The unfortunate thing in this case is the length of time the process took to get the original verdict to Mr. Morin, but at that point he should have figured out there's "no money" to be made out of our legal system... the court system in Canada is not perfect but it's certainly a lot better than the US system where you can get some pretty ridiculous verdicts and awards.... I think what happens sometimes is people believe there should be "justice" and the next thing the case takes on a life of its own, as was probably the case here... I've often ended up down at Stewart McKelvey "ranting and raving" about some small injustice that I believe we should take to Water Street (court) ... and even though I might be right sometimes, I thank God I've paid the big bucks to guys like John Mitchell (now Mr. Justice) and Jim Travers for advice... they usually tell me to "settle down" and think about it, particularly John who'd usually add "don't be stupid" and Jim being more a gentlemen would just be thinking it... but more importantly good lawyers usually give sound advice that it can always go the other way and cost big bucks in the process... and even the times we had to go to court and mostly won, we never really win anything other than a “victory” and you can’t take that to the bank... I’m in a similar situation now over a “wetland” issue where I’m probably being stupid. It would be cheaper to pay a fine even if we weren’t guilty, but I enjoy the work I do for the Nature Conservancy of Canada and I don’t think I could continue in that position if we were found guilty... it's sure a good spot for the old expression "it's like throwing good money after bad"... and its to bad for Mr. Morin but surely someone along the way must have given him “what might happen” and just maybe he should have considered that...
Morin loses court bid over legal costs
The Guardian
06/02/10
A former Island teacher has lost his appeal for costs arising from a lawsuit concerning a violation of his right to freedom of expression. The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Rick Morin’s appeal last week. The case dates back to 1988, when Morin showed his Birchwood Junior High School class in Charlottetown the documentary Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, which raised questions about the influence of religion on American politics. He was placed on mandatory leave of absence and not rehired the following year. Morin won his case in 2005. He was awarded $75,000 in damages and $175,835 in costs. Following various appeals, costs were set at the lower amount of $91,344, which Morin said did not come close to covering what he had paid. But with the Supreme Court's dismissal of the case, that amount has been finalized.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Why Not Have A Public Meeting...
It seems every time a developer turns around to do something with any scale to it in Charlottetown the City wants to call a public meeting.... so why not call one here as surely they wouldn’t want a double standard happening out there... I can understand the Dealer's concern with the “roundabout” as I really do believe it will affect his business and I also agree with his concerns related to the pedestrian traffic trying to cross the intersection... and although there's not a lot of "foot" traffic there now the City is aware that 51 new apartments are being built in the immediate area and I suspect over time there will be a large residential component developed at the rear of the Experimental Farm that could also add more pedestrian traffic to that area... has any of this been factored into the engineering report? all this being said my issue here is not whether the "roundabout" works better than fixing up the existing intersection... as all I'm interested in is what’s the "safest" option at the "lowest" price for taxpayers and proceed on that bases... it's a tough question and one I'd like to ask Council as they haven't responded to any of my written requests, so let's have a "public" meeting and get it out in the open... and with a election coming up soon you would think that wouldn't be too much to ask for... Mitch Tweel has figured it out and so should Council by calling a meeting..
Dealership co-owner wants public meeting on roundabout
DAVE STEWART
The Guardian
The co-owner of a Charlottetown dealership wants to set the record straight — not all business owners near the corner of Mount Edward Road and Allen Street are in favour of the proposed roundabout scheduled for construction this spring. Paul Mifsud, co-owner of Island Chev Olds, gave The Guardian a copy of a letter he sent to city council Jan. 19. In that letter, Mifsud takes exception to comments public works chair Coun. Terry Bernard made during council’s public meeting last month. Mifsud said he obtained a copy of the minutes from council’s Jan. 19 public meeting in which Bernard talks about discussions on the roundabout with area businesses, saying: “The business owners are starting to like the functionality of the roundabout.” Mifsud told The Guardian recently that is not the case at all. “The fact is there is clearly a misinterpretation. There is nobody on the corner, be it residentially or commercially, that is in favour of the roundabout,” Mifsud says. Bernard said he was told by city staff that business owners were warming to the idea. The dealership co-owner said businesses were consulted about changes to the intersection but the changes they were told about involved a signalized intersection with dedicated left-turning lanes. Mifsud said he had no idea the city was going with a roundabout until he read an article in the newspaper. “They are spending $3 million of the taxpayers’ money without any involvement on behalf of the taxpayer, any consultation, any public meetings. They are steadfast in getting the project done without any interference whatsoever.” Bernard said council based its decision on approving the project because the consultants/traffic experts hired by the city recommended a roundabout. “They told us not only does it move traffic more efficiently, (roundabouts) reduce accidents by 90 per cent and they reduce high-impact accidents by 98 per cent,” Bernard said. “It’s very difficult for council to vote in favour of (a signalized) intersection that is widely known to be not as safe.” The city needed land from Island Chev Olds, Tim Hortons and the federal government in order to make changes to the intersection. “I sold them the land on that premise,” Mifsud said, referring to a revamped signalized intersection. Work is scheduled to begin in the spring on the roundabout. Vehicles should be moving through it by the first week of July. It cost the city $1.5 million to repair the storm sewer underneath the intersection and it will cost an other $1.5 million to complete the roundabout. “All of the businesses and residents in the area went to a council meeting and were heard right in chambers, on camera. We asked them to take another vote and rethink this roundabout and go back to the signalized intersection. They did not do that. Our councillor (Mitchell Tweel) asked for a vote to go to a public meeting and they shot that down as well.” Mifsud said he has three problems with a roundabout — having traffic constantly moving will hurt business in terms of accessibility and exposure, it will cause traffic congestion at the nearby signalized intersections at St. Peter’s Road and Allen Street and at Mount Edward Road and St. Peter’s Road (1911 Jail corner) and that it will cause safety issues for pedestrians. Mifsud said he just wants the city to hold a public meeting on the issue, once and for all. If the decision is still to go with the roundabout after that, he won’t have a problem with it. Bernard said each councillor received their packages two to three weeks before the vote on the roundabout was taken. Part of that package included the chance to request a public meeting. “If anyone had any concerns, if any further information was needed or if anyone wanted to hold a public meeting, that would have been the time to ask for it. It was not requested.”
Dealership co-owner wants public meeting on roundabout
DAVE STEWART
The Guardian
The co-owner of a Charlottetown dealership wants to set the record straight — not all business owners near the corner of Mount Edward Road and Allen Street are in favour of the proposed roundabout scheduled for construction this spring. Paul Mifsud, co-owner of Island Chev Olds, gave The Guardian a copy of a letter he sent to city council Jan. 19. In that letter, Mifsud takes exception to comments public works chair Coun. Terry Bernard made during council’s public meeting last month. Mifsud said he obtained a copy of the minutes from council’s Jan. 19 public meeting in which Bernard talks about discussions on the roundabout with area businesses, saying: “The business owners are starting to like the functionality of the roundabout.” Mifsud told The Guardian recently that is not the case at all. “The fact is there is clearly a misinterpretation. There is nobody on the corner, be it residentially or commercially, that is in favour of the roundabout,” Mifsud says. Bernard said he was told by city staff that business owners were warming to the idea. The dealership co-owner said businesses were consulted about changes to the intersection but the changes they were told about involved a signalized intersection with dedicated left-turning lanes. Mifsud said he had no idea the city was going with a roundabout until he read an article in the newspaper. “They are spending $3 million of the taxpayers’ money without any involvement on behalf of the taxpayer, any consultation, any public meetings. They are steadfast in getting the project done without any interference whatsoever.” Bernard said council based its decision on approving the project because the consultants/traffic experts hired by the city recommended a roundabout. “They told us not only does it move traffic more efficiently, (roundabouts) reduce accidents by 90 per cent and they reduce high-impact accidents by 98 per cent,” Bernard said. “It’s very difficult for council to vote in favour of (a signalized) intersection that is widely known to be not as safe.” The city needed land from Island Chev Olds, Tim Hortons and the federal government in order to make changes to the intersection. “I sold them the land on that premise,” Mifsud said, referring to a revamped signalized intersection. Work is scheduled to begin in the spring on the roundabout. Vehicles should be moving through it by the first week of July. It cost the city $1.5 million to repair the storm sewer underneath the intersection and it will cost an other $1.5 million to complete the roundabout. “All of the businesses and residents in the area went to a council meeting and were heard right in chambers, on camera. We asked them to take another vote and rethink this roundabout and go back to the signalized intersection. They did not do that. Our councillor (Mitchell Tweel) asked for a vote to go to a public meeting and they shot that down as well.” Mifsud said he has three problems with a roundabout — having traffic constantly moving will hurt business in terms of accessibility and exposure, it will cause traffic congestion at the nearby signalized intersections at St. Peter’s Road and Allen Street and at Mount Edward Road and St. Peter’s Road (1911 Jail corner) and that it will cause safety issues for pedestrians. Mifsud said he just wants the city to hold a public meeting on the issue, once and for all. If the decision is still to go with the roundabout after that, he won’t have a problem with it. Bernard said each councillor received their packages two to three weeks before the vote on the roundabout was taken. Part of that package included the chance to request a public meeting. “If anyone had any concerns, if any further information was needed or if anyone wanted to hold a public meeting, that would have been the time to ask for it. It was not requested.”
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Kays to the "Welsh-Owen Hotel"....
We've been quietly working on this project for a number of months trying to "get all our ducks lined up" which might be a good expression to explain this project as it's been my experience with Downtown projects that there will always be some critics who love to take "shots" at anything new, but we're hoping that's not the case here... the media chased us down over the last few days so we decided to discuss it publicly knowing that a couple of big pieces of the puzzle still aren’t done and that’s a deal with CADC and a commitment from the Province that there will be a new Convention Centre built on the Transport Canada lands.
Here's a look at what we hope will be the finished product http://apm.ca/hotel.jpg subject to a deal with CADC and securing the proper permits... in planning the project we've tried to reach a balance between "scale" for the neighbourhood and economics for ourselves as they probably both have to work in order for this or any project to get off the ground... the project involves purchasing the former Seaman property, the vacant lot on the corner and the Kays property and our new scheme involves leaving the Seaman building as it is with the Cinema and other tenants "intact" and trying to utilize as much of the backyard space as a courtyard and pedestrian area as possible... we investigated utilizing the interior of the Kays property for the hotel but structural grids, fire code and life safety issues related to the transformation into hotel suites or offices make absolutely no economic sense.
So we're now engaging a local architectural and engineering firm to determine the best options to insure that the street exterior elevations will be retained in their original heritage condition as a “must” for the finished product... we believe we have to be quite conscientious from a historical prospective with the balance of the streetscape designs for both Queen and Water Streets so the project "fits in" with the surroundings... the return elevation on King Street will be the existing Kays structure joined by an elevated building which allows the parking lot behind Kays to be retained as a valet and courtyard, but adds to the buildings height along King in order to get back some of the economics on the project. The land assembly is a significant dollar figure and add on about $1,000,000 in extra costs to "preserve" the Kays elevations, coupled with the cost of putting a 63 unit parking garage underground and the scale of the project is “driven up” in order to get back a reasonable economic return.
Initially we had just envisioned a 120 room hotel which is a pretty standard size for a branded hotel like the new Courtyard by Marriott in Downtown Halifax http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/yhzcy-courtyard-halifax-downtown/ which by the way is owned by Jim Lawley, my fellow Board member at Killam Properties... although some may think we should only go only four floors high it just doesn't make any economic sense so we added another floor with 14 additional "furnished apartments" like we're doing with Killam Properties in other Atlantic cities http://www.killamproperties.com/furnished-suites but in doing so we stepped the elevation treatment back about 12 feet from the street so it won't be as visible... we also added 6 condos on a very small 6th floor footprint which is also stepped further back from the street.
On the ground floor we've added some commercial space as "hotel rooms" on the ground elevations are just not accepted by hotel guests in a Downtown setting, but the good news is that the Confederation Bridge group and a financial business have taken us up on our offer which helps in making the project a reality... the hotel will have all the standard amenities like a pool, conference room, 4 meeting rooms, guest lounge, common areas and a full breakfast cafe, but no restaurant as our City is full of great places nearby.
How real is the project will be one of the main questions people may have and my response will be that we’ll work hard with the neighbours, the City and the Province to achieve a quality project with a “reasonable” return for our partners and APM... the plans are available at our office for anyone to review them and we're willing to listen to any practical suggestions or ideas concerning this project and implement them if they make sense... but please don't question our sincerity or ability to deliver jobs, investment and choice to our Community, as we're always willing to try... back in the late 1,800’s the Welsh-Owen Hotel was a landmark business on that block and we’re hoping to bring back that “grandeur” with a new form of life in what we hope to call “the Welsh-Owen Hotel and Plaza” and be proud doing it...
APM eyes new hotel for Charlottetown
JIM DAY The Guardian
30/01/10
APM has big plans for a downtown Charlottetown property that housed the Kays Brothers building for 45 years. Tim Banks, CEO of the construction and property development company, is working to secure a deal to proceed with a $22-million project called the Welsh-Owen Hotel and Plaza Development. Banks is looking to develop a 120-room hotel, a parking garage with about 63 spaces, 14 fully furnished apartment units and six condominium units.
The property, cornering Queen, Water and King streets, would also house a commercial tenant in a financial institution and likely continue to lease space to the Confederation Bridge. “Our design here has been done to be consistent with what we believe is the Charlottetown heritage look,’’ said Banks.“We’ve had a number of people review the plans, including (historian) Catherine Hennessey.
We know at some particular point we’ll be going to a public meeting with respect to the property.’’ Banks says the development will be contingent on the province proceeding with a proposed convention centre in the area. Current costing of the project must also come within APM’s original “thumbnail budget.’’ And a detail must be finalized with the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation (CADC), which purchased the Kays Building on Queen Street last year for $750,000 after the wholesale company shut down. “They’ve (CADC) given us the clear understanding that the property is available subject to them not losing money with respect to the agreement that we have with them,’’ said Banks. “And the reason we are actually talking (to media) about it today is if somebody has a better idea (for developing the property) they should go to CADC because we are making them a proposal and we believe that our proposal is substantive in nature.
The four-storey building was constructed by a former premier in 1872 and has been home to four Island newspapers, a tobacco manufacturer and even an egg company. Banks says if the project is given the green light, he will work to get a licensed agreement with a branded hotel group, hopefully Courtyard by Marriott. He sees a branded hotel, which rewards repeat customers, as a tool that is missing in the capital city’s arsenal for attracting tourists and business visitors. “I have been consistent and strong in saying that to strengthen tourism in Prince Edward Island, we have to give them a better product at a competitive price, and that is what we are trying to do here,’’ he said. “Why we are so strong in bringing this product to market is because there has been a void in our market here in terms of a branded hotel.’’ Banks says he wants construction to begin in early September with the hotel opening on July 15, 2011.
Here's a look at what we hope will be the finished product http://apm.ca/hotel.jpg subject to a deal with CADC and securing the proper permits... in planning the project we've tried to reach a balance between "scale" for the neighbourhood and economics for ourselves as they probably both have to work in order for this or any project to get off the ground... the project involves purchasing the former Seaman property, the vacant lot on the corner and the Kays property and our new scheme involves leaving the Seaman building as it is with the Cinema and other tenants "intact" and trying to utilize as much of the backyard space as a courtyard and pedestrian area as possible... we investigated utilizing the interior of the Kays property for the hotel but structural grids, fire code and life safety issues related to the transformation into hotel suites or offices make absolutely no economic sense.
So we're now engaging a local architectural and engineering firm to determine the best options to insure that the street exterior elevations will be retained in their original heritage condition as a “must” for the finished product... we believe we have to be quite conscientious from a historical prospective with the balance of the streetscape designs for both Queen and Water Streets so the project "fits in" with the surroundings... the return elevation on King Street will be the existing Kays structure joined by an elevated building which allows the parking lot behind Kays to be retained as a valet and courtyard, but adds to the buildings height along King in order to get back some of the economics on the project. The land assembly is a significant dollar figure and add on about $1,000,000 in extra costs to "preserve" the Kays elevations, coupled with the cost of putting a 63 unit parking garage underground and the scale of the project is “driven up” in order to get back a reasonable economic return.
Initially we had just envisioned a 120 room hotel which is a pretty standard size for a branded hotel like the new Courtyard by Marriott in Downtown Halifax http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/yhzcy-courtyard-halifax-downtown/ which by the way is owned by Jim Lawley, my fellow Board member at Killam Properties... although some may think we should only go only four floors high it just doesn't make any economic sense so we added another floor with 14 additional "furnished apartments" like we're doing with Killam Properties in other Atlantic cities http://www.killamproperties.com/furnished-suites but in doing so we stepped the elevation treatment back about 12 feet from the street so it won't be as visible... we also added 6 condos on a very small 6th floor footprint which is also stepped further back from the street.
On the ground floor we've added some commercial space as "hotel rooms" on the ground elevations are just not accepted by hotel guests in a Downtown setting, but the good news is that the Confederation Bridge group and a financial business have taken us up on our offer which helps in making the project a reality... the hotel will have all the standard amenities like a pool, conference room, 4 meeting rooms, guest lounge, common areas and a full breakfast cafe, but no restaurant as our City is full of great places nearby.
How real is the project will be one of the main questions people may have and my response will be that we’ll work hard with the neighbours, the City and the Province to achieve a quality project with a “reasonable” return for our partners and APM... the plans are available at our office for anyone to review them and we're willing to listen to any practical suggestions or ideas concerning this project and implement them if they make sense... but please don't question our sincerity or ability to deliver jobs, investment and choice to our Community, as we're always willing to try... back in the late 1,800’s the Welsh-Owen Hotel was a landmark business on that block and we’re hoping to bring back that “grandeur” with a new form of life in what we hope to call “the Welsh-Owen Hotel and Plaza” and be proud doing it...
APM eyes new hotel for Charlottetown
JIM DAY The Guardian
30/01/10
APM has big plans for a downtown Charlottetown property that housed the Kays Brothers building for 45 years. Tim Banks, CEO of the construction and property development company, is working to secure a deal to proceed with a $22-million project called the Welsh-Owen Hotel and Plaza Development. Banks is looking to develop a 120-room hotel, a parking garage with about 63 spaces, 14 fully furnished apartment units and six condominium units.
The property, cornering Queen, Water and King streets, would also house a commercial tenant in a financial institution and likely continue to lease space to the Confederation Bridge. “Our design here has been done to be consistent with what we believe is the Charlottetown heritage look,’’ said Banks.“We’ve had a number of people review the plans, including (historian) Catherine Hennessey.
We know at some particular point we’ll be going to a public meeting with respect to the property.’’ Banks says the development will be contingent on the province proceeding with a proposed convention centre in the area. Current costing of the project must also come within APM’s original “thumbnail budget.’’ And a detail must be finalized with the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation (CADC), which purchased the Kays Building on Queen Street last year for $750,000 after the wholesale company shut down. “They’ve (CADC) given us the clear understanding that the property is available subject to them not losing money with respect to the agreement that we have with them,’’ said Banks. “And the reason we are actually talking (to media) about it today is if somebody has a better idea (for developing the property) they should go to CADC because we are making them a proposal and we believe that our proposal is substantive in nature.
The four-storey building was constructed by a former premier in 1872 and has been home to four Island newspapers, a tobacco manufacturer and even an egg company. Banks says if the project is given the green light, he will work to get a licensed agreement with a branded hotel group, hopefully Courtyard by Marriott. He sees a branded hotel, which rewards repeat customers, as a tool that is missing in the capital city’s arsenal for attracting tourists and business visitors. “I have been consistent and strong in saying that to strengthen tourism in Prince Edward Island, we have to give them a better product at a competitive price, and that is what we are trying to do here,’’ he said. “Why we are so strong in bringing this product to market is because there has been a void in our market here in terms of a branded hotel.’’ Banks says he wants construction to begin in early September with the hotel opening on July 15, 2011.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
How about some solutions for a change...
I took a look at a number of comments "posted" following this CBC story and if I could sum them up it would appear that Islanders perceive Olive as a bit of a "whiner" and as one person put it "I think Olive would complain at a free lunch" probably sums it up best.... I'm thinking people might take Olive a little more seriously if she spent more time on the "issues at hand" than trying to grandstand on petty issues like where the Premier is... just where are her solutions for rural Prince Edward Island as Islanders might like to know what the alternatives are.. we've certainly haven’t heard any new fresh ideas from her nor will you find anything new on the PEI Conservative web site... when the media interviewed her for this sound bite she had a perfect opportunity to give us a preview of her solutions or add some construct criticism on the Ghiz plan for rural PEI but she seems more preoccupied with giving the Premier advice on where he should be.... maybe she should take some of her own advice and show up at a few events as well if she ever thinks Islanders are going to take her seriously... just in January alone, no one seen her or any of her Caucus at the Farmer's Market, the Lebanese New Years, or the QEH Foundation dinner or at a host of other events that are happening in our Island Communities... was she or any of her Caucus at the PEI Music Awards, the Charlottetown Driving Park or even West of Summerside for any social events? ...in fact she's a bit of a hermit when it comes to "getting out and about" supporting Island social events and that's where you have to be if you want to get elected "out there pressing the flesh" with a smile on your face... and how about some "solutions for a change" when you're out there pressing the flesh...
Premier's no-show insult to rural Islanders: Opposition
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
CBC News
Opposition leader Olive Crane says the premier's absence during Tuesday's announcement of the government's new Rural Action Plan is an affront to rural Islanders.
Most of the Liberal caucus was on hand for the announcement, but Premier Robert Ghiz is vacationing in Mexico.
It was Deputy Premier George Webster who released the five-year rural economic development strategy in Tignish Tuesday, following almost two years of work and consultation with more than 1,200 Islanders.
"Do you remember when we had a hog industry? Do you remember when we had a tourism industry for the whole island? This is an insult to Prince Edward Island," said Crane.
"The premier should have been there. And on top of that, if he really cared what was in the document, he should have demanded they work around his schedule," she said.
But Robert Henderson, who represents the rural district of O'Leary-Inverness, wasn't bothered by the premier's no-show.
"Well I would say the premier's stamp is on the whole rural action plan...because he, as premier, has been emphasizing the demand on all the other members and departments to focus more on rural issues," he said.
Paula Biggar, who also represents a rural district, Tyne Valley-Linkletter, agrees. "In terms of the premier not being on deck for the announcement, we had our deputy ministers there who represent a big part of rural Prince Edward Island."
A spokesperson for Ghiz said the premier had booked his trip some time ago.
He also said the premier does take a deep interest in the Rural Action Plan, and that he's confident people realize how serious government is about the plan, based on how many MLAs showed up for the announcement.
The Liberals say the plan, which will cost $10 million a year to implement, will lead to a more vibrant and healthy rural P.E.I.
It sets out 40 recommendations and attempts to stem opposition criticism that the Liberal government is ignoring the province's small communities and primary industries.
Plans include establishing centres to be used as a source of information for businesses, supporting regional tourism associations, and diversifying agriculture.
Premier's no-show insult to rural Islanders: Opposition
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
CBC News
Opposition leader Olive Crane says the premier's absence during Tuesday's announcement of the government's new Rural Action Plan is an affront to rural Islanders.
Most of the Liberal caucus was on hand for the announcement, but Premier Robert Ghiz is vacationing in Mexico.
It was Deputy Premier George Webster who released the five-year rural economic development strategy in Tignish Tuesday, following almost two years of work and consultation with more than 1,200 Islanders.
"Do you remember when we had a hog industry? Do you remember when we had a tourism industry for the whole island? This is an insult to Prince Edward Island," said Crane.
"The premier should have been there. And on top of that, if he really cared what was in the document, he should have demanded they work around his schedule," she said.
But Robert Henderson, who represents the rural district of O'Leary-Inverness, wasn't bothered by the premier's no-show.
"Well I would say the premier's stamp is on the whole rural action plan...because he, as premier, has been emphasizing the demand on all the other members and departments to focus more on rural issues," he said.
Paula Biggar, who also represents a rural district, Tyne Valley-Linkletter, agrees. "In terms of the premier not being on deck for the announcement, we had our deputy ministers there who represent a big part of rural Prince Edward Island."
A spokesperson for Ghiz said the premier had booked his trip some time ago.
He also said the premier does take a deep interest in the Rural Action Plan, and that he's confident people realize how serious government is about the plan, based on how many MLAs showed up for the announcement.
The Liberals say the plan, which will cost $10 million a year to implement, will lead to a more vibrant and healthy rural P.E.I.
It sets out 40 recommendations and attempts to stem opposition criticism that the Liberal government is ignoring the province's small communities and primary industries.
Plans include establishing centres to be used as a source of information for businesses, supporting regional tourism associations, and diversifying agriculture.
Weird News or just funny....
Seriously, I can't believe how crazy some of these groups get. I suspect they all start out with great intentions but somewhere along the road they collect a few dollars and "bingo" they want to save the world... the good news here is when they toss our pie throwing Miss McCoy back to the States where she belongs just maybe she'll be kept busy looking for some shadows.... if PETA really believe they are helping the animal world here by chasing down an “old custom” that is totally harmless then these guys are really “weird”...PETA proposes robot groundhog
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
January 27, 2010
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania's Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in.
According to the longtime tradition, if Phil the groundhog sees his shadow on the Feb. 2 unofficial holiday, then there will be six more weeks of winter. If he does not appear to see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it's unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each year in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles (105 kilometres) northeast of Pittsburgh. PETA is suggesting the use of an animatronic model.
But William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says the animal is "being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania." The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture.
Deeley says PETA isn't interested in Phil from Feb. 2 on, and is looking for publicity.
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania's Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in.
According to the longtime tradition, if Phil the groundhog sees his shadow on the Feb. 2 unofficial holiday, then there will be six more weeks of winter. If he does not appear to see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it's unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each year in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles (105 kilometres) northeast of Pittsburgh. PETA is suggesting the use of an animatronic model.
But William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says the animal is "being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania." The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture.
Deeley says PETA isn't interested in Phil from Feb. 2 on, and is looking for publicity.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
"you have to spend money before you make it"
There's an old business adage that says "you have to spend money before you make it" and that's certainly been the case with the Liquor Commissions in Ontario and Nova Scotia who opted to close and relocate a lot of their outlets next door to grocery stores... in Nova Scotia (early in the process) there were a few situations where the Boards even got free "net" rents but only when there were competing grocers in a specific competitive market... that's not the case in Stratford as the only other grocer TRA closed and with that most of the retail traffic has moved up to the Sobey’s location making the old Stratford Liquor store at “risk” of losing sales... for the most part the Nova Scotia Commissions have to pay rents like everyone else and in all cases spent considerably more on their "fit ups" that has been the practice of PEI... the net result in Nova Scotia since they took this strategic approach about 5 years ago has been an annual “profit gain” north of $40,000,000.00 for taxpayers... simply put food, wine and spirits go together and even if a naive Editor at the Guardian tells you otherwise don't believe them as it’s been proven over and over again... the liquor industry may very well be the "only game in Town" but they have proven that "you have to spend money before you make it" and I suspect the same will hold true here... the PEI Liquor Commission is a business just like Transcontinental, the owners of the Guardian, and they both have a responsibility to create the best return for their owners (the public) usually through a business plan.... the Guardian Editor seems to forget that the Cape Breton Post and the Journal Pioneer, owned by Transcontinental, are the "only game in Town" for those Communities... but when Transcontinental make what they believe are legitimate business changes, by closing out a lot of jobs in one Community, and then spending a bunch of money renovating to accommodate those jobs elsewhere, then it would appear they are just doing what the PEI Liquor Commission is doing in “getting the most return out of their business”... I wonder if our local Editor showed up at Transcontinental's annual meeting and questioned "why move the jobs at all?" what the response would be... my guess is she wouldn't have one... I would bet that the recent strategy being taken by the PEI Liquor Commission will prove to be profitable for PEI taxpayers in spite of what all the “naysayers” would like you to believe... in fact it wouldn't surprise me if they are already ahead with some of the progress changes they've already made..
EDITORIAL
The Guardian
26/01/10
Why do we fuss with our liquor stores? Usually the reason businesses upgrade is to keep ahead of the competition, but what competition is there for our liquor outlets?
There was much discussion last week about what the former minister responsible for the P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission knew or didn't know about the fee taxpayers have to pay to relocate the Stratford liquor store. But one question that's not being asked is: why move the store at all? Islanders learned last week that taxpayers will have to pay $25,000 because of government's decision to break the lease on the current location of the Stratford liquor store and move the operation next to Sobeys. When government originally announced it was breaking the lease, Innovation Minister Allan Campbell, at the time responsible for the Liquor Control Commission, said Sobeys would pay out the remaining years on the lease, and that taxpayers would not be penalized. As it turns out, however, the taxpayer will be on the hook for $25,000 - something the minister was unaware of at the time - and which was made public last week. While this made for much political fodder, the fact is, this penalty is only a part of the overall cost of moving the outlet. The province will pay $70,687 annually in rent at the new location - about the same that it's paying now - but it will also have to pay an estimated $695,000 to renovate the new space and install beer coolers, interior furnishing and a wine-testing centre. No doubt this newest outlet will be a big draw, and officials say the increased sales will easily pay for the additional expenses. But why the urgency to keep moving and upgrading our liquor stores? It's only in recent years that government moved the liquor outlet at the Charlottetown Mall to its current location next to Sears. Usually the motivation for any business to upgrade and expand is to keep ahead of the competition. What competition do our liquor stores face? They're the only game in town. At the end of the day, people will buy their booze no matter where or how it's displayed. And while it's reasonable to occasionally give our outlets a facelift, it shouldn't be a spending priority, particularly when Islanders have every reason to brace themselves for leaner budgets ahead.
EDITORIAL
The Guardian
26/01/10
Why do we fuss with our liquor stores? Usually the reason businesses upgrade is to keep ahead of the competition, but what competition is there for our liquor outlets?
There was much discussion last week about what the former minister responsible for the P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission knew or didn't know about the fee taxpayers have to pay to relocate the Stratford liquor store. But one question that's not being asked is: why move the store at all? Islanders learned last week that taxpayers will have to pay $25,000 because of government's decision to break the lease on the current location of the Stratford liquor store and move the operation next to Sobeys. When government originally announced it was breaking the lease, Innovation Minister Allan Campbell, at the time responsible for the Liquor Control Commission, said Sobeys would pay out the remaining years on the lease, and that taxpayers would not be penalized. As it turns out, however, the taxpayer will be on the hook for $25,000 - something the minister was unaware of at the time - and which was made public last week. While this made for much political fodder, the fact is, this penalty is only a part of the overall cost of moving the outlet. The province will pay $70,687 annually in rent at the new location - about the same that it's paying now - but it will also have to pay an estimated $695,000 to renovate the new space and install beer coolers, interior furnishing and a wine-testing centre. No doubt this newest outlet will be a big draw, and officials say the increased sales will easily pay for the additional expenses. But why the urgency to keep moving and upgrading our liquor stores? It's only in recent years that government moved the liquor outlet at the Charlottetown Mall to its current location next to Sears. Usually the motivation for any business to upgrade and expand is to keep ahead of the competition. What competition do our liquor stores face? They're the only game in town. At the end of the day, people will buy their booze no matter where or how it's displayed. And while it's reasonable to occasionally give our outlets a facelift, it shouldn't be a spending priority, particularly when Islanders have every reason to brace themselves for leaner budgets ahead.
"no future entry" stamp....
I'm pretty impressed with Gail Shea and how well she handled this situation but what I'm not impressed with is how our local Guardian splashed their pictures of this incident over the front page and the CBC local news wasn't much better by providing a link to the incident... all the media are doing is giving "play" to other clowns like Miss McCoy who think they can get away with embarrassing our elected officials from doing their job... had the media shown a picture of Miss McCoy being "cuffed" and driven to the "Border" with a big "no future entry" stamp on her passport then I'd have given them some big "kudos" for the balanced reporting... PETA certainly have the right to put their opinions forward but they don't have the right to shove a pie in the face of our elected officials... this particular individual has already been found guilty of trespassing in Canada and once she's found guilty on this charge she should be sent packing... if anyone from Canada pulled something like this in the United States you can bet they wouldn't be allowed back there anytime soon... keep up the great work Gail...
Fisheries minister gets pie in face
Police charge 37-year-old woman with assault
Monday, January 25, 2010
CBC News
Police charged a 37-year-old woman with assault after she hit Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea in the face with a pie Monday at an event in Burlington, Ont.
Shea was delivering a speech at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters to open the Aquatic Life Research Facility when Emily McCoy of New York City stood up in the front row and planted the white cream pie squarely in Shea's face.
"Shame on you, Gail Shea," McKoy said before making a reference to the "bloody seal hunt."
The animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said McKoy was a PETA member and she carried out the incident to protest against what the group calls "the government's ill-advised sanction of the seal slaughter."
PETA also posted a video of the incident with commentary on its website.
Campaign manager Lindsay Rajt told Canwest News Service the group did not organize the incident, but The Canadian Press was reporting the group claimed responsibility.
The pie aimed at Shea was apparently made of tofu, though the fisheries minister told the Hamilton Spectator that it "tasted like shaving cream."
Shea did not require medical attention and returned to the podium after wiping the pie from her face.
"We're certainly sorry for that delay, but unfortunately these types of incidents come with the type of business that I'm in," she said.
"But back to the business at hand," she said.
Pie throwing was a more popular form of political protest in Canada a decade ago, with former prime minister Jean Chrétien and then cabinet minister Stéphane Dion both getting hit in separate incidents.
Fisheries minister gets pie in face
Police charge 37-year-old woman with assault
Monday, January 25, 2010
CBC News
Police charged a 37-year-old woman with assault after she hit Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea in the face with a pie Monday at an event in Burlington, Ont.
Shea was delivering a speech at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters to open the Aquatic Life Research Facility when Emily McCoy of New York City stood up in the front row and planted the white cream pie squarely in Shea's face.
"Shame on you, Gail Shea," McKoy said before making a reference to the "bloody seal hunt."
The animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said McKoy was a PETA member and she carried out the incident to protest against what the group calls "the government's ill-advised sanction of the seal slaughter."
PETA also posted a video of the incident with commentary on its website.
Campaign manager Lindsay Rajt told Canwest News Service the group did not organize the incident, but The Canadian Press was reporting the group claimed responsibility.
The pie aimed at Shea was apparently made of tofu, though the fisheries minister told the Hamilton Spectator that it "tasted like shaving cream."
Shea did not require medical attention and returned to the podium after wiping the pie from her face.
"We're certainly sorry for that delay, but unfortunately these types of incidents come with the type of business that I'm in," she said.
"But back to the business at hand," she said.
Pie throwing was a more popular form of political protest in Canada a decade ago, with former prime minister Jean Chrétien and then cabinet minister Stéphane Dion both getting hit in separate incidents.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Congratulations Heather... "Smiles" all over...
Breaking News: "Big Smiles"
Here's some major good news for PEI and Canada that should be no surprise to anyone who follows PEI's Heather Moyse... it is “now official” that Heather has made the Canadian Olympic Team and it will be no surprise to me when she's holding “GOLD” on the podium in Vancouver in February... I've been following Heather for many years and sent quite a few emails back and forth over that time and she always adds "Smiles" at the end of all her communications... I bet she has the biggest "smile" on her now as she's just found out that she has "made the Team" and I also can't stop smiling for her... you can check out Heather's blog at http://www.heathermoyse.net/sponsors.html and you can also go to “who’s on the bag?” which is a new promo with Heather and Lululemon Athletica http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/whos-on-the-bag/ one of her sponsors... my second prediction for the year is we're soon going to see "Gold" on PEI soon...
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
"Put A Sock In It," Boys.... or go home!
Now I don't usually try and "knock a business" but like a lot of Islanders I'm getting a little sick of Ocean Choice whining about an "exclusivity" as if they own our ocean... boys, and that includes your high priced spin doctor, Jack.... “give it up!!!!” as you're in "business", which in case you don't know is a "free enterprise system", and because some previous Government was crazy enough to think they "controlled everything" you should have been enterprising enough to know it would have no longevity from a "market" point of view or from the public for that matter... Ocean Choice have had a great run at it since they scooped up the Polar business and they should have had enough time to learn how to deal in the real world of business as opposed to "threatening" Islanders every time they don't like something... I can't even imagine how “whatever Mariner Seafood’s did” would ever be a threat to Ocean Choice... what my competitors do in the marketplace is their business and if they want to build and develop buildings below cost and take on too much debt, then they can fill their boots... but we’re going to run our business by providing service, choice and value to our customers and we’re not going to worry about the Government giving an "exclusive" to our competitors... as we can fend for ourselves without their business and Ocean Choice should be able to do the same... I wish I could be the Minister of Fisheries for a day as that would be about as long as it would take me to get the message to Ocean Choice to "put a sock in it" or go home.... "as you're not getting a free ride" on PEI taxpayers any longer....
Seafood processor alleges contract breach
Monday, January 18, 2010
CBC News
The CEO of Newfoundland-based seafood processor Ocean Choice says he believes the P.E.I. government has broken its contract agreement with the company.
Blaine Sullivan, CEO of Ocean Choice, said his company was not informed about a large loan to one of its competitors.
"I was very disappointed that they haven't been forthcoming with us," he said Monday.
In 2004, the P.E.I. government signed a contract with Ocean Choice when the company bought the remains of Polar Foods International, a P.E.I.-based food processing company that was heading for bankruptcy.
A clause in that contract says if the province offers financing to one of Ocean Choice's processing competitors, it must offer comparable financing to Ocean Choice.
Last week, a $400,000 loan to Mariner Seafoods came to light when the president of the company filed financial statements with the P.E.I. Supreme Court in order to get protection from his creditors.
Sullivan said he met with P.E.I. Fisheries Minister Allan Campbell last week and the April 2009 loan to Mariner Seafoods was never mentioned.
"We'd certainly hope that the P.E.I. government would want to live up to the agreement," said Sullivan. "Or, at least sit down with us and negotiate changes in the agreement that they can live with and we can all live with."
Under the purchase agreement, if the government breaks the contract, Ocean Choice can walk away from its remaining loan payments for Polar Foods — an estimated $10 million.
Campbell said the loan to Mariner Seafoods was for a snow crab line and not lobster, and therefore doesn't break the agreement with Ocean Choice.
"If they want to take a look at this and if they think that we're providing financing to a competitor, we'll have that discussion and we probably need to get some legal opinion on that," Campbell said. "If that is indeed the case we'll look at something along the same terms."
Seafood processor alleges contract breach
Monday, January 18, 2010
CBC News
The CEO of Newfoundland-based seafood processor Ocean Choice says he believes the P.E.I. government has broken its contract agreement with the company.
Blaine Sullivan, CEO of Ocean Choice, said his company was not informed about a large loan to one of its competitors.
"I was very disappointed that they haven't been forthcoming with us," he said Monday.
In 2004, the P.E.I. government signed a contract with Ocean Choice when the company bought the remains of Polar Foods International, a P.E.I.-based food processing company that was heading for bankruptcy.
A clause in that contract says if the province offers financing to one of Ocean Choice's processing competitors, it must offer comparable financing to Ocean Choice.
Last week, a $400,000 loan to Mariner Seafoods came to light when the president of the company filed financial statements with the P.E.I. Supreme Court in order to get protection from his creditors.
Sullivan said he met with P.E.I. Fisheries Minister Allan Campbell last week and the April 2009 loan to Mariner Seafoods was never mentioned.
"We'd certainly hope that the P.E.I. government would want to live up to the agreement," said Sullivan. "Or, at least sit down with us and negotiate changes in the agreement that they can live with and we can all live with."
Under the purchase agreement, if the government breaks the contract, Ocean Choice can walk away from its remaining loan payments for Polar Foods — an estimated $10 million.
Campbell said the loan to Mariner Seafoods was for a snow crab line and not lobster, and therefore doesn't break the agreement with Ocean Choice.
"If they want to take a look at this and if they think that we're providing financing to a competitor, we'll have that discussion and we probably need to get some legal opinion on that," Campbell said. "If that is indeed the case we'll look at something along the same terms."
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