Thursday August 21st

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is VOCM Open Line Call seven oh nine two
seven three fifty two eleven or one triple eight five
ninety eight six two six of viewsing opinions of this
programmer not necessarily those of this station. The biggest conversation
in Newfoundland and Labrador starts now. Here's VOCM Open Line

(00:22):
host Paddy Daily. Well, all right and good.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Morning to you. Thank you very much for tuning into
the program. It's Thursday, August the twenty first. This is
Open Line. I'm your host Patty Daily. David Williams, He's
produced the program. You'll be speaking with David when you
pick up the phone to give us a call to
get in the queue, to get on the air. If
you're in the Saint John's metro region. The number of
dialas seven zero nine two seven three five two one
one elsewhere a toll free long distance one eight eight

(00:46):
eight five ninety VOCM, which is eighty six twenty six.
So way to go. Gavin Bags, Paradise resident, of course,
competing in his fourth Canada Games yesterday, picked up he
second medal, this time a gold in the fifteen hundred
meters wheel chi. Apparently he was pretty close going into
the last lap where he just took off, so finally
gaving back sits to the podium not once but twice

(01:07):
in his fourth game, so congratulations to him. Big result
for our women's soccer team against the Sketch one down early,
one nothing, Millie James storms back to score a pair
and we beat Sasketch one two one. Men's softball lines
victory yesterday I think it was seven three over New
Brunswick and the golfers a little bit more of a
mile day for them to play at bally Haley, and

(01:28):
of course did the Caathlon, probably one of the coolest events.
And generally speaking, whether it be at the Olympics, World
Games or at the Canada Summer Games, whoever wins the decathlon,
they get deemed to be the greatest athlete of the Games.
And in this case the the Caathlon wrapped up yesterday
Team combecs Eduard Lafwi Bolio won the Kathlon goal unofficial
title as the greatest athlete in the competition ten different

(01:51):
track and field events. It's pretty grueling stuff and I
think it's pretty credible to say that they might be
the greatest athlete at the Games. When you win that
particular competition, so the games continue today. Good luck to
all hands, especially our young athletes. All Right, wildfire update,
I guess it feels like government updates on a daily
basis are I think of the past for now fair enough.

(02:14):
So we have been told that the Kingston fire, of
course was absolutely massive, did not grow overnight. Patty's Pond
on the Martin Lake fire have been deemed to be
near a containment. So some good news. And it does
feel like we've turned the corner on the wildfires at
this time. So there's a bunch of things. So the
off road vehicle ban has been lifted now the fireban

(02:37):
remains a place until the seventh of September, but you
can indeed use your off road vehicle. The government is
asking for people to be mindful of the conditions where
they choose to go on their whether it be the
quad or side by side dirt bike, minibike, whatever the
case may be. People are also encouraged to have our
fire extinguisher on hand just in case. So you can
go out into the bush today as long as you're

(02:58):
mindful of where you're going to what you're doing. So
I guess some good news on that front. Then I
know it feels premature, but I guarantee you people who
have lost their homes are thinking about what's next. We
mentioned yesterday that as a forty year veteran of the
construction industry talking about how difficult it is going to
be to rebuild. Just inside the Conception Bay North fire,

(03:18):
they're talking about two hundred and three ish structures have
been lost. Basically that they've come to that realization based
on how many structures lost. Power. Okay, now, if you
own one of these homes, my heartbreaks for you. It
really truly does. And everyone's personal loss will be, of course,
very considerable in their own hearts and minds. Then you

(03:40):
think about some of the iconic structures that have been lost.
We can rebuild, but you can't rebuild some of those
people are talking about Crowley House in Okra Pit Cove.
If you've ever been in Ocra Pit Cove, you know
full well what Crowley House is. It was not only
an iconic structure, but it was a heritage building and
stable and garage and it's gone. And the owner very

(04:00):
few people had never been inside Crowley House. But the owner,
Bob Kellen, was talking and his grandfather Otto kelland Anyway,
he was talking about maybe opening up to the public
to have a look at some of the artifacts, including
maybe some of Otto Kellen's stories that he was famous
for building. But it's gone, so those things can't be replaced.
So it's just terrible. Up and down the line, I

(04:22):
hear from people who are part of the evacuation zone
regarding the Kingston fire, of which impacts I think nine
different communities and there and they added a caveat at
the beginning of the email saying, look, I'm not trying
to be greedy here, but I had very little to
nothing when I was evacuated, and talking about the five
hundred dollars to cover incidentals, it's a fair question being asked.

(04:45):
If you were evacuated from a community that was impacted
by the Patty's Pond fire and you're out for three days,
you got the five hundred that someone who's out for
coming on three weeks still the same five hundred dollars.
So they're asking, and in very fair fashion, certainly in
this email they sent me, is that whether or not
a consideration can be addressed by the Premier, who has
said there is no consideration at this moment in time

(05:07):
to see an increase of that five hundred two the
recommended safe from Jim Din of a thousand dollars. So
you want to take it on, we can do it.
And I think more and more people are thinking and
talking about just how should the volunteer firefighters be compensated.
And to a man to a women, they say they
don't get into being a volunteer firefighter just so they
can get paid if indeed something extraordinary like these wildfires happens.

(05:30):
But I think it's a legitimate conversation to talk about
what do you think should be the compensation. We can
offer all the gratitude we like, and we should, but
if people have taken time off works, maybe lost time,
gobbled up some of their own annual leave, to do
what they're doing to help fight these fires, it's admirable
and courageous, to say the very least. Here's some numbers

(05:50):
for context across the country. There's over seven hundred and
twenty wildfires burning in Canada today. And then this is
the breakdown how many firefighters are in the country. And
I would have never guessed this. There's around one hundred
and twenty four thousand firefighters in Canada. Eighty seven thousand
are volunteers, eight of one hundred and one hundred and
twenty four thousand firefighters, So that's pretty amazing stuff. Then, unfortunately,

(06:14):
apparently it's becoming harder and harder to get people to volunteer.
The numbers are declining. And we talked about that exact
same issue yesterday when I referenced to Paul. A survey
about whether or not Canadians think some mandatory service, whether
it be tutoring kids who working at the national parks,
is a smart conversation to have and surprisingly a lot

(06:35):
of Canadians, a slim, a majority of Canadians it's a
good idea. Now, I think mandatory service in the military
is a step way too far. But you know, volunteer
hours of volunteer commitment are really dropping across the country.
I guess it kind of started with the pandemic and
it has not recovered to the levels that we saw,
say in twenty eighteen. But for the volunteer firefighters, what

(06:56):
do you think then there's an issue regarding the election.
I'm not surprised this has come to bear. Paul in
and he joice too. Independent members have written a letter
to the premiere asking for the legislature to be reopened
and for a motion passed to move past the October
fourteenth deadline to have a provincial election. You know, the
distinct reference to those who've been impacted in the displaced

(07:18):
by the fires, and people possibly in no mood for
an election. And I'll leave it up to you whether
or not you think that's a good idea. But when
we talk about, you know, give the problems some time
to recover from these wildfires, get the clean up going,
entertaining conversations about rebuilding those types of affairs, my question
would be, and I don't disagree that that's a reasonable

(07:38):
request from mister Lane and mister Joyce, but how long
would you actually have to wait for it to be
the right time, whatever the right time might be. I
don't disagree with the assertion that there's going to be
plenty of people impacted by the fires that really aren't
thinking about an election, really aren't thinking about politicians, really
aren't thinking about having to engage with someone who's quote

(07:59):
unquote knocking on your door that's now been burnt to
the ground. But there you go. You want to take
it on, we can do it. And thankfully the RCMP
continue to investigate the cause of the fires, whether it
be the Kingston fire and a couple of fires that
have popped up around twilling Gate. And if you know
who's responsible, if that's the case, that these are the
result of arson, if you know and someone does, if

(08:21):
someone lit these fires on purpose and they got out
of control of the extent which we've seen, someone knows
about it and do the right thing. They might have
burnt your house down, They might have burnt your nanny's
house down. So there you go, all right, moving on,
but sticking with law enforcement. And this is a really
good idea. I think there's announcement yesterday come from Chief
pat Roach and the Premiere regarding public safety. Curiously, I

(08:45):
have a friend of mine who lives in Ottawa and
has asked me several times over the years, why don't
we have things like special constables working with the r
and C so that fully sworn police officers can do
fully sworn police officer work. So apparently there is a
pot of program coming. They're going to spend two point
two million dollars over the next three years, and then
of course there will be modeled after Ottawa and Winnipeg

(09:08):
so this makes a lot of sense to me. So
these special Constables are going to get ten week training
program beginning in the winter of twenty twenty six. Then
there's four weeks of on the job training with the RNC,
and they'll be doing things like supervising detained individuals, guarding
crime scenes, performing traffic controller at accident scenes, because and
completing some administrative duties. All makes sense, just think about it.

(09:31):
I think this is one of the examples offered by
the chief is if there's a serious collision or an
overturn tractor trailer on the highway that might take eight
ten hours to remove to get traffic flowing again, that's
a good job for a special constable as opposed to,
as they call them, a fully sworn police officer. What
do you think Sticking with crime and punishment this time

(09:53):
at the bench the judges of the country, well not
all the judges, So there's been an independent body created
some oil back called the Compensation and Benefits Commission. They
have a request from Superior court judges, Federal court judges
and the Supreme Court at Canada justices looking for a
sixty thousand dollars top up to their base salaries. It

(10:14):
happened back in two thousand and six as well, and
then Prime Minister Stephen Harper rejected it, talking about the
economic reality of the time. These conclusions and recommendations are
not binding, but here's what they put forward. The commission
concluded the base salary most federal judges should rise from
three hundred and ninety six one thousand, seven hundred dollars
to four hundred and twenty four thousand, seven hundred dollars,

(10:36):
both salaries of most chief Justices rising from four hundred
and thirty five thousand dollars to four hundred and sixty
five thousand, seven hundred dollars. At the Supreme Court, the
chief Justice salary would increase from five hundred and ten
thousand dollars to five hundred and forty six thousand dollars,
while the other eight justices get a thirty three thousand
dollars boost, and that salary would then become five hundred
and five thousand, seven hundred dollars. The conclusions also come

(11:01):
with some commentary saying that the pay raise is required
so that they have the best, in the brightest private
sector lawyers to apply for these positions on the bench.
All right. They go on to say the average salary
amongst senior private sector lawyers who could reasonably aspire to
a role, their salary could exceed seven hundred thousand dollars.
So I suppose that makes sense. But this is all

(11:23):
about the concept of judicial independence. So government doesn't have
a whole lot of options here, do they like in
this province, there was a back and forth between provincial
judges and the government about pay raises. But if we
think that traditional independence is important, and it is, we
can't get into the realm of how it's operated south
of the border. But what does government do here? Because

(11:45):
if you don't follow the recommendations, and even if you do,
that's for it's damned if you do, damned if you don't,
because there's always going to be the consideration in some
people's minds that the bench has been politically weaponized, even
though I think a lot of that is grossly exaggerated.
But that's the pay raise conclusion coming from the Compensation
and Benefits Commission, And it is important that it not

(12:07):
be left to the whim of politicians to decide how
judges on Superior Court, Supreme Court and federal courts get paid.
What do you think? All right? How are we doing?
Not today? Every now and then I get an email
from someone talking about the fact that someone belonged to them,
a loved one who has a last will and testament
and the first person chose to be an executor is

(12:28):
failing to complete his or her duties. I get these
emails every now and then. So there's a few things
that can be done. And in this case, the email
yesterday was regarding a very fundamental, straightforward will. So issues
if and when the appointed executor fails to fulfill their
duties it could have of course delay a state distribution,

(12:49):
financial penalties, possibly beneficiary disputes for sure, and some legal liability.
So what can you do if the executor fails to
complete their duties? First off, you got to get legal advice, right,
but you can file a formal complaint with the court
system to legally compel the executor to produce all the
count records, whether it be detailing of assets and debts

(13:10):
and distribution actions. How do you replace an executor in
Canada and when is it necessary? So there is a
legal process. You file a formal application with the court
along with all the supporting evidence. You give notice of
the applicant to beneficiaries and other parties of interest. You
participate in the court hearing where both sides will have
the opportunity to plete their cases. Then you go down
through the process of selecting a new executor. So right

(13:33):
off the bat, there are serious complications that come when
an executor has absolutely performed this negligent treatment of a
lastiple and testament. First off, you get the legal advice
and then you go through the formal process of filing
an application with the courts to see the executor either
removed or to lay a fire under said executor to

(13:53):
do his or her job as they should. Someone I
wanted me to bring that up. Happy to do it
all right, Just get into little bit of housing. And
this is about rent. The numbers aren't encouraging here in
this province. Here we go. Rent rows by seven point
eight percent in this province and that's the highest in
the country. Second on the list five point six percent

(14:14):
in PI and four point seven percent in British Columbia.
Oh boy. So Larry Short, who's often interviewed he's a
financial advisor on these types of matters, pointed to the
fact and this is interesting he says, you know, and
we know this to be true when some of the
megaprojects come to roost, and whether that be oil or
what have you, it does have a distinct impact on

(14:35):
the price of homes and the real estate market in
this province. Still, the average price for home in this
province is lower than any other province in the country.
I believe that to be true. But rent he makes
a specific reference to hydrade development, which of course would
be the memorandu of understanding between ourselves and Quebec, and
he's kind of seems and sounds like he believes it's

(14:57):
going to come and it looks a lot like it
ill and we can absolutely have that conversation. What also
comes on the heels of these types of stories regarding
rent increases, and that's a huge increase, absolutely huge increase
seven point eight percent, people will automatically go to the
thought or the concept of rent control. There's lots of
pretty good arguments for and against rent control, but this

(15:19):
is getting completely out of hand to think that we're
going to see, let's say, for instance, hypothetically the MoU
becomes ten or twelve definitive agreements by April of next
year and then all the work begins. There's no possible
way to see any significant infusion of supply in that
amount of time. So no question, that's seven point eight percent.

(15:41):
If the hypothetical comes to pass next April, that's going
to see another big increase. It just simply will. It's
just the way the economy works in so far as
the basic concept of supplying demand. So where do we
go from here? It's already out of control for so
many people. So whether it be a different approach to
a stress test regarding more, whether we need to absolutely

(16:02):
do more in the way of building units and encouraging
numbers even inside some of the bleak numbers in the
economic update, housing starts this year as of I think
it was last month two thousand and six, nowhere near
the numbers we need to build. But that rent increased
story is inevitably going to bring about the conversation of
rent control. What do you think? All right, let's keep going.

(16:23):
This one coming from Jim dinnan, And we've heard this
conversation many, many, many times. He's asking for permanent job
offers to be offered to nursing grads. Absolutely, you know,
I heard the stories all the time, my son or
daughter is in nursing school and the only offer they
have is for a casual, part time and it has
to be in the long term care facility. The Registant

(16:44):
Nurses Union has risen this flag many many times. There's
really no good argument other than potential cost savings to
not offer graduates permanent full time jobs. I mean, we
need them. If we're talking about reducing our alliance on
travel nurses. One sure fire away is that every single
graduate from a nursing school gets captured. That's that's the

(17:04):
wrong word, is brought into the fold with a permanent
full time job. Because you know full well, if I
have a student loan or I'm looking for some job
security into the future, and someone from Halifax or Digby
Nova Scoti she says, I have a permanent, full job,
full time job for you here, then what's the likely
of them leaving. It's probably higher than if they were

(17:24):
offered a permanent, full time job in their home province,
So I think that's probably wise. And then yesterday a
pretty wise scholar once again talk about nurse practitioners and
the need for them to be in the private sector,
open up their own clinic, and to build MCP. She
made the analogies work quite clearly and succinctly. If I
see a nurse practitioner at the emergency room at the

(17:44):
Health Science the Center, I don't have to pay. Right
if I go to a collaborative care clinic and end
up speaking with and dealing with or get consulted by
a nurse practitioner, I don't have to pay. So what's
the difference as opposed to going to Saint Clair's is
to go down on the Marching Road to a private
clinic to see the same professional with the same qualifications
and not have to pay. I think she made the
points very clearly and it's succinctly. As I said, all right,

(18:08):
so there's lots of floating around that we could talk about.
But I'm told the Prime Minister is in town today,
so apparently, and I don't know if the official itinerary
has been released yet by the Prime Minister's office, but
Mark Karney is going to be in Saint John's today.
What would be on the agenda, Let's help set it,
so a bunch of things, you know, whether it be

(18:29):
any further conversation or information about things like the proposed
East West Energy Corridor, which that conversation goes back to
John D. F. Baker, and nothing's ever happened, and it
should will it be any conversation regarding potential federal involvement
in Beta Nord. And remember that's one of the sticking
points for sure, is that articulated to the United Nations

(18:52):
says quite clearly, outside our economic protective zone, there will
indeed have to be royalties paid to as they call
developing nations. The contrary signed on it. What the province
did not. The a couple of years ago said they're
not interested in paying it and leaving up to the province,
and the problems fought back and said, hey, you signed it,
you should pay. Is that on the agenda And then
of course the obvious the fixed link, whether or not

(19:14):
you think it's a good or bad idea. The Federal
Liberal government has put it in the hands of the
Canadian Infrastructure Bank, has called it in successive letters mandate
letters to ministers that it is a nation building project,
which is exactly what Bill C five was speaking to
shove already nation building projects. I didn't deem it that
the federal Liberal government did. Is that on it. We
also have a guard challenge on't going regarding equalization. I

(19:38):
don't know where that's going to land, but is that
part of the conversation. You know, the government here has
been pretty vocal about how the formula works, and of
course people will lay that at the feet of the
same for instance, the Trudeau Liberal government. And of course
that equalization formula that's being used today was created by
the Conservatives, even though Jason Kenny when he was the

(19:58):
Premier Valberta would rail again it's trude though about the
Equalization FORUMULU when Jason Kenny was a senior Minister of
the Crown sitting in the room when the Equalization FORMULU
was created and passed and implemented. Fascinating. We're on Twitter
or reveosim up alone follow us there, oh, very quickly.
It's been ninety days since there was a House of
Assembly resolution for immediate creation of a disability advocate. Over

(20:21):
thirteen hundred days since the Accessibility Actor was put in
for US, zero standards in place. When is that going
to happen. We're taking your emails. It's open on a
fiosim dot com. When we come back, let's have a
great show. The only way that's going to work is
if you're in the que to talk about whatever's on
your mind, don't go away. Welcome back to the show.
A couple of very quick comments. So I've been told
that people who are scheduled to receive the kind of

(20:42):
disability benefit, which is indeed today August twenty first, have
not received it. So we'll send up a quick note
to one of the constituentscy assistants that we know to
see if we can't get some information for you quick.
Another quick one, so mention that Jim dinnis talking about
nursing grads being offered full time jobs. And then someone
writes an email with a fair point of saying, how

(21:03):
about we also consider offering permanent full time jobs to
those who are currently casual nurses. Now, not all the
casual nurses won a full time job. Many of them
have turned it down. There was a I think a
three thousand dollars bonus to join the permanent full time ranks.
Very few took the offer. Why because they have more
flexibility and scheduling, what have you. But I'll put that
back out their fuel. That's got to line number one.
To begin the show this morning with the independent member

(21:24):
of the House of Assembly, Mount Pearl, Southlands. That's Paul
Lane and Paul you're on the air.

Speaker 3 (21:30):
Good morning, Patty. How are you this morning doing?

Speaker 2 (21:32):
Okay? Phone line's terrible to day? What each buck should
we do? Can we call it Paul back? Yeah, let's
do that. David will take over there. See what can't
clear that up? So that is a fair point. But
I guess we should try to get the numbers from
the Retched Nurses Union to bat Coffee or her support staff,
because when we were talking about all the different incentives
and bonuses that were put forward, whether it be for

(21:52):
family doctors and set our practice in more rural parts
of the province with massive, massive bonuses if they have
a full patient roster, those types of things. But there
absolutely was an incentive offer to casual nurses to join
the permanent, full time ranks. And again, one of the
things you hear from nurses, registered nurses that is in
this conversation is that as much as we talk about pay,

(22:16):
it's the atmosphere in the workplace and the inability to
get time off when you need time off. So that's
you know, add that to the fact that we do
know and we've heard from individual nurses many many times,
is that there's something disconcerting when you're working shoulder to
shoulder with the travel agency nurse who's making at least
double what you're making. So there's a lot too that

(22:37):
will add the casual nurses into the conversation. No problem
at all. Let's say we have a better line on
line one with Paul Paul Lane around the air.

Speaker 3 (22:44):
Good morning, Patty, how are you this morning?

Speaker 2 (22:45):
Doing? Okay? Thanks?

Speaker 3 (22:46):
How about you? Good good? I just had to step outside.
That was in the water velly high inside did Jim
working with the Canada Games found hearing and so anyway,
I stepped outside. I hope you hear me better. That's
better now, Okay, that's good, Patty. I just wanted to,
I guess expand a little on your preamble and and

(23:08):
I guess what myself and Eddie had written to the
premiere before I do. Though, I just want to just
take one quick second just to say to the people
of Conception Baying North in particular, uh that certainly my
heart goes out to them, and I'm sure we will
all pull together and there's anything that we can do
to help them with get through this. I know we

(23:29):
will as a province. I know it's a great worry
and a great loss from any but we're certainly thinking
of them, and also to all the firefighters and uh
and search and rescue and force, your workers and and
you know, plane operators and so on, pilots and so on,
everyone that's involved in fighting this fire. We just want

(23:50):
to I just want to, you know, again, join with
everyone and thanking them for all their great work and
h and we certainly commend them all for what they're
doing and we hope they all stay safe. Anyway, With
that said, I guess, as you had mentioned in your preambo,
myself and Eddie about a week or two ago, uh,

(24:11):
we had written the Premiere and just to be clear,
you know, I absolutely recognized as the Premier's call in
terms of when the next election is going to be,
and we're not certainly we certainly recognize that, but we
just had suggested to him that he may want to
give some consideration, uh, you know, to possibly move the

(24:35):
election if necessary, and if that was something that he
was wanted to do and was willing to do, we
would certainly support that. And uh and and for the
reasons that I gave I guess to your colleagues here
at the ocm uh you know the timing of it
as a released to the wildfires, and you know, I
think it's important to note here that I know quite

(24:56):
often when elections get called by the government of the day,
unfortunately it's more of a political calculus than anything else.
And that doesn't matter. That's regardless of which party is
in power. Of course, it really should be about watching
the best interests of the province and of the people.
And myself and Eddie have no horse in this race
where independent members in my district was impacted at one

(25:20):
point with the Patty's fan fire in terms of people
in Southlands being on alert. Thank god that's ended and
everything seems to be going in the right direction there,
so we're fine. And if the Premier want to call
an election tomorrow, it wouldn't matter to me. I'm still
going to do my thing and in my district. Then
I'll let the people of Mount Pearl Southlands decide whether
they want me to continue or if they don't. So

(25:43):
there's no political advantage or gain in this for me whatsoever.
We're simply motivated by wanting to do what is the
right thing. What isn't the best interests of the people. So,
you know, I think it would be great if Tony
Wakem gymmed in third leaders of the three parties. Maybe

(26:05):
they've already done that. I don't know, you know, maybe
they should sit down, size up the situation where we're
two with the fires. What's going to be required once
the fire, once all fires are under control and hopefully out,
and make that determination as to whether it's going to
be you know, in everyone's best interest to carry on
with the election before October fourteenth or on October fourteenth,

(26:28):
or whether it should be delayed by a month or two.
And they could quite easily do that. We could open
the House Assembly. It could be done in an hour.
We don't need all members there. I think there's only
ten members required to be a quarm as an example.
We can also use virtual technology as we did in COVID.
So it could be done if the will was there

(26:51):
to do it and everybody agreed it was the right
thing to do. So we're simply just we're simply throwing
it out there as a suggestion to get together and
make that, you know, make that decision and do it
in the best interests of the people, not based on
what you think your political fortunes are going to be
by calling ushead a particular.

Speaker 2 (27:11):
Time, it's fair enough. The question would be, you know,
delayed until when, because the remnants of the fire and
the clean up and people's mental mindset, it's not going
to be one or two months. It's going to be
a long time before the so called smoke is cleared
here in full. So I get where you're coming from,
but I just don't really know when, because we also,

(27:35):
I think for the most part, voters don't want a
winter election. I mean that jeopardizes, you know, or increases
voter apathy, and you never know what's going to happen
in the winter time regarding storms, what have you. So
I just wouldn't even know when to circle on the
calendar would be better, even though I don't just view
your summary point here. But I think the next logical
question would be if not now when?

Speaker 3 (27:56):
Yeah, no, I totally understand that, and you know, maybe
maybe you know it would be determined that you know
that we would just need an additional month or two
or whatever. And if it's if it's determined that as longer,
so be it. You know, I'm not going to I'm
not going to throw out any particular date. Again, what
all myself and Eddie are suggesting is that really the

(28:17):
three leaders would get together in a non partisan way
to look at things and say, you know, is it
really you know, based on where we're two at this
point in time, based on an election has to happen
by October fourteenth? Is that a reasonable time frame now
because people are going to be out knocking on doors,
but people are out knocking on doors now and so on,

(28:39):
is that really the best time to be doing it?
Or it's something we need to push ahead a month
or two or whatever to get us in a better space.
Hopefully the fire We anticipate that the fires will be
under control by that time. We anticipate that, you know,
people will be back in their communities by that time,
or at least you know that that assistance will be
offered by that time, and they'd be in a better

(29:01):
space to move forward. Again, it's just a suggestion. I
don't tell myself and Eddie, we don't tell the premier
what to do. It's his call. We're just simply saying
that if all the leaders wanted to get together and
felt it was in the best interests of the people
to delay, then we would certainly support that as independent
members because we are simply motivated to do what is

(29:24):
in the best interests of the people involved. And again
that does not involve the people in my district. It
doesn't involve the people in Eddie's district. We have no
horse in the race. Just want to do the right
thing by the people.

Speaker 2 (29:36):
That's it understood and appreciate the time.

Speaker 3 (29:38):
Thanks Paul, Thank you, Patty, have great day you too,
Bye bye, good bye.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
Yeah. So quick email out of the corner of my
eyes saying what did I say about the disability Advocate?
I simply rhymed off some numbers that I think the
consensus amongst our elected officials is that there is a
requirement for a Disability's advocate. What that mandate might look
like when compared to the Child and Youth Advocate the
Senior's Advocate, remains to be seen, but the numbers are
pretty clear. Ninety days since there was a resolution passing

(30:06):
in the House of Assembly for immediate creation of a
disability Advocate. And I know as the days roll on
that issues pop up, wildfires and otherwise, but it has
been ninety days, and it's thirteen hundred days since the
Accessibility Act in force and zero standards in place. So
those are some numbers for consideration. Somewhere in the neighborhood
a third of the population is disabled. And then it

(30:28):
was comment I made about the Disability Candada the disability
disabilities benefit being sent out. It is the date. Got
a bunch of emails in rapid fire successions saying it's
not till the twenty seventh. The Government of Canada's websites
say that the KINDA Disability Benefit payment dates are July seventeenth,
August twenty one, September eighteenth, October sixteenth, November twenty and
December eighteenth. That's the best I could do to find

(30:49):
those dates. Let's see here. Today's good day to get
on the show. Topic entirely up to you. I know
some people are hesitant to talk about something other than wildfires,
and I get that, but there's still a ton of
stuff going on that we can absolutely talk about. We
can offer our hearts and minds and gratitude to first responders,
and we can talk about the folks who were evacuated.

(31:10):
But there's also a plethora of issues that are up
for discussion on the show. If you're in and around
town seven zero nine two seven three five two one
one elsewhere A total free long distance one eight eight
eight five nine d VOCM, which is eighty six twenty six.
We're taking a break and then we're coming back. Welcome
back to the show. Sorry light number one, Mike around
the air. Morning Petty, Good morning to you, Hebby.

Speaker 4 (31:33):
I there's a person in the community oh here where
I live to and he's old to drunk all the
time he's driving. I report them now about a dozen times.
A lot of other people report them. I've seen it
coming into service station with a dozen beer and open
it upright in front the station. I saw him drunk

(31:54):
now four times in the last week or so. And
I'm not talking about just having a couple of beers.
I'm talking about loud, can't send up drunk. I met
him one day coming around and turned and he was
over two feet on the other side of the road.
I saw him yesterday anyway, passed along by my place,
and he happened. He goes through the service station and

(32:15):
gets beer. Then on the way home he gotta pass
along by the road that di'mond, which is a cab road.
He comes in one and goes to together, but he
lets his dog run to gravel road the cabra road,
and his dog slows down. He books the dog with
the car who drive from mom. Anyway, he's drinking beer
all the time. I saw him throwing the beer cans

(32:37):
the window, so I reported to police because he was
going run his Dogatoritary clomb thirsday. Had plenty of time
to get here between this and his home, so that
goes good enough. I called him that whatever. Anyway, he
finally went out of the road, so I was back

(32:58):
the road aways the yeld and I was watching him. Anyway,
he went towards his home, so I called and told
him where he was to nudding, and they had plenty
of time to get from different the detachment. Anyway, he
went down in the community where he was Sue, so
I had to go down to the post office. I
noticed she wasn't there, so he said, he's still driving

(33:19):
around somewhere in the community.

Speaker 3 (33:20):
I called him back.

Speaker 4 (33:23):
I think that was three times or something. I called
him then. Anyway, I didn't know where he was Sue
or whatever, and I was down doing a bit of
working at and whatever, and the couple people. Another fellow
told me that some people in the community and he
hits it. We saw him the other day, he said
a lot of drunk to overtalk of the day. And anyway,

(33:46):
later on I was driving by place and I saw
him in this other person's house, so I reported him again.
I said, he's a built a thousand of peter so
away from his home, and this officer called me up there.
Then answer phoned in. I was like, well, how do
you know he was drinking right saucy to me and

(34:11):
getting on with this stuff. And he said, you're well,
He said, he's.

Speaker 5 (34:15):
Not doing nothing now, is he.

Speaker 4 (34:18):
I said, no, he's not doing nothing there now. But
I said, you got to get home. And anyway, I
got the attitude that I got from the police officer
was ridiculous, totally anotherly ridiculous. And this man is down
there for some reason or other. The melodies will not
get him now. At the same time, two or three

(34:39):
weeks ago, they forgot a casse report about me drinking.
They set up down the road from where I was
to They waited for over two hours inside the road.
As soon as I hauled it on the road. They
pulled me over. I wasn't drinking or nothing, and they
just got me short drive the registraction and then he lied

(35:01):
to me about why they were there. I know that
I was reported, and I know who reported me. But anyway,
the thing is that this person has been down there
now for years, drinking, driving just about every day of
the week, and they have not done nothing.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
If you see him go into the if they won't sure,
if you see him going too the gas station to
pick up a box of beer, why don't you just
park right behind his vehicle until the police show up
or something like that.

Speaker 4 (35:31):
I don't know if you're allowed to or whatever. But well,
he might not be drunk in because he just opened
up one but about the service station. He might not
be drunk in, but he's driving down the road in
the next half hour, so he probably is. And he's
drinking and driving, so you know it'd be difficult or
something like that. I was thinking about that, like if
you're baring the road off or something, but then a

(35:54):
game can turn around and get back. You know, you're
you're looking for a confrontation, right, Yeah, And I don't
mind with him.

Speaker 2 (36:01):
Trunk driving all right, Mike, let's have a conversation. You
talk our talk, you talk kur talk. So dunk drunk
driving is a scourge, I believe. Just the AIRCMP alone
in twenty twenty four, I think they laid somewhere close
three hundred and fifty drunk driving arrests. And I don't
know what the RNC numbers are, but you know they've
got to be massive too, And let's just all be honest.

(36:24):
Regardless of how many charges are laid, it's probably does
you know, ten times more got away with it. And
you know, a lot of this might be able to
be boiled back to alcoholism. But there are so many
people willing to put their life, in my life on
the line because they're willing to get behind the wheel drunk. Look,

(36:44):
when people are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs,
good decisions are hard to come by. But boy, oh boy,
the amount of people that are willing to get behind
the wheel and they're absolutely three sheets of the wind
is wild.

Speaker 3 (36:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (36:58):
Well, like you said, I don't no, boy, this particular
fella hasn't been Uh. The people around the community teach
that he's an apartment for the police down the police
eviting or something that you got some connection there or
something somewhere of Boy, they don't have them. Like the
number of complaints about them, I know there's dozen't. And

(37:20):
I've called him I don't know how many times whenever
I see him drunk. But if he sees me, now
he knows that I'm going to report when he's drunk,
and then he takes off from home. But yesterday, like
I said, he was then around the whole community yesterday
for hours, driving around a load of drunk.

Speaker 2 (37:39):
If you can prove that someone was behind the wheel,
the police now have the right in this country to
go into your house after you've left your vehicle and
still charge you. We could talk about the fairness of that,
but that's something that's a real thing.

Speaker 4 (37:55):
Yeah, well, I'll tell you something now about this. So
his son's beat out of a car in front of
his house, beat the windows out, Peter Hidler's out. Basically
he destroyed the car, left downside road in front of
his house, and his son painted on the side the car.
What kind of a faller gets his sons addicted to coke?

(38:18):
And this is the type person that you're dealing with
that's now drink drink and drunk all the time. He's
a despicable character to me. And I don't know why
the police are not doing anything, but they're not. I've
got to complain in now to the RSP commission. But
the sergeant down there and I came back from they

(38:40):
said that I got a legitimate complaint and they're investigating,
but they're going to take wachs for it. But the
attitude of what's down there in that attachment, and with
the attitude of that sergeant there's supposed to run in
chargement or whatever, I think they's don't help a lot
to be desired as a guards to a peace officer.

(39:02):
And Lowy, you've got no problem with them. Long they
lower their heads off and I got proved. But two
and he's gonna be brought up with the commission.

Speaker 2 (39:11):
Ok.

Speaker 4 (39:11):
Two officers from my house, twelve attacking a night and
lying to me whatever I'm body cameras.

Speaker 2 (39:20):
Point taking and understood, I'm late further break, Michael. I
appreciate the time, and hopefully every time anybody reports suspected
drunk driver that there's some action taking, because it could
be me or my wife, for my kids, or you
or Dave Williams or someone that's important to me that
ends up in a collision with someone who's loaded drunk.
To use your word, Mike, I appreciate the time. Thanks

(39:40):
a lot.

Speaker 4 (39:41):
All right, thank you.

Speaker 2 (39:42):
Okay, you're welcome. Bye bye. All right. Uh let's see here,
let's take a break. When we come back, we're talking traffic. Oh,
just a couple of quickies that have come to my attention.
And let's go here with the fairies. So art is
reporting that the officers were walking off the vessel the
Fairy of Servant Bell Island this morning. Suspension is offered
for non unit related issues, talk about morale and the

(40:04):
management inside Marine Services. So apparently that happened this morning.
So if anyone on Bell Island will like to chime in,
please do also we'll get too deep into it. But
for people out in the Humber Valley area, whether you
live there or have visited in the recent past, give
some idea about what you're seeing regarding the damage or
the devastation being left behind by the white tussock moth caterpillar.

(40:24):
Apparently they're out there in droves and they have chewed
through an awful lot of the force and it's only
going to see greater numbers into the future. We're thinking
of that a little bit. But let's take a break,
don't go away, welcome back to the show. Let's go
to line number two and take the more to the
War three councilor here in the city, Saint John's. That's
Greg Knows Rethy. Greg, you're on the air.

Speaker 3 (40:43):
Good morning, Patty. How are you today?

Speaker 2 (40:44):
That's a bad it all? How about you?

Speaker 6 (40:46):
Not so bad?

Speaker 7 (40:47):
My friend's nice day and smoke is holding off.

Speaker 3 (40:49):
You can't be better, really can't be better?

Speaker 2 (40:51):
Yeah, it looks nice. Looking forward to getting out in.

Speaker 7 (40:53):
It, absolutely so, Patty. I just want to talk about
a couple of things going on in the city here. First,
just want to let everybody know, of course that the
Old News is going to be closing, and that's actually
next week, this coming Thursday, and it's got a couple
events to market off. Next Wednesday. There's going to be
a free welcome Everybody's Welcome swim from four to five

(41:14):
and then another one five to six, lane and leisure swimming. Again,
these are all free. There's also going to be a
lane and leisure swim on Thursday and free aquatic fitness
class we've got racquetball and there's also going to be
in this one's pretty exciting. I'm excited for a free
dog swim. So we'll allow folks to take their pops
into the pool as we decommission the pool and have

(41:36):
one final swim. It's gonna be a great, great time
and marking off half a century of memories there at
the Old News.

Speaker 2 (41:45):
Yeah, I mean the docs then sounds like a bit
of fun. I would imagine they'll allow for some of
the chemical treatment of the water to wane before we
let the pops in there. Even though you can put
a pop in your backyard pool, even if you've got
the pH levels addressed and the gloring levels and all
the rest of it. But it is really irritating on
the eyes.

Speaker 7 (42:01):
Absolutely, and you know, we always make sure that everything's
as safe as it can. But of course, you know,
folks are reminded, you know, give your papa rints just
you know, they're not used to these types of things,
and it's always good to keep them in mind. And
of course then we got the New News is going
to open up September fifteenth, which I'm really excited for.
I know a lot of folks are chat with a
gentleman last night was talking about how he's made a

(42:22):
group of friends. They go first swim once a week
and then they go out for breakfast together and they're
looking forward to the to the new one and it's
all mind, it's going.

Speaker 6 (42:28):
To be great.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
What's the timeline for the old mules to go by
the way side to go? I don't mean closer activities,
I mean to be torn down or repurposed or what's
the actual plan.

Speaker 7 (42:38):
Yeah, so we're looking at that now. The facility itself
is being decommissioned, of course, and then the next question
is how do we make best use of the site,
whether it's the building and the land itself or just
the land. So our very staff are looking at that
and what makes the most sense. It's a pretty centralized
area in the city, of course, being right next to
money Pond, so we've got to take a real critical

(43:00):
eye here, you know, whether it's for programming or something else.
So we're in that process right now.

Speaker 2 (43:07):
Okay, fair enough, because you know, when that type of
activity takes place, it comes with a lot of ramifications
for the surrounding neighborhood. So we'll see when the timelines
become more evident.

Speaker 7 (43:16):
Anything else you want to talk about this morning, Greg, Yes,
it's absolutely so just want to let folks know. Of
course too, we've got the bridge rehabilitation work on the
Columbus Draws overpass there over water for Bridge Road, so
that's going to be starting next Tuesday, the twenty six
and that's going to go right until summer twenty twenty six,
so next year. So the work this year is primarily
on sidewalks and median and some work underneath the overpass

(43:39):
and then we'll kind of work on the repaving of
the overpass portion next year. But as a result, there's
going to be some pretty significant traffic impacts for the
next little while. So next Tuesday, eastbound traffic on Columbus
between Say Tops and Babels Road is going to be
reduced to one lane. And then as well on water
for Bridge Roads, we'll have a portion there the Waterford

(44:00):
Hospital right over to the Tower Corporate campus thereby Corpus
Crecy that's also going to be reduced. So I just
want to let folks know. You know, if you're in
a rush or something like that, plan and alternate ruts,
make sure you're taking ample time, get out an extra
five ten minutes if you've got to get to work.
We try to minimize as much as we can these impacts,
but it certainly will have an impact on traffic in

(44:22):
the area.

Speaker 2 (44:23):
It's interesting to bring it up today and some pretty
busy spots, like when they're working on places like Cammot Road,
and I'll mention that because that's where I work. Is
the thought about doing it at night. So I know
there's a city by law that says you cannot do
roadwork at night. But when we talk about rush hour
implications people getting to work in the morning and trying
to get home in the evening and some of the
logjams treated because of roadwork. Look, on one hand, we

(44:45):
want the roadwork, don it. On the other hand, we
complain what it delays our travel. So any conversation amongst
you and your colleagues about whether or not a reconsideration
of being able to do roadwork at night, which would
be much easier for the work.

Speaker 7 (44:56):
In public, Yeah, definitely something that I'm very much j
open to, and I know some of my colleagues also
are part of the conversation a lot of times, and
a lot of folks actually what it would do ABC
or D. A lot of times it comes down to
capacity issues too, if you think about whether it's our crews,
and you know, we have limited resources of course with
our crews, and so do local companies that we can

(45:18):
track out, So there is always a capacity question whether
they actually have the equipment, the personnel who are trained,
and the insurance and everything to be able.

Speaker 4 (45:27):
To do it.

Speaker 7 (45:28):
So it's definitely a bit more of a broader conversation,
I think than what most people really think about when
they think, uh, night traffic, you know, and night construction,
those types of things. Definitely again something I'm open to,
but we also do have to be mindful of what
that means for budget implications and timelines and all that.

Speaker 2 (45:46):
Sure, and I think it would probably only be our
most appropriate when we talk about the seriously high volume
areas like chemo like tops of road, like portions of
the portrait called road tour by road place like that,
Because if I'm doing roadwork on and this avenue or
of the course of the summer whatever whatever, you know,
there's ways to avoid nis avenue. There's no big deal
with slowing down. So that's why I throw it out

(46:08):
because the caller yesterday called on that exact issue.

Speaker 7 (46:11):
No, and that's totally fair and completely fair, It really
really is. And you know, you made a good point.
If it's in this avenue, if it's you know, Counant Avenue,
if it's these side streets, wherever it is. You know,
a lot of streets in the city are designed for
people to also live on. So I did hear from
one gentleman who you know, had a bit of a
scary situation where there was a line painting crewis out

(46:32):
and a couple of cars just kind of you know,
you're in a rush, I understand, but taking an extra
few seconds just to get around traffic and make sure
everyone's safe is really important. So be mindful just when
you're out on the road. If you see cruiser out
there and they've got their signs, there's a reason that
they're there making sure that everyone's as safe as it
can be. We've got pedestrians, cyclists, you know, my mom

(46:52):
walks the roadway quite a bit u account heights, for example,
We've got a lot of work up in there. Let's
just keep those folks in mind as we're getting around.
And of course you can leave five minutes early and
then we'll make all the difference and you won't have
to worry about this always.

Speaker 2 (47:03):
Well, gregor appreciate the time.

Speaker 3 (47:05):
Thanks so much, Patty. I was pleasure you.

Speaker 2 (47:07):
Take care of you too. Bye bye. Ask Greg dlsworthy.
He's the Word three counselor here in the city. Let's
take a break. We back. John wants to talk about how,
how and where the candidates are advertising, and then whatever
you want to talk about right after this, don't go away.
Welcome back. Let's go to line number four. John, you're
on the air.

Speaker 8 (47:26):
Hey, Patty, good morning, and thanks for having me on again.

Speaker 3 (47:28):
No problem.

Speaker 8 (47:30):
Yes, So last week we were discussing Saint John's social
media page. We're directing personal campaign ads to Danny Breen and.

Speaker 2 (47:40):
That's been removed and corrected.

Speaker 8 (47:43):
Yes, within two hours actually it was taking down and
I and I respect that that they did that. I
appreciate that very much. But today I'm calling in about
similar a similar circumstance. So you know, it's driving down
the road the other day and at tops of and
I've seen that Ron Ellsworth is as this campaign adds

(48:04):
on the metro bus. Okay, and I know anybody can
rent that space, but However, it is city property. The
metrobus is owned by the city. And you know, I've
heard I heard other candidates not allowed to even rent
the community center for their campaign. So I don't see
how this is. This is a conflict of interest in

(48:27):
my opinion.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
Well how sold though, because I mean, if we're talking
about advertising, let's just say campaign signs unless it's on
my lawn and my private property. The rest of the
property is the city property. So to use your analogy,
they would be advertising on city property, regardless of how
we spin it, whether it's on a billboard, on a
private sector building, because that's not a good example. But

(48:50):
the easeman saying that going on to Canas Hill, that's
city property, same as metrobus.

Speaker 8 (48:57):
Yeah, I totally agree, and I think that I think
think everyone should be able to But when you when
when candidates are not allowed to rent out a community
center for their campaign because it is and the reason
they can't is because it's city property. So therefore I
don't understand how candidates can rent out city property space

(49:18):
like the metro bus. Do you see what I'm saying,
It's not it's it doesn't line up. Why can't candidates
rent out their community centers or any city property to
put to put there. You have the campaign because because
I know, you're allowed to put signs on city property,
but you're not allowed to rent out a community center.

(49:39):
So how can you rent out space on the metro
bus that's owned by the city.

Speaker 2 (49:43):
Who hasn't been able to rent a community center? And
it sounds a little bit surprising to me that a
municipal candidate would have the capacity to rent a community
center for any extended amount of time. So is there
one candidate or another that says they haven't been able
to or told their words all? I'm just curious because
I'll follow up with them.

Speaker 8 (50:02):
It's actually in It's actually in the the municipal bylaws.

Speaker 9 (50:05):
You can pull it up.

Speaker 2 (50:06):
Oh okay, I didn't look at massial bylaws on that.

Speaker 9 (50:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (50:10):
And you know, so.

Speaker 8 (50:13):
I don't know that that one is is uh, that
one's up for debate, I guess, you know. And to
to segue on to you know, town halls and community centers,
your previous collar mentioned about the new Muse Community Center
which is being opened up, and I think that's a
great thing for the community. Absolutely, it has been delayed

(50:33):
down for over a year. But I find it very
suspect that your previous collar failed to mention that it
is it is opening up on the September the fifteenth,
which is the day that the ballots go out. I
find it very suspect that your previous color forgot to

(50:53):
mention that.

Speaker 2 (50:55):
What suspect about that, though, that the grand.

Speaker 8 (50:59):
Opening of the new News Community Center and the ribbing
cutting ceremony by Danny Breen and Ron Ellsworth and other councilors.
I had that plan on September fifteenth, the day that
the ballots come in the mail, right, I find that
very suspect.

Speaker 2 (51:17):
Fair enough, even though the new Mews Center is way
way behind schedule, so had it been open on their
own determined schedule, it would have been so far ahead
of the elections that it wouldn't even be a blink
on the radar. I don't think, or a blip on
the radar. Pardon me, but that's fair point. I hadn't
even considered that. So that's the date the ballots actually
go out is the fifteenth, because I think the election
is the second of October, right, Yeah it is, yeah, okay,

(51:39):
but you can send that.

Speaker 8 (51:40):
You can send that as long as you're registered to vote,
you can send out your ballots on the fifteenth. That's
the day that you can start voting, the same day
that the grand opening of the new Music Commenter and
the ribbon ceremony. But and I understand the staff makes mistakes.
I mean, the staff has a lot to do down
in city Hall.

Speaker 10 (51:58):
They have you know, they're they're up to their up
to their eyes.

Speaker 8 (52:02):
I understand that, right, But I just find it a
little bit dirty. How that's how how the grand opening
is planned now for that for that day. I mean,
in the middle of a campaign. I don't think that
that anything like that should should take place. Uh you know,
it could have happened in August, or it could have

(52:23):
happened on oc Cober third, do you.

Speaker 11 (52:25):
Know what I mean.

Speaker 8 (52:26):
I just find it very suspicious, you know. And I'm
not saying that that they did it on purpose, but
to me, it gives a perception to the public that,
you know, because when they go and cut the ribbons
and have their ceremony, it's indirectly promoting their own campaign.

(52:46):
Because you see where I'm.

Speaker 2 (52:50):
Going at I guess so, but I you know, let
me just bounce this off you if folks in the
area are happy enough to see a new news center
built and opened on the fifteenth, and this is long
been coming. Does that date and a bit of press
coverage you think that sways vote one way or the
other because this has been planned and being under construction
four years.

Speaker 8 (53:11):
Yeah, And you know what, that's a good question. That's
a good question. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.

Speaker 2 (53:17):
I'm not so sure. I'm just bouncing it off because
I think it's an interesting point you make.

Speaker 8 (53:22):
Yeah, I mean, you know, I just wanted to bring
it up because you know, I like, again, that's a
good question. I don't know if it would sway voters
or if it wouldn't, right, but during a campaign election,
it just it just seemed like, I mean, they can
hold off for what two weeks? Two weeks now. I'm

(53:43):
not saying they should do that. I'm saying that they
could have had it planned for October third, after the election.
It's two more weeks, Like you said, it's it's it's
been in construction for years. What's two more weeks?

Speaker 2 (53:56):
Fair enough? It is an observation. And I didn't even
know when the ballots were going out from the City
of Saint John's but fair ball John, anything else you'd
like to talk about this morning, Well, we have you.

Speaker 3 (54:09):
Oh no, that's it.

Speaker 8 (54:10):
I appreciate you having me on again, and I'll stay
tuned in.

Speaker 2 (54:15):
I appreciate that, and thanks for your time this morning. Thanks, Hey, welcome,
Bye bye. Yeah. Advertising for starters, the whole campaign sign issue.
I don't know what you think about campaign siene like
it doesn't really rough of my feathers. I don't really care.
But the placement of some of the signs is a problem.
Some of them really do get in the way of

(54:37):
your line of vision to look both ways when you're
trying to make a traffic maneuver. We should be really
careful on that front. So and then, of course it's
the concept of cleaning up your signs, taking them down
and putting them away very shortly after an election comes
and goes. I think the rules say seventy two hours,
but we know that plenty of candidates don't abide by it.

(54:57):
So anyway, there's a science to campaign science, for better
or worse. They figured it out, you know, whether it
be placement in size and collar and fonts, and whether
or not you should have a photograph or not there's
a lot that goes into well, maybe not for every
candidate municipally, provincially or federally, but for those with a
bit of a bank roll and strategists on board, which
I'm not suggested as part of the municipal candidates necessarily,

(55:18):
but you never know. Let's take a break. We did
make mention off the bottom of the nine o'clock hour
about the number of days that have passed since the
Hospital Assembly passed a variety of different resolutions. Let me
give it to you one more time to set up
our next guest, and let's see here ninety days since
the Hospital Assembly resolution for immediate creation of a disability advocate,
for thirteen hundred days since the Accessibility Act in force

(55:40):
and zero standards in place. Join us right after this
break as the executive director at the Coalition of Persons
with Disabilities Lufalana Laborador. That's Nancy Reied, don't go away,
welcome back to the show. Just one of those reminders
that because I didn't bring it up doesn't mean we
can't talk about it. You know, there's many issues going on,
and if it's concerns here and you want to talk
about it on the show, we can do that. The
two Pacific references in one really harshly written email is yes.

(56:04):
Just very recently, the Israeli defense forces have begin phase
one of taking over Gaza City, which of course has
been receiving international condemnation. And then we're talking about the
pathway to peace in Ukraine. And overnight it's being reported
that it was the third most active night of dron
of missile strikes in Ukraine this year. So yes, we
can talk about those controversial and very traumatic issues. If

(56:25):
you're so inclined. Let's go to line number one and
SA good morning to the executive director at COD and
now that's the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities. That's Nancy Reid.

Speaker 7 (56:32):
Hi.

Speaker 2 (56:32):
Nancy, around the air, Hi, Patty, how are you today?
Great today? How about you?

Speaker 12 (56:37):
I'm great? Thank you, Patty. I want to say thank
you for bringing this up this morning in your preamble.
I appreciate that folks can come on and speak about
anything and everything within reason, but I really appreciate you
bringing this forward today. This is something that matters for
people with disabilities and for the general population of this province.
And I'd like to speak for a minute and around

(56:59):
the movement of the Disability advocate position. We've spoken about
it many times in this arena and others, and I
would like to give a little update as to what's
happened over the summer in that space from my viewpoint. Okay,
so the Disability Advocate has certainly been something since it
was brought as an emotion ands unanimously supported some months

(57:24):
ago in the House. The Minister Responsible since then has
met with us as individual organizations, disability organizations and specifically
i'll speak from my organization, the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities.
We've had several conversations with the Minister Responsible over the
summer that would be then the Minister core Ap and

(57:47):
Minister is no longer Minister core App is no longer
in that position, but I'll talk about that in just
a second if I could. The Premier actually also met
with us in early June and we had a short
meeting but a productive one where at the coalition we
were able to meet certainly bring our concerns forward, our
concerns around the importance of this being done right and

(58:11):
done in a timeframe that was acceptable and appropriate. The
Premier was very receptive to that to ask the Minister
Responsible for further communications in that way, and we've had
great follow ups since then. As I said, Minister Korb
has been working with us in that space over the

(58:33):
summer until last week when he was moved to a
different department in government, and you know, I appreciate so
greatly the work that he's done with us directly on
this file. I had the opportunity to speak with Minister
late last week, maybe Thursday, maybe Friday, whatever day it was,

(58:54):
and just after he had learned of his position change,
and he assured me that he would not just pass
the file but really work with Minister Davis, the new
Minister Responsible, to ensure that the messages that the voice
that we at the Coalition and other network organizations brought
forward to him was understood by the new Minister. One

(59:19):
of the most important things that Minister Corab did was
to publicly state the importance of the Disability Advocate being
an independent office so that it is not housed under
what was suggested acet for some time that it might

(59:40):
be housed under the Senior's Advocate. Minister Krab was very
public and opening. It was actually on BOCM I sound
on a story where he publicly said this would not
be housed under the Senior's Advocate role. So that's really
reassuring for us. It's something that our community has been
added it about through the whole process, and we're really

(01:00:01):
pleased to know them it's going to be a standalone office.

Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
Yeah, it was kind of a hand fisted suggestion in
the first place. It kind of implied that only seniors
might be part of the disabled community. There was just
something that didn't sit well with anybody, and I'm glad
that Minister Corrapp spoke to with the way he did
because it just makes sense. So this is good news.
And you and I have kind of broached this in
the past. But we know the mandate of the John
Newth Advocate. We understand the mandate of the Senior's Advocate.

(01:00:26):
We also understand the restrictions they're dealing with. Let's just
talk seniors advocates, because you just mentioned Susan Walsh's office.
They deal with systemic and broad stroke issues as opposed
to championing one particular individual or another, which I don't
know what were you stand on that, But if I
had the ability to take one individual case and to
pursue it, for changing policy or support or action, then

(01:00:49):
inevitably other people in the disabled community would be facing
very similar circumstances. So we get to address broad systemic issues,
even if we just put a face to a part
of me face to an issue which I think has
a bit more impact.

Speaker 9 (01:01:02):
What do you think I'm in agreement.

Speaker 12 (01:01:06):
At the coalition, we also do systemic advocacy, and we
at the Culation really appreciate and think that the disability
advocate must consider systemic advocacy and that's the primary role. However,
in order to actually understand where the barriers are, what
that looks like, you really need to be able to

(01:01:27):
investigate the individual lives, the stories, the barriers, the challenges
and the successes of persons with disabilities in the province,
not just the large group, but individuals in that space.
So we've spoken to the Minister responsible around the importance
of us in recognizing that this disability advocate be someone

(01:01:50):
with an investigative authority, so that person's stories can come
to that office, to the staff, and sometimes those stores
will get investigated, so that we can understand better what
the lias, what the living, what the realities of persons
with disabilities are throughout this province Ofgniferentant the Laborador, and
it's only then that we can really understand where the

(01:02:13):
commonalities are, where people align things that are off of
systemic nature and address the barriers, you know, the systems,
the policies, the procedures that actually are making things difficult
for people from a systemic lens. So I think, you know,
the disability advocate must be both systemic but able to

(01:02:33):
investigate and look at things individually in order to really
understand where those systemic barriers lie.

Speaker 2 (01:02:39):
Yeah, because we can talk about a systemic barrier, say,
for instance, but if you can put some individual case
to it, here's how it impacts this individual on a
day to day basis. That makes people think a little deeper.
I think it has a little bit more punch or
impact when we talk about, you know, this is what
it really means. All the broad stroke stuff. I get
why that's important. I get why that might be the

(01:03:00):
mandate inside the Senior's Advocate's office, But those individual stories
are so powerful when compared to the headlines of a
very broad stroke issue. So I think we're in the
same church on Pew on that one. So anything else
on the Disability Advocate from because I also want to
talk about the Accessibility Act and what kind of standards
need to be put in place.

Speaker 12 (01:03:20):
Well, I guess one other thing around the disability Advocate.
You know, we see this as so integral to ensure
everything else is done in this province for persons with disabilities.
I will say that this week, actually just yesterday, I
received an email from mister Davis's office with an invitation
to meet him to start this conversation around the disability Advocate.

(01:03:41):
So I'm really pleased with that. I'm certainly confident that
Minister Korb's work with us will translate into his work,
and I'm looking forward to actually seeing this happen quickly,
but more importantly appropriately. That's where we need to be
fair enough.

Speaker 2 (01:04:00):
And you know, people will hang their hat on the
word immediate when the resolution was passing the House of Assembly,
but immediate in politics doesn't mean tomorrow necessarily, so we
need to ensure.

Speaker 12 (01:04:09):
That legislation is created to do this. Well, if that
takes us a few months, I'm willing to say that
I'm comfortable with that if at the end of the
day we actually got something that matters and we may
change going forward. We've been waiting a long time for this.
A few more months is not going to be in
the end of it all.

Speaker 2 (01:04:25):
Yeah, because getting it done right is as important as
getting done quickly. Let's talk about the Accessibility Act. And
there is one advocate who tags me on a bunch
of social media posts talking about the standards that need
to be put in place. And this person says, it's
thirteen hundred days since the Accessibility Act was implemented, but
yet the standards are going to come on the heels
have not been done. What can you tell us about that?

Speaker 12 (01:04:48):
I know very little, honestly, It's not something that I've
had a lot of focus on. Over recent days, we've
been dealing more around the disability advocate. But to the
best of my knowledge, there is very little movement. I'm
not saying much. Certainly, nothing new is being posted. It's
not public. I understand that there are some committees. I
will be fully disclosing and say that I've made application

(01:05:11):
to many of those and have never been given the
opportunity to participate in those bases. So I don't know.
I know that in earlier I guess more than a
couple of years ago, some of the individuals was on
the board had to remove themselves for various reasons and
health reasons really, and so I'm not sure what the

(01:05:33):
status is of the board and their ability to meet
on a regular basis right now. I don't know. Again,
I'd like to say that I think the disability advocate
would be key to ensuring that these things don't fall
off the rails. We've got somebody in place when we
have the discipline, the advocate who can say, Okay, we're
missing this is supposed to be done, where is it,

(01:05:55):
what's happening. We need to be able to have somebody
with the authority to really hold folks accountable and be
representative of dand at our community organization level, We've been
saying it for many years, many months, and it really
just does not make the change that we need to see.

Speaker 2 (01:06:11):
Fair Enough, Nancy, I appreciate your time this morning.

Speaker 6 (01:06:13):
Thank you, Thank you, Patty.

Speaker 2 (01:06:15):
Welcome, bye bye. Has Nancy Reed and she of course
is the executive director at the Coalition of Persons with
Disabilities and l all right, let's get a break in
and of course when we come back, the topic entirely
up to you don't go away welcome back to the show.
Mentioned off the top of the show that the rumbles
were that the Prime Minister was going to be in
town today. Richard Douggy just passed this into me. The PMO.

(01:06:38):
Pmo's office has said, unfortunately there's been held they've been
held back. It won't be in Newfoundland and Labrador today.
The plan was to be here, but something changed on
there and so not here. That doesn't mean that the
issues that we've broached off the top of the show
about you know, number one, why come and number two
to talk about what? Because I put out a few

(01:06:58):
that I think people think about, is you know whether
or not there's going to be some complications for the
memorandum of understanding with the East West Energy Quarder. And
I'll admit, of course that's been discussed for decades. You
can trace that all the way back to deefen Baker.
But some of the more notable ones is maybe conversations.
But the fixed link not because I say so, but
because the federal government themselves have talked about it, referred

(01:07:19):
to it as the nation building project. And once again
someone wanted some actual explanation about a comment that I've
made a few times about Beta Nord and Article Lady two,
and that's of the United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea. Okay, the issue here is hundreds of
millions of dollars. So when the country signed onto it,

(01:07:40):
we basically agreed. And this has never been used anywhere
ever on Earth. This would be the first time if
Beta Nord ever goes ahead. So what it basically says
is that it allows countries like Canada and what they
refer to as broad margin states to that have larger
then let's see, if I get this right, larger than
normal continental shelves to operate to extract offsore oil, in

(01:08:01):
this case beyond the two hundred mile nautical limit the
nautical mile limit. So basically royalties will be taken and
paid to developing nations for a variety of things. So
whether not people think that's a good thing or bad thing,
the fact of the matter is the country signed on
to it. So the argument became between the province and
the federal government as to who would be responsible because

(01:08:23):
you know full well equinor the potential operator of the
Beta Nord project, they're not going to pay it. Well,
certainly they don't want to, and that could be a
stumbling block. So the disagreement between the province and the
phase was pretty fundamental. The province said that the federal
government should pay that money because the country signed on.
The province didn't sign on. So that's a fair argument.

(01:08:46):
So when I put it out, there is the possibility
that in an effort to bring Beta Nor closer to reality,
and that's if you're a support of the industry or
you think not another drop of void should ever be extracted.
It's up to you. We'll just talk about the dollars
and cents of this proposal, so whether or not the
FEDS will get involved financially speaking. Regarding that particular article,
lady too that the country signed on to a long

(01:09:07):
time ago. Let's keep problem here. Let's go to the
line number two. Morning Gerald around the air.

Speaker 13 (01:09:15):
So I'm on a comfort zone of an old man,
so a little bit distracted.

Speaker 9 (01:09:18):
But the.

Speaker 13 (01:09:21):
Macro fishery a few comments observation the maker. Apparently there's
there's places teaming with macerels. Correct.

Speaker 2 (01:09:32):
I've heard reports from several different ways where they see
exactly that the macrol teaming at the surface of the
water and huge numbers.

Speaker 13 (01:09:40):
And we're we we are forbidden to take this, take
the macro.

Speaker 2 (01:09:46):
There's a bait fishery.

Speaker 13 (01:09:48):
There's a bait fishery, but for the for the common
fisher and you can't harvest, harvest that no prop and.

Speaker 2 (01:09:58):
What you know what the reason is, well, a couple
of things. So there's no macro specific scientists at DFO,
I'm told by the union. And when the last data
was compiled, it showed that the species was in a
precarious position. And so consequently, remember there was not even
the bait fishery there a few years ago, there was

(01:10:19):
a full out moratorium. And unlike other stocks that we
refer to as straddle stocks like mackerel, the Americans still
had a reduced commercial fishery, but we had a full
ban on. So they were talking about strength of stock.
But I don't even know if there's updated science to
say whether or not we should have changed our tune
on the macro fishery this year.

Speaker 13 (01:10:38):
So do you accept SMDF all the science figures.

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
Well, the last ones that they released did indeed show
that mackerel was in a bad spot, but that's years ago,
so well, we need.

Speaker 13 (01:10:48):
I'd like to know how they know apparently they don't
do any of their own sentinels or whatever. I think
they're my own just my personal opinion, okay, that they
really don't know. These are the same people that that
governing the collapse of our fishery. We went from the
biggest figest fishery in the world down to the moratorium.
These are the same people. They don't do surveys. I

(01:11:10):
don't think they know. They make educated guesses and call it,
call it the science, and hide behind the science.

Speaker 2 (01:11:18):
What I see.

Speaker 13 (01:11:19):
Put your own own eyes, I forgot. You got common sense.
You can see the places full of fish and the
people that can make a living from that is are
prohibited from. But the people the prohibition, they're not affected
in any way. That that's a soul set up. And
as a matter, just on the on the on that pveil,

(01:11:40):
where's the union on this? We got the fit the
fisheries have a union. Here's this absurd regulations and they
would they would take it. So that's the union without teeth.
That's not byself of the earline people did up there
when they went down strike and they were ordered back.

Speaker 2 (01:11:57):
This they go to help well in fairness, the union,
including the president want Street on this program asking for
the government to reopen the commercial micro fishery. Had meetings
with Joanne Thompson, who's the federal Fisheries Minister. So they've
been pretty vocal about needing this fishery reopened. Whether or
not that's forceful enough for people's liking, I'll leave that
up to people like yourself, Gerald, but they have been

(01:12:18):
speaking to this issue publicly and want Street. You know,
whether or not people support her as a president, she
doesn't pull any punches.

Speaker 13 (01:12:25):
Well, I don't know. Being vocalist one thing, but taking
action of something else, I've never Maybe I'm wrong, but
I've never seen the Fisheries Union take any action. They
do talk about the consult and worry about her so on,
but I haven't a real union will do what a
union does and let's make trouble for the bureaucrafts or
the company when when that's required. Yeah you know that,

(01:12:50):
Patty Wick.

Speaker 4 (01:12:51):
Look, we're we're we're.

Speaker 13 (01:12:54):
We're no longer a governor now we're so these rules
come out. We've got a bureauxy that enforced rules and regulations,
and we take it. We take it like sheep. I'm
really disappointed in what we become you know.

Speaker 2 (01:13:06):
What would action look like to you? Because remember when
we were talking about free enterprise and those types of things,
and the price setting panel for things like uh, shrimp
and crab and those types of things. So they actually
shut down the provincial government's ability to deliver a budget
one day, remember that.

Speaker 13 (01:13:23):
So that's I don't you know, Like I said, this
is not my goal, but I'm just coming to what
I see as a citizen. I'm not up on the
exact detail and not in we understand.

Speaker 2 (01:13:36):
Yeah, nor am I trying to lecture you or school you.
But I was just curious what you mean about action
because it's only like two or three years ago where
Confederation parking lot was full and that was budget day
and the government couldn't deliver budget because of the action
taken by you know, whether be the John Efforts of
the world or the Union of the FFAW in this case.
But that was an example of action. Would you have

(01:13:58):
another example, like, are youalk about straight up civil disobedience
just going out and catching the maccle be damned?

Speaker 13 (01:14:04):
Yes, yes, whatever, you know, we want more action, close blockade,
Department of Fishery take action, a regal response. It's out
of my out of my venue too, just to suggest
what I know, what I would do, we say, but
if to comment further, I would want to be part

(01:14:26):
of that group. I'm making enough to be from the outside,
you know it just as an old man and a citizen.

Speaker 2 (01:14:33):
Upoint taking an understood You're not alone. I hear comments
like this a lot, both on the air and in
my email inbox. What have you? The fact that we're
so governed, and I think I hear more of it
from people just every day. Joe's like, for instance, with
your recreational ground fish fishery, I mean once again this
year Saturday, Sunday, Monday from the twenty eighth of June
to the first September, then from the twentieth September twenty

(01:14:54):
eighth without the ability to go out, and you know,
some people are inevitably be going to abuse it, but
they already abuse it with the given rules, as opposed
to if I wanted some cod for supper tonight and
I live in Riverhead Saint Mary's Bay, I can't go
out and get one. It's just there's a lot to it.

Speaker 13 (01:15:10):
We'll see you can you can won't get one, see,
but you're not willing to take the consequence. You know,
people should be willing, willing to go out and challenge
to take the consequence, challenge that challenge as in court
like the chap in Nova Scotia did with the prohibition
on movement. He went out deliveral lying gout twenty eight

(01:15:30):
thousand dollars sign. You can't as a people, we can't
just be seeping me. We you know, they can tell
us to do what where You can catch a fish
on Monday, but you can't kill suesday. So what that's
that third?

Speaker 2 (01:15:46):
No ragment for me?

Speaker 13 (01:15:47):
You you come to accept that.

Speaker 2 (01:15:48):
Patty, no ragument for me on the food fishery. I
think it's ridiculous.

Speaker 13 (01:15:52):
We're not only ridiculous with the flip side of that,
it's the people that accept it. I mean, I was
born in the old Newfoundland and the Captain order, Captain
guy Euros. Try that on them and see what you
get back the old people, like I said, is what

(01:16:14):
we have become people and weak. I I'm disgusted with
us really in a way.

Speaker 2 (01:16:18):
You know, Yeah, we'll see if individuals be willing to
take the consequences, because there will be consequences. And Buddy
in Nova Scotia. I don't know what's going to become
of that. The legal analysis I've seen is that governors
absolutely has the authority, even though there might be an
abusive authority. Is he's going to end up stuck with
that fine on that front?

Speaker 13 (01:16:36):
Which the thing is the shuldy paddy? Do they have
their authority?

Speaker 9 (01:16:40):
Maybe?

Speaker 13 (01:16:41):
What happened to our charter rights? What happened to our
charter rights now? And all these prohibitions you can't view,
you couldn't move during the fire, people couldn't protect their property.
Look at the people, look at the medical services that
were interrupted. There's all kinds of consequences that flow from
the from these restrictions of movement. And it's done with impurity.
The police do it does shut down the highway up

(01:17:01):
for any any excuse they want to. I hear it
every day, how you is shut down because this because
of that. Now, don't granted there are circumstances where less
warranted that are not silly enough to know that, but
they use as the next use to make their job easier.
That's what it seems to me. Well, I guess in
regard to the general public, But people go out to

(01:17:23):
their business that can be life threatening to them, and
it's stuff down with im pubarity.

Speaker 2 (01:17:29):
I guess it kind of depends what we're talking about.
There are certain things where you expect there to be
some restrictions for a variety of valid reasons. There's other
clear examples. Like I've said many times, there the issue
regarding the a TV ban, I didn't really have an
issue with it. If I'm told I can't go for
a walk in the woods, then I have a major
issue with it.

Speaker 13 (01:17:48):
Well, you know, the ban in the a SEZ is
a it's vehicle, but band in you is an individual
or something else. If you wanted to walk in the
woods by far buff naked and you walk it, can
you start a fire? What your cat go?

Speaker 2 (01:18:02):
Depends how hot you are? I suppose we usually all Latin,
I understand.

Speaker 13 (01:18:13):
Anyway, asked my ran Patty.

Speaker 2 (01:18:14):
Appreciate the rand, Cheryl, thanks for your time, sir. You're welcome,
take care, bye bye, Let's see here, let's take a break,
welcome back to the show. Let's go line number one. Walter,
you're on the air.

Speaker 11 (01:18:26):
Hi, Dave Patty, how are you, sir?

Speaker 2 (01:18:28):
That's bad? I suppose how about you?

Speaker 11 (01:18:30):
I'm very good, Thank you so much. Just a little
brief chat with you, Patty about something that is not
the most colorful thing to talk about, and some people
shy away from it, but that is about the necessary
necessity of having a will when you pass. I had
the opportunity to be the executor of my wonderful mother
and fantastic step dad's estate. I had never done it before,

(01:18:55):
and it is a it's a long process. So anybody
who may you know, be asked by a family member
or a friend to be there to the executor.

Speaker 2 (01:19:05):
It is.

Speaker 11 (01:19:05):
It is a lot of work, there's no doubt about that.
And in our situation there was the mortgage was more
than what the house was worth, and you know, there
was a few surprises there. So if anybody is planning
on being an executor, now that I've finished mine, it
took about three years and everything is done, Everything is,
everything is taken care of. It's a detailed kind of deal.

(01:19:29):
The most important advice I can give to someone who
is going to be an executor is to keep a
detailed diary every day of who you speak to, what
the subject was, the time, and the date, because you
will you'll require that you'll need that, whether it's a
month or a week down the road. And my process
was three years. It wasn't a month delay and then
two weeks. It's every every day, every two days, every

(01:19:51):
three days, somebody wants something from you. And then I
can go back and say, you know, I talked to
this person, talk to that person. And at the end
of the process, my diary what is three and a
half inches thick, so and that's eight by eleven papers.
So to be able to go back and recall something
that happened six months ago might be a little bit difficult,
but it's easier a heck of a lot easier when
you can actually see it on paper, and as an executor,

(01:20:15):
until you satisfied the cra until you satisfied any bank
cards or any loans, any mortgages, et cetera. Don't disperse
anything to anybody, whether it's family member or friend. And
you know, Mom said I could have this, Pop said
I could have that. To protect yourself, that's a very
important thing. Protect yourself by just asking for patients, asking

(01:20:35):
for people to just let me do my deal. And
it's perfectly okay, of course, for any beneficiary to say, hey,
keep me up to date on this and this and
this and that's they're absolutely in their right to do that.
But as executive, protect yourself at all times, because while
you're not responsible for any financial liabilities as executor, if
you start giving things out before you were set especially

(01:20:57):
cra you may be held responsible for it. If that
makes any sense.

Speaker 14 (01:21:02):
It does, you know, for people who have very straightforward
assets and cash and whatever it might be, you know,
you can buy a ready to fill out, will you.

Speaker 2 (01:21:14):
Know, you go on Amazon and buy one. But if
you have anything that might add some additional complications, it's
really worth doing it the right way. Don't take the
cheap way out when all you might do is upon
your passing, create a major headache for your executor, major
discrepancies and arguments amongst the beneficiaries, major liabilities legally and financially.
So I guess it really depends on the individual what

(01:21:36):
you have and what you should do about it. But
if you have a very very straightforward life, just fill
it out, just get it completed, get it notorized, and
on you go. If you have any complications in this world,
I know it's expensive to deal with the lawyer, and
I know not everyone has that capacity. But you will
save a lot of people in your sphere, your family,
and otherwise a lot of headaches after you die.

Speaker 13 (01:21:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (01:21:58):
I couldn't have said that any better.

Speaker 1 (01:22:00):
I did.

Speaker 11 (01:22:01):
We took funds from our own savings. There was nothing
left really unfortunately when they passed, so we we probated
the will, which gave me as executor the same responsibilities
as the person. Of course, my stepdad Ben was the
person who passed second, so I was I had the
same responsibilities Ben. Did you know to go into the
bank or to take money out, or to buy something
to repair the home to get it ready for sale.

(01:22:23):
So yes, you're absolutely correct. And the main thing, Patty
is just ask for patients from any beneficiary. Work with
the banks, you know, even getting the driver's licenses sent back,
and the MCP cards and the reward cards that they
might have had, and paying utility bills, and it's a
lot of work. So just ask them for patients. It
will benefit everybody in the end, because nothing is a

(01:22:46):
bigger killer than stress, and if you ask for patients,
things will go a lot smoother and get it all
done in a professional amount of time.

Speaker 2 (01:22:56):
Yeah, and fair enough. It's an important role to take.
I'm not so sure that I'd be volunteering myself to
be an executor if anybody's to say, especially if there's
any real complications, because just imagine trying to deal with
the various beneficiaries, you know, and that's one of the problems.
There is the reason why I brought it up off
the top of the show, regardless of legal or financial responsibilities,

(01:23:16):
executor negligence, Just imagine what that might mean for the beneficiaries.
The longer things drag out, was trying to reconcile debts,
distribution of assets, dealing with CIRA, the beneficiaries over time
will become more and more anxious, become more and more angry,
and then there you go. You're in the middle of
a firestorm. So there's lots of reasons to try to

(01:23:37):
make sure this gets done right Walter, anything else while
we have you this morning, No, just very quickly.

Speaker 11 (01:23:42):
Well, it was a lot of work an executor. If
there is any money left over at the end, which
in our case absolutely wasn't, the executor, can you get
the ballpark five percent, you know, so you do get
some sort of payment from it. Now, a lot of
people will not take that because you're doing it for
your loved ones, so that's not even an issue. But
as much harder to work it was, and it's very
stressful as it was, I would definitely do it again

(01:24:04):
for a loved one because you want it done right.
And the most satisfying thing you can ever do is
make certainly when someone passes that their name is the.

Speaker 2 (01:24:11):
Name is in clear, Appreciate the time, Walter, thank you,
have a great day. Thank you, Patty too, Bye bye bye.
A couple of quick notes before we get to the
eleven o'clock rooms. Okay, so it was all bad enough
when we were getting license plates made elsewhere, shipped into
the province, distributed and long behold, the paint didn't stick.
So we all saw it the end of the peeling paint.

(01:24:33):
And for some license plates that are still out there,
you can't see anything unless you're up close and parcel
to be able to identify the bumps that signify the
letters and numbers. That was bad enough. Now apparently, and
I wasn't aware of this until someone sent me know
this morning. There's temporary license plates being issued. There's an
issue with the vendor that supplies the license plate. So
now people. If you're getting a new license a license plate,

(01:24:55):
part of me, you're getting piece of paper and you
got to put it in your back window. I think
it's on the left hand corner. So the temporary license
plates are only good one hundred and twenty days. When
they get the new license plate, they mail it out
to you. But here's a couple of complicating factors with that.
We already know that we're told you can't put a
cover over your license plate. You have to get a

(01:25:15):
replaced if the paint is peeling or gone in full,
and it's free of charge the speed cameras, so you
know full well people are going to do what they
can to avoid getting ticketed again. I know I remained
in the minority, and I don't really care. Is I
think they're a good idea because we got to slow
people down. It's complete madness. Remind ourselves of the fact

(01:25:36):
that over a three month period last year in Paradise
and Mount Pearl, just two communities, ninety four thousand citations
were sent out. They were just warnings, no fine attached,
but ninety four thousand examples of people being caught going
at least eleven kilometers over the post and speed limit.
Had there been fines, we'd pay for this pretty quickly
around here. So, but the speed cameras, So people got

(01:25:57):
to get those license plates replaced, and there should be
a conscientious effort to make sure that that happens. And
then for people the paper license plate you can't read that,
they are no risk of getting picked up by speed camera.
So I don't know what the supply issue is on
the vendor side, but Steve on Twitter made me aware
of it. So it does complicate a couple of different things.

(01:26:19):
What happens if so? Will the motor vehicle Registration department
after they know they sent me or gave me a
paper temporary license plate it expires in oneheart and twenty days.
But I still don't have my metal license plate that
I can fix to the back of my vehicle. Will
they automatically send me a new one? Do I got
to go into mount parlor to get one? Do I
have to send an email to request a new valid

(01:26:42):
paper plate? Strange little stuff there that goes on sometimes.
All right, let's see here, let's check it out on
Twitter before we get to the break. We're VOSM open line.
You can follow us there, email address is open on
a vosem dot com. I think we've got a conversation
coming up from one of the members of the opposition
talking about the most recent economic update. I've brought it
up here a couple of times because it's worth noting

(01:27:05):
if people want to pluck out what we'll refer to
as encouraging news. Housing starts, retail spending, employment numbers, they're
not too bad, but the deficit has more than doubles.
The borrowing is going to remain at four point one
billion dollars this year. But there was certainly a lack

(01:27:25):
of detail about a variety of things. I'm not going to,
you know, speak for whoever's planning on calling here representing
the PC party, But even when they talked about additional
pressures and healthcare, that one jumped off the page to me. Look,
we know there's a lot of pressures in healthcare and
it's the most expensive department in the province, the most
expensive line item in the budget. But what actual additional

(01:27:47):
healthcare pressures are we talking about? Like what does that mean?
So I'll let I think as Linn Padock may be
planning on calling to ask those questions, but that one
specifically to me was Okay, what does that mean, Let's
go and take a break for the news when we
go back, tons of time for you. You don't go away.

Speaker 1 (01:28:01):
You were listening to a rebroadcast VOCM Open Live. Have
your say by calling seven oh nine two seven, three
fifty two eleven or one triple eight five ninety eight
six two six and listen live weekday mornings at nine am.

Speaker 2 (01:28:19):
Welcome back to the show. Let's go to LNE number one.
I think it ons the PC never for Babe Burt
green Bay, also the Shadow Minister of Finance. That's Lynn Paddock,
Shadow Minister Paddick around the air.

Speaker 5 (01:28:28):
Thanks Patty, thanks for having me. I like, like I said,
just give a talk regards to the fiscal update from
this week, or I should say the incomplete fiscal update
from this week, and before I guess get into some
of the points there, I would like to eigh light

(01:28:50):
or regard to the wildfires because that was highlighted as
an expense pressure and you know, all of all of us.
My eric included breaks for the people of the Beta
Urg Peninsula, you know, to lose your own and not
knowing what's coming next, you know, and then as a
former senior military officer, has had a good portion of

(01:29:11):
his career dealing humanitarian operation. I think has been pretty
uplifting the battle zone efforts of the first responders to
firefighters and then the volunteers so under wallfire pressure alone, Patty,
I want to highlight because I don't believe it was
highlighted this week, and where we sit with regards to

(01:29:35):
Disaster Financial Assistant Arrangement. So that's a program with the
financial with the federal government that we can apply for,
so that will we can trigger that when our costs
are over two point one million, and it's pretty clear
for the force fires this year, our costs are going

(01:29:56):
to be over two point one million, and that's based
on a it count of three dollars and eighty four
since per person. And that program will cover not just
a fire response, but you know restoration as well, so
own infrastructure, etc. So I guess to reassure in particular,

(01:30:19):
you know a lot of the residents of the Data
Peninsula and really to the province as a whole, is
that we have a mechanism trued Disaster Financial Assistant Arrangement
to significantly lower the burden that's going to be honest
for the wildfire response and recovery this season.

Speaker 2 (01:30:39):
It's pretty trucky criteria to be eligible for the Federal
Disaster Relief Fund. I mean, I know it came to
bear when we talking about Porto Basque and Fiona and
what have you. But will it be applied to these wildfires.
I think that's yet to be determined, to be honest,
and I guess I should have added to my list
of things that the Prime Minister might be in town for.
Of course, the delays means he's not here today. But

(01:31:00):
that's an important question as to whether or not we're
going to qualify for relief in full or in part
from that fund. That fund has been drawn on more
in the last four years than ever before, a remarkable
amount of money coming out of that fund. So that's
a good question. I don't know the answer.

Speaker 5 (01:31:15):
Yeah it is, But what I'm saying is I've gone
through the parameters for it, and the threshold is once
you're over for us this year, once we're over two
point one million set US updated every year based on
population based under FOREIGNERLA, then we would be eligible for
some relief.

Speaker 2 (01:31:34):
Right Plus just I want to add to that because
This important point is I don't know and maybe you do,
about how the costs are born, say for instance, with
presidents of the military, whether it be water bombers from
Ontario and Quebec, those types of things which inevitably are
going to factor in. But who's bearing those costs, I
think really goes a long way to hitting eligibility thresholds,

(01:31:55):
do you know by jants.

Speaker 5 (01:31:57):
So then it would depend on like a millitary person
that you know having then a senior military officer of
viewing humanitarian operations, So your your fixed costs pretty individual
would be borne by the military. It would be incremental
costs you know, food, lodging, all that stuff within compared
into that disaster relief.

Speaker 2 (01:32:17):
Okay, fair enough, Yeah, let's get into the fiscal updates.
I wanted to give some time for that.

Speaker 5 (01:32:22):
Yeah, no, thanks, Patty. And you know, my my big
issue with this or there's a number of issues, it's
it's pretty limited. So you know, there was no departmental
level the detail provided there was a short four page overview.
I mean, if you look at what companies do for
a quarterly update and what we got from the government,

(01:32:45):
it was pretty lacking. You know, they highlighted the number
of expense pressures like we all, like I said, we
fully understand the wildfires, but what in addition to the wildfires.
So those pressers were not detailed or an approx value given,
And then you know, we've had a number of liberal

(01:33:06):
announcements over the summer. None of that has been detailed
as well in this physical update. We don't know where
we sit with the tobacco sediment. Has it been received.
We're five months into the year. You know, they should
be able to now give in estment out to the
end of the year. We don't know what regards to
the contingency fund that was set up for teriffs. So again,

(01:33:30):
what has been applied against that contingency fund. And the
issue with the contingency fund is anytime you draw into it,
you're adding to the deficit.

Speaker 2 (01:33:41):
Yeah, the contingency fund, So we're referring to two hundred
million dollars which was set up set aside for tariff impacts.
The minister was asked that question, and again I can't
put words in one's mouth, but the answer went something
like this, that twenty five million dollars of that contingency
fund has been used for wildfire supports. The other one
hundred and seventy five million dollars has not been used.

Speaker 10 (01:34:04):
Yeah, but she was.

Speaker 5 (01:34:07):
Also saying, and that's what I'm saying, we don't have
the departmental level overview, is that there was a this
no expense pressures exist and some of that included elt.
That's what I'm saying. We have a very limited overview
with regards to this fiscal update. You know, back in
April we argued, I pleaded with the Minister of Finance

(01:34:30):
to adjust the budget based on the price for Brent
at that time and the Canadian dollar because in April,
when Trump started bringing in the terrors, the geopolitical situation changed.
Now I take no joy in being right, but I

(01:34:50):
asked him again in May with regards to the plan
during budget estimates, with regards to in your controllership. So
this week with the fiscal update, there's additional no plan
with regards to cost containment, government expenditures or even patty
potential revenue acceleration.

Speaker 2 (01:35:16):
What would that mean?

Speaker 5 (01:35:17):
Well, we have a case in point. Our side has
been a lobbying for a macro fishery. You know, a
macro fishery is three hundred plus million. You know, we
need to be aggressive of a mission focus, not just
with regards to managing the budget, regards to cost containment,

(01:35:38):
but also accelerating every opportunity that is in.

Speaker 3 (01:35:41):
Front of us.

Speaker 2 (01:35:44):
Yeah, I just want to go back to big tobacco
for a second, because unlike other provinces like for instance,
Manitoba didn't book any of the competition money in this
recent budget. Other provinces did. What we should be doing
is go to the Ouditor General for consultation about how
it can be done. I know you are allowed to
do this based on the accounting rules and general practice.
Whether or not you should be doing it is a

(01:36:05):
different question. So the sum, of course it was thirty
two and a half billion dollars, was the full sum.
It was broken across the provinces and territories that added
up to about twenty four point seven billion dollars. If
memory serves about thirty about thirty eight percent. I think
it was the upfront payment, leaving the rest to be
paid over the course of decades, and that's after tax

(01:36:27):
income until the thirty two and a half is paid
in full. But if does a lot of heavy lifting here,
there's reason to understand that these two big tobacco companies
may not even have the capacity to pay the remainder
of the two undred the part of the twenty four
point seven billion dollars, which makes it suspect to add
it all into one calendar year to address the deficit.
And now we know in the economic update that the deficit,

(01:36:49):
even though we included all the big tobacco money, has
more than doubled, right, so that our.

Speaker 5 (01:36:54):
Portion for from a revenue side was five hundred and
twenty million, yeah, forty.

Speaker 3 (01:37:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (01:37:02):
Our our legal.

Speaker 5 (01:37:04):
Fee expent was beyonder, roughly hundred and twenty five million.
So it's the you know that trainer rough and seventy
five million is what we we would receive in a
tobacco sediment. So the provinces or the liberals have booked
the ball for this fiscal year.

Speaker 2 (01:37:24):
We might not even.

Speaker 5 (01:37:25):
Receive anything this fiscal year, and then there was only
if it was done, if it was paid out this
year or started to pay out, we would only receive
approximately sixty percent and the other forty percent over thirty
years there are and you know, they're a cuffing all
future governments in regards to this over the next thirty years, yes.

Speaker 2 (01:37:52):
If the money doesn't flow. And again if is a
pretty is probably the most impactful tool letter word in
the English dictionary, just an example. And I've already stated
that I don't think we should have done what we've
done here. But look back in twenty nineteen when there
was moneys from the Atlantic Court, the new arrangements under
the Atlantic Court, and that of course runs until twenty
fifty six. Are pretty sure all of that moneies that

(01:38:14):
flowed over the course of years was booked in one
calendar year, one fiscal year as well. Now there's a
difference there because that money comes from very secure sources
as opposed to big tobacco.

Speaker 3 (01:38:25):
Correct.

Speaker 5 (01:38:25):
So that was from the federal government, that's right. Here
is from is from a private company who knows where
they're going to be in five or ten years letter
alone thirty Yeah, farewell, right, So you know your assessment
is right, and why they didn't get an overview from
the Auditor General is beyond me. You know, the residents

(01:38:48):
of our province deserve full transparency and openness with regards
to managing the books.

Speaker 2 (01:38:59):
Yeah, I think regardless if we're going into an election
or not. And maybe I'm just a bit of a wonk,
but I like detail. It's hard to just you know,
one of my favorite bedtime material reading our budget day
is estimates. Now it is our jewis and it's a nuisance.
They have to dig in like that. But the general public,

(01:39:20):
we shouldn't have to do it. Not every voter or
taxpayer should have to go to estimates to get detailed breakdowns,
you know, whether it be the fall economic update or
by legislation. We need an update that we just got
this week. Is give us the departmental overlay, as you
rightfully point out, give us some actual detail. It's one
thing to tell me pressure on the healthcare system. We
all know there's pressure on the healthcare system, but what

(01:39:41):
in particular, you know, how much do we spend or
decrease in spending on a travel agency, nurse things we
can seek our teeth into, as opposed to there's pressure. Yeah,
there's pressure. Everybody understands pressure. But what kind of pressure?
Because there's different pressure if I shake a bottle of
coke versus drop ofmento into a bit of diet pepsi
or spending on healthcare. So I'd like to have more Yeah, and.

Speaker 5 (01:40:02):
Patty, I listen, we're on the same song sheet here.
And the other point I like to note with what
I've seen, you know, since I've been in the house,
is the use of so source contracts. Like I was
in a war zone in the Middle East, we still
use competitive contracting. The only time we need to be
using source source contracting is like now dressing the wafers

(01:40:24):
in an emergency, you know, the comfort in. It was
absolutely no reason for so source contract and we got
taken the taxpayers that do flannel Labrador that taken to
the cleaners.

Speaker 2 (01:40:39):
Now I think I saw I only gave a very
quick glance to the email that includes your concerns here
this morning, But I mean even you were party, didn't
you guys release what you think is a number of
annual costs of comfort In because we all know it's
around twenty one million dollars a year in the lease.
But that's only for the least that's not for everything
else that went into, whether it be renovations and cost

(01:41:00):
per person, which I think boiled down to what was
it a one hundred and eighty one thousand dollars. I
think there's the number of you guys were using so
I think we can't have those numbers, don't we Yeah yeah, yeah, okay.

Speaker 5 (01:41:11):
Well we overpaid. We significantly overpaid. And when you overpaid
ere you're not you don't have money for you know,
foreign emergency services, brush cutting, et cetera.

Speaker 3 (01:41:25):
I'll leave you with this.

Speaker 5 (01:41:26):
You know, Patty, as I said in the updates as well,
is you know they knew the deficit situation was increasing,
and yet they still voted themselves a secret bonus.

Speaker 2 (01:41:40):
It is gob smacking, which thankfully went by the wayside.
Nobody was going to stand for that. I mean, that
is just talk about the inability to read the rule.
And I don't care what party would have been involved.
That's just completely unacceptable. And go down Hogan for rescinding it,
but that doesn't change the fact that it was done well.

Speaker 5 (01:41:58):
He hasn't fully recented it because who has received it
and who hasn't.

Speaker 2 (01:42:02):
Paid it back? Ronnie told one person at this moment
in time, I think it's around thirty three thousand dollars
through Andrew Parsons, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. Andrew Fury has
come out of publiclyan said he did not receive any.
So there's only a couple of examples of people who
were even eligible for that monies. At this point, Lynn,
appreciate the time and anything else quickly before I have.

Speaker 6 (01:42:24):
To get going.

Speaker 5 (01:42:25):
No, that's good, Like I said, Like I said, Mike,
Mike concerned, Patty is you know they're continuing to downplay
and deflect. We need true openness and transparency with the
provincial treasury.

Speaker 2 (01:42:39):
Let me ask you this very quickly before we go. Look,
politicians and parties campaign on accountability and transparency all the time,
regardless of where we're talking the states here, right across
the broad the country is let's just hypothetical, you guys
win the next election, whenever that might be, how are
we going to hold you to account? Because that's the
trick the general public has is the only accountability and

(01:43:01):
transparency piece and opportunity we have is every four years
or thereabouts, where we go to vote one government in
or vote one government out. So like, what am I
going to do to hold your accounts? Say, if you're
the Minister of finance, are you if you're not fully
transparent with me? Can we ask for your resignation? Or
what's going to happen here? Because I think the general
public is kind of tired of hearing buzzwords on the
campaign trail. We need actual commitments and things we can

(01:43:23):
hold you to account with.

Speaker 5 (01:43:25):
So let me Airel like one point there to what
we have and our leader has committed to, and that's
the Assembly being open more so that and that's the
place where we can have those debates with regards to
public expenditures. And we have also committed to doing public

(01:43:50):
picturement differently and that is getting away from sol source
contracts benefiting liberal insiders.

Speaker 2 (01:43:57):
Yeah, and I would hope that campaign finance reform was
coming as well. To be honest, Lenn, I'm really late
for the break, but I appreciate the time.

Speaker 5 (01:44:04):
Yeah, thanks, Patty, You're welcome.

Speaker 2 (01:44:05):
Bye bye. That's sympatic to be the PC member for
Bavoro Green Bay. Yeah, let's take a break. Mike wants
to talk about the most recent shooting. So actually, twenty
one year old man's being charged with attempted murder for
the shootings in Paradise over the weekend. Don't go away,
welcome back. Let's go to line number two. Mike. You're
on the air every day doing okay, how about you?

Speaker 10 (01:44:25):
Pretty good, sir. I'm just amount of calling in the
bird shootings in the past several months, I mean a
few one there on the staying with that gun feller
got chat and the one out of Paradise that was
recently a twenty one year old. I'm control and everythingless
zech from the New Flantas. I'm real even for what
day after showing on the news and everything for what

(01:44:46):
they after day half the streets and everything else. But
do you take those young people that's out there. Obviously
you gotta be drugs involved and everything else. And to me,
those people like you know, if they're going to be
church and proving to be church and everything else, I
mean their their lives are ruined. And far as I'm
concerned if any of those people do or if you
should get Verdi and bailed before he goes to court
or about that, I think any people that's trying to

(01:45:08):
the public, they all should have ankle bracelets on them
until they do go to court. And that's more take
on that.

Speaker 2 (01:45:15):
Yeah, And I would add the enhanced ankle bracelet conversation
to those who are repeat offenders out of allegations of
domestic violence. Put that out there because the government actually
promised that. Look for starters. Most of these violent criminals
shouldn't get bail anyway. It's their right to apply for
bail and argue it in court. But there's every good
reason under the sun to think that someone who's got

(01:45:38):
a gun that's been you know, has been alleged to
have been blasted off at buildings and vehicles and paradise,
there's a good conversation as to whether or not that
person should get bail. Secondly, even if you read the
new story, they talk about a lot of these gun
related calls that the police are getting is involving a
criminal network within the metro region. So basically, if I

(01:45:58):
read between that line, it's a small number of people
creating the vast majority of the problem. Absolutely and guaranteed
has got something to do with drugs.

Speaker 10 (01:46:07):
Absolutely, and again, like I said, well, I think myself,
the biggest reason they do get ert I'm mailed obviously
is do that for the most part, they got no
where to put them.

Speaker 2 (01:46:18):
Whether or not people are.

Speaker 6 (01:46:19):
Pulled else, You're right, and.

Speaker 10 (01:46:23):
You know I don't think.

Speaker 3 (01:46:24):
Sorry, Patty, no, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (01:46:26):
I didn't mean to cut you off the issue. I'm
not going to argue that point at all, but you're
not wrong, and people don't want to hear this, but
it's simply a fact, is that there is a conversation
about where do you put someone, you mean someone in
the neighborhood. Sixty percent of those that are in the
HMP today are on remand they haven't been convicted of anything.
So whether but we build a new prison, we also

(01:46:46):
build a remand center. That's maybe a conversation we can have.
But you're right, where do you put everybody?

Speaker 10 (01:46:53):
Absolutely? And the other quick thing I want to speak
of art is that as far as does after the
people that day after young Coula get downtown, yep, cost
those three set three fires and everything, and now we
got three charges of fifty thousand dollars coming against them
there in all reality that's never going to be paid, Nope.

(01:47:13):
And the one that was there, Patty's kind of exposedly
they get somebody for that. I think those people need
to serve a lot of time, and I mean that
just a couple of years. Those people need for what
damage they cost, and for the money that they cost
the province and for the two people that lost their
homes and everything else, those people should be locked up
for a.

Speaker 4 (01:47:31):
Long, long, long time.

Speaker 10 (01:47:32):
It's nothing else. That way, it'll make the next person
think of Casa fire getting cut and what they're what
they're going to get.

Speaker 2 (01:47:41):
Yeah, paying the fine seems out of reach for a
twenty year old. Uh So along with the fine if
you can't pay, if that comes with automatic jail time.
And I don't even know if the legislation has addressed
that formally quite yet. But when charges are arson with
will from neglect or respect for human life, I think
is how it's worth it. That can come with a
pretty hefty sentence, and so it should, yes.

Speaker 10 (01:48:03):
Absolutely, And one quick thing, Patty, I don't know if
you heard it on the news. Matt was Ontario. Apparently
some part of the Antariofrica's name street that they said
Lynd Street or but whatever was. Anyway, this guy apparently
the police have been looking for me. He's obviously, like
I said, he's been out searching for him and stuff
like that. He broke into this house up there that

(01:48:24):
was on the news. The man that woke up and
heard like somebody out in his house or disturbance. He
got up to him, got an location. Please showed up
to get the guy obviously for breaking in and charging him.
Plus the homeowner is going to be charged for assault,
hen which even Dougford came on a news break and
like was blown away off this guy getting the charge.

(01:48:45):
But that that's reality with with their Canadian loss down
the state majority down there in the States, they're they're
allowed to go out and by a fire arm, launce
rester and everything else, and they're allowed to protect their property.
And if he came on and for this guy to
be charged for somebody that was in his home like
go forward said to protect his family and just that

(01:49:06):
and everything else to be churched, I think that's that's
just got to change.

Speaker 2 (01:49:10):
Yeah, I mean the standard ground laws in the United
States might actually be a step two for her, to
be honest. But you know, in Canada, you're only allowed
to defend yourself with reciprocal defense. If someone's coming in,
I me to punch me or kick me, I'm only
allowed to punch and kick him back. I'm not allowed
to shoot him dead.

Speaker 10 (01:49:28):
So no, no, no, no, And I understand that. But
even for the alpication, like I said in Toronto, for
this guy like again to get an alification with him,
I guess, you know, despite Bartaba and probably got him
down until the police came. Let's say whatever, that gentleman,
that that was in his own home and have somebody
come in to break in his house. That that homeowner

(01:49:48):
should never, never, never be charged for anything other than
to defend his family.

Speaker 2 (01:49:52):
I understand if you come into my house and I
have the capacity to wake up and get you, even
if you're going to throw a fist, you're going to
you're going to leave in much worse, much worse shape
than you came in. Yes, absolutely appreciate the time, Mike,
Bye bye. All right, let's take break for the news
dunk Away the Tim Power Show, showing the conversation weekday

(01:50:14):
afternoons at four pm on your VOCM. Welcome back to
the show. Let's go to light number one morning. Harry
Andrews are on the air. Hello, Patty, are you doing okay?
Thank you?

Speaker 3 (01:50:24):
How about you good?

Speaker 6 (01:50:26):
I'm grand I'm just calling it again. I called you
a number of occasions on this and that's the m ou.
It amazes me that it's not a topic of conversation
on every Newfoundlander's mind, because I think we've come to
the point that we're treating it as another political agreement

(01:50:48):
and now that this other group has come out and
they produce Facebook and that people are interpreting, Oh yeah,
well that's that's the PC's type thing. But but we're
about to be asked. They're putting together now the finite
of the agreements, and we'll be asked to sign them
within maybe the next year a year and a half,

(01:51:10):
and that will be the most substantial document that we
have signed, maybe in the next one hundred years. And
people are not you know that they don't seem to
be paying attention to it. And I feel like this
premier Hold is a lawyer. If two individuals came to
him and they wanted to live together, to cohabitate, to

(01:51:34):
get into an agreement, I think that he's morally, if
not legally, obliged to ask them to seek independent legal advice.
Even if he drew up the document for one person,
he would insist that the other person get independent legal advice.
And I think that's all we're asking is, look, let's

(01:51:57):
just look at it from our point of view and
we understand all the implications of it. The other concern
I have, and this is a big one, is that
we sign the mo OU. That's just a memorandum of
understanding saying that with the way things are right now,

(01:52:17):
we agree to this, but things have changed or have
a potential for great change. Like we could have agreed
to give somebody a house and find out that they
just got a franchise. There's the global franchise that now
it's worth important. And all I'm saying is that it's

(01:52:40):
such an important agreement for every Newfoundlander. It's not the
fisheries that affect certain sectors. It's not agriculture, it's not
you know, a healthcare that affects some areas worse than others.
This is every Newfoundlander will be affected by this agreement,

(01:53:02):
no argument, and we should be taken as a like
we're almost like the United States. If the Republicans say something,
the good Democrats say it's a lie. And now where
to the point if one parody comes up with something,
they're just discounted. And I think people are looking at

(01:53:22):
it as political. This is something that liberals doing and
the PCs are against it. But that's all bs. This
is Newfoundland signing a most significant real estate deal that
we've ever signed.

Speaker 2 (01:53:36):
Yeah, the only doctor that comes close would be the
Atlantic Court. Insofar as importance goes. So a couple of
things like, I don't want to put words in Tony
Wakem's mouth, but the only real opposition we've heard, politically speaking,
is that there isn't what people call independent oversight. The
three person committee that has been struck has three competent
professionals on it, I would suggest, but they're kind of hamstrong.

(01:53:58):
They're only able to deal with what's actually in the
MoU not some of the things that may come to
bear into the future, such as the decades all conversation
regarding an East West energy corder. For me, that changes
the issue dramatically. So even if we move towards these
definitive agreements, of which there's going to be many, not
just one contract, there's going to be ten or maybe

(01:54:18):
twelve inside that, if we do not include and negotiate
a renegotiation, if and when we have the free flow
of power from east to west and west to east,
then we are further handcuffing ourselves.

Speaker 3 (01:54:30):
That's correct, yep.

Speaker 6 (01:54:33):
But all this would be revealed if there was some
independent oversight. And it really ticks me off because they
have formed a committee and they have some very reputable
names on us and then people associate the names and say, oh,

(01:54:54):
they'll take care of us. But those people don't have
a mandate. It's like asking some famous football player to
come and oversee our Olympics and they say, oh, well
it will certainly be done because he's got great experience.
But then they tell you, yeah, well his job, he's
going to collect the tickets. You know, he has got

(01:55:15):
no other mandate. All these people are doing is they're
looking at the MoU and their job is to make
sure that the agreements are drawn up exactly to what
the MoU says. It has nothing to do with what
just wait, now, well, what about if there is a
power corridor and in thirty years time we find out

(01:55:39):
that we can sell power all across Canada and down
the United States. But we've given Quebec exclusive rights. You
know the way I look at it with my grandchildren,
if something goes wrong in thirty years time, there's a
natural disaster, there's a war or something, and this deal

(01:56:02):
goes bad, go up to mister Hogan and shake his hands,
say you know what, you tried it, well done. But
if in thirty years time this thing goes wrong and
it was because something we could have corrected if we
looked at it. I tell my grandchildren, go out and
find mister Hogan. Then you can shake whatever prior to

(01:56:22):
grab first. What I'm saying is there's an opportunity now
to just have a look at it from our point
of view. What if this happens? What if this happens?
Because I don't want my grandchildren sitting down and say, Wow,
that's a lousy deal. And when we go to Quebec

(01:56:43):
and we say, you know that was a lousy deal.
Did you know that thing? And they're going to say,
you know, a deal is a deal really unfortunate? Yeah,
but it's not a deal now, it's only an MoU right.

Speaker 2 (01:56:55):
I mean, that's comment from me before, and I'll give
you the floor to wrap it up. You know, if
we're talking about painting different scenarios that could come to
bear into the future, that's one thing. But if we're
going to have a so called independent oversight for someone
just to tell me whether or not we got the
best deal possible, that's only ever going to boil down
to an opinion that doesn't deal with contingencies in the future.

(01:57:17):
So that whole did we get the best deal nobody
knows and there's no definitive answer can be brought to
bear on that front. But if we say, you know,
elasticity for pricing for electricity from Hydrocpec to whoever for
a month, or Connecticut or Demain, or whether we talk
about an East West energy quart or what that means
for the price of electricity and the flow of electricity,
Whether we talk about the gull Island access point of

(01:57:39):
two hundred and twenty five meguas, whether we talk about
predictable expansion of the Labrador Recall block given changing markets
for electric you know, those things we should be talking about.
But the whole concept of did we get the best deal?
That's just an opinion as far as I'm concerned. Anyway,
people can try to prove me wrong. But if you
ask Deloitte Touche, or if you ask Goldman Sachs, or
you ask TD or URBC or Manitoba Hydro or whoever,

(01:58:00):
they might come back with different opinions, which exactly what
would be an opinion?

Speaker 6 (01:58:04):
Oh, I agree, and that's that's I think The point
is is that don't make it a simple black and
white committee. Oh it's a good dealer, It's not a
good deal. It's somebody looks at it, they analyze it,
and they say, what if this happened? What about it?
If this power corridor does happen. It may never happen,

(01:58:25):
but let's put a clause in there to say, in
the event of so we're suppose we tickle pink now
because we had an escalation clause, we're supposedly getting two
percent a year. But what about if in thirty years
we find out come back can tell all of our
power for sixty eight cents a kill a wild hour,

(01:58:52):
and we look back and says, you know, we don't
have any more further, what is called what if clause?
Because we're still confine the two percent anyway, it's it's
just all I'm asking Newfoundland is to get up out
of the grass, have a look and say, you know,
is this really agreement or is this just somebody's mouth

(01:59:13):
and olve again, this is the most important agreement that
you and your family will be affected by for the
next seventy five years. Have a look and don't just
leave it up to somebody else.

Speaker 2 (01:59:27):
Appreciate time, Thanks Harry, Thanks by welcome bye bye, final
break in the morning, took away, Welcome back. Let's go
to line number three. Say good more to a former
South River counselor. That's Ryan Snow. Ryan are on the air.

Speaker 9 (01:59:40):
Hello, mister Daily.

Speaker 15 (01:59:41):
How are you.

Speaker 2 (01:59:42):
I'm okay, thank you. How about you?

Speaker 3 (01:59:44):
I'm doing well?

Speaker 9 (01:59:46):
Yeah, no, so I wanted I wanted the phone.

Speaker 3 (01:59:49):
I'm getting some Uh, I.

Speaker 9 (01:59:52):
Give some backlash from a post I put on Facebook,
which was I do believe most of this years came
from Uh. They're they're not reading it properly. So I
read it my origin.

Speaker 6 (02:00:08):
You you read it.

Speaker 15 (02:00:09):
Yeah, so some people are thinking that, you know what, Hey,
this guy is the hate. I am not out to hate, uh,
mister Daily. I was a counselor sever four years. As
of yesterday I had to resigned.

Speaker 6 (02:00:24):
Sadly.

Speaker 9 (02:00:25):
I was the chair of Joint Council for the CBN area,
which looked after eleven communities and I was thirty thousand
residents just previously. Like you know, everything changes and there's
a new chair of joint council. But my my post

(02:00:46):
was not out to hurt people. My post was in
the contention that we are protecting the people.

Speaker 16 (02:00:54):
Of our of Newfland and Labrador that are look, they
live here, they are promarg they paid taxes here for
years and years and years, and.

Speaker 9 (02:01:07):
I do believe that. And I can tell you, mister Daily,
that I can tell you firsthand that the residents that
are taking taken away from Western Bay all the way down,
you know, towards Vata Bird, they're they're, they're, they're they
got to sleep on the gymnasium floors. They're sleeping in
old schools that are are not even schools anymore. Uh,

(02:01:30):
they had to get plumbers. And I can't say the
name is because I want to get in trouble, but
it's it's real. It's real, it's real, mister Daily.

Speaker 2 (02:01:38):
Yes, but what what should be done then, Ryan, I
guess is the question.

Speaker 9 (02:01:44):
I feel I'm not against. Look look, I'm a Canadian,
I'm a New Filander and a Laboratorian, and I will
always stay true to these problems. I will always stand
up for the people that live here. And if I
ever get an opportunity to be on council game, I
will I will advocate every single time. And what I'm

(02:02:04):
trying to say is that like these people that are misplaced,
displaced is a proper word. Actually give them hotels, give
them a place that that just brings something back to
their life. Look, they just lost their house, they just
lost everything. There's there's over one hundred properties gone down
in that area. And these people are are like, we're

(02:02:27):
treating like dogs, make them go sleeping in schools. That's
not that's not real, mister Patty.

Speaker 6 (02:02:33):
That's it's wrong. It's so wrong in so many ways.

Speaker 2 (02:02:36):
It's hotel rooms. I mean I read the post, and
to be bluntly honest, it came across as pretty xenophobic.
It just did. I know you're saying that people read
it the wrong way, But like what hotel rooms. Who
gets bumped out of a hotel room as a tourist
or anybody else to accommodate someone who is unfortunately and
heartbreakingly displaced because of a wildfire.

Speaker 9 (02:02:57):
Uh, well, there's more than one hotel them. So like
if there's residence Western Day, if they got to go
stay into Delta, if they've got to go stay in
Claarenville into hotel Like, that's not what I'm getting at.
My argument is more like, hey, take care of our people. Uh,
put in the same hotel rooms, give them the same things,
feed them, give give them. Look, if that were me

(02:03:20):
if that were me, and I get displaced, if my
house got burn down, like first and foremost, that's the
biggest problem I have on my plate right now. Well,
guess what, I don't look at going to work tomorrow
because I don't have a house anymore, and all the
things that I own are in my house under gun
and these people are getting displaced, and you know what

(02:03:41):
petty look look, people can call me. I don't even
know what zenenophobia is. I really do not, nor do
I care looking at it. I'm looking at this as
a real and constructive point of view. If you don't
like the truth, it doesn't make it not true.

Speaker 2 (02:03:59):
But what is the truth?

Speaker 6 (02:04:00):
Though?

Speaker 2 (02:04:00):
I think I think that's what's missing here, Ryan, because
some of the things that you said were factually incorrect,
so they were not true. That you made a specific
reference to the comfort in has been some sort of
hotels set up for immigrants. It's not true, though, right
And even if you look at the Delta or the
Sheraton or Jag or any hotels here on this strip
on Chemrat Road, it's just so unfortunate. The timing, I mean,
not only the peak of tourism season, but like with

(02:04:22):
the games in town. I think vacancy in the in
the metro region is zero. So that's the question is, well,
where where where could people go.

Speaker 9 (02:04:30):
If they don't have to go to the metro region.
They don't have to go to metro region.

Speaker 4 (02:04:32):
No, you mentioned the desert and also to pay No.

Speaker 9 (02:04:35):
No, I'm gonna I'm gonna go backwards now if you're
you're gonna say to me that, like the comforting on
on Portcoal.

Speaker 6 (02:04:41):
Road, is not used for anyways.

Speaker 9 (02:04:46):
I'm going to stop that conversation short because I'm not
going to put myself in another noose. But uh, if
the people of are problems, if they if they need
to go somewhere, I'm just looking at this as a
rescue stall of idea. Don't don't treat our people in properly.
They paid Texas here for years. I would prefer Look,

(02:05:09):
I'm only a talent counselor look I'm nothing in government.
I'm nothing. Actually I'm listening to that now because I
resigned yesterday. My thing is that the people need to
be treated better, and you're not getting treated better. And Patty,
if you want to argue with me, you came. I
don't want to argue on tall.

Speaker 2 (02:05:27):
I'm not arguing with you. I asked you just a
very simple question, which I think is a logical one
after what you wrote, is if not what's happening now,
what should happen and where would that be? That's all.
That's not me trying to put you in a noose.
I have no reason too. There's no win for me
on that in that column. So it's just very fundamental.
If not what we're currently doing, with multiple government agencies,

(02:05:48):
multiple charitable organizations, where could people be put? I have
no problem with trying to find more comfortable accommodations for anybody,
especially if you've been displaced by wildfire, especially if you're
home is maybe burke to the ground. So that's all
I'm asking is where do you suggest people could go?

Speaker 9 (02:06:04):
That's all okay, So if there is open hotels in
this province, these people should be given an open hotel
room where they can glean and shower and live like
a probably own being. And secondly they should be given
the food and the amenities. It's bad enough that their

(02:06:25):
house and everything's burnt down, but look, it's it's just
it's like for me, it's it's deplorable. It's it's it's
is not human. And to make these people go and
sleep in gymnasiums.

Speaker 6 (02:06:38):
And schools, it's wrong. It's just wrong in so many ways. Taddy, like, look, look,
you get mad at me all you months.

Speaker 9 (02:06:44):
I don't care if you mean you gets right.

Speaker 2 (02:06:47):
I haven't got the brain space all your head.

Speaker 9 (02:06:49):
You're not mad at me. I've got that many pics
and emails and calls in the last twenty four hours
that think I'm made it against immigrants.

Speaker 6 (02:07:00):
I am not.

Speaker 9 (02:07:01):
I believe that Canada is the most beautiful place in
this world to live, and I command anybody that wants
to come here because New Fland Labrador is a unique
and beautiful opportunity for anybody who wants to come here
and live. Canada is even better and we should all
be grateful for living in a great country that we have.
I'm not against I'm not against immigrants.

Speaker 2 (02:07:23):
Look.

Speaker 9 (02:07:23):
Look if they're solemn stickers or anymos comes here. Look,
you took a solemn here because you knew Canada would
protect you, and we will and I.

Speaker 6 (02:07:33):
Will and I will always back them up.

Speaker 9 (02:07:35):
Like I'm not against anybody comes from anywhere, and I'm
as far as I'm concerned. I'm a good politician. I'm
good at what I do. I protect the people around me.
I just sometimes I vocalize and people don't understand and
they take it out of context.

Speaker 2 (02:07:50):
OK, just because it's felve o'clock, we're gonna have to
leave it pretty soon. But you know, far for me
to give anybody any advice. Well, like everything, especially when
we're talking about politics, some policy and these syts of things.
People can complain, but unless they have a solution on
top of the complaint, then it's always going to be
read the most harsh way possible. That's how human nature works.
That's how people reacted to your post. Had you said,

(02:08:12):
here's what we should do, here's where they could go.
I've called this hotel, I've called this airbnb. I've called
this particular establishment they have Rome, let's put the people there.
If that had to be part of the post, it
probably would have tempered a lot of the negativity that
came your way.

Speaker 9 (02:08:26):
Yes, and Patty, look, I didn't. I didn't mean a
serve pot. I just believe that New Flanners Labradorians are
there in my heart. I grew up and I'm raised
and from here I love this place more than you'll
ever know, and I'll always live and protect people from
the Flann Labrador. My post was not out to be

(02:08:50):
judge Mintal. It wasn't too hurt the immigrants. And I'll
tell you what, Patty, there's four bedrooms of my house.

Speaker 6 (02:08:58):
If I had the Who's.

Speaker 9 (02:08:59):
People from audit you're working from, come come leave my house.

Speaker 6 (02:09:02):
I do not care.

Speaker 9 (02:09:03):
My theme was that the people have problems should be
treated better. I appreciate your time, mister Patty on. Oh
it's twelve o'clock.

Speaker 4 (02:09:11):
You enjoy your day and we can reconvene later on.

Speaker 2 (02:09:14):
You too, Thank you. There you go. That's Brian Snow,
former counselor out in South River. All right, good show today,
big thanks to all hands. We will indeed pick up
this conversation again to our morning right here on VSM
and big Land FM's Open Line. I'm half the producer,
David Williams. I'm your host Patty Daily. Have yourself a safe,
fun happy day. We'll talk the morning. Bye bye

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