Paul's new digs...and getting it right

Sometimes, governments get it right. A cynical view perhaps, but when the electorate seemingly continues to get the short end of the stick – or worse yet, get poked in the eye with that stick – it’s hard not to be a cynic. Or angry.  Years of broken promises, corruption, endless self-serving photo ops – I could go on - tend to do that.
 
But as I stated, sometimes the right things are done. Specifically, the construction of the new state-of-the-art long-term care facility in the east end of St. John’s. It recently opened to replace the aging and overcrowded Hoyles-Escasoni complex. Somewhere along the way, someone got this right. And it was likely championed by a nameless mid-level public servant who recognized the need and put this on someone’s agenda.  It was long overdue. At this point, just which government decided to build the facility, Tory or Grit, is inconsequential. I don't know and I don't care. But taking credit in an era of self-praising press releases is the new norm. However, moral responsibility should trump political opportunism.

There is no question that our population is aging and the number of people requiring long term care is increasing. Governments have to be prepared for this. My suggestion would be to level the old Hoyles-Escasoni complex and build another facility like the one just opened. We’re going to need it.

And just as the population of senior citizens is increasing, so too, is the need to help those suffering from mental illness. Great strides have been made to make services available but the waitlist for those seeking help is far too long. As the brother of a long time Hoyles home resident – “resident” - Jesus, when you say it like that it sounds as if he lived in a high end retirement villa. But it wasn’t of course; far from it. He suffered brain damage as the result of a suicide attempt over 20 years ago and requires constant care. The residents on his floor have conditions of varying severity and - for a lot of reasons - it’s a tough place to visit. I can’t imagine the dementia ward.

But no long-term care facility, no hospital, no hospice has a suicide ward. There are no prosthetics to help those suffering from mental illness. Recent high profile accounts of deaths by suicide has brought the need for improved mental health treatment to the forefront. It’s our job to keep it there. The courage of those affected to step forward and speak openly about the loss of a loved one by suicide should be embraced. I don’t think this discussion would have occurred 10 or 15 years ago. At least not publically.

Mental illness is no longer a taboo topic left for gossip bags to whisper about in some corner. “The Launch”, a concert held recently to raise awareness of mental health issues, and news of a 24 hour mental health crisis team are positive steps.  The momentum to break the stigma and increase access to mental health treatment has never been greater. Although we have a ways to go, the ball is firmly rolling in the right direction. Governments can build on this and again, has a chance to get it right.

What The Hell Is Going On?

Here are some of the headlines from local media websites on crimes that recently occurred in the St. John’s area.

Mount Pearl man guilty in Internet luring case
First-degree murder in Paradise stabbing
Man faces jail time in closet video case
Armed standoff ends peacefully
Man charged for having gun in bar on parole
RNC respond to disturbances, alleged impaired drivers

Murder? Armed standoff? Internet luring? Guns in bars? That’s just today. This seems more like Detroit than Newfoundland. At this rate, Allan Hawco won't have to worry about running out of plot lines for The Republic of Doyle.  

To be truthful, I hardly gave them a second thought when I first perused the sites. Like many people, I guess I'm getting used to seeing such stories and headlines. Another day, another armed robbery. And that's not counting the crimes that don't make the front page - home invasions, assaults, theft and so on. It's a bad sign when these crimes are looked at as nothing more than an afterthought. The headlines and our attitudes about them say a lot about our society today - whether we just read the news or make it.

The A Word

There was an article on municipal politics buried on page 9 of The Weekend Telegram about the possible amalgamation of St. John’s, Mt. Pearl and Paradise (not available online). St. John’s Mayor Dennis O’Keefe says it is “inevitable” that amalgamation will occur although he offers no timeline. He even submitted a map that “clearly shows” the geographical quagmire of Mt. Pearl being almost totally “surrounded” by St. John’s. Mt. Pearl Mayor Randy Simms and Paradise Mayor Ralph Wiseman claim that it’s a dead issue and amalgamation will never occur. For it’s part, the provincial government is taking a hands off approach and has no plans to order any type of amalgamation or annexation as it has done in other jurisdictions across the province.

As it stands now, the idea of amalgamation is – as Simms and Wiseman state – a dead issue for residents of Mt. Pearl and Paradise. Neither municipality wants to give up its autonomy and join a city that has its fair share of budget problems and where amalgamation does not have a great track record. Just ask any resident of the Goulds. O’Keefe, and other residents of the capital, will argue that both Mt. Pearl and Paradise avail of services offered by St. John’s and although they pay for the services, having a centralized seat of government will not only save money but improve service such as snow clearing. Then there’s the argument used by city residents that both Paradise and Mt. Pearl don’t pay as much tax as their city counterparts and are unjustly using town services and facilities without paying their fair share. Some also argue that the brown baggers simply add more wear and tear to city roads. There’s even talk of a tollgate.

I’m against any form of amalgamation – it didn’t work in the greater Halifax region in 1996 – people are still complaining  about the Halifax Regional Municipality – and it’s not likely to work here. And for several reasons. The main one being the perceived deterioration of basic services such as garbage collection and snow clearing. Where would a street in the far reaches of Paradise be on the hierarchy of priorities? If you ask the residents of Southlands, somewhere near the bottom. Residents of Mt. Pearl will argue that their snow clearing is second to none so why chance losing a good thing. Add the fact, that property taxes would likely increase, and you see why the idea of joining the capital is not particularly appealing.

However, while the anti-amalgamation sentiment plays well on the home front, both Simms and Wiseman should have a closer look at own problems – particularly fiscal and infrastructure needs – before pointing fingers at the city. The town budget for the town of Paradise for this year is $21.5 million. It’s what Wiseman called a “good news” budget. Yet, one in five tax dollars goes to pay down town debt. Spread that out over ten or fifteen years, and that’s one hell of an arena, pool and fireball that could have been built. In the article, Wiseman claims that ‘ “It’s time for Mayor O’Keefe to move on and deal with his real problems.” ‘ Sound advice. Perhaps Wiseman should heed his own words. And Simms’ refusal to pay for the upkeep and snow clearing to the extension of the Team Gushue highway, a road that will greatly benefit Mt. Pearl, regardless of what he claims, doesn’t play well with the folks in the bunker on Gower or residents of St. John’s. I suspect, it doesn’t play well with the provincial government either who, up to now, have been strangely silent of the issue.

But let’s face some facts. St. John’s is home to many provincial services, particularly education and health services – all major hospitals are located there. It’s home to cultural facilities such as the Rooms and The Arts and Culture Centre. Neither Mt. Pearl nor Paradise are cultural hubs. They are suburban bedroom communities, which offer, too varying degrees, some government services and basic recreational facilities. But that’s what residents signed on for when they moved there. Although, Paradise is lacking in the latter. Quick: Where’s the cultural centre in Paradise? Down behind the fire hall next to the arena across the street from the pool.

While the appetite for amalgamation doesn’t exist outside of St. John’s, things change over time. When the economic bubble bursts – and it will – the provincial government will face some difficult fiscal decisions. For one, the government cannot continue to spend like drunken sailors. Auditor General John Noseworthy said as much in his report last week. The oil royalties can only last so long and then what? The fiscal belt tightening will begin and monies to municipalities are bound to be cut. If that’s the case, amalgamation may indeed not be a question of if, but a question of when.

Please Fix The Tely

I am an avid watcher and reader of news and, to a lesser degree, sports. Okay, I’ll admit it; I’m a news junkie. I get much of my fix online and usually watch the local CBC suppertime newscast and national evening broadcasts from CTV and CBC. I get much of my early morning stuff from the web – primarily CBC/NL. I sometimes click the VOCM site, but it’s not my cup of tea. Same for NTV. I’m not saying the layout is poor (okay VOCM’s is a trigger for an epileptic seizure it has that much going on) or the reportage is bad (okay sometimes it is), but I don’t want to read the same story three or four times.

I usually wait to read The Telegram until I have a mid-morning cup of joe, but alas, that routine is changing. What in God’s name has happened to their site? I know it has been a while since their “soft” launch, but you’d think they would have the bugs worked out by now. It’s like stumbling through a maze. Parts of the page are updated at different times so it’s not uncommon to see today’s headline with yesterday’s editorial. The comment section seems dysfunctional compared to the old site – not that this is a bad thing mind you. Some of the comments by anonymous and gutless yahoos make me cringe. But still, the comment section is not what it once was. Some people do make great points and articulate them quite well.

And I do like reading the columns (well most of 'em) and the editorials in the Tely. But having to do back flips to find them, particularly older columns, is a pain in the ass. I hate to rag on the local paper or the person in charge of the website in particular, but I wish the site was a little more user friendly.

Banning Pesticides and Flawed Logic

In today's Telegram, Brian Jones takes aim at environmentalists, specifically  their “alarmist” views on banning pesticides in St. John’s. His logic is flawed however and, much like his argument that environmentalists distort facts, so does Jones. I think he misses the bigger picture.

Here’s my response to Jones, as posted in the comment section.

''Does anyone believe anything the David Suzuki Foundation says anymore?''

The answer is yes. But it’s not based on the premise you purpose – outlandish claims by environmentalists. True, they can be alarmist. So too can claims from corporations who act primarily in their own self interests. The oil and tobacco lobbies are two that immediately come to mind.

Ask yourself, whose interests are better served by downplaying the negative impact of the checks and balances meant to ensure environmental safety?

Your prejudices against David Suzuki and Sheilagh O'Leary seem to cloud your judgment and diminish the validity of your argument. How is the fear-mongering you accuse environmentalists of perpetuating any different from the fear-mongering of any corporation or lobby, big or small? Fact is, there is no difference.

Their mantra seems to be that they know what's best for us and we better not tell them what to do. Their ''do-as-we-say-and-nobody-gets-hurt'' policy is great until somebody gets hurt. Or the environment is negatively impacted. Just ask British Petroleum.

The Weekend Telegram: Time For Some Changes?

I’m a person of routine. I do things at a certain time at a certain place in a certain way. But I like routine. It tells me that things are – more or less – going smoothly. A flooded basement is not part of any normal daily or weekly routine; it’s a major pain in the ass. Yes, I have to admit I like things pretty much the way they are. Boring? Predictable? Dare I say anal retentive? Natch. But I take some comfort in it. I try to look at things from an analytical perspective, which may help explain my math degree. And you know what a happenin’ crowd math majors are.

The down side is that I can get easily frustrated when things don’t go as planned or if changes, however minor, interrupt my personal mirco-utopia. And when I say changes, I’m not talking life-changing events here people. A flooded house, new home purchase, moving, divorces are big deals. But things like running out of coffee, flat tires, no weekend paper left at the corner store and “what do you mean the lottery machine is down?” are sources of angst to no end. (As a math person and knowing the odds, I shouldn’t buy lottery tickets; but still, its part of my routine.)

Weekends are big on routine for me. I sleep in a little later, buy the Weekend Telegram, make myself a large pot of coffee and take my time going through the paper from beginning to end - all done in the relative peace and quiet of a house where kids sleep in to 10 or 11. It’s part of my routine. I simply enjoy reading the Tely. I even read sections that remind me of things I don’t have. Real Estate....Wheels... Life.

But I digress. The Weekend Telegram has recently started to let me down, thereby upsetting my routine. And I’m sure you are aware, one of The Tely's mission statements was to meet my high journalistic standards.

The problems initially started when they decided to stop publishing the Sunday Telegram (complete with WalMart flyer) and publish the paper on Saturdays only. The publisher said it was due to economic reasons. Fair enough. But The Weekend edition has begun to lose steam, particularly in the editorial section, which is normally my favourite and the first section I read.

Now things are not all bad. I enjoy the editorials and follow columns by Pam Framptom, Russell Wangersky, Lana Payne and Bob Wakeham (although his constant reference to his days at the CBC and how things were much better under his leadership, are starting to wear thin). But Wakeham says what’s on his mind and does so in no uncertain terms. There are also many good, articulate and insightful op-ed pieces and letters to the editor. (However, some of the comments left in the online edition are less than desirable. You have the same people shouting the same things day in and day out. This not only cheapens what they say, but it reflects poorly on the paper. Check out an example here. I'll have more in an upcoming post.)

And while I don’t read columns by Ed Smith, Tony Collins, Michael Johansen or Gywnne Dyer it certainly doesn’t mean that they aren’t good - they just aren’t my cup of tea. But to be honest, I am a big sports fan and I never read anything by Robin Short. His columns tend to be somewhat self-serving as he tries too hard to ruffle feathers and have that big city sports reporter persona. It falls flat in small town Newfoundland.

But the biggest disappointment is the column by Randy Simms. I know he’s in various media including radio and television and is up to date on current events in the province, but his columns are pedestrian at best. He seems to painstakingly walk a fine line to appease everyone. (His outlandish suggestion to profile Muslims because it delayed him at the airport being the exception. Now that was self-serving.)

I’ll be the first to admit I know nothing on running a paper. It has to be demanding with deadlines, late breaking stories and so on. Proofreading alone has to be maddening. But The Telegram provides some of the best news and arts coverage in the province. Talented reporters such as Rob Antle, Steve Bartlett, Alisha Morrissey and Moira Baird among others, make reading the news more enjoyable than watching it.

I don’t mean to be overly critical on the paper – lord knows it has its hands full. That, by the way, that was not a Randy Simms-ese statement of appeasement. I’m just giving my opinion. Take from it what you will. But the editorial section needs an overall. My routine just isn’t the same.