EVERY TOWN SHOULD VOTE A BARD (suggests the Bard of Pynn’s Brook)

POET
LAUREATES
(Poet
Laureate appointee in St. John’s)
Every
town should vote a bard
To
rhyme events in its backyard,
To
laud in lines the district scene
And
entertain the tourist keen:
Poet
Laureates sot in every bay
And
hamlet pitched along the way,
To
praise aloud the quaint and saint
And
Council deeds heroic paint.

The
floods and snow and ice-cold air
And
heatwaves causing media blare.
Births
and deaths, the mayors stance on
Paving
to their rural mansions.
The
come-home-year, the berry fetes,
Chase-the-ace,
and jackpot bets.
Windbound,
icebound, moribund:
Free
verse and rhyme, account with fun.
An
ancient wit may mind the day
When
fish and families had their sway
Before
the spread of summer homes
And
passing ramblers come to roam.
But
now, the population takes affright
With
plights and sleights, as Muskrat bites – The Province run on borrowed cash:
Dysfunction,
waste, decisions rash.
The
modern culture versed anew
Is
potent pot for tourist crew.
Poetry
slams we should expand
To
boast a travailed Newfoundland.
John
Tuach
Pynn’s
Brook
February
11, 2019

REMEMBERING BILL MARSHALL

Bill left public life shortly after the signing of the Atlantic Accord and became a member of the Court of Appeal until his retirement in 2003. During his time on the court he was involved in a number of successful appeals which overturned wrongful convictions, for which he was recognized by Innocence Canada. Bill had a special place in his heart for the underdog.

Churchill Falls Explainer (Coles Notes version)

If CFLCo is required to maximize its profit, then CFLCo should sell its electricity to the highest bidder(s) on the most advantageous terms available.

END OF THE UPPER CHURCHILL POWER CONTRACT: IMPROVING OUR BARGAINING POWER

This is the most important set of negotiations we have engaged in since the Atlantic Accord and Hibernia. Despite being a small jurisdiction we proved to be smart and nimble enough to negotiate good deals on both. They have stood the test of time and have resulted in billions of dollars in royalties and created an industry which represents over a quarter of our economy. Will we prove to be smart and nimble enough to do the same with the Upper Churchill?

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