Fisherman's Road

Time to act, not talk Section: Letters to the editor I agree with letter writer David Boyd of Twillingate ("Fishy deal," Oct. 28) that the little boats of Newfoundland are being starved out of the fishery. But I disagree that the biggest "mind-boggler" of all is that no one speaks up for the outrage. We don't let up about it. There are as many so-called true Newfoundlanders, in terms of rants and roars, as ever. Check the open lines for proof. Hand lines may be empty, but phone lines are as blocked as ever. And there wasn't much to complain about in recent years. Rural Newfoundland did better than ever, the outports practically glowed (streetlights will do that). But Alberta oil only managed to fan an economic spark that was all but out. When Western work tapered off, the outports again looked to the sea. And, once again, the sea fails to provide for them, as does the latest make-work response. The $9-an-hour brush cutters on the Northern Peninsula will att...

Korea National Oil is proposing a $4.1-billion takeover of Harvest Energy Trust, owners of the Come by Chance oil refinery. That $4.1 billion is a far, far cry from the $1 the Placentia Bay refinery was sold for in 1986. You read that right — $1, or four quarters. Come by Chance opened in 1973 to much fanfare. In fact, the world’s much luxurious ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth II, steamed up Placentia Bay for the grand opening with some 1,000 guests on board — guests who could not otherwise be accommodated in the outport. Three years later the refinery went into receivership — at the time, the biggest bankruptcy in Canadian history — with cumulative debts in the order of $500 million, including $42 million owing to the province and another $40 million to the feds. Years earlier, questions over financing of the project had driven young Smallwood cabinet ministers John Crosbie and Clyde Wells out of cabinet and the Liberal caucus. Petro-Canada picked up Come by Chance in 1980 for the fi...

Federal minister's record pathetic LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Telegram I have a fundamental problem with the Sept. 26 letter to the editor by federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea ("Fisheries concerns unfounded") in regards to proposed changes to the NAFO convention - she and her department have no credibility. Zero. I would sooner believe foreign fleets use their nets on the Grand Banks to catch butterflies. Shea, who has been minister for less than a year, argued that Canada would not be pressured or coerced to allow NAFO to either manage stocks inside 200 miles or to allow for weaker conservation measures. At the same time, four retired, toplevel DFO bureaucrats with decades of experience in international fisheries negotiations argue just the opposite. Red flags have been raised and Ms. Shea expects us to trust her inexperience, not to mention her department's pathetic track record in management and conservation. Not binding Ms. Shea wrote that the changes...