Myles Higgins

Newfoundland & Labrador Remembers Lanier Phillips

This week marks the sad passing of a great Newfoundlander and Labradorian, Mr. Lanier Phillips, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88. Lanier Phillips’ may have arrived on this planet via rural Georgia but by all accounts his mental and spiritual beginnings, with all of the pain and suffering that often accompanies child birth, happened nearly two decades later on the rocky shores of Newfoundland and Labrador. Near the small towns of St. Lawrence and Lawn the Lanier Phillips known to his family and friends for the first 18 years of his life ceased to exist and the man he would later become was ushered into life.

NL -Election 2011 - Sharing Provincial Wealth

With the provincial election in full swing, and especially after the leader’s debate (argument) it occurred to me that it might do us all some good to step back from the political rhetoric for a moment and consider our future without the political spin.

Does the Atlantic Gateway Actually exist?

In October of 2007 the federal Conservative government announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Atlantic Provinces. The agreement was hailed as a landmark partnership that would allow for the creation of an Atlantic Gateway helping to ensure improved trade, economic growth and prosperity for the entire region.

Call for Federal Inquiry Falls on Deaf Ears

On Monday federal MP, Ryan Cleary, announced plans to introduce a private members bill during the next sitting of the House of Commons. The bill would call on government to begin an official inquiry into fisheries management off the East Coast.

Equality Has Little to do with Equalization

It’s probably a psychological side effect of the foggy weather around many parts of Newfoundland and Labrador this summer but lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking (and very little lawn maintenance). Call it day dreaming if you will but I like prefer to think of it as a “vacation of the mind”. It may sound corny but when life gives you lemons (or in this case incessant pea soup fog) you do whatever you can to turn it into lemonade.

NL Fisheries – 500 Years of Turmoil

Turmoil in the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery has been around since John Cabot dipped his basket over the side and pulled up that first startled cod fish. Five hundred years later little has changed.

Newfoundland & Labrador Fills Federal Void

In 2010 the government of Newfoundland & Labrador, under then premier Danny Williams, made a decision that might one day prove to be a turning point for the Atlantic fishery. It decided that the province could no longer trust the federal government, or the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), as the sole source of fisheries science data. Thanks to an initial $14 million allocation by the province’s taxpayers, research began this year into the state of North Atlantic fish stocks.

July 1 - Beaumont-Hamel, Beyond the Wire

It's Canada Day and I’d like to beg the indulgence of our readers for a moment by asking, during this time of celebration, that we take a moment to remember how that day also marks one of the most solemn in Newfoundland and Labrador’s pre-confederation history. When people today consider Newfoundland and Labrador’s military legacy they’re likely to think of the men and women serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. Few think of the time before the province’s Confederation with Canada when, in 1916, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment faced the bloodiest day in its history.

SAR office Closure - Protest Perspectives

With the planned closure of the search and rescue coordination center in St. John’s, much is being said about lives being jeopardized as a result of the 12 positions to be cut there.

Is Quebec annexing huge swaths of land in Labrador?

The news wires are buzzing today after Premier Jean Charest’s announcement of “Plan Nord”, Quebec’s vision to develop its vast natural resources and reshape the future of the Province. According to Premier Charest, Plan Nord is “…one of the biggest economic, social and environmental projects of our time”. The plan calls for creation of massive mining and hydro generation projects, extensive infrastructure development, sustainable forestry exploitation and the protection of vast swaths of unspoiled wilderness.

The Lower Churchill - A tale of Two Agreements

Development of the Lower Churchill hydro project is top of mind in Newfoundland and Labrador these days. Thanks to a simple loan guarantee promised by the three major federal parties, not to mention Quebec’s near apoplexy over what amounts to one of many campaign promises that may never be fulfilled.

Federal Election Sparks Side Deal with Quebec

At the eleventh hour, after more than a decade of backroom negotiation, the Province of Quebec and the Federal Minister of Natural Resources, Christian Paradis, who also happens to be the MP for the Quebec district of Mégantic—L'Érable, have inked a deal on offshore oil and gas revenues.

Premier Danny Williams Announces Resignation

The first rumblings that something was up began early Thursday morning. This was quickly followed by a brief news release from the Premier’s communications director simply stating that Danny Williams would be going before the microphones to “discuss his political future”.

Deal Inked on Lower Churchill Development

After decades of waiting and wondering the people of Newfoundland and Labrador learned today that the Provincial government has inked an agreement with Nova Scotia for development of a portion of the Lower Churchill Falls hydro project.

I Had a Dream…..of Genie

Have you ever had that dream, you know, the one where you’re walking along a beach when without warning you stumble over a lamp,(or perhaps a Screech bottle) and a genie with a thick accent, wearing a Sou’Wester, suddenly appears through the fog offering you three “fishy” wishes?

NAFO Approves Higher North Atlantic Cod Quota for Spanish Fleet

Here we go again. International relations and politics once more trump good conservation and science as the North West Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) approves an increased quota for the Spanish fleet just days after fisheries scientists announce that there has been a small increase in cod stocks after nearly 20 years of a moratorium on the species.

Web Talk - Newfoundland and Labrador

As someone who knows a MS patient very well, I believe it's time for the public to make it crystal clear to Health Canada and to provincial leaders that the time has come to distance itself from the recommendations of the MS-Society of Canada and move forward with clinical trials of the so called "Zamboni" technique for treatment of this dibilitating disease.

Documentary Takes Stock of NL’s Satisfaction with Canada

This past weekend award-winning journalist and documentary film maker Guylaine Maroist, traveled to the fair province of Newfoundland and Labrador from her home in Montreal. Her purpose: To help define the TRUE Canadian experience, a tall order by anyone’s estimate.

Fear and Phobia - The Loblaw Imperitive

Today I’d like to tackle the subject of fear. Not the sort of fear most of us feel when confronted with a life threatening situation. That fear is just our body’s natural survival instinct doing its best to hone our senses and keep us on our toes. The fear I speak of today is a phobia, Aquaphobia or, to be more precise in this case, (I’ve had to define a term to fit the situation) Salt-Aquaphobia.

The Israel and Palestine of the North

An opinion piece by L. Ian Macdonald in the June 13th edtion of the Montreal Gazette caught my eye today, as I'm sure it did every other Newfoundlander or Labradorian who read the headline, "Let it go Newfoundland".