the American politicians are demanding that "...We call on the Canadian government to suspend the hunt in the waters off the East Coast of Canada now and forever," he said."

Another of the delightful comments from our American allies - "...Mr Lantos said this "inhumane practice is far beneath the dignity of the people of Canada".

* Lantos is the Democrat who introduced the motion.

Read the full story HERE

My response to that is stop killing innocent children in IRAQ. Get out and stop sponsoring wars - arming global states and then attacking them as you change policy direction. While you are at it - stay out of our domestic affairs. Unless of course we can visit your slaughter houses for calves and lambs.....

Again I want the inspection of all Slaughter Houses in the EU and the USA

Belgium - England - and maybe Germany...as the EU countries line-up to continue push for ban of Seal Harvest.

Belgium has already banned all seal products - England is lobbying the EU for a ban - and now the Agriculture Minister of Germany will introduce legislation.

Horst Seehofer, Germany's agriculture minister, said he has repeatedly urged the European Union to prohibit imports of all seal products, but has grown tired of waiting for action.

He said he will introduce a bill to ban imports in Germany, but it remains unclear when that will happen or if there is political support for a ban.

This from a CP story today.

And what is our Minister doing? Let me remind you - Loyola Hearn is inviting "observers" (protesters) from all over the world to come and watch.

It is time that the Departments of International Trade and Foreign Affairs took a stand. Let's start demanding inspections of all slaughter houses in Europe and the United States.

The games have begun again this year in earnest - these groups need to raise as much money as they can for the next month or so on the backs of our sealers. Fishers in New Brunswick and PEI are also throwing it back at Newfoundland and Labrador to deal with. Atlantica should be fun!

I want Canada to inspect all slaughter houses in Europe and the USA

Listen Loyola Hearn - you are what we call in Newfoundland and Labrador "a wimp".
Just as the seal harvest is about to begin again the money gouging "protest" groups are launching their campaign to kill the industry.

So what is Ottawa going to do? Well now you might have to stay back 20 metres from the harvest site. In fact Loyola says - to the Canadian Press reporter - "We are getting out the information and we are encouraging people to come and see for themselves and then make up their minds."
Enough is enough - we now have Canadian fishers questioning the hunt because their fishing enterprises are bring jeopardized by these opportunistic zealots. It's time the Department's of Foreign Affairs and International Trade got off their a**es and took some real action.

It is time that Canadians demanded to inspect each and every slaughter house in the USA and Europe. We should determine ourselves if the pigs chickens and cows are being raised and then killed humanely. But no - we invite more people to a location which is clearly unsafe - where harvesters are using high powered rifles in an open environment. We put our own people at risk to justify a sustainable and humane taking of seals.

We have New Brunswick and PEI trying to distance themselves from the harvest and have reps from these to provinces nailing Newfoundland and Labrador.

For anybody that has any doubt - this is about fundraising - this is the key event every year and these groups plan to take enough donations off our backs to last them the rest of the year. There is no doubt the largest continual running protest is against this province and our sealers. We have thousands of species around the world at risk and close to extinction - but the largest campaign is against us.

Whatever Loyola says or even believes - his bureaucrats are leading him - by the nose - to another slaughter house - the cessation of our harvest. Wake up Loyola - you're a Southern Shore Boy - you need to protect your people - your culture - and the livelihoods of people you represent.

Let's see if you can get Ottawa to show some muscle and start demanding the same "observation" rights that these people are demanding.

Anne of Green Fables really confused...

On the heels of the PEI Fishermen's Association calling on DFO officials to move off the Island during the seal harvest - because it hurts their tourism - and "they are not killers of seals" - the same group complains about their quota of seals being too low.

Oh yes it's true - this quote from a story in the Daily News in Nova Scotia

The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is not happy with this year’s quota of 2,100 animals — an allotment they’ll have to share with sealers from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Magdalen Islands.

and what's worse - there's no affection for their seals!!!

There’s no great affection for grey seals, since they cause extensive damage to lobster gear and other fishing gear, he said.

As one person said to the Fisheries Broadcast and a Sue's Blog reader agreed (see comments in the first story) it's time for Newfoundland and Labrador to get their potatoes from somebody other than Anne of Green Fables.

Anne of Green Fables joins Heather Mills (McCartney)

in protest over the seal harvest.

In an unanticipated move - Anne (PEI Tourism) is joining the ranks of Heather Mills (McCartney)in the fight to stop the seal harvest. It seems the Green Fables are seriously impaired by people who don't approve of the hunt - and Anne is asking the DFO to protect her interests - and leave the Island while the harvest is going on.

According to DFO officials the protesters and "observers" camp in PEI because of geography. ??? OK Therefore DFO feels it's important that they are there to answer questions about the harvest. ???

This is what the executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association - Ed Frenette - said to CBC about the harvest and his obvious support for the well-being of fishers from other Provinces.

"We've had responses from people around the world saying they refuse to come to P.E.I. during tourism season because they view us as being the killers of seals, when in fact we're not."

Another clear example of trying to have the best of both worlds while pitching any negatives to Newfoundland and Labrador. The PEI Fishermen's Association should just come out with it - do they support the seal harvest or not? Fish or cut bait guys or you are no better than the money grabbing organizations that make their living slitting our economic throats.

So Little Anne is on a mission to boot the DFO off the Island and take a crack at her neighbours in Newfoundland and Labrador while she's at it. In fact if you use your imagination and add a few more tragic moments to the story - one could see Heather Mills playing the role of Anne for a summer or two.

In either case the next time you think of vacationing in PEI - think about the less than hospitable Anne (PEI Tourism) - and how she feels about Newfoundland and Labrador.

First fall-out from DFO's report on Seal Population

Seal Harvest takes first blow - partially as a result of DFO musing...

As we fully anticipated - the money making (protesters) of the Canadian seal harvest are taking advantage of DFO's public musings on a possible reduction of the seal quota.
First off the mark is the IFAW on the heels of a decision by Belgium to ban all seal imports.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM--(CCNMatthews - Jan. 25, 2007) - In a landmark unanimous vote for conservation today, the Belgian Parliament has banned the import of all seal products.

"We applaud the Belgian Government for taking this historic step and reducing the demand for seal products derived from a cruel and unnecessary commercial seal hunt," said Lesley O'Donnell, IFAW EU Director.

"We hope the Belgian example will encourage other European nations to adopt their own national bans, closing the door on the trade in seal products."

Across Europe there is a groundswell of opposition to Canada's commercial seal hunt.

The German Parliament voted unanimously on a motion urging the government to ban seal products, just one month after the EU Parliament passed a Written Declaration in support of an EU-wide trade ban.

"There is a clear message being sent to the Government of Canada," said Olivier Bonnet, IFAW Director, Canada.

"It is time the Canadian Government stopped propping up an industry which has no future.

"In light of this ban, and the Government's own scientific data showing the current hunt is unsustainable, the commercial seal hunt must end."