If anybody missed Joan Forsey’s article, “Gold-plated propaganda” in last weekend’s Independent you missed a lot. I love it when people in Newfoundland and Labrador stand up and tell it like it is. For far too long myths and lies have been spread about Newfoundland and Labrador and the mainstream media is all too happy to help spread the lies throughout Canada.
Here are some excerpts from Joan’s Article. There is a link to the Independent at the bottom of this posting for anyone interested in reading the entire text.
Gold-plated propaganda
By JOAN FORSEY
Did you know that public services in Newfoundland and Labrador are superior to those in Ontario? In fact, public services in this province are “gold-plated.” What’s more, Ontarians — who can’t afford such “gold-plated” services themselves — have, along with Albertans, been paying for ours.
This tale has been appearing, in one form or another, in the Toronto-based media (The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Toronto Sun, Maclean’s) for months. They’ve obviously latched onto the argument promoted by the Atlantic Institute for Marketing Studies (AIMS), a Halifax-based “think tank.”
David MacKinnon, AIMS’ “senior fellow in fairness in Confederation; Ontario perspective,” told Toronto’s Empire Club about the “gold-plated” services last February, also calling them “breathtaking,” “excessive,” and “far beyond North American standards.”
He elaborated for the Toronto Sun in May: “In our individual lives we would regard the behaviour of someone who seeks donations from others to live at higher standards than the people from whom they are seeking the contributions to be reprehensible. Such behaviour is no less reprehensible when it is practised by provincial jurisdictions and it is especially reprehensible when it is funded and encouraged by the national government.”
Ontario, by the way, recently announced it would spend $3 million to provide up to 2,000 nurses with hand-held computers that will give them instant access to information such as drug databases, providing faster and more effective patient care. The Ontario government says it’s the first provincially funded nursing initiative of its kind in Canada.
Ontario’s other inferior services include the Doctors’ House Call Service in Toronto, which is free.
And, as everyone knows, Toronto’s hospitals are so inferior that they attract patients from across the country, and the Toronto Sick Kids’s Hospital attracts patients from around the world.
Wherever you look, there’s another inferior service. For example, Toronto’s public transportation system uses satellite global positioning to announce each stop. There’s now talk about the possibility of a program to help low-income households pay their heat and electricity bills.
Does Newfoundland and Labrador have anything similar?
The ludicrous idea that this province has public services superior to those in Ontario was advanced by AIMS in 2006…
Link to full Independent Article -->
All that article tells me is that we to clean house as far as municipalities in this province are concerned. Parochialism costs money.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they just eliminate any municpality under 1000 people and put them into mixed income housing developments in St. John's, Lab West or Goose Bay.
We need to remove ourselves from the delusion that is Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a pipe dream. St. John's is an attainable, sustainable communitiy that has payed it's dues and needs to start cultivating it's character as opposed to being the foreman's alcove to a bunch of Parochial hamlets who simply stand in the way progress and the cosmopolitan.
It's time St. John's saw it's true destiney uninhibited by the barbarians at the gate.
AIMS a Halifax based think, or is that stink tank.
ReplyDelete“Why can't they just eliminate any municipality under 1000 people and put them into mixed income housing developments in St. John's, Lab West or Goose Bay.
ReplyDeleteWe need to remove ourselves from the delusion that is Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a pipe dream. St. John's is an attainable, sustainable community that has paid its dues and needs to start cultivating its character as opposed to being the foreman's alcove to a bunch of parochial hamlets that simply stand in the way progress and the cosmopolitan.
It's time St. John's saw its true destiny uninhibited by the barbarians at the gate. “
Hey Erik, too be truthful I’m all for that .Can we do the same thing here in Ontario as well or do they get special treatment seeing that they are real Canadians.
This is what I mean Myles, about mainland living. The spread of drugs, corruption, and pollution is simply rampant among these uncivilized folks. We should go about in a big wagon and collect them all load them into trucks, so we can do the right thing and place them in camps. And, just to let us know exactly who they are, we should place arm bands around them and give them a symbol so we can identify them easily. That sounds like a Good plan doesn’t it.
Good “GOD” man. Patriot you have the most wide spread audience I have ever seen .What is that old Newfoundland song “thank god we are surrounded by water”. I’m starting to see why our forefathers sung such songs. The fact that they knew that the water kept the crazy people off of the Island is incredible. OH Boy, were do we gett’em.
No wonder such statements are made about us. They’re jealous
I couldn't agree more Calvin, unfortunately there isn't enough water to keep them out of here.
ReplyDeleteTell me, don't find the catering to 400+ municipalities for the sake of parochial jealousies somewhat asinine?
ReplyDeleteNobody would know Toronto-based media as well as Joan Forsey, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteTell me; don't find the catering to 400+ municipalities for the sake of parochial jealousies somewhat asinine?
ReplyDeleteJune 13, 2008 6:57 PM
Maybe we should ask the House of Commons that very same question anon. We can start at our most easterly point and moved westward towards B.C, OH wait a minute .We wouldn’t get past Quebec would we. The Québécois would start bitching about leaving again, then they would throw another refernundum.The Federal Government can move in a fix it like the way they did in 95 and everybody can continue to bitch.
Ya, know what this sounds like to me Patriot. More Canadian BLAH.BLAH BLAH .And they say that we as Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans have the gift of gab, sheessssshhh.
This guy is a real man hey. Pick’ in on a group of people have had their very lives stolen from them. What a fine group of outstanding people we have coming here Patriot. I think you should tighten up the security on the Blog here a little so we know who these fine outstanding Canadian citizens are.
So much for their fine Canadian values Patriot. One for the national vote.
In my opinion this is really very nice and informative post.
ReplyDelete-----------------
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