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Newfoundland and Labrador election delayed for about half the province

Update 2/13: In-person voting has been suspended for Saturday's election with mail-in voting continuing. The B117 variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus has been spotted in the province.

Newfoundland and Labrador had February 13 on the calendar for an election that needed to be called before August 19. The writ was dropped; the campaign was going reasonably smooth. Then the COVID-19 cases started climbing this week.

Monday had 11 new cases, significant but not huge. Tuesday brought 30 cases; Wednesday had 53 cases; Thursday reached 100 cases. Each of these numbers are unique for their days.

There were issues of people being in quarantine who were then unable to vote. A high school in Mount Pearl that saw a rise in cases. There were mass staffing shortages at Elections NL.

The affected districts are all in the Avalon Peninsula (southeastern Newfoundland, including St. John's). Those districts are: Cape St. Francis; Carbonear – Trinity – Bay de Verde; Conception Bay East – Bell Island; Conception Bay South; Ferryland; Harbour Grace – Port de Grave; Harbour Main; Mount Pearl North; Mount Pearl – Southlands; Mount Scio; Placentia – St. Mary's; St. John's Centre; St. John's East – Quidi Vidi; St. John's West; Topsail - Paradise; Virginia Waters – Pleasantville; Waterford Valley; and Windsor Lake.

The election will go as planned on Saturday for the other 22 districts. The results won't be known until everyone else votes.

Special ballot deadlines are now extended so more people can vote by mail. If approved, voters have to mail the ballots and have them arrive by February 25.

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Liberals to form minority government in Newfoundland and Labrador

What did we learn from pandemic elections in Canada?

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

2021 Canadian politics preview

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New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan pulled off pandemic elections in 2020 but none of those provinces had a significant outbreak during the election process. The numbers may seem small compared to Ontario, Quebec, and multiple U.S. states. Figure that the 195 cases in the previous 5 days is half of 390, the province total number of cases in all of 2020. Outside of St. John's, the province is rather rural and remote.

Having an election postponed is a significant and highly rare decision. Politicians in Canada, such as Premier Andrew Furey, always point out that decisions are up to the elections board, in this case Elections NL.

Bruce Chaulk, chief electoral officer of Elections NL, said in-person voting would be rescheduled in 2 weeks if public health conditions improve. We don't know when there will be a specific date; presumably that election date will be on a Saturday. The voting was set up for a Saturday to not interfere with schools since some voting happens at schools. You might recall that Saskatchewan closed schools on their election date for the same reason.

St. John's got hit with a huge snowstorm, even by Newfoundland standards, about a year ago. That would have disrupted an election.

We will be ready to report the results of the election. When a date is announced, we will update this story.

photo credit: CBC News

2021 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Here’s the scene as Andrew Furey leaves Government House. #nlpoli pic.twitter.com/F2rzGTZH3T

— Terry Roberts (@TRobertst) January 15, 2021

We knew Newfoundland and Labrador had to go to the polls before August 19. Premier Andrew Furey won the leadership of the Liberal Party but has not been elected.

Furey has set February 13 for the required provincial election. The Saturday election is a first in the province.

The Liberals have 19 seats in the 40-seat assembly with 20 after the 2019 election. The Progressive Conservatives and leader Ches Crosbie are at 15 seats. The New Democratic Party and leader Alison Coffin stand at 3 seats.

Liberals to form minority government in Newfoundland and Labrador

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Furey took over on August 19 from Dwight Ball as premier and leader of the Liberal Party. This will be Furey's first election as a party leader. Crosbie and Coffin were party leaders in the 2019 election.

Little has changed, other than COVID-19, in the province. The price of oil is a great concern. Muskrat Falls. 

2021 Canadian politics preview

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Calling the election earlier gives the Liberal Party an incentive to ask for a strong majority government to get through a potential second COVID-19 wave. The province has been relatively safe, even within Atlantic Canada.

Sooner also puts the other major parties at a disadvantage to come up with a full slate of candidates. Furey wants to continue the trend of having minority governments to turn majority government during this pandemic in Canada.

Twitter capture: @TRobertst
photo credit: CBC News

Canadian travel bubbles could boost tourism within Canada

The Maritime provinces as well as Newfoundland and Labrador are looking into a travel bubble. Nunavut and Northwest Territories are planning a travel bubble for themselves.

The idea behind a travel bubble is that Canadians in those areas could cross provincial and territorial borders without the need to quarantine from the pandemic.

I haven't been to a Canadian territory but I have visited the Atlantic provinces in the summertime. I have been in Newfoundland and Labrador in late July, Nova Scotia in August, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in September. So much seafood, driving without obnoxious billboards, a lot of walking, and tons of water.

A lot of Canadians out west haven't been to this area of Canada. Costs are normally prohibitive even before a pandemic: cheaper to fly to Las Vegas to London then to travel to Halifax or St. John's.

A travel bubble, combined with relatively cheaper gas, allows Canadians from that region to enjoy the splendid beauty of the region without as many tourists as normal. The Bay of Fundy, Peggy's Cove, Cape Spear, the red sand PEI beaches, Cape Breton, Hopewell Rocks, and so many more travel destinations./p>

The Atlantic provinces have been doing really well with COVID-19 with Nova Scotia being the slight outlier. This doesn't obscure the fact that people have suffered and died from the COVID-19 coronavirus. Even though the numbers have been good, provincial premiers want to be sure this is done safely.

I loved the Hockey Day in Canada coverage from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories back in February. Having seen the Iqaluit film made me more excited about seeing the Nunavut capital.   

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Like Americans, Canadians are allowed to travel freely within their own country. Provinces have stepped up during the pandemic to limit travel in their provinces. British Columbia provincial parks are closed to non-residents. There has been some animosity against cars with Alberta licence plates in B.C.

Those in the 6 other provinces could discover the travel jewels in their own province. Those in Alberta can drive the Icefield Parkway with fewer tourist cars around. British Columbians can explore the interior and Vancouver Island.  

I've been to Regina and had an amazing Saskatoon berry pie. I would love to visit Saskatoon. Winnipeg is truly more fun than you might expect. Ontario and Quebec offer numerous options for those who live there.

Where to visit Canada in 2020

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We have heard that while land crossings are out for American travelers, some have been able to fly into Canada without issue. They would need to do a 14-day quarantine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slightly loosened the U.S.-Canada border last week allowing some family members to cross into Canada, provided they have no sign they might have COVID-19 and no reason to believe they might have caught it. The 14-day quarantine still applies.

Everything we saw last week said the border closing extension will run until the end of July. That could leave August if you want to be hopeful. Don't make plans until the border opens. Even then, you want to be careful. Masks and social distancing are smart, regardless of whether rules are in place.

We had hoped 2020 would bring more Canadian travel adventures from your humble narrator. There is a lot of pain in not being able to see Canada first hand these days.

photo credit: @VisitNovaScotia

Canadian film review: You Are Here: A Come From Away Story

If you haven't seen Come From Away, the musical, you can learn the story from the people who inspired the musical in the documentary You Are Here: A Come From Away Story.

The musical tells the story of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador in the days after the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. soil. The documentary takes us to Gander.

We meet the real Beverley Bass, the mayor of Gander. The food spreads we heard about: we get to see the food.

The documentary takes us through the experience day by day. We see the joys and sorrows of the non-Canadians whose lives were turned upside down.

You really get a good sense of what the townsfolk in Gander went through without warning to give back to the sudden additions to the community.

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We also get to see the Gander people come to New York City for the musical on Broadway. There we saw the lasting friendships between the people in Newfoundland and those who came from away.

While the musical format appeals to a wide audience, the documentary gives you the ups and downs of the real story. Watch the musical if you can, then watch the documentary.

Come From Away a chance to learn about Canadian kindness on 9/11

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

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Come From Away hits Broadway, shows how Canada helped out after 9/11

The deterioration of the U.S.-Canada relationship ties back to September 11, 2001

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

The documentary has been available in Canada for some time. There were special screenings in major cities in the United States on September 11. Hoping the documentary gets significant U.S. distribution so Americans can finally learn this amazing story of kindness at a very dark time.

video credit: YouTube/MDFproductionsINC
photo credit: You Are Here: A Come From Away Story film

Come From Away a chance to learn about Canadian kindness on 9/11

Come From Away tells the story of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador and how the town responded to an influx of sudden visitors after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Planes were flying to and from Europe and Asia from Canada and the United States. With U.S. airspace restricted, the planes had to land somewhere. That somewhere was Canada.

Operation Yellow Ribbon process had 256 planes in Canada in 17 different airports. Gander took in 38 airplanes while Halifax had 40 planes. Other transatlantic flights ended up in St. John's, Moncton, CFB Goose Bay (Labrador), and Stephenville, NL.

Vancouver and Winnipeg handled the majority of flights coming from the other direction. Edmonton and Calgary airports helped out as well.

Transport Canada didn't want flights coming into Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal. Despite this announcement, some planes did land at Pearson International Airport in Toronto and Montréal–Mirabel International Airport and Dorval (now Pierre Trudeau) International Airport in Montréal.

The Broadway musical Come From Away touring the United States takes us through the anxieties of those traveling and wondering where they were as well as the dilemmas of those in Gander about how to accommodate the influx of travelers.

They landed with little news about what had happened and had to stay on the planes for awhile. Once they exited the planes, the passengers and crew had a lot of disorienting confusion and concern. They were also greeted with warmth, love, and lots of food.

The townspeople were settling into an ordinary day when called upon to help those trapped by events in the United States.

The show is filled with ordinary details such as a school bus strike temporarily lifted to help get large amount of people to destinations. At one point, a woman is happy to be there but still wants to go home.

A gay couple try to hide their relationship because they aren't sure about whether these people will understand. Turns out gay people are everywhere, even in Newfoundland.

They see a moose at one point. We hear Newfoundland lingo. Cod tongues were mentioned. There is even a song about the screech ceremony, which might have seemed unusual even if the passengers had been to other parts of Canada.

The warmth, friendliness, and generosity of the people of Gander and Newfoundland is apparent, obvious, and loved. The lasting friendships of those people in the play and in real life are awe-inspiring.

There are Canadian references such as Tim Hortons (which got a big laugh at the show I attended in Chicago) and Shoppers (Drug Mart). Even if you didn't know what Shoppers was, you soon figured it out.

The deterioration of the U.S.-Canada relationship ties back to September 11, 2001

There might be a concern about seeing or laughing at a musical that has to do with 9/11. The show has little to do with the actual attacks but more about the people temporarily in a foreign land and their triumphs and struggles. The show might trigger such moments if you are more sensitive about what happened that fateful day. Your feelings are more than valid. We do not judge.

The Chicago audience had a chance to learn more about what happened during a Q&A session, featuring Lt. General Rick Findley from North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD); James Earl Jones II, a Chicago native who is in the show; and Beverley Bass, the first female American Airlines pilot who features prominently in the musical.

Even for those who landed in Canada but closer to the United States, Findley reminded the audience that the Canada-U.S. border was closed for awhile. The musical makes a note about showing how long it would take just to get to the U.S. border from Gander.

Jones told the story of taking an initiative to visit Gander. The touring company only had a single official week off in the year. Jones took that opportunity to go to Gander.

His plane didn't arrive until 3:15 am yet Jones were greeted upon his arrival in Gander. Jones said Gander has a Wal-Mart, mom/pop shoppes, and an open door policy. He said they took him everywhere and he was immersed in the community. Jones mentioned the Bread Box and noted the "mug shot" there is having your picture in front of a wall of mugs.

Jones got an offer to chase icebergs where a woman was driving a random stranger (Jones) for several hours to see icebergs. He said the people there never wanted a thank you or money for their help for Operation Yellow Ribbon.

He told the audience that Gander is now up to 12,000, up from 9,000 in 2001.

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

Come From Away earns 7 Tony nominations

Come From Away hits Broadway, shows how Canada helped out after 9/11

CanadianCrossing.com Newfoundland and Labrador coverage

Beverley Bass arrived late with a delayed flight the night of the discussion. Bass said her plane was the 36th of 38 planes to land on September 11. Her September 11 day started in Paris and was scheduled to end in Dallas.

The passengers on her flight were forced to remain on the aircraft with limited news. Bass said the passengers and crew didn't leave the airplane until 7:30 am on September 12. They stayed in Gander for 5 days.

When they did leave the airplane, they went through a tiny terminal. Bass remembered the tables full of food that the people of Gander had cooked up the previous night. They handed everyone a plastic bag full of food.

I asked Jones how much he knew about the story before doing the play: "Nothing." He didn't know Gander existed and had never been to Canada. Jones didn't even know about the Tom Brokaw Operation Yellow Ribbon video (above) that NBC News ran during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Jones said the story blew my mind and "you will be compelled to find out about Gander once you've heard the story."

Location might be a factor in seeing this musical as opposed to where you see Hamilton. Jones said the Toronto Come From Away shows felt like a party. He was reminded in the Q&A that a lot of Newfoundland people live in Toronto (not just Q's Tom Power).

If you don't get a chance to see the musical, you can find out more about the experience through a documentary You Are Here. Jones mentioned the documentary in his presentation and noted that the documentary is already available in Canada.

There are screenings in 800 theatres across the United States on September 11.

Come From Away is based on a true story, a story that Americans should know about how Canada responded at America's lowest modern moment.

map credit: Google
photos credit: me
video credit: NBC News

Liberals to form minority government in Newfoundland and Labrador

Dwight Ball and the Liberal Party are in a new reality with only the second minority government in the brief history of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Liberals won 20 of the 40 seats in the House of Assembly in St. John's. This was a far cry from the 31 seats the Liberals won in the 2015 election.

The Progressive Conservatives remain in opposition, moving up to 15 seats. The New Democratic Party had neither incumbent running (2 seats) and now have 3 seats. There are 2 independent MHAs. The new NL Alliance produced 0 seats.

The previous minority government came in 1971. That lasted less than 6 months. The dynamics are much different in the 2019 election.

The Canadian media, including the CBC, has pounded the point of incumbent governments losing, implying that will also happen federally in October. What they have missed is that this is the 3rd straight election in the Atlantic provinces that have gone to a minority government.

Progressive Conservative Party leader Ches Crosbie gave one of the most bizarre speeches in modern Canadian politics history. We criticized Jason Kenney for his angry speech in winning the Alberta election. Crosbie had a lot more anger in a far shorter speech.

"Constitutional conundrum." "I am not conceding victory to the Liberals." "They will have to struggle for the next months and years to hang on to power." He also vowed Ball would be out as premier and Liberal leader within a year. Crosbie also went after the integrity of Lieutenant Governor Judy Foote.

[In Canada, the lieutenant governor is the equivalent of the governor general, representative of Queen Elizabeth II. That person handles what happens during a minority government as far as which party will form government.]

John Crosbie, father of Ches, was the lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador from 2008-2013.

Crosbie implied that the PC party won the popular vote when that wasn't true.

Stunned is an understatement. You might hear that kind of speech if you run for class president in Grade 7. Even then, you would think that person should know better.

Alison Coffin had a much better night. The new NDP leader had 0 incumbents and only 14 candidates running. Coffin won her seat in St. John's East-Quidi Vidi. The party also won seats in St. John's Centre (Jim Dinn) and Labrador West, the latter where Jordan Brown won by 5 votes.

NL Alliance party leader Graydon Pelley barely got his party registered in time. The party wasn't a factor in any district.

The two independents have more potential power in a minority government. Eddie Joyce and Paul Lane were re-elected as independents. Joyce was a long-time Liberal who was kicked out of caucus over harassment allegations. He was later cleared of that charge. Lane used to be in the PC and Liberal parties.

Turnout was about 60%, an improvement over the 2015 election with a 55.2% turnout.

As we saw in the Prince Edward Island election, party leaders can be friends in real life. The Newfoundland and Labrador election said hold my beer.

The Dinn family featured Jim (left), the older brother, who won in St. John's Centre for the NDP in his first race. Paul (right), won re-election in the Topsail-Paradise district for the PCs. Mom (centre) couldn't vote for either son since she lives in the Waterford Valley district.

Speaking of the Waterford Valley district, Tom Osborne won re-election for the Liberals. Osborne has been in the House of Assembly since 1996 as a PC and later switched to the Liberal party. His older brother Bob Osborne ran in his first race in Windsor Lake for the Liberals but lost to Crosbie.

Their mother, Sheila Osborne, was a MHA from 1997-2011 representing St. John's West for the PC party.

Ches Crosbie won his seat but his sister Beth lost in her race in the Virginia Waters-Pleasantville district for the PC party. She also ran and lost for the same district in 2015. Turns out she lives in her brother's district.

The number of women in the House of Assembly dropped from 10 to 9. The PCs doubled their total from 1 to 2. The Liberals fell from 7 to 6.

The NDP had 2 female incumbents but both were not running in 2019: Lorraine Michael (St. John's East-Quidi Vidi) and Gerry Rogers (St. John's Centre). Coffin won in Michael's former district. The party won Rogers' old district, but that was where Jim Dinn won.

And then there were none: the lack of female premiers in Canada

They were like "watching two bowls of vanilla ice cream melt in the sun."

This is how veteran political reporter and Newfoundland native David Cochrane described the debate between Ball and Crosbie. Front Burner with Jayme Poisson had Cochrane and Newfoundland native Tom Power of Q for a discussion about the election.

We learned a bit about Muskrat Falls, a huge power plant that was designed to lower electricity costs but instead has become a financial boondoggle. We also learned that the demographics make things difficult to get enough money to reduce the crippling debt.

The Simpsons and others should learn Newfoundland before cracking jokes

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Red Liberal wave runs through Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

2019 Canadian politics preview

The PC party and the NDP spent time complaining about the election being moved from fall to spring. Even I knew the election was getting moved up. There was a concern about having the provincial election so close to the federal election. The 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador election was after the federal election. Heads up to those in the province: the 2023 election, unless an election is called earlier, will be in the spring.

Canadian notebook: Newfoundland and Labrador developing anti-book reputation

The first Liberal budget after the 2015 election featured a 10% provincial tax on book sales with only a few exceptions. That lasted until January 1, 2018. When we wrote about this in 2016, Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest literacy rate in the country.

That budget proposed that over 50% of the libraries in the province be closed within 2 years. After a long struggle, that proposal was taken off the table.

In a consensus government, the Liberals won't be able to make such dramatic moves.

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CBNT, Channel 8 in St. John's, stayed with election coverage through the first 2 periods of the Boston NHL playoff game. Hockey fans could have followed on Rogers Sportsnet, another CBC station through cable or satellite, or streaming at cbcsports.ca. Newfoundland and Labrador has only 2 stations, both in St. John's.

photos credit: CBC News Network

The Simpsons and others should learn Newfoundland before cracking jokes

Here's the full context of last night's Simpsons episode making fun of Newfoundlanders, does it change anything that they were pointing out that Canadians don't always treat Newfoundlanders well? (Video from CityTV) pic.twitter.com/4uljG1rXVl

— Peter Cowan (@PeterCBC) April 29, 2019

Newfoundland is celebrating 70 years of being a part of Canada. The territory officially joined Canada at midnight on April 1, 1949.

For most of that time, Canada hasn't treated Newfoundlanders well. They were different and not just because The Rock was 30 minutes ahead of the Atlantic Time Zone.

Reducing the people of Newfoundland to "Newfie" is simplistic, especially since their Maritime neighbours don't suffer a similar fate. If the insinuation is more rural as opposed to the "big" city of St. John's, most of Canada could be identified by that word.

South Park used that word in It's Christmas in Canada (Season 7, episode 15) in 2003 and implied that people from Newfoundland were into sodomy. There might have been some controversy but the Internet is broader in scope 16 years later.

Anthony Bourdain takes CNN's Parts Unknown to the mysterious land of Newfoundland

Someone on the Twitter account for CNN's Parts Unknown hosted by Anthony Bourdain used that term on the Newfoundland episode of the travel series: "Embrace the Newfies as they are." There was a lot of people upset at the use of the term.

The Simpsons has Lisa seeking asylum in Canada in D'oh Canada

“Where the wind blows cold and there’s ice and snow, some days go on forever. But I’m warm and fed in a Newfoundlander’s bed, I’ll be an islander forever. I’ll be an islander forever.”

Those are the lines that the Newfoundland version of Ralph Wiggum sings in The Simpsons episode D'oh Canada that aired earlier this week on Fox and Citytv.

A few media outlets attributed the song to The Islander by Bruce Moss, but the lyrics in the show don't match up with the 1982 song. Moss said in an interview that The Simpsons offered him $20,000 U.S. to licence the song but he refused.  

"I'm not sorry I didn't license it. And after what I've been told about this episode, I'm really happy I didn't." Moss told The St. John's Morning Show.

Several Google searches didn't net a result for the origin of the song in the episode. Tom Power of Q likely knows the answer. The song lyrics rang true and was more a part of Newfoundland than the lame jokes.

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Canadian notebook: Newfoundland and Labrador developing anti-book reputation

Humour can be fun when there is some truth behind the joke. The show could have joked about cod shortages or the time zone difference of being a half-hour ahead or taught the world what "b'y" means. The joke could have been about screech or rum or everyone has a pet moose. The focus could have been on the province having the worst literacy rate in Canada.

The problem with the "clubbing baby seals" joke is that there is no truth. The act has been illegal for more than 30 years. Most hunting involves adult animals for a simple reason: you get more benefit from a larger animal, especially in an indigenous culture where the whole animal is used (buffalo, seal).

When I was in Newfoundland, I heard quite a few people share with me variations on what happens in the seal hunt. I've seen a seal hunt in films and on television. Anthony Bourdain covered the seal hunt and how the whole seal is used in a visit to Quebec.

The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon along with Canadian icon Pamela Anderson visited St. John's in 2013. Simon, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, offered $1 million to Canadian sealers to give up the seal hunt.

Newfoundland native Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) crashed the photo-op with his much smaller $1 million check that he offered to Pamela Anderson to stop acting.

There is nothing wrong with being anti-hunting as a general concept but the seal hunt has been a target based on the incorrect perception of "clubbing baby seals." That perception has cost the native people in that region from being denied the right to sell goods made from seals outside of Canada.

Sunday night's joke looks like a legacy to Sam Simon.

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

Come From Away earns 7 Tony nominations

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

If you are looking to take away an impression of Newfoundland other than lame jokes from The Simpsons, Come From Away is a remarkable legacy. Gander and many other communities suddenly hosted people on airplanes that landed in eastern Canada on September 11, 2001.

The generosity was amazing to the travelers but typical of how Newfoundlanders are. I saw similar hospitality to me during my visit there in 2015.

You could also watch Republic of Doyle with Allan Hawco to see Newfoundland. The CBC show is available in the U.S. on Netflix.

We will also talk about Newfoundland and Labrador as the province gets ready for its election in 2 weeks on May 16.

Twitter capture: @PeterCBC
photos credit: me

2019 Newfoundland and Labrador election preview

Newfoundland and Labrador premier Scott Ball is going for a second term for the Liberal Party in calling a spring election on May 16 for the province.

Ball's challengers have had precious little time in party leadership. Ches Crosbie has been leader of the Progressive Conservatives for days short of a year. NDP leader Alison Coffin has been in charge of the party since March 5.

The NL Alliance party just got officially registered. NL Alliance leader Graydon Pelley will only have a smattering of candidates.

The Liberals start with 27 seats, down from 31 in the 2015 election. The Progressive Conservatives have 8 seats, up from 7 in the last election. The NDP has 2 seats, same as the 2015 election results.

And then there were none: the lack of female premiers in Canada

NDP leader Alison Coffin is running in the St. John's East-Quidi Vidi riding as current incumbent and former party leader Lorraine Michael is not running for re-election. The other NDP member is Gerry Rogers from St. John's Centre. Rogers is also a former party leader and not running for re-election.

The Liberals 2015 win came on the heels of a federal election and was a complete turn around flip from PCs to Liberal. The PCs had been in power from 2003-2015. 40 seats are up for grabs in this election.

Red Liberal wave runs through Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

The Liberals had been hinting the election would flip from fall to spring to not clash with the federal election. Even with the hint, the other parties are not as ready in terms of fielding candidates.

The ruling Liberals just tabled a budget, which will not be passed unless the party wins re-election.

Earlier this month, the province renewed the Atlantic Accord agreement with the federal government on offshore resource revenues. Newfoundland and Labrador has had crippling debt in part due to falling oil prices.

Newfoundland and Labrador will receive $2.5 billion over 38 years: front-loaded so the province receives 60% within the first year. That does mean $1.5 billion within the next 12 months but only $40,540,541 on average each year for the next 37 years.

Video lottery terminals (VLT) may become a campaign issue. The gambling terminals in bars are a huge source of income to the province but come at a society price.

Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie says VLTs would not be allowed "until they're safe" if he becomes premier. Crosbie was the original lawyer behind the current class-action lawsuit against the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, the entity that runs the machines in Eastern Canada.

2019 Canadian politics preview

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The May 16 election will fall during the Stanley Cup playoffs. NHL fans in Newfoundland and Labrador will have to rely on other CBC affiliates or stream the game on cbcsports.ca. The province only has 2 over-the-air stations: CBNT (CBC) and CJON (NTV-Newfoundland television) licensed to St. John's.

photo credit: me

Anthony Bourdain takes CNN's Parts Unknown to the mysterious land of Newfoundland

"We're surrounded by water and we're not really a seafood-eating place." — Dale Jarvis, Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Anthony Bourdain does his best to eat the seafood and wild meat of Newfoundland in the latest chapter of Parts Unknown on CNN. Newfoundland is the second province in Canada to be featured on Parts Unknown, besides Quebec. Bourdain reaches into his knowledge base of Quebec to bring in Joe Beef's Frédéric Morin and David McMillan. Joining these masterful eaters are head chef Jeremy Charles and restaurant manager and sommelier Jeremy Bonia from Raymonds in St. John's.

"How Canadian is Newfoundland?" Bourdain asks Jarvis. Jarvis spoke of the history of Newfoundland before joining Canada in 1949. He talked about the perception of the "goofy Newfie" and how there is a real shift as to how Newfoundlanders perceive themselves.

Bourdain goes into the history of cod and then the cod moratorium back in 1992.

Bourdain points out one crucial difference between Newfoundland and Quebec: In Newfoundland, you can shoot wild game and served that in restaurants where that "would get you arrested in Montréal."

The 5 of them go off to hunt moose in Buchans, over 300 miles (500 km) from St. John's. The weather starts out good but turns quickly "4 seasons in one day." They don't get to shoot a moose but there is an already dead moose being savored including moose ribs. They also enjoy a cured ham from Martin Picard of Au Pied de Cochon in Montréal.

As the crew is enjoying moose, cans of jellied foie gras, and other wild game, the Joe Beef gentlemen confess that they have never been to Newfoundland before this trip. "It's not a prime travel destination." Bourdain told Anderson Cooper in a separate interview that Morin and McMillan encouraged him to visit the island.

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Newfoundland is a mysterious, majestic vacation escape

Eating seal meat does not get Don Cherry's seal of approval

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They do spend time on a boat catching fish and diving for scallops. They return to Raymonds to feast on a local seafood tower. They also had heart of caribou tartare, rabbit, partridge, a reinvented Jiggs Dinner (more on this later) as a pasta dish, and chanterelle ice cream. We will get our share of sea urchins along the way in this episode and even fried swim bladder of a cod.

Your humble narrator has been to Newfoundland so I had already discovered scrunchions, which is salted pork fat that are crisped up. Bourdain was very excited to discover scrunchions with the fish stew. He has taught us much but I could have taught him the joy of scrunchions.

They sat down to a Jiggs Dinner at the Big R diner in St. John's. The Jiggs Dinner was described as boiled salt beef, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, and pease pudding with lots of gravy on top.

That meal also included fried bologna, liver and onions, fried clam strips, and pan fried cod tongues. I've also had cod tongues though they were less tasty than scrunchions. They didn't identify Newfoundland dressing, but I did recognize the fine seasoned bread crumbs.

The crew have a segment where they throw axes. Bourdain and the Joe Beef guys are really not good at throwing the axes.

The show ends with a screech ceremony. I wondered about this because I didn't participate (timing never worked out). You get the story of how the ceremony works. They get a taste of Newfoundland steak, which turns out to be fried bologna. The bartender tells the story of John Cabot landing in Newfoundland. The story of screech stems from the trading of cod with Jamaica for rum, essentially screech. The final part of the ceremony is the kissing of the cod and then downing a shot of screech. Would be rather difficult to include an hour on Newfoundland and not mention screech.

They do take part of the hour to stop off at Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French archipelago south of the Newfoundland. Flying there from St. John's takes about 45 minutes. They enjoy a feast on the island featuring stuffed squid.

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

Come From Away earns 7 Tony nominations

Come From Away hits Broadway, shows how Canada helped out after 9/11

The show is only an hour but some missed moments: Cape Spear, the eastern most point in North America; Gander or some mention of what happened on 9/11 now featured in the Broadway play Come From Away; places such as Dildo and Paradise that really exist; eating seal meat; and George Street, home of the most bars per block of any street in North America.

videos and photos credit: Parts Unknown/CNN

Canadian film review: Maudie

In their modesty, Canadians are often reluctant to tell their own stories. Look at Argo for a great example. So we should be thankful to hear about the story of Maud Lewis as portrayed in Maudie.

Maud Lewis was a Canadian folk artist in Nova Scotia whose story is as impressive as her art. Lewis suffered from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Her medical condition lent itself to working on smaller pieces.

The love story where there isn't much love is covered in the film. Everett Lewis put up an ad in a local store looking for a live-in woman as a housekeeper. The house they had was quite small.

She lives with a brother who outsources care for Maud and an aunt who wants to be in her business. He grew up in an orphanage looking for love but not always sure how to get love.

The story in Maudie is a hard one, sometimes a difficult one to watch. Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke has strong acting challenges in the portrayal of people who lived hard lives. Hawkins loses herself more in her role than Hawke does in the film. Both actors won Canadian Screen Awards for their roles in the film. We do get to see the actual people in footage at the end of the film.

Kari Matchett delivers a nice performance as Maud's initial art patron.

The quiet, slow pace to the film fits the area and the time of the story. You might cringe a bit at some of the rough moments but sticking through to the end is worthwhile, along the lines of the real-life story.

Maudie, Alias Grace were big winners in the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards

2016 Windsor International Film Festival preview

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Maudie is a Nova Scotia story though the Canadian portions of the film were shot in Newfoundland and Labrador because of the elimination of the Nova Scotia film credit. The film was also shot in Ireland, a concession to being a Canada-Ireland co-production that included Irish director Aisling Walsh, who also won a Canadian Screen Award.

You can almost think of Maudie as a documentary with really good acting and beautiful scenery with straight forward folk art and a nice history lesson, too. If nothing else, you'll be inspired to check out the real-life folk art of Maud Lewis.

video credit: YouTube/Sony Pictures Classics
photo credit: Maudie film