A Matter of Dollars and Sense

In recent weeks I have watched with trepidation and interest as oil prices have plummeted to historic lows. They may not have bottomed-out yet, but the ongoing social, political and economic tensions in the Middle East and Russia, for example, are definitely contributing to a continued downward trend. A trend, I might add, that is predicted to continue into 2016

The Newfoundland & Labrador government bases approximately 30 percent of its budget on fossil fuel revenues. As Jeffrey Simpson of the Globe and Mail recently noted when discussing Alberta, “local governments just keep basing budgets on volatile revenues that have a tendency to rise and fall”… without any control.

He continued by saying that there are many who believe that governments should be cutting waste – and that the real issue is a spending issue and not a revenue one. In other words, governments, like a family, should be spending within its means and have the foresight to plan for a rainy day…especially when approximately one-third of its income is precariously unpredictable.

So here we are – governments scrambling once again to address a significant shortfall in revenue. A shortfall that could easily be manageable if they adopted a different way of doing business.

In contrast to us, in oil-rich Norway every man woman and child became a theoretical millionaire at the beginning of 2014. The country’s oil fund – which collects taxes from oil profits and invests the money, mostly in stocks – exceeded $905 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach $1 trillion in 2015. Norway isn’t the only country in this enviable position. The United Arab Emirates’ fund is valued in excess of US $800 billion, Kuwait has about US $400 billion, and Russia has accumulated approximately US $180 billion.

This is all happening in Norway and other places at a time when our province has a net debt of approximately $11 billion… a debt that will probably grow in excess of $12 billion before the current crunch is over.

What is wrong with this picture? How can a country like Norway manage to guarantee its citizens’ prosperity for the future while we are drowning in debt? Should our governments set up some sort of sovereign wealth fund like the one in Norway? Should a percentage of all revenues from natural resources be legislated into a trust fund whereby it is protected from going into general revenue and being spent before it hits the bank?

The provincial government blames its deficit on the falling oil prices. Hibernia crude is selling for considerably less than it once did. But is this a good excuse? Norway has also had to deal with low oil prices over the years but has always found the “political” will to feed its rainy day fund rather than spend it on “more” infrastructure that will ultimately cost more to maintain in the future then to build in the first place.

As citizens, we have become greedy and that greed has translated into pressure on politicians, who, for better or for worse, need our support to keep their jobs. With this in mind, they feel, and have always felt, compelled to bow to a drunken, blow-out barn dance today rather than a string of small kitchen parties down the road. It is mostly about optics...and votes.

Had we set up a proper sovereign wealth fund years ago when the oil started flowing – or even draw higher royalties on current production – we could have paid off much of the debt by now and used that money, plus savings that we currently pay to finance our debt, to avoid future deficits. We would not be in a situation where knee-jerk decisions have to be made today to make ends meet tomorrow.

Oh, but we have solutions to the current crisis! Well…we do if we listen to the armchair pundits, the open line shows , and those with all the answers when being interviewed by the media. Cut the size of government, they say - reduce the size of the House of Assembly, reduce the number of cabinet members, lay-off civil servants, amalgamate government agencies... Oh, but when you are doing all this ‘necessary’ cutting, don’t touch health care or education or social services or transportation, or transfers to municipalities…and ‘don’t’ raise taxes.

Where will oil prices be in two years? The point is no one knows, according to Jeffrey Simpson, so why depend so heavily on the unknowable? How can any responsible government take the risk ‘again’ to budget on the volatile price of a commodity over which it has absolutely no control but upon which it has consistently bet so heavily, and sometimes so wrongly?

Winston Churchill once said that we should never let a good crisis go to waste. If that is the case then the current government, or the one that succeeds it, has an opportunity to learn from the current crisis and make sound political and economic decisions for the future.

Where should we begin? A great place to start might be to build all future budgets on $50/barrel oil and invest any excess oil revenues into a sovereign wealth fund... while also paying down on the provincial debt – that is costing us 12% ($800M+/-) of total revenue to finance. Build it into the current legislation - make it law, so that future politicians are never again given a blank cheque to spend like drunken sailors. 

It is simple economics – working with less dollars and more sense. 

The Fierce Urgency of Now

Martin Luther King Jr. stood in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial 50 years ago and compelled a nation to examine its conscience and, at long last, take action against the injustices of his time. America, he said, could no longer afford the luxury of administering itself "the tranquilizing drug of gradualism," but, rather, recognize "the fierce urgency of now."

A half a century later, many believe that the most enduring aspect of Dr. King's sermon was its optimism. Although he was extremely critical of white America for that defaulted check, he said he "refused to believe that the bank of justice was bankrupt.” As bleak as the future may have appeared at the time, he saw only promise.

There are many issues, mishaps and calamities that arise on a day-to-day basis, both domestically and internationally, that tax our ability to embrace optimism the way that Dr. King did. It truly appears to be a gift that either consoles the unenlightened or energizes the informed. Either way, it appears to work for some.

A few weeks ago I watched from my perch as another storm of epic proportions devastated the Philippines with the fury of its unyielding power and overwhelming wrath. A reminder, maybe, that Mother Nature was giving us yet another nudge.

The Suzuki Foundation, among others, have proposed in recent years that an increase in global average temperatures greater than 2 C above pre-industrial levels will result in further melting of glaciers and Arctic ice, continued rising sea levels, more frequent and extreme weather events, difficulties for global agriculture and changes in plant and animal life, including extinctions. Scientist from all over the world are saying that we'll likely exceed that threshold soon unless we choose to act now.

This means a strong, concerted global effort to combat climate change is necessary to protect the health of our economies, our communities, our children and our future. That will cost us, but the price will be far less than doing nothing. Governments of almost 200 countries agree that global average temperature increases must be kept below 2 C to avoid catastrophic warming. Research indicates it's possible to limit warming below that threshold if far-reaching action is taken.

The reasons to act go beyond averting the worst impacts of climate change, according to The Suzuki Foundation. Fossil fuels are an incredibly valuable resource that can be used for making everything from medical supplies to computer keyboards. Extracting them in haste to satisfy corporate greed and balance government budgets and wastefully burning them to propel everything from a chainsaw to a SUV will inevitably ensure we run out sooner rather than later. The resource is neither endless nor renewable.

Working collectively to meet “science-based” (as opposed to industry-based) targets to cut global warming pollution and create clean, renewable energy solutions will allow us to use our remaining fossil fuel reserves more wisely and create lasting jobs and economic opportunities.

Shifting to cleaner energy sources to minimize fossil fuel consumption will also reduce pollution and the environmental damage that comes with extracting coal, oil and gas and, subsequently, improve the health of people, communities and ecosystems.

Some of the leading environmental scientists of our time have been telling us for years that there is no time to delay. Governments and industry have been telling us for years to relax and not worry. Unprecedented environmental destruction in countries like Japan, Haiti, the Philippines and the United States is a clear sign that the clock is speeding up.

Globally, to keep global temperature levels below 2 C, fossil fuel extraction and consumption will have to be reduced by 60-80%. Not a plausible option for governments and oil companies who are interested in the here and now. Definitely not an option for Middle Eastern countries that control in excess of 80% of global reserves.

Such a reduction will inevitably have a short-term economic impact on an oil-producing province like ours but a positive impact on the environment overall. On the upside, it could mean longer-term sustainability for newly discovered reserves that normally have a short-term lifespan. After all, what is the hurry?

My question is somewhat rhetorical as you may have guessed. It is all about maximizing return on investment. Governments and industry, regardless of location, have an interest in the politics of profits as opposed to the practicality of environmental standards. 

It is in everyone’s best interest to pre-emptively embark on a revolutionary change that will lead the globe away from oil dependency rather than drag our feet and suffer the irrevocable ramifications of becoming dependent on a diminishing resource. Herein lies the problem, however…the reason for “the hurry”.

Heaven forbid, huh, that an Islander would shun the riches of the oil industry. Well, I am not, really…I am simply suggesting that we increase the shelf life of the resources that we have, strategically maximize the profit margins, and, subsequently, contribute in a more meaningful way to a greener planet.

As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said when asked why he could remain so optimistic with all the serious issues that he had seen in his life, he said, “I am not optimistic, I am simply a prisoner of hope.” I guess we can all relate to that.

To Reykjavik with Envy

To Reykjavik with Envy

Reykjavik, Iceland is bustling again according to most reports. Restaurants and shops in the Icelandic capital are humming with energy.  “A stunning reversal from just four years ago, when the country reached the point of financial meltdown”, according to a recent article by Asher Schechtert, an international consultant based in the US.

As we sat and watched many of the world’s financial markets collapse in 2008, Iceland's banking system crumpled under the strain. The króna, Iceland's national currency, plummeted in value and thousands of Icelanders lost their life savings overnight as national protest became commonplace.

At the time Iceland was reduced to an international bailout and its prime minister prayed for divine intervention. With business seeming totally destroyed, Iceland looked poised to return to its historical roots.

In four short years, riddled with international incidences and political and financial conflicts with the UK and the Netherlands, Iceland is clawing its way back from the abyss. In the process it has been forced to rediscover its roots and return to one of its traditional values – modesty.

They are also currently in the process of building a new constitution and replacing a modified one adopted in 1944 when they separated from Denmark.  Icelanders are reinventing themselves and redefining who they had become. According to Schechtert, “the luxury automobiles are becoming a thing of the past as Hummers and the like are being replaced with more practical Volkswagens and luxury yachts have been replaced by fishermen's dinghies. The lost finance industry jobs have been replaced with more economically productive work. The fishermen and sailors who were enticed to leave the country's traditional industries in favor of more profitable financial professions have now returned in large numbers to their previous fields of employment. During the last four years, Icelanders have gone back to the basics and back to the ocean, and many them are happy about that transition.”

I realize that the rise, fall and recovery of the Iceland economic, political and social fabric are topics for doctoral dissertations and academic studies – not an editorial essay.  It can be as complex as the galaxy or as simple as the nose on our face.  In the beginning, I suppose, everything is simple – it is when we intervene and makes things better that everything goes to hell in a hand basket.    

My rationale for bringing it up you ask? Well, I visited Iceland in the mid-90s when their economy was in full flight and their Nordic lifestyle and their survival instinct was the envy of nations.  As much as I was enthralled with the mystery of the Island…I was also absorbed by the vibrancy of the people – and I was enchanted by their sense of place.

As Lisa Moore noted in a 2005 CBC documentary Hard Rock & Water, Iceland and Newfoundland & Labrador share much more than their rugged appearance.  We are isolated. We are similar in size. The fishery is/has been an important economic generator.  We are fiercely independent. Our culture runs deep.

Unlike Iceland, Newfoundland & Labrador has fared relatively well in recent years with increasing focus on mining, the offshore, and the tourism industry.  Unlike us, Iceland has few resources with the exception of cod, and to a lesser extent tourism. It also has a population that boasts a 99% literacy rate and appear fiercely loyal to their homeland.  Again, the rise, fall and recovery of the Icelandic economy are topics for scholars… My query today is more specifically related to our own piece of ruggedness on the eastern edge of the North American continent.

The question has been bantered about by many in recent weeks as to why a resource rich, self-professed ‘have’ province like Newfoundland & Labrador is cash poor these days.  Government is blaming it on the world economy and the negative impact that it is having on commodity prices. Others are pointing fingers at government and blaming our predicament on poor fiscal planning. Regardless of the reason… according to government we are spending more money (expenses) than we are generating (revenue) which results in debt (deficit).

A rather unbelievable turn of events ... so unbelievable, in fact, that I am not even sure it is true. I don't think there is any real concern where the province is heading financially. Leading economists suggest that we will be back to surplus within 3-4 years.  As well, if truth be known, there already exist surplus funds to cover the operating deficit for this year and next. The Premier is forecasting challenges for the next two years but projecting a balanced budget before the next provincial election. This government may well be viewing the current "short-term" fiscal crunch as an opportunity to implement "long-term" sweeping changes across the province. An example of how poor politics adversely affect good governance...

I am not suggesting that sweeping changes are not necessary…but changes have to be implemented in coordination with strategic and long-term fiscal planning that is void of petty politics. Anything less will simply result in more of the same.

Regardless of how it is viewed and irrespective of which party is in power…this province has historically been governed through the lens of a political prism. Successive governments appear not to realize that infrastructure and human resource spending is not a one-time investment but a long-term expense that consumes an ever-increasing percentage of our annual budget.

The moral of my tirade you ask! Spend like drunken sailors and we will surely wake up hung over and broke. In that light, it appears that we have been staggering for some time… and, unlike Iceland, void of the intestinal fortitude to change our ways.

Politics: An Optical Illusion

Most things in nature are the way they are for a reason; evolution is a demanding master. Fall colors, however, seem to be an exception. They are not (to my knowledge, at least) adaptive; that is, they do not help plants to survive, they are merely artifacts of leaf senescence, part of an orderly shutting-down of plants for the winter.  Fall colors are a wondrous coincidence! 

People don't think much about leaves until autumn. Then, for a brief time, we revel in the multitude of colors that emerge from what was previously a plain green background. Of course, there were subtleties of shade and texture in the greenery that surrounded us all summer, but after the first flush of green in the spring, we quickly grow accustomed to the green backdrop of plant leaves and focus our attention elsewhere. 

But when days shorten and grow crisper, leaves come into their own, though it is only in death that they finally attract our attention. As the gold, yellows, reds and browns of autumn emerge we come to realize the diversity of the plants that once made up the summer greenery. For a few short weeks before winter's white coat arrives, Mother Nature shrugs off her dowdy greens, throws fashion sense to the wind and bursts forth with a season ending explosion of color. And then we get out the rakes! 

Attractive fall coloration is not limited to trees and shrubs, however…  It is also the time of year when societal norms kick into gear and the smell of barbecue on a warm summer evening or a campfire sending cinders in a starlit sky are parked in our memory banks. Fall has a myriad of indicators…school buses, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and politicians freshly seasoned with Montreal Steak Spice and premonitions of a brighter tomorrow. The season never fails to deliver…

As sure as summer is a distant memory we can also be assured that our fall and winter will be riddled with political rhetoric and public debate about ‘hot button’ issues that, in recent years at least, have become a rite of passage in Newfoundland & Labrador.  Assuredly, Muskrat Falls will continue to generate a political firefight as will the decline in government revenues and increase in budget deficit

I am, admittedly, a political junkie and a lifelong student of the political process. Most of my attention is focused on international politics such as the theatrics provided by the American presidential race, or the absurdity of perpetual conflict in the Middle East, or the dynamics at play in the European Union. 

By virtue of the fact that I am a Canadian, I also follow the goings-on in Ottawa out of sheer necessity as opposed to absolute interest. The same holds true for provincial politics since both equate to the excitement of watching paint dry.  That is not a criticism…simply an observation!

Occasionally, someone comes along and adds a little excitement to the wake. Pierre Trudeau comes to mind, as does local politicians like Joe Smallwood, John Crosbie, Brian Peckford and Danny Williams. All were predictably unpredictable!

Today, for whatever reason, our political leaders appear downright boring! It may be as much to do with media accessibility as opposed to personality but, nonetheless, they seldom demand the same attention or generate the same buzz as their predecessors. 

Kathy Dunderdale, for instance, has three years left in her mandate and unless her advisors completely reinvent her message and choreograph her delivery style we will probably see her poll numbers continue to drop. Politics is, after all, more about optics then it is about substance and, optically speaking, the polls are indicative of what people are seeing and hearing. It is what it is! 

Although early days, and much can change between now and the next election,  Dunderdale does not epitomize a Premier who will be fighting another election in 2015. She appears more at peace with her own demeanor and comfortable with the legacy of being the first elected female premier in Canadian history. In two years she will have also had the opportunity to see several major initiatives come to fruition.

She appears more comfortable with the substance of her message then with the public portrayal of her character. In politics, more often than not, the public likes ‘spit n polish’ and Dunderdale has failed to perfect the shine. That doesn’t necessarily mean she won’t deliver the goods!

The Progressive Party of Newfoundland and Labrador will, in all likelihood, be challenged by two opposition parties who will have redefined themselves by the end of 2014. The Liberals have a history of bouncing back! The New Democrats have conceivably ignited a cinder in many regions of the province and continue to mobilize grassroots electorate who have always had one foot left of the political center.

Key players to keep an eye on over the next two years include; Kathy Dunderdale, Dean MacDonald, Siobhan Coady, Lorraine Michael, Tom Osbourne, and Jerome Kennedy. You can write your own headlines… Mine have already been written!

Most things in politics are the way they are for a reason; evolution is a demanding master! As the blue, red and orange colors of politics emerge we come to realize the diversity of the people that surface for a moment in time and then pass through the revolving door.

For the Health of It

Well, if we live we gotta grow old baby

And I know how you are gonna be

Your feet are already a little chilly baby

And you are getting a little cold to me

The reality of aging is something that we often inadvertently park in the back of our minds in the hope that it may never happen. It does happen, however, and with it come a myriad of challenges and issues that are predominantly associated with the passage of time.  Increased longevity and declining fertility is undoubtedly leading us into uncharted waters.

Population aging is occurring in both developed and developing countries and although we are seeing that trend in North America…. neither Canada nor the United States are among the countries with the highest share of seniors according to the United Nations. Japan, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Sweden and others currently top that list and are projected to continue doing so for the next 40 years

According to research, North Americans spend more on health care, yet are sicker than most other people in the world. We suffer from higher incidences of cancer, lung disease and a host of other diseases and despite massive expenditures on medical treatments and drugs we appear to be sick more than ever before in our history.  Why have all those ‘miracle drugs’ that have been manufactured and promoted by pharmaceutical companies neither prevented nor cured the most common diseases in this country?

The answer, according to Madison Cavanaugh, author and medical researcher: Disease is big business. Pharmaceutical companies are raking in trillions of dollars to address health issues so there is no real incentive on their part to promote better health.  They are the most profitable industry in the world, enjoying average profit margins of 30,000% to 50,000% on drugs over the cost of raw materials. They are purported to have reached markups as high as 569,000%. Why would they want us to be well?

According to Cavanaugh, the pharmaceutical industry has more to gain when people are sick than when they are well. Therefore, they manufacture drugs that only relieve symptoms but do not cure disease.  We have been led to believe that whenever we are sick all we have to do is pop a pill to feel better and that is exactly what most people do.

One can do a quick search and readily find skeptics who believe that fictitious diseases are “invented” all the time by the pharmaceutical industry for no other reason than to sell prescription drugs. Just think about the array of new diseases that you hear of today that were unheard of only 10-20 years ago. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prime example – a condition usually brought about by the overconsumption of refined sugar, junk food and soft drinks by children. Rather than curb the source of the problem have we simply assisted pharmaceutical companies in becoming more wealthy by purchasing their revolutionary drug Ritalin to address the condition?

Is it coincidental that most of us, particularly in North America, have been categorized as having at least one kind of disorder? All too frequently many of us are taking one drug after another to counter the adverse effects of other drugs that are, in all likelihood, doing nothing that a healthy lifestyle wouldn’t do in the first place. Have we been conditioned to believe that pharmaceutical drugs are the answer to all our aches and pains while some of the healthiest people on the planet continue to embrace wholistic lifestyles and healthy living?

Recently, I have accepted what I had inadvertently parked in the back of my mind for years – the fact that I,  like all of us, am growing older. Not a bad thing I suppose…considering the alternative! 

Not unlike most families, serious illness has also burden my own in recent years…and with it a realization that the pharmaceutical frenzy has embraced us by the throat and is legally beating us to death… not to mention robbing us blind.

It is abundantly clear that we have drugs for everything…but predominantly as a means of treating symptoms of an illness as opposed to addressing the root causes.  We have entered  an era of perpetual dependency where many must choose between a drug cocktail and a healthy dinner.  Ironically, we have essentially become what society has shunned for years…

Got a headache? Well, pop a pill man… Don’t bother taking a brisk walk – the fresh air might kill you…

I’ll get your meds when your tummy aches

Build you a fire if the furnace breaks

I wanna make you smile whenever you’re sad

Carry you around when your arthritis is bad

Oh baby, it could be so nice growing old with you…

(B.B. King)

Politics and the English Language

"Politics and the English Language" (1946) is an essay by George Orwell criticizing "ugly and inaccurate" contemporary written English.

Orwell said that political prose was formed "to make lies sound truthful, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." Orwell believed that, because this writing was intended to hide the truth rather than express it, the language used was necessarily vague or meaningless. This unclear prose was a "contagion" which had spread even to those who had no intent to hide the truth, and it concealed a writer's thoughts from himself and others.

In our time, political rhetoric is largely the defense of the indefensible. Things like the defense of Peter McKay to joy ride in a search and rescue helicopter, the support of the Minister of the Treasury Board to extravagantly spend on the G8/G20 Toronto Summit in 2010, or the continuance of debate as to whether Canada’s Armed Forces should be engaged in military combat or be predominantly a peace-keeping corp, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too pathetic for most people to face.

Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness. Defenseless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called pacification. Every year somewhere around the globe, tens of thousands of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called transfer of population or rectification of frontiers. People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the head: this is called elimination of unreliable elements. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them.

As the late comedian George Carlin once wrote, nobody really questions anything anymore… people are too fat, too happy and too prosperous for their own good. Everyone’s got a cell phone that’ll make pancakes and a computer that can scratch their arse. Why would they bother spending valuable time trying to figure out what politicians are saying or not saying?
Carlin is also the guy who said that he did not complain about politicians. “Everybody complains about politicians, everybody says they suck”, he said. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don’t fall off the turnip truck. They don’t pass through a membrane from another reality. They are a product of our own creativity or, as was the case in the last federal election, a product of Quebec’s complete complacency with the democratic process. Their slogan was – I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired…. so they chinch the rafters of the House of Commons with gum chewing, giggly and inexperienced teenagers. Théâtre de l'Absurde…

Speaking of protest… we experienced our own fringe movement in Newfoundland and Labrador during the last election. Some argue that it was a protest against the incumbent government while others attribute it to the “orange wave” that spread across the country last spring. Regardless of reason, it was refreshing to see a challenge from the far left of the political spectrum. It was probably the first provincial election in our history where all three political parties rightfully deserved to claim some degree of victory.

The aftermath of any election also brings an element of defeat to the victor. By virtue of their candidacy most politicians have aspirations of not only being elected to the House of Assembly but being selected to cabinet if they are on the government side. They seldom stray far from their telephones on the eve of a new cabinet being unveiled. They definitely feel the sting of rejection when the phone never rings.

To make matters worse for aspiring cabinet ministers this time around, Premier Dunderdale also made a choice to exhibit self-discipline and demonstrate prudent management in an era of economic restraints by reducing the size of cabinet. Presumably, she has drawn down on what she considers to be the very best that her caucus has to offer. Evidently, experienced ministers trumped ambitious backbenchers who, in some cases, are returning for their second or third term.
With the exception of Alberta where the incumbent conservatives have reigned forever, or in Quebec where anything is possible or nothing is impossible, historical trends in this province might suggest that a transition is possible in four years. The NDP already smell change and the Liberals smell blood. In due course, Dunderdale will smell dissent as dunce arses and idle minds contemplate their futures on the back benches. It has happen before!

Across the province the NDP have built their foundation from the grassroots up – one vote at a time. There is no sense of entitlement here… simply a philosophical determination to reach out and make a difference. The Liberals on the other hand seem more interested in a quick fix as they sack one leader after another and redecorate the corner office for the coming of the messiah.

In the meanwhile, as new games begin, I am content to savour the thought of four years under a socially conscious, sincere and pragmatic premier. Kathy Dunderdale brings a renewed energy to the office, a new focus on making a difference for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. She has an opportunity to build on the firm foundation left by her predecessor while heeding the howling beyond the boundaries of the Northeast Avalon. The critics are right…she is no Danny Williams but that may not be a bad thing!

“New Ways in an Old Continuity”

The World Commission on Environment and Development declared in 1987 that “Sustainable development should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. It implies a process of change in which the use of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and the structure of organizations reflect both the present and future needs. Based on the tenets of equity and sound stewardship, it also implies wiser and more productive use of existing human, financial, and natural resources. Simply put, qualitative improvements over quantitative expansion.

Activities that are socially sustainable should also be more people focused and responsive to human needs. Normally, asking people what they need, rather than telling them what they can have will lead to development strategies that are more widely supported and provide benefits to a greater number of people. This can only work, however, if people accept that change is inevitable and embrace it as a potential means to keep their community and region viable.

Focussing on options that simultaneously promote cultural, economic, environmental, and social gain is the key to avoiding past mistakes. Developing a new vision of the future - one that is not only economically secure but is also culturally and environmentally restorative, is pivotal to the development process and must never be far from the minds of those affiliated with community rebuilding, restructuring, or development.

As pointed out by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation in 2005, “laissez faire development approaches can ruin rural communities and their quality of life. Without better consultation and planning, the well-being of rural communities is, and will continue to be, at the mercy of random development, ad hoc initiatives and, at best, short-term economic success”.

For almost twenty years I have been repeatedly saying that overcoming entrenched problems in rural regions of the Province requires developing a culture of innovation and learning. Old responses and behaviors will keep a community stuck with old problems. To move beyond the comfort zone of familiar ideas, our communities must engage people in new ways to process and stimulate new ideas.

Exposure to new and innovative ideas and a raised awareness of a community’s need for new direction is an essential first step in any development process. Providing learning opportunities that both expand a community’s vision and dispenses concrete knowledge of successful practices is absolutely essential.

Shorefast Foundation, a Canadian registered charity working with the people on Fogo Island and Change Islands, may well be an excellent example of my premise. The backbone of this foundation is built on a set of principles that support the inherent qualities and strengths and character of the people in the community. They focus on the importance of roots and heritage… and that looking at what has formed us in the past is essential to building a strong future. It believes there is a future for rural communities and that future is built on innovation, resilience, optimism and the ability to adapt.

The reality is that they may not be able to accurately forecast the future but they feel that they have some responsibility for it. In order to take that responsibility seriously they appear to have considered the implications of current development initiatives and how they may impact future sustainability.

Historically, we have often under-estimated the importance of long-term thinking on effective planning in this province. Essentially, we have been driven by short-term projects as a means of addressing immediate, day-to-day needs. I am not convinced that much has changed in that respect, but the insightful and opportunistic attitude of Zita Cobb, Shorefast co-founder and native Fogo Islander, has captured the attention of politicians and bureaucrats as she endeavours to turn Fogo Island into a magnet for the arts and a retreat for wealthy world travellers.

Shorefast Foundation has strategically set a conservative target for the number of tourist it needs to attract annually (one for every inhabitant living on the islands) to turn a profit. Considering there are well over 10 million people around the globe who are classified as U.S. dollar millionaires it should not be difficult to generate a marketing scheme to satisfy its principles, attract eco-friendly clientele, and still protect the overall integrity of the local environment.

Cobb sees realistic opportunity on this eastern edge of barren rock jutting into an endless ocean. Not the kind of opportunity, maybe, that Skipper Douglas Payne dreams about as he sits silently at the base of Brimstone Head. Although both are married by heritage and history and culture and family, they represent two different generations that have simply been connected by heritage. One looks back and longs for what use to be while the other looks beyond the horizon and dreams of “finding new ways in an old continuity”.

Architects of Our Own Future

Newfoundland & Labrador, in a global context at least, has too much geography and not enough history. But we do have enough of a past, and ample knowledge of it, to sieve through what has happened in this province over the past fifty years and prohibit it from happening again.

That’s the way I would have begun Danny William’s first speech to party faithful after winning his first election. I recall the speech vividly! The issues were deadly accurate!. He asked all the right questions and provided many of the right answers! Williams’ talked about his vision for the future and how he intended to make it happen. He reiterated the importance of a plan for the province and the sound fiscal management on which that plan had to be based.

He talked about community development and how government had to continue to focus on rebuilding our economy. How government had to adopt a social and economic blueprint and learn from the strategic successes of others. He talked extensively about rural sustainability! He talked about giving to those who have historically done without!

The William’s Era is now over but the plight of rural communities continues. Rural sustainability is just as paradoxical today as it ever was…. in the Newfoundland and Labrador context at least. Frankly, it reminds me of Labrador - in the sense of being a frontier, a place where the known and the unknown meet and interact.

Those who live beyond the settled southern belt of this vast stretch of rugged mountains, roving valleys, and meandering rivers recognize that the land, the bush, are the final judge of everything there. Chunks of this great land have been despoiled. But its eternal silence remains, brooding, vast and unfathomable.

If you spend any time in Labrador, as I have, you begin to experience feelings of humility. Any human arrogance is tempered by a sense of awe and you seem to cling to the place by your fingertips. Outside the settled areas, the land can swallow you without a trace.

Like the ‘Big Land’, it is less that people and groups and governments choose rural sustainability, than that it chooses them. Battling constant motion, while struggling to handle both harmony and dissension at the local level, eschewing the simplistic division of the world into “right” and “left”, those trying to sustain rural parts of this province seek to move forward on a steady course in a polarized world.

In the northern climate you have to do your job against a background of constant struggle for existence. Much of what can be achieved there - as in rural sustainability - depends on the players and whether they understand the game or recognize the team. If one gives less than his or her best, they are finished. And one’s failure may be fatal to everyone else!

There is no unequivocal “right” or “wrong” way to sustain rural communities in this province and there are risk involved, regardless of the approach taken. It is about solving problems together that cannot be tackled alone. It’s about teamwork! It is about learning to plan and planning to learn. It is about leadership.

Those who are willing must assume leadership and initiate community discussions and generate ideas as to how we should proceed from here. People in all our communities must not only be given the opportunity to understand the changes that are occurring, but also be given the chance to explore reasons for the changes and their implications for the future.

The solution to any predicament in rural regions of the province is not to continue on the path that we have been following . We have had years of blaming everyone else for our problems while we hid under a cloak of self-pity. It has gotten us nowhere! Instead of bemoaning our situation and throwing up our hands in desperation we need to look at the strengths that we have in our communities/regions while being cognizant of our weaknesses. Only then will we be able to take advantage of opportunities that may exist. The major threat to this reality is the reluctance of many to participate in finding solutions because they are too busy dwelling on the problem.

If we value our societal make-up and love the province as much as we say we do then we must encourage a mind shift. If we value ourselves and wish to maintain the integrity of what we already have then we must be prepared to recognize our roles and responsibilities.

In the end, the future will unfold anyways. Morning will come whether we set the alarm or not. As individuals we have an obligation to influence the evolution. We cannot afford to sit by, hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and be surprised by what actually happens. As George Lamming once said, “the architecture of our future is not only unfinished, the scaffolding has hardly gone up.”

Innovation: A Catalyst for Change

There is a new buzz word accentuating the Newfoundland and Labrador vocabulary these days. No, it is not surplus! The word is innovation! Another means to an end... or a beginning, I suppose, depending on whether your glass is half empty or half full.

According to the Newfoundland & Labrador government innovation is about change. It is about new ideas, learning to do thing differently, and dealing with familiar situations in a new way.

Innovation is really a catalyst. It has the potential to create and sustain economic activity. But it is only a catalyst - it is only one ingredient in a process. If you don't follow the process and add other ingredients, innovation is worthless. Even if innovation is revolutionary, if we don't have a process to take it to the market, it won't create or sustain a darn thing.

There are many definitions of the word, but a particular apt description, from an educational perspective at least, comes from the Conference Board of Canada (2004) in suggesting that it is “a process through which economic or social value is extracted from knowledge...through the generation, development and implementation of ideas...to produce new or significantly improved products or processes.”. In that context, post-secondary institutions are in position to be fundamentally important in fostering innovative activity in this province.

According to Dr. Robert Gordon, President of Humber College in Toronto, “while few will refute that post-secondary institutions (colleges in particular) play a meaningful role in our society today in both preparing and educating a skilled, competent workforce, not as many would readily acknowledge that colleges serve as a catalytic sounding board to assist economic sectors in achieving positive growth, development and innovative breakthroughs”.

In this province we have the opportunity to create an environment which embraces innovation by cultivating partnerships, by trying new ideas of content and delivery, and by empowering students and staff alike. College of the North Atlantic should be in the forefront of technological advancement and cutting edge learning systems in order to provide its learners with the skills and attitudes that will surely be required in our local and global economy.

I think we would all agree that, today, education is the primary ticket to success, both for individuals and for organizations and the province as a whole. College of the North Atlantic has, to some degree, been training many of tomorrow’s leaders and supporting productive innovations by creating and implementing ideas and knowledge. There is so much more to be done, however!

If any institution wishes to remain relevant in today’s highly competitive world, they must accept that standing still is not an option. Nor will the current government support indefinitely any institution which does not seem to be providing what the new economy requires. With the right measures in place, including visionary leadership, policies and funding, and strong partnerships throughout the province much can be achieved in the months and years ahead.

At the very least, according to Gordon, “it is incumbent upon our colleges to implement sustainable improvements in curriculum, efficiency and productivity, and to instill a consistent commitment to embrace leading edge educational practices and ideas as a vital component of the lives of everyone in their institutions. Not to do so will mean the college has failed in their mission, and, worse, could seriously diminish their relevance to tomorrow’s society”.

Many community colleges throughout North America have gone beyond traditional education and training to play an important role in support of local social and economic development. They are strengthening the foundation for development in their communities and regions by building capacity, promoting regional cooperation, supporting small business initiatives and through innovation.

Rebuilding devastated communities and revitalizing the regional economy(s) of Newfoundland and Labrador has already proven to be a daunting and difficult task. In addition, the complex arena of competitive players - government, regional economic development boards, municipalities, the university, the college, and others - has not made the process any easier. It takes more than good intentions to rebuild an economy, especially in places that have lost their traditional job base and have no obvious prospects for the future.

To survive, and more importantly, to flourish, those communities and regions must develop a new economic core based on distinctive assets that can make them competitive in the larger economy. This requires insight and vision that goes well beyond the traditional community economic development work of recruiting a plant to fill a vacant building.

A new consciousness normally precedes change and that has not yet been fully realized in Newfoundland and Labrador. Attempting to revitalize our rural economy through a myriad of haphazard social and economic development initiatives simply does not work. Broken economies and shattered communities are evidence of this!

Exposure to new and innovative ideas and a raised awareness of a community’s need for new direction is an essential first step in the development process. Providing learning opportunities that both expand a community’s vision and dispenses concrete knowledge of successful practices is absolutely essential. This crucial first step cannot be left to chance, or assimilated in a piecemeal fashion, or undertaken by ill-prepared government agencies, or coordinated by a weak-kneed public post-secondary education system.

Luckily, I think, the current administration gets the picture! Let’s hope it is not too little, too late, for rural regions of the province.

The Streets: No More Home, No More Family

Homeless bound,
I wish I weren't, homeless bound
Home, clothes are grime-y cotton
Home, where the food's 'au rotten'
Home, where the rats lie plottin'

As I walked out of the Sears Centre on Yonge Street in Toronto, there on the curb, begging for a hand out, sat a man in his mid to late thirties. The weather was cold and dreary and the man had on a coat and a sweater and what appeared to be several layers of shirts. His face was bland and expressionless, tattered from the cold Canadian winter. All humility had left him and his pride had been shaken to the roots. It was apparent to anyone with the time of day to look or talk to him that he was a shattered soul with a story

What really caught my eye on this frosty March afternoon was the shopping cart with all his worldly possessions. It was overflowing with “stuff” - blankets, coats, pants, boots. Amongst all the dirty and shabby clothing peeped a one-eyed teddy bear that probably belonged to a son or daughter in a former life. Then again, it may have been the only comfort he had to get him through another unmerciful day - another challenging night. I imagined that it probably use to sit proudly upon a frilly lace pillow amongst other stuffed animals in a young child’s colorful bedroom. One that was barely a memory now.

I watched shopper after shopper scurry past this humble man without even a glance. In their minds he didn’t even exist - he was so remote that he was a figment of someone else’s imagination. I stopped and handed the man a bill and invited him to join me for a coffee around the corner. The man got to his feet and shook my hand and said “Thank you - Thank you so much for your generosity”. “You have no idea how many people walk by and whip nickels at me and tell me to get a job and get a life”. He said that he had come to Toronto from down east to find work but when things didn’t go exactly as planned and the savings were all gone his wife took off with their daughter and things just went downhill from there.

I have been around large cities enough to have learned long ago never to trust a so-called homeless person on their word. Not unlike the general population if truth be known. In fact, all of society is burdened with con artists, cheats, felons, and the like. They walk Yonge and Dundas in ragged old clothes - they sashay Jarvis and Bay in Armani suits. Perception is the only real difference.

The statistics are disturbing. It is estimated that there are at least 200 000 homeless people in Canada—people literally without homes, people with no private spaces in which to live, people existing from day to day, 24/7, in public places. And the situation is getting worse. In Toronto, front-line workers report two to four deaths each week of homeless people. The Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness several years ago estimated that another 80 000 people in Toronto are at risk of becoming homeless in the near future as a result of overcrowding of existing shelters, substandard housing that they will eventually have to leave, and—for others—simply not having enough money to pay the rent. In Vancouver, social workers report that the spread of HIV infection is a direct result not only of prostitution and drug abuse but of homelessness itself, an interconnected and self-perpetuating relationship. In Montreal, the suicide rate among young street people is 12 times higher than that of young people who have homes. And in Calgary, about half the city’s homeless population of 3800+ are actually employed but cannot find affordable housing. Making matters worse, not only do homeless people suffer from a poverty cycle, but they also face discrimination that hinders efforts to improve their situation. They are often stereotyped as being lazy and an unnecessary burden on society, as actually preferring life on the street to any other option, or—perhaps the cruelest misconception—as somehow being people who “deserve” to be homeless.

There is a growing, troubled awareness that in this country, consistently rated by the United Nations as one of the best countries in the world in which to live, there is a conspicuous discrepancy: poor people without homes. For many of us, having more than one television, more than one telephone, more than one car is not unusual. We probably don’t consider ourselves “wealthy” and yet, in terms of the most basic need - a home - 200 000+ Canadians have no wealth at all. Nothing!

Volunteers continue to serve in soup kitchens and participate in many other outreach programs for the homeless. However, in a political climate of rationalization and downsizing of social services, governments disagree as to who is responsible for the homeless, raising the fundamental question of the role of the state as opposed to the role of private and corporate citizens in fulfilling our social responsibility to the poor. Municipalities argue they are short of funds for social welfare programs because provincial governments have slashed spending. Provinces argue they have no money because of cuts in transfer payments from the federal government. Meanwhile, according to a report by the Centre for Social Justice at York University in Toronto, the gap between rich and poor in this country is widening despite increased economic growth in Canada. And for the homeless, winter has descended on our mean streets.

It is easy to become desensitized to an issue like homelessness. It may seem like a hopeless or very distasteful situation to us personally, something we have difficulty dealing with emotionally. We may also feel distanced from it because it seems so far removed from our own experience. Of course, if any of us have been personally touched by homelessness, or know of someone who has become homeless, then it is much easier to understand the issues. Some observers say that one of the reasons the problem of homelessness in Canada’s major cities is not improving is because misconceptions interfere with a true understanding of the problem.

As we were leaving the coffee shop I felt that I had redefined my perception of homelessness by simply reaching out and listening. All are not the same - some are different - many stories are quite familiar and not unlike our own. Dan, my newfound coffee mate - a son, a husband, a father, a friend, and a fellow Maritimer - did not necessarily chose his destiny - unfortunate circumstances had imposed it upon him.

As I exit the little boutique on Duckworth Street there on the curb........

Breakfast was some curdled cream
Then I killed a fifth of old Jim Beam
With each frown, eyes avoiding me
The scum of all humanity
And every wrinkled nose I see
Reminds me just how much I reek
Homeless bound, I wish I weren’t...

Future of Rural Communities

I have been sitting on my perch here in Stephenville for the past week or so listening to CBC Radio coverage of the Change Island Conference on the Future of Coastal Communities. Quite the mouthful considering present circumstances! My only regret all week was that I was not present to savor the dialogue and be somewhat titillated by the academic fervor floating around the hall.

I grew up in Ramea, another island community on the south coast of the province. I have personally experienced the devastation of resource mismanagement and the consequences that it has had on coastal communities throughout NL. The “ragged screen door because nobody lives there anymore” syndrome is far too prevalent here. The momentum of out-migration since 1992 has not only contributed to the dilapidated homestead and dying community but has resulted in “the beginning of the end” to an entire way of life. It saddens me!

Not surprisingly, I have been a long-time advocate of rural sustainability. Unfortunately, the endless “dialogue”, although stimulating excellent discussion at times, has not resulted in positive change. My hometown may not survive my lifetime and, barring a dramatic shift in recent trends, will inevitably go the way of Harbour Deep and hundreds of other former coastal communities in due course.

The focus of the Change Islands conference was on moving from policy to action. Participants engaged in dialogue to determine:• how coastal communities can learn from lessons of others about what are the enablers of positive actions, • how to benefit from new coastal and ocean opportunities and • how to determine how a more responsive, flexible, cohesive system can be developed given that the current system of governance is complex and lacks clarity.

Interestingly, albeit not surprising, much of the discussion was centered around the fishery. How the fishery can be better managed in a sustainable manner in order to meet the needs of present and future generations. A very simple question with a very simple answer! One that I have been openly advocating for over fifteen years.

Currently, fish stocks are a common property resource, owned by no one - not the fishermen and certainly not the fisheries union (FFAW) - but under the constitutional jurisdiction of the Government of Canada. The government regulator, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, grants access to the various fisheries through a regulatory system based on licensing. A licence to fish is not a property right to a share of the fish caught, for example, but rather a kind of permit allowing its processor to join the harvesting effort within regulatory limits which dictate when, where, and with what equipment to fish.

Donald Leal, in an article entitled Community-Run Fisheries: Preventing the Tragedy of the Commons, maintained that regulation of fisheries by the communities that earn their living from them is a step in the right direction. He explicitly challenged the assumption that, in the absence of government regulatory control, fishermen will get caught up in the tragedy of the commons in which stocks are depleted through destructive competitive fishing. He indicated that when the right conditions exist, coastal fishers can cooperate voluntarily to prevent over-fishing. What an interesting concept....

A rights-based fishery, while potentially eliminating many of the inefficiencies to which a common property regime gives rise, will not solve all of the resource management issues that currently exist in this province. A comfortable determination of how much resource actually exist and can be safely harvested needs to be priority regardless of the governance system in place. Related to this, and equally as important, is the implementation of a mechanism or efficient monitoring system that can reasonably record how much fish is actually being harvested. This has been a perpetual problem in the fishing industry for decades and the introduction and implementation of new rules and regulations has become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

In my estimation, there is no significant reason for not implementing a comprehensive rights-based fishery in Newfoundland & Labrador. The current fiasco that we have witnessed in the crab and shrimp fishery is sufficient evidence that alternative governance mechanisms, whatever the issue, desperately need to be looked at. Rights holders, preferably community oriented, not industry-oriented and certainly not union-oriented, must have the flexibility to develop the mix of management policies and innovative technology that they feel is most appropriate for the fishery and the economy of the province. The more that the management system can be customized to accommodate the uniqueness of a particular region or fishery, the more likely that it will be fully accepted by all those involved, and therefore function as a means of providing sustainable employment for individuals while enhancing the overall viability of rural regions.

The future of small rural communities like Change Islands will not survive under the present regime. Having destiny determined by Ottawa politicians and bureaucrats that barely know the geographical attributes of specific communities, and absolutely no comprehension or appreciation for their historical significance, is catastrophic to the whole province. Alternatively, having total jurisdictional management transferred to the provincial government would be equally as fatal.

A regional rights-based fishery, with minimal interference by government(s) once quotas’ have been determined, is preeminently necessary for an efficient, reliable and sustainable industry. Local communities and regions will then be empowered with the authority necessary to effectively and prudently monitor the resource and make decisions that are collectively beneficial to the long-term sustainability of the industry and, ultimately, the communities subservient to it. The total elimination of politics from the process, albeit an incredible task, will provide the way for sound, rational, judicious and level-headed determinations and potentially eradicate, or at least control, the implementation of policies that would be self-fulfilling, convenient and politically responsive. Unfortunately, for the Atlantic fishery and the people and communities dependent upon it, that has not always been the case.

Cabot Martin, one of the first people to warn about the destruction of the fishery in the early 1980s, summed up the future for Newfoundland and Labrador when he said, “We have for far too long blamed our weather, our location, or others for our problems. It’s about time we took a long, hard look in the mirror. No society can escape the responsibility for how it lives. And it is in that basic, fundamental way that gaining power over our fisheries is the first essential step to growing up.”

Packing Their Memories

I am writing this column from the beautiful, and equally isolated, town of Great Harbour Deep. I arrived here via a twenty minute float plane ride from Jackson’s Arm and was introduced to low level flying, rugged seascape, hundreds of sea birds, thousands of seals, a gigantic iceberg, fog, and the wit of my pilot Rick. It was at this point that I fully realized how incredibly lucky I am to be doing this job. How fortunate I am to be experiencing for pay what most would pay a fortune to experience!

Rick serenades me as he expertly maneuvers the small four seat Cessna along the barely visible coastline of the Great Northern Peninsula. He tells me that the singing is free . . . “all part of the package, me bye” he said. I was glad to hear that too! I wasn’t convinced that his singing talent would ever replace his awesome ability to fly. We did make it, though, with incredible skill and accuracy and a ‘play by play’ account of every nook, cranny and rock along the way. The singing was cheap but the flight was worth a million bucks!

What awaited me at the end of the flight was equally as majestic. Nestled at the bottom of Orange Bay was the quintessential fishing village of Great Harbour Deep. Surrounded by preeminent mountains that dwarfed the towns precise magnitude, and embroidered with streams and waterfalls that meandered their way to the ocean, was outport Newfoundland at its finest.

“Danny Corcoran Lodge is dead ahead,” explained Rick, “and I can tell you that they have the best food around.” He had that right! The modern ten bedroom B&B / Motel with its pine clad interior, super hosts, and down home hospitality exceeded my wildest expectations. To put it mildly, I was extremely impressed!

And then there were the people! Good descent outport folks torn between their affiliation with the past and their reliance on the future. Encountering the clean wholesome living of a rural experience, along with a strong commitment to family & friends the
people of Great Harbour Deep were certainly the backbone of this place. Their ancestors had endured the elements, the isolation and the drawbacks of outport living since the seventeenth century and their descendants had persevered to this day.

Unfortunately, the twenty-first century is rapidly catching up to the people and the community! Downsizing of the fishery, out-migration resulting in an aging population and the lure of a more urbanistic lifestyle in other places has propelled many to consider the alternatives. Some worry about what their kids may be missing while others dwell on what they may have already missed themselves.

Everything in Great Harbour Deep is being discussed more openly these days, scrutinized in fact, about what the future holds for the community. There are some who will undoubtedly remain until the day they die while others have already begun to slowly pack their memories and wait for the physical transformation. As disclosed by one retired gentleman that I spoke with, “I haven’t a clue where we will go from here, we haven’t even thought about that . . . but we know the time is coming and it’s coming fast.” “In a recent poll only 15 percent voted to remain” said the man’s wife, “and some of those people have reconsidered since that time.” “It’s not going to be easy having to pack it in after a lifetime of living here” she said, “it’s such a beautiful place.”

Most of the people are not entirely convinced that they want to leave! They are also not confident that they want to stay either! They are simply addled! They don’t know what to do! Like other outport people, in other bays, along other coastlines, they have been set adrift in a sea of uncertainty. Like other outport people in another era they have been targeted! The only difference is in the design!

Bob Pittman has made up his mind, though! He vows to be the last to leave if it ever comes down to that. The enterprise that he inherited from his father has definitely seen much better times, but Bob hasn’t time to sit around and complain about that. The general store is only a smidgen of what it was in his father Ches’s day and the family fishplant has definitely had more activity. “The motel is the family’s new venture,” said Bob, “and it has the potential of being something special for the future even if it doesn’t replace what we have lost in the past.” “You have to keep looking ahead, he said, because there is no gain in dwelling on what we use to have.” “That will only drive you crazy and I don’t have time for that either!”

As we crest the last wave and begin our ascent above the harbour and head toward the coast, Rick cautiously swings to the right in the direction of the gorge at the bottom of the bay. He has decided to detour the fog in White Bay and make an inland course for Jackson’s Arm. I glance over my right shoulder for a final look and wonder if other field workers will have this spectacular opportunity a decade from now. I wonder... but I dare not ask the question! I am confident, however, that regardless of what happens, the people of Great Harbour Deep have given their best and are to be commended for their efforts.

Meanwhile, in another outport, in another bay, along another coastline people are packing their memories and waiting...



Note: Several years after this article was published in 2002, Great Harbour Deep was permanently resettled.

Life's Journey

Alas! How swift the moments fly!
How flash the years along!
Scarce here, yet gone already by,
the burden of a song.


It has been said that life comes down to a few great moments! Normally the key points of our lives pass uneventfully, leaving us to chase at shadows. Usually we are left to question and evaluate the ebb and flow, the surges and phases of our existence. The times we felt lost. Times of love, sorrow, rebirth and injury! Events that made time stand on end. Events that made a minute seem like an hour and an hour seems like a week.

In ancient times, Plato wrote, "An unexamined life is not worth living." I sometimes reflect upon the moments of my life that have come together brick by brick, layer by layer, to shape the pyramid of my character. Perhaps the most emotionally charged moments for most of us come with the passing of important people in our lives, or the birth of a child, or when the seeds of love are sown, only to vanish like the morning dew into that most magical of all places – the heart.

Other important moments are more perplexing! I often recall feeling the presence of my Guardian Angel when I was a little boy. Recently, my Guardian Angel came back to visit me!

Since time will eventually grind the sum total of our lives to dust, it is important that we identify and cherish the moments that define our personal existence. Moments like the ones I just mentioned! Life’s journey is a short one; if we don't stop and cherish the good things – we will miss them. We must comb through the mundane and rudimentary elements of our daily routines to unearth the hidden jewels that lie beneath the surface. Perhaps these memories are the only jewels we will have at the end of the day. We must remember “always” that the future is merely a set of probabilities based on what we do at any given point in time – the sum of our thoughts, of our habits, our goals, our actions, our beliefs, our desires...

November 1st began as any other uneventful day for me! The usual routine of checking out of another hotel, throwing my luggage in the backseat of the car and hitting the highway for another day on the road had become as habitual as grabbing lunch at the Boardwalk Café’ in Stephenville or watching the evening news at home. In a split second, however, the solid grip of rubber on asphalt gave way to the roller coaster feeling of weightlessness as my car hit black ice and began to incessantly spin to an uncharted destination in a ravine on the lonely Bay d’Espoir Highway! My routine had ended!

After spinning uncontrollably, and flipping more times than I care to remember, I landed upside down with my head partially submerged in black muddy water. Ironically, the sheer joy of being alive and physically mobile presented a mysterious sense of euphoria in my mind. Luckily, the sensation prohibited me from panicking and gave me time to reflect on a lifetime of memories. It was truly a mystifying experience that I may never be able to explain. I was cold, and I was wet, and I was petrified out of my wits, but my will to stick around for a few more years gave me the strength and ingenuity to claw my way out of my predicament.

Being completely submerged in black muddy water with an air pocket that kept getting smaller by the second was absolutely horrific and admittedly terrifying. Releasing my seatbelt provided the option for me to blindlessly flop around until I saw a small shimmering light on the passenger side of the cabin. I repeatedly kicked at the window and luckily punctured a hole large enough to crawl through. With a final gasp I filled my lungs with the last bit of air in the crumpled cabin, closed my eyes, ducked beneath the freezing muddy water and hoped for the best. At that moment I can remember thinking about others special people that have made my life what it is – people that matter so much and they gave me strength enough, in fact, that I could have carried the bloody car to Grand Falls on my back if I had to.

Interestingly, and I cannot explain this, but the few seconds that it took for the car to spin several times on the icy road before graduating to missile status, also allowed me time to reflect. So many memories went through my mind as I bounced from the road... to the shoulder... to the rocks... to the water.

Ironically, that which almost drowned me... may well have been my saving grace! The final landing was incredibly smooth! The seconds it took to arrive at the final destination seemed like an eternity and was as eerie and surreal as traveling back to the future. It was an unbelievable experience not one that I would recommend to others! Not one that I would voluntarily endorse on a slow day!

I finally crawled up the embankment to the highway and paced frantically as I tried to keep warm. I fumbled with my cell phone only to discover that it had not survived the crash. In time a young family came by and slid past me as they tried to stop. I can only imagine the sheer horror on their faces as they turned the corner and saw me standing helplessly on the side of the road. I handed them my business card, apologized for my decrepit state, and mumbled something about having had better hair days. My lame attempt at being humorous!

They helped me into their car, wiped the mud and slime from my face and eyes and turned the heaters on turbo. I was coherent all the way to the hospital, with a sense of humor that suggested I had won that nights lotto jackpot in advance. In fact, it was only later that it occurred to me that I had won a great deal more.

It has been said that life comes down to a few great moments! Normally the key points of our lives pass uneventfully, leaving us to chase at shadows. Usually we are left to question and evaluate the ebb and flow, the surges and phases of our existence. The times we felt lost. Times of love, sorrow, rebirth and injury! Events that made time stand on end. Events that made a minute seem like an hour and an hour seems like a week. Carpe Diem!


See childhood, youth and manhood pass
And age with furrowed brow,
Time was – Time shall be – drain the glass,
But where in time is now?

John Quincy Adams,
"The Hour Glass”

The Old Man and the Sea

The old man and the sea. Regardless of the season, or the weather, or the day of the week, he sits quietly on a big rock between the shore and the endless ocean that begins at the waters edge of Bay St. George. Just sitting, watching, resting, reflecting about his past, perhaps, examining his present, maybe, or simply contemplating his future. Who knows...his thoughts are his own...but the splendor of his surroundings are a catalyst for my own reflections.

The air is charged with the scent of salt and moisture as I walk along the beach near the old man and the sea. I hear him murmur, so I turn my eyes to his weathered form. “Have you ever stood in the sand at the water’s edge”, he asked, “and experienced the power of the waves?” “Interestingly, it’s not the power of the white water around my ankles that makes me lose my balance”, he said, “but the relentless way that the waves keep eroding from beneath the surface”.

My early morning visits to the beach are not unlike those of the old man and the sea. I, too, cherish the serenity of my surroundings as a means of reflecting on my past and contemplating my future. Unlike the old man, though, my thoughts on this morning are consumed more with current issues that affect those of us who strive to make a living in this place.

My thoughts wander from the silence of the ocean roar as the sun’s comforting warmth lulls me into immediate musing about a story aired earlier in the morning on a local radio show. A story about government’s ‘white paper’ review of public post-secondary education in the province.

Theoretically speaking, a white paper review is simply a process for evaluating ‘what is’ as a means of substantiating ‘what should be’. Politically speaking, however, the process has historically been viewed as an opportunity to streamline services and cut government cost.

In today’s fiscal climate, public post-secondary institutions around the country are caught between a rock and a hard place. This is especially true here in Newfoundland and Labrador where both Memorial University (including Sir Wilfred Grenfell College and the Marine Institute) and College of the North Atlantic have had to address substantial budget reductions while continuing to provide adequate service in an extremely competitive marketplace.

In particular, according to the story, College of the North Atlantic has been hard-pressed to provide traditional core instructional services to the students knocking on their doors, let alone attempt to participate in the broader rural development agenda that has been advocated by the William’s administration. Yet it is precisely this agenda - a commitment to rural community development, workforce training, educational access, business development - that can potentially support the province in rebounding from its current quandary.

In an effort to build economic prosperity and create sustainable opportunities, rural communities in this province face an age-old dilemma: they cannot attract or create jobs without an educated workforce and they cannot retain educated workers without a vibrant and healthy economy. College of the North Atlantic, unlike any other institution in the province, is uniquely positioned to address both sides of this dilemma. By building functional partnerships with development organizations, municipalities, and others, the College is already strategically positioned to play a lead role in supporting government’s mandate to build a stronger rural economy through accessible, affordable education, workforce training and community capacity building.

The Newfoundland and Labrador public college system already has the capacity to facilitate and mediate, if necessary, new ways of thinking about rural community development in places that have been traditionally isolated from cutting-edge ideas. It already has the potential to support the start-up and success of local business through entrepreneurship education and small business assistance. It is already uniquely positioned to develop relationships with local industry to provide workforce training and take a more active lead in enhancing regional development initiatives. It has the capacity but it is underutilized!

Many community colleges throughout North America have gone beyond traditional education and training to play an important role in support of local economic development. They are strengthening the foundation for economic development in their communities and regions by building capacity, promoting regional cooperation and supporting small business initiatives. As a widely trusted, politically neutral, provincially-based institution, College of the North Atlantic, in my estimation, is academically endowed and geographically positioned to act as conveners, bringing together leaders from business, government, education, and other community organizations to chart a common regional vision for the future.

If government is serious about stream-lining educational services in this province they must consider eliminating an environment where a potpourri of provincial departments and agencies continue to compete for training funds that were historically allocated to post secondary institutions. The question begs to be asked, for instance, whether government departments and quasi-government agencies are appropriately suited, theoretically mandated, or even philosophically inclined, for that matter, to be building community capacity through education and training. Should this component of the rural development process not be a collaborative approach led by credible educational institutions as opposed to a competitive free-for-all?

Rebuilding devastated communities and revitalizing the regional economy(s) of Newfoundland and Labrador has already proven to be a daunting and difficult task. In addition, the complex arena of competitive players - government, regional economic development boards, municipalities, the university, the college, and others - has not made the process any easier. It takes more than good intentions to rebuild an economy, especially in places that have lost their traditional job base and have no obvious prospects for the future. To survive, and more importantly, to flourish, those communities and regions must develop a new economic core based on distinctive assets that can make them competitive in the larger economy. This requires insight and vision that goes well beyond the traditional community economic development work of recruiting a plant to fill a vacant building.

A new consciousness normally precedes change and that has not yet been fully realized in Newfoundland and Labrador. Simply attempting to revitalize our rural economy through a myriad of haphazard social and economic development initiatives is no different than unleashing a surly bull in a crystal china shop. Broken economies and shattered communities are evidence of this!

Exposure to new and innovative ideas and a raised awareness of a community’s need for new direction is an essential first step in the development process. Providing learning opportunities that both expand a community’s vision and dispenses concrete knowledge of successful practices is absolutely essential. This crucial first step cannot be left to chance, or assimilated in a piecemeal fashion, or undertaken by ill-prepared government agencies, or coordinated by a weak-kneed public post-secondary education system.

The library at Confederation Building is jam-pack with White Paper reviews and departmental evaluations. Some have proven immeasurably beneficial in forging government policy while others have not been worth the paper they are written on. Let’s hope that the current White Paper on Public Post-Secondary Education not only recognizes the fragility of the existing system but also acknowledges the potential benefits of halting the erosion of services as a means of reinvesting in the sustainability of rural communities in this province.

You see, it’s not the power of the white water around our ankles that makes us stumble and fall, but the relentless way that the waves continue to erode from beneath the surface. How can one argue with the old man and the sea?