Chopper story two.

Not so positive, but still important.

Up this way the fall out from the botched medi-vac of a badly burnt man outside Sheshatshiu last week has yet to happen, as far as we know.

Talk about one big balls up. Seems that just recently the ambulance and air ambulance co ordination for the whole province has been shifted to ‘Eastern health’ way down there on the Avalon Peninsular. That would be fine if they knew anything about the province they purport to co ordinate.

RCMP in attendance at the scene of the incident put in calls to Labrador Health to get this badly burnt man out ASAP. Following ‘set protocols’ the call goes to Labrador Health thence to Eastern health. Someone there does not know shit and says it will take at least four hours for a chopper from Gander to get to scene.
All this time there is a well known service in Goose Bay called the 444 Rescue Squadron that does this sort of operation all the time, but no one calls them.

The long short, the RCMP call in a boat and get the man to hospital over wind swept waters and a rough North West River Road, he is then airlifted to St.John’s in critical condition.

Now we have people calling in to CBC with comments like, the RCMP officer [interviewed] sounded like he was disinterested and very wooden. I can say yes he did, but rightly or wrongly that’s the way they are trained, and the protocol for those things.

The head of the Labrador Health Board was on this morning trying to explain the debacle and what will be ‘discussed’ to make sure it does not happen again. He sure sounded wooden and overly bureaucratic, until he got defensive when interviewer asked if the ‘local’ people had to answer for any short comings.

It was stated by CBC that the head of the Emergency Response for the province commented that she was “not aware of the existence of the 444 air service in Goose Bay. Bloody hell, how stunned can you get.

I say lets get passed all the rhetoric and saving ones arse bullshit, lets have some heads roll, and quick, if they don’t then lets have some head honcho heads roll.

Chopper story one.

Zoe Webb is in the media again, at least a couple of townie media outlets.
Zoe, from Webb’s Bay outside Nain was in the news some time back when she obtained her co pilots ticket to fly Cougar Helicopters out to the offshore oil rigs.
Now Zoe has obtained her pilots ticket, the only woman in the Cougar fleet to have same.

The Lady has come a long way since getting the odd ride on choppers dropping into the Webb home ‘up the bay’.

Correction on the nice weekend.

After a nice early yesterday morn a large black front came in from the east. Light rain to sleet turning to snow overnight, accompanied by winds gusting to about 70 KPH. Dam ugly boy.

Also, blogger is acting up, very strange things happening from the edit file, hence this repeat of the weather.

Bits n that.

Our granddaughter Aimee should be on the Amundsen http://www.amundsen.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca/amundsenenglish.htm by now, she was given time off from college in HV-GB to go on this trip down the Labrador coast. It will be only a week but very good experience for her. They depart from Iqaluit and head south, do research in some of the fiords and bay’s north of here, then into the Voisey’s Bay area and on to Goose Bay.

Our daughter gave us a link to an online scrabble game a week ago http://www.scrabulous.com/index.php. Fran loves the game but gets frustrated that she can’t get many people to play with. After both of us trying to figure out the idiosyncrasies of the site for a week, and getting a few games in, yesterday evening I could not get Fran to stop playing, after all the Montreal Toronto game was about to start, and I wanted to watch a movie. Any way Fran won a lot more than she lost, even got a game with someone from Makkovik, small world eh?

Unreal day yesterday, sunny, mainly calm, looking good for today too, easy on the heating oil so far this fall.

I have been contemplating going down to the bar one evening for a draught on tap, it’s a new thing here. Kind of glad I have not yet, heard from a source that they had a glass of draught the other night; it was too warm so they put ice in it to cool it down. I’m pretty sure of what my reaction would be if that was served up to me, being weaned on nothing but chilled well pulled draught beers from a young age makes one very picky.

Update: Wow that was quick, clear sky early then a big dark front came over from the east, now snow on the ground, very labrador fall weather indeed.

Thanks to IGA.

The International Grenfell Association still does good work, especially in donating funds for worthy causes in the region.

In the latest IGA newsletter there is a small article of thanks by Fran Williams of the Okalakatiget Society.

In brief Fran gives a little bio of the OK society and its roll in promoting Inuit culture and language. IGA donated 41 grand back in 2001, helping to retain the newsletter Kinatuinamut illingajuk. Alas funding is hard to get for print so the magazine is at the moment dormant.
Fran’s words about say it all, “In times when Labrador Inuit are overcome by the domination of English information, retaining and preserving Inuktitut becomes all the more challenging”.

Fran goes on to mention the 15 grand IGA donated OKS this year for the re building fund. This money is much needed in OKS efforts in replacing the office, production space and archival material lost in the big fire March 2005.

Upperty date on , Fall for sure.

Since posting last I have learnt that the Northern Ranger is operating on ONE engine. So my speculation that common sense maybe in play was just that, speculation, darn. Though some common sense must have played a role in that they did not proceed into the storm with one engine.

Which brings me to the fact of; I pointed out to the Minister of WST some time back that a disaster was in the offering due to the lack of reliability of the engines on the Ranger? I gave him dates and trip of problems of one engine. Mr. Minister pooh poohed my concern and said he had no information that there was any problems with the engines on the Ranger.
Like the Inch Arran, it is reasonably fine to sail in fine weather with inferior equipment, but this is the Labrador and this is fall. Like I said, it’s the bureaucracy stupid.

Fall for sure.

This latest storm has shut down marine shipping for the north coast from Nain to Lewisport. Safety first is a good thing especially considering the age and mechanical state of the fleet; see the mv Inch Arran incident Wednesday.

I know the fleet has not been in the hands of this government overly long, but the minister for WST still is trying to have his cake and eat it, as is his want at times. He blames the former government and rightly so, but then he goes on to defend the condition of the fleet and the competence of the bureaucracy in WST, he goes further and compares the fleet with owning an old car, or having 25 year old diesel engines in hydro generation plants. They break down too he says, but then says that all vessels have been inspected therefore all is copasetic.

With the Northern Ranger hunkered down near Natuashish since yesterday I have to wonder if common sense is starting to creep into the fleets operation, there was a trip last year when the Ranger steamed right on up the coast through a worse storm than this latest.

I still maintain that all the problems with the fleet are not all political. Some where someone up the line of the bureaucracy is not doing a competent enough job IMO, and IO of others, but no one wants to deal or talk about that.

Seeing that it's mauzy out thought I would post some pictures, two taken by unknown Moravian photogs. The group one is of a Joal Ford, his wife and adopted daughter, Hebron 1909. The solo guy is my wifes grandfather Nathan Frieda, Hopedale 1916.
The colored one taken by me of the remnants of the Brass Band in Nain circa late 1980's.

Moravians in Labrador.

I have been mulling over what to write about next without a lot of enthusiasm. NL-Expatriate in comments section has given my some ideas that I am a little knowledgeable in.
While I do not have a theological bent, forced to go to church and Sunday school until I was 14, I am interested in the history and present day influence the Moravian Church has/had on the Inuit of Labrador. So here is Moravian 101 as I see it.NL ExPat quotes in Italics.

Thanks for the link on the Morovian Bible.So do people still practice the Moravian faith? Or is it still a faith? Sorry for my ignorance but the religious studies I had during my school years didn't cover Labradors Moravian past roots to my knowledge. I learnt more about the Prairies other canadian religions than my own province :(

Yes, the Moravian faith is still practiced in Labrador. It is not as strong as 30 years ago, but it is still functioning in the following communities; Happy Valley-Goose Bay/Lake Melville, Makkovik, Hopedale and Nain. For some years now there has not been an ordained minister in any of the communities, the world and North American bodies of the Brotherhood have cut Labrador loose to operate as best they can on their own. Both bodies used to send ordained ministers in, the one and only Inuit ordained minister, Rev. Ray Hunter passed away some years ago, one of his daughters is a lay minister now.
In all the communities there are lay ministers, these usually come from the church elders or chapel servants.
Attendance is not strong on the coast normal Sundays; I am told HV-GB gets a reasonable turn out though. ‘Special days’ Easter and Christmas and new years get good turn outs, and of course weddings and funerals.

Moravians have left some unique traditions that are observed. Advent is a big deal up here, good for the stores too. Christmas fills the church, they have to have 2 sessions in Nain, and then Nulliuks [old Christmas] is still observed in a big way, good for the stores again too.
The ‘special days’ are really a nice touch. Young people’s days, separate for girls and boys, get the church elders and chapel savants involved in cooking meals and supervising church doings all day. The young people get dressed up in more traditional dress; have colored ribbons around hats and the like.
Then there is old peoples day, widow’s day and maybe more but they escape me now. 50th birthdays are special too, people get together and cook meals and you invite people into your home and eat, it’s usually done in shifts so there is no hanging around much after you are full. Some hold the day in the hall these days.

What I like about the physical church is that they are not heavily ordained with icons and the like. Just plain wooden construction, a lectern, maybe a photo or two of past chief elders. Of course a spire with a bell, these bells used to be used as fire alerts too until the volunteer fire bodies procured there own sirens. I imagine that could have been confusing at times.

Nain church has a balcony at the rear housing an organ as well as space for the choir, the brass band used to sit up there too. Hopedale has a raised section at the rear where the string band used to play.
A funny little anecdote I have is. My first Easter here we attended a service; the place was blocked, during the service there was the usual sermons, hymns along with what I thought was a recording of the brass band. I thought it a recording because every time the band started up I looked around trying to find them, they were nowhere in sight inside the church. On leaving the church I asked why there was a recording played when the band members were around, Fran said “look up there”. I look up at the roof of the church, here were the brass band guys standing, some what precariously, on the roof of the church. Bloody cold evening too.

That is another thing I liked about the church here. The Nain brass band is not functioning now, either is the string band in Hopedale, but in their time they used to play when the ‘first boats’ arrived in summer, as well they used to go around town playing at different spots on special days. One thing still going is on peoples 50th birthday the choir will come into your home and sing if asked.

The lose of the bands is sad, some of the members are still around but getting on. Hard on the hands out in the cold. They had these big felt mitts and covers over the instruments. The music was something else too, old German influence, the music sheets have garnered an interest from a musicologist from the south, will try and get some links to him later.
Another lose is the tradition of a church service leading up to midnight on New Years eve. You would go to church for a brief service, on leaving the bells would ring at midnight, the usual greeting would ensue, then people would go around for several hours visiting homes, some would have big meals cooked. That is mainly lost what with modern society catching up here, but some families still do the big meal and visiting is mainly restricted to family and close friends, and the church service is still held I should add.

Some more traditions here; woman and men sit on opposite sides of the church, woman left men right. Unless the woman is in company of husband, she can then sit on the right with him. Chappell servants sit the same way and up at the front at right angle to the rest of the congregation. Other communities have different seating arrangements I believe.

While not religious I still find the brass band music moving, I especially like hymns in Inuktitut, it has a certain melancholy about the sound. Some years back a choir from Cuba visited Nain, they did some numbers with the Nain choir, some thing else man. I have also heard a regional ‘coming together’ of members from each community choirs, that was something special too.

Think I should break this up, to be continued.

Peaceful. for some

After a promising start to the day, t’was mostly clear early, it ended up one mauzy day all round.

We headed to the store around 1o.30 in a light mist, very quite in the stores, no one around town much at all. Not the sort of day you would want to ‘go off, but spotted a couple of speed boats skimming across the harbor heading east.
Later in the afternoon took a walk around town with grandson tagging along [or rather ahead] on his bike. Down to the dock, only action at all seemed to be there, a crew putting in posts for a fence around the lay down area, trucks still off loading freight from the containers left by the Astron.

I have to retract my retraction on the oil tanks being removed from the site. Only 4 were removed, I’m told they are headed for Rigolet. So 9 of them still remain and in the way.

It was the kind of day that makes one wonder what the rest of the population is doing behind the walls. Are they hunkered down because of the weather, resting after a long weeks work, hung over from a bit of a too good time at the dance?
I do not lose sleep over such thoughts; guess it’s just that type of day that gets the mind wondering/wondering. Why even the 5 puppies across the road spent all day hugging the wall of a house instead of playing out on the road.

To return to the dance bit. Word is that an incident there Friday evening resulted in an innocent person receiving head injuries from a thrown chair. Be interesting to see if any charges are laid, and what if anything the Nunatsiavut Government does considering all the rhetoric about accountability and implementing changes. I’m no prude, but things cannot keep regressing like they are, time for people to grow up, well actually way past time, but it is never too late they say.

Marine shipping on the Labrador 2.

Wow, my influence is all powerful. The Fuel storage tanks are being loaded onto the Astron as I write. Just kidding with the influence assertion...............Or am I?

Hopefully they are going straight to Rigolet for quick installation, those guys have suffered long enough without modern access to heating fuel and gas.

Marine Transport 2006 on the Labrador.

Yes it is 2006 but it's hard to tell it's not 1981.

Here are some shots taken this morning down at the dock. The mv Astron came in early, looks like all of the trailers with containers and freight [reefers] on them are off. Talk about chaos. Those oil storage tanks are taking up at least one third of the lay off area. The tanks were bought in and put there from Voisey’s Bay about 5 weeks ago, this is just a transshipment place for them.
This area is not a storage area for the Woodward Group, but for use by the people of Nain for freight delivery.
This is the busiest time of year for freight coming in, plus it is the worst weather time with RDF, sleet, snow more the norm.
So for these bloody tanks to be taking up all that space is totally unacceptable, hello leaders, WTFAY

For freight to be picked up most people go down and do it themselves, there is a local contractor who picks up some freight for people who are working or do not have a vehicle. Under normal working space it takes time and effort, but today it was like sardines down there, people will have to wait in the rain and wind unnecessarily.
Sure hope the tanks area taken out soon as the weather will get worse and the freight will increase.

New eara?????????? 3.

There is an old saying that goes something like, “Get the small things right and the big things will fall into place”.

Out of the opening of the first sitting of the newly elected NG come these little things.

There was an opening prayer, and then on with the show, nothing wrong with that on the face of it.

Later an Inuk person [it’s the week of the person] noted to an Assembly civil servant that the Kullik [stone lamp] had not been lit. Said civil servant, “I did not think of it”.
Later than that two other persons noted to each other that there was no sign of the Nunatsiavut flag anywhere. Why have a flag if you’re not going to use it.
Also noted was fact that the official Nunatsiavut anthem was not played any time. The official anthem is a great moving tune called “Labradorimut”, written and preformed by the late Sid Dicker. Why have an anthem if you’re not going to use it.

These may be picky little things, but picky little things add up to be really big pain in the arse issues that rile people up no end. They can be avoided with some common sense.

I mention these little things to put in perspective all the rhetoric being spread, like being “defenders and promoters of the Inuit language culture and values”. A missed opportunity one would gather.

So this first sitting was halted for now without all the business being attended to, it will convene in 2 weeks in, dare we say it………… Hopedale.

New era????? 2.

In light of my first post on this topic, plus what I’m about to post I have upped the outer security system and added canine to the inner security.
Just kidding boy………………………………or am I? Haw haw haw me hardies.

So the NG assembly is starting to take form.

There is now an Interim President, then newly elected 9 ‘ordinary members’ in the assembly, plus 5 AngajukKâk and 2 chairs of Community Corporations.

Only ordinary members can be ministers, to date from that group we have a speaker and deputy speaker, a first minister, 3 ministers in portfolios similar to what was in place during the interim NG, and with what looks like 2 more ministers after 2 new portfolios are created from breaking up 2 of the larger portfolios. Breaking them up makes sense on the face of it, they were rather large.
If/when this all takes place that will mean only one of the ordinary members will not have a ministership [is that a word?]. That will leave it up to that person plus the 5 and 2 mentioned above to act as opposition, if any is needed, and to hold the government to account, if needed. Notice my facetiousness?

There is some optimism out there, mainly cautious optimism that the NG will finely be able to deal with issues that have long been neglected. Issues that effect our lives on a day to day basis, to mention a few; women’s issues, youth, language and culture. Then there is the ever increasing cost of living that is broad based, marine shipping that is regressing back into the 1980’s.

All is not doom and gloom, lots of advances have been made over the years in post secondary education, health issues, infrastructure and others areas. Unfortunately as mentioned before, other areas have been given short shift, or just lip service.

Communicating with the population has to be improved too; these glossy news [read 3 month old and very basic information] releases end up on the floor of the post office. Much more could be done locally and utilizing local people IMO.

With the new bodies in the assembly maybe grass roots issues will be dealt with, more time will be spent by elected people and bureaucrats in listening and dealing with the populace and dealing with the issues that they raise, I hope. More visibility on the ground, more visibility in the media, show the people that you do care, and point out this is what you are attempting to do about it. This stuff about saying “we had a meeting with minister so and so and it was a good meeting” is just so much BS. People need to know their representatives care and are at least trying to make things happen.

A good example of non visibility is the Take Back the Night March here in Nain a little time back. Not one elected or non elected official from the interim NG was in attendance. There have been marches or rallies by youth and others on suicide prevention, no one from the LIA or the interim NG ever show their faces. I think this has to change, and I hope it will. There is always some one ready to show their face when a free trip to a conference or workshop on these issues is in the offing, usually not the ones who do the grunt work on the ground, it’s the faceless ones who get to gallivant all over the place on these trips.

There seems to be reluctance in encouraging citizen intervention [surprising when so much is not being attended to] or having civil society getting involved in a pro active way. Too much circling the wagons takes place when constructive criticism is offered. Get over it; you are supposed to be working for the betterment of the people, not covering your own arse and protecting your job.

To finish off an interesting fact. Of the 15 people sworn in to the NG this week only one was sworn-in in Inuktitut.

Break to clear head.

CBC has done a good job covering this nice story.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2006/10/17/moravian-bible.html

Plus some stories on different issues are trickling out of Rigolet by Paul Piggott; perhaps he will work his way north.

Some one did note that there was no coverage of substance, to date, by CBC of the NG swearing in and first sitting of same. Can’t expect too much I guess.

New era?????

The first Nunatsiavut Government [NG] was sworn in yesterday around 2pm, taking over from the Interim Government.
The swearing in took place in Nain, the administrative headquarters of the new government, not in Hopedale, the Legislative capital.

This first session will be partly taken up by workshops for Government Members as well as the bureaucrats by a group from Ottawa. The workshops will be on governance and the like.
At 2pm today the first minister and ministers of NG will be sworn in.

I’m sure there are lots of proud people around, and some who are proud but apprehensive of the unknowns ahead.
Then there are the ones who are a puzzle, like the 62% of Nain’s eligible voters who did not bother to vote for the candidates in the election for Ordinary Members of NG. I would think, and hope, that this would be one of the first orders of business for the new government to address, like why is there so much perceived apathy by the electorate, and what can be done about it.

Another order of business I’m told is to table the Interim Governments report on the hearings held on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the Inuit Communities. It will be very interesting to see the report once it is made public, as well as what the New Government decides to do with the reports contents. Any carrying out of solutions offered up may be problematic for some people, given the recidivist addiction problems some of the Government members have. I’m talking specifically about the two I know about, the members for Nain. Until this is addressed by the Government and the individuals themselves any directions and efforts to address this long ongoing and “unspoken” problem will mainly fall on deaf ears.
No more is it; do as I say, not as I do. People want good honest accountable sober leadership. When that is achieved then perhaps there is a chance for people to take seriously their own issues and address them.

This second to last installment in the long transition to self government [the interim president will be replaced by an elected one in 2007] was/is not without controversy.
The people of Hopedale fell slighted by the decision to have this Swearing In held in Nain instead of Hopedale. It has turned into a sort of ‘he said she said’ match of words and accusations.
The outgoing mayor of Hopedale claims that the town spent quite an effort planning for this important and historical event. She claims that adequate accommodations and meeting space is available, and that the town has still not been advised officially of the relocate. Hopedale feel let down and insulted the mayor went on to say.
The outgoing interim first minister of NG claims the decision to move the event was due to insufficient accommodations and meeting space, especially considering the ‘invited guests’ and the workshop facilitators, about 40 in all. The first minister added that all other sittings of the NG will be held in Hopedale [seem to have heard that before] and all haste will be taken to construct the new Government Building there, this could take up to two years minimum.
He also claimed this was not an ordinary NG session because of the workshops, and that the government members NEEDED THERE OWN ACCOMADATION SPACE TO CAUCUS. So much for Inuit culture and traditions of the Labrador eh?
Hopedaleimuks are quite adamant that they have been wrongly done by.

Who ever is correct, this problem could have been minimized by some common sense pro action and advanced decision making by members of the interim government and the bureaucrats. Proper prompt communication would have helped too.
Let’s hope this is one of the things that can be ironed out in this week’s workshops, I won’t hold my breath though, entrenched systemic problems can take quite awhile to change.

Iz

With the winter ahead I thought this would get people in the mood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5neuWiAlpm4&mode=related&search=

snagged it from 'man of lettuce'.

Shipping news: Well not to most of us.

I see the NL government has released the latest report on the state of Marine Transport.
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/tw/1006n05.htm
Not a lot surprising there, plus recommendations that are troubling. The report stated the obvious, things like the age of the vessels and mechanical preparedness, or rather non preparedness; this should have brought some pro action response from the government. Alas the minister of WST spent quite a lot of time stating that there are really no safety and mechanical issues with the fleet. All is copasetic according to the minister; Transport Canada issues certificates of efficiency every year, so all is OK. Just like the Titanic was OK to be full speed ahead as “she was unsinkable”.
The report also recommended 10 new vessels be built ASAP. The government had issued calls for expressions of interest for two new vessels; it is realistic to not expect this government to come up with all the answers ASAP since the previous governments had neglected the fleet for so long.

Two things stick out in this report pertaining to the Labrador routes of the provincial ferry service.
The first one being that it does not address the Labrador service at all. This is supposed to be addressed in another report a couple of years down the road.
The second one being the recommendation that the ferry service be turned into, or sold off, to be run as a private operation. The recommendation was to model the new entity perhaps on the lines of the BC Ferry system, a not for profit private corporation, a hands off, at arms length corporation answerable to the Government.
This proposal should bring fear to the hearts and pockets of the users of the ferry system in this province. Three words that best describe what could happen come to mind, Canada Post Corporation. I need say no more, the people in rural and remote communities fully understand.
Further to that, it seems that in the BC case, since the inception of the arms length ferry system started up, fares have increased by about 20%, business operators who use the system have seen fees rise by around 40%, we know who bears the brunt of those increases. Also the workers on the ferries have a lot more disgruntlements.

I think that a lot of discussion has take place, by all players including consumers. Actually especially consumers, as we always seem to be left out, or given short shift on these things.

A point I would make in the strongest terms is; why treat the ferries any different to the highway system. After all marine transport in this province is an extension of the highway and road system. Why insist that ferries run at a profit, or pay their way when highways and roads are run at a huge loss. Ferry users pay the same taxes as road users, privatize the ferries, and privatize the roads. Imagine what would happen the election after that was done eh?
It is a way for the government to shed it’s respocibilty to a section of the community onto an unanswerable arms length corporation. “Don’t talk to us, talk to them” is what will happen. Rather hypocritical considering the government appoints the board of said arms length corporation.

Just because.

Going through old albums to scane.
Top is fall 1996, taken up back of town at Annainuks looking west'ish. Annainuks is the back up water supply to the dam.

Bottom is me old cat [RIP] about to bounce at snow birds feeding, spring 1996. Ariel hit the window many a time trying to get a free feed.

Thanksgiving afternoon, thanks.

Well that was a quick change in color from this morning, white white white, does not do the last of the poppies much good. Environment Canada got this one right.
Thought I better harvest the last of the beans from the greenhouse just in case the temperatures drop dramatically too.

The bright reds and oranges have gone, the yellow will soon disappear and all that will be left will be the greens and browns. No knowing how long that will last, falls seem to be longer of late, but that maybe just impatience on my part.
There are still lots of blue berries of a good size and condition; alas the sweetness has gone out of them.
It’s always exciting waiting for the first falls of snow, and hope it sticks around.

The last days have seen the winds insistent and consistent, many gusts up to 60 plus. Sky has been ominous with many cloud formations, but most blowing on by. It makes for uncomfortable boating; still some go out for the chance to get a bird or fauna. Most get back safe under there own steam, some have to be brought home by the coast guard auxiliary, the risk ya take.
No real below zero conditions yet, Friday night it did not get below plus 10, it did dip to minus 3 briefly at the house last night.
I have finished painting the kitchen, drawn out job, but the results are worth it. Will ponder if and what to tackle next.

Danny short changed?

I think Danny Boy should dump his advertising people [or himself according to some] and scramble to get these guys from down under. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/revealed-the-face-of-sydney/2006/10/05/1159641464886.html Makes the picture plant NewLab brand name passé.

Just think of huge pictures of Danny Danny [or potentially even Danny Jerome] projected on the walls of The Rooms or the Cathedral. Enough to make some jump off the peace tower eh?

Say wharh? what election.

The election for ordinary members of Nunatsiavut government was held yesterday.

The only stat that I have, and it sticks out like a sore thumb, is that 62% of the registered voters in Nain chose not to exercise their democratic right.

Bout says it all for here.

Goose Bay was about 50%, very low too considering that ten people put their names up.

Other coastal communities fared better with the turn out, but do not have the numbers yet.