The Twang from Abroad Powers - Martin - and Dalley

yet another short post...

I'm starting to wonder what the inside scoop is on future employers for certain of our public figures. Take for instance the Newfoundland and Labrador lost son Tim Powers - the Ontarian in him has certainly taken hold with his "ehs" and Ed Martin and Dawn Dalley of Nalcor - they are turning right into Haligonians (not a flower) with their "folks" this and "folks" that.

Hows (notice my change here) about some fun not funny speculation eh?

Tim the Conservative Voice Powers might be lining up to take on a federal seat - or even Dunderdale's job - after all - Upper Canada - needs some "trained" Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to carry the Ottawa torch. Maybe he is back to "burn all the boats" particularly with his Crosbie heritage.

Then there's Ed and Dawn perhaps not in Orlando  (not a singing group) preparing for a change of employer as Halifax based Emera continues its privatization march throughout our land - hauling natural resource wealth from the health and education budgets of our province and into the outstretched and "well connected" arms of the elite offshore.

If Kathy is listening to Ed and Ed marches to Williams Symphony No. 5 - then the fluid movement of redundancies will continue to mount for the 3 amigos.

Quite the state we have here - fibre optical illusions - power/s ball jackpot - and one continuing joke on us the people.

The next couple of years are going to be dandy. I wonder what's in the offing for us "gull"ible people.

Wonder what the New Dawn's Agreement 2014 will look like. I should look toward the Mc"Cleods" where James and Cathy MacBennett may be talking.

The Little Land of 300,000 people that Could...again

Sue's Blog often refers to Iceland when drawing comparisons with Newfoundland and Labrador in various industry sectors. Today is another one of those days.

Yesterday to the delight of many people and business (for now) - Air Astraeus announced regular direct flights from Newfoundland and Labrador to the UK and return. The mighty Air Canada - did the Canadian thing not too long ago and virtually eliminated the service and moved that flight to Halifax.

So when Canada bails despite the undeniable viable route for business and pleasure travellers - Iceland steps to the plate. Yes this northern "country" of 300,000 people continues to thrive in all significant economic indicators - and has managed to put together a competitive and profitable route between NL and the UK.

Their interest in expanding tourism to our province is great news and smart on their behalf. The beauty of this land and the hospitality of her people continues to draw people from around the world. They come for the icebergs - the whales - the fresh air - clean water - incredible adventure tourism - and the friendliness of the population renowned worldwide.

The real question here is why Canada's namesake airline abandoned an economically successful service? Newfoundland and Labrador is the oil capital of Eastern Canada and industry travellers expressed their displeasure in the decision. Forcing people to go to Halifax or Nova Scotia may be great for the economy there - but it is not reflective of the practical service needed.

It is time for our local entrepreneurs - especially in the regional airline business to see if they can get some money action in this group.

Here for the record is the makeup of this airline group:

ASTRAEUS BECOMES PART OF NORTHERN TRAVEL GROUP

A new leisure group, Northern Travel Holding ("Northern Travel"), has been formed by the Icelandic investment groups, Fons (who will hold 44%), FL Group (34%) and Sund (22%).

Northern Travel has acquired the following travel related investments:

" Sterling Airlines (100%)
" Iceland Express (100%)
" Astraeus (51%)
" Ticket, the Swedish stock-market quoted travel agent (29.3%)
" Hekla Travel, the largest travel agent in Denmark (100%)

It remains ever questionable how industry in Canada works against the development of our rich province. Part of the problem is our patience with the less than fair treatment we get in this country - and part of it is the makeup of Canada's confederation. We must continue to move forward despite it - and around it - if necessary.

As for the airline sector - we must find a way to make Labrador travel affordable and competitive.

The New Canada - Halifax to represent the Region

We all know that Halifax is seen (at least quietly) as the center of our universe. You might have heard St. John's City Councillor - Shannie Duff - on CBC this morning raising concerns over the latest Conference Board of Canada Report titled "Mission Possible Successful Canadian Cities".

There is no doubt the Conference Board has summarily dismissed St. John's and in fact this Province when it comes to new policy for Canadian Cities. If we take the report as a document the feds will listen to (and they will) - we have to be worried.

We could be looking at policy for transportation infrastructure - federal jobs and crown agencies - municipal infrastructure - educational institutes - and federal funding - being focused even more on Halifax.



Halifax is what the Conference Board calls one of the HUB cities.
Please Read below for a section of the Report

Policy Implications: Defining the Focus

In highlighting the distinctive needs of Canada’s big cities and the unique economic contribution of Canada’s hub cities identified through our convergence research, this volume makes a strong case for prioritizing this combined group of cities—which we identify as major cities (Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa–Gatineau, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver)—for national strategic investment and focus. Smaller cities and towns, and indeed the country as a whole, will thrive fully when their growth is fuelled by that of the country’s major cities. Helping Canada’s major cities reach their potential is therefore a win-win proposition for all citizens. A wider endorsement of this view by citizens and leaders alike will open the way for a more strategic approach to investment in Canada’s major cities.

You will also note that all provinces have a "major city" except the Atlantic Region which has been restricted to Nova Scotia and Halifax...and then there's this little tidbit for Canada's "Major Cities".

Canada’s major cities are critical to our national prosperity, yet they face significant challenges that limit their potential.Our major cities bear the costs of a growing urban population and expanding economy, but lack the fiscal capacity to meet their needs or to maximize their potential. Booming populations and sprawling development create congestion, environmental and health challenges unique to cities.

The challenges of managing growth are exacerbated by the deteriorating state of Canada’s urban infrastructure. Estimates of the national infrastructure gap ranged, in 2003, from $50 billion to $125 billion, with municipalities owning the largest stake in this gap. Canada’s present systems of municipal governance fail to provide cities with the organizational structures and decision-making capacity necessary for strategic planning and regional coordination.

The decisions that cities and provinces make about development patterns,
transportation, utilities standards, building codes and industrial planning will have profound environmental impacts. Canada’s major city-regions are competing for investment and jobs against other major city-regions around the world. Unless
governments and their civic partners support the kind of initiatives that are boosting the international rankings of competitor cities, prospects of improving the
record of Canadian cities are not good.

You know - I am just a little sick of our province being crucified by Canadian Institutions - and now the Conference Board weighs in on this ridiculous concept.

I hope there will be some response to this before Newfoundland and Labrador becomes a virtual appendage to Atlantica under the stewardship of Halifax.

Please see a copy of the Report HERE

It is interesting to note how this report came to be:

The Canada Project had its genesis in 2002 at The Conference Board of Canada’s annual Canadian Conference—a meeting of senior public and private sector leaders at which participants are invited to share their most pressing concerns about
Canada’s present challenges and future prospects.
Many of the leaders at this meeting raised the same underlying issue: that Canada was floundering in a state of public policy drift at a time that called out for national strategic action in the face of rising global competition.
And thus, The Canada Project was born.
Now, almost four years later—thanks to the $2.4 million invested by business and government organizations, the $1.0 million contributed by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the effort and expertise invested by some of Canada’s top researchers and professionals—we present this four-volume compendium of the results of our work.
Here are the list of sponsors for the Project:
Note the Lead Investor was CIBC
Academic Research Funding Partner: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Accenture Inc.
Alberta Ministry of Municipal Affairs
ATB Financial
Banque Nationale du Canada
BCE Inc.
Bombardier Transportation
British Columbia Ministry of Community Services
Business Development Bank of Canada
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canam Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc.
Deloitte & Touche LLP
DuPont Canada
EnCana Corporation
Ernst & Young LLP
Forest Products Association of Canada
General Electric Canada Inc.
George Weston Limited
Harris Steel Group Inc.
IBM Canada Ltd.
Imperial Oil Limited
Lafarge Canada Inc.
Manulife Financial Corporation
Mercer Delta Consulting Limited
Microsoft Canada Co.
Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Power Corporation of Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
RBC Financial Group
SaskEnergy Incorporated
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.
Social Sciences and Humanities .
Research Council of Canada
Sun Life Financial Inc.
Syncrude Canada Ltd.
TD Bank Financial Group
TELUS Corporation
The Bank of Nova Scotia
The Co-operators Group Limited
Toronto Hydro Corporation
TransAlta Corporation
UBS Securities Canada Inc.
Unilever Canada Inc.
Xerox Canada Ltd.

It is time to move on this!