Hickey v Grimes.
So the speaker of the house of the NL assembly, in his wisdom, has decided that tax payers should be hit up for any legal cost that the minister for transport, John Hickey, occurs in his legal battle with the former liberal premier Roger Grimes. Grimes made some statements, just like many many others did, on Hickeys double billing problems. Hickey asked for an apology from Grimes, rightly Grimes declined to apologize, stupid is what stupid does.
I think the apologies should come from the speaker, the premier, John Hickey and all the other MHA’s who are embroiled in the double billing, over spending and secret bonus approvals and receivers of same.
Here is the extent of Hickey’s double billing.
http://www.ag.gov.nl.ca/ag/2006Special/JHickey/JHickey.htm
Hickey, with the Premiers backing, has absolved himself from any respocibilty with these; Hickey and the premier have laid blame at the feet of staff in the house of assembly and in Hickey’s constituency office.
While they are apologizing, perhaps some one could explain why Hickey has used constituency allowance funds for return air fares Goose Bay to St. John’s, car rental in St. John’s, a per diem to me Hickey. Then there is the troubling habit many MHA’s had of dolling out constituency funds to service clubs, charities and other needy well deserving causes.
Then perhaps some intelligential could explain the rational of paying $216 a month rental on a lap top computer.
9 comments:
Did you even hear what Grimes said?
I did and it took me aback.
Roger talkes about the premier being judge and jury in essence that is what he did in his statements that morning.
He should be held accountable for his comments that morning.
VOCM is also complicit in this affair and are being disingenuous by not replaying the tape and playing ignorant that they know where to find it.
Grimes has a long history of sticking his foot in his mouth by his own admission.
The AG was judge and jury when it came to Terry French but no one sems to care about that.
While Grimes may have a lawyer Pro bono if he loses the lawyer won't pay for the legal fees nor any retribution he will.
AS for the assertion that DW is fear mongering. What would you call the allegations that DW is trying to in some way muzzel the public by calling to account a former leader of the NL liberal party for making assumptions and alleging someone is guilty until proven so.
Hi NL-ExPat.
Without prejudice-I hold no truck with any of these players.
I have no big argument with most you say. I heard RG too, can’t remember word for word what he said. Either can the Danny attach team, asking for apology and can’t explain what for. RG was and still is using provocative words, not sure if they are litigious. Many are true and to the point.
No one was more relieved than me when Liberals got the boot, no one is more disappointed than me with what we have now passing for a democratic government.
As to VOCM being disingenuous, it’s absurd for them to keep going on about not being able to find, or even have the tapes of the said show. BR is especially absurd with the way he is going on about the tapes. If tapes not there VOCM would be in breach of their broadcast license, I’m surprised no one has taken them to task on it. Also, there are people out there who monitor these shows, for dollars any one can get transcripts. RG is disingenuous on that front too.
All of this could have been avoided; DW chose to go this route, so he has to live with AG, RG and all and sundry. I will add, to besmirch and drag ones good name and reputation through the mud one first has to have a good name and reputation. When it comes to throwing dirt and besmirching people JH is no Mother Theresa.
Because one is in public life does not mean they are above others, and others can not have input and criticize.
Of all the calls and statements on this issue, one stands out for me. A very articulate woman called CBC ‘on the go’ yesterday afternoon. To paraphrase and in my words; this is about two white males having a pissing match, an ego battle. They should go out the back of the Confederation building and settle it out there. They and all the rest of the election people should then get back to what they were sent there by the people of NL to do. She added that they are working for us, sent there by us, paid by us, start behaving like it.
Also, lets not forget that JH is now a bit player in all this, it is bad blood between DW, RG and any liberal, or any one really, who does not idolize the Danny.
Both DW and RG are at fault but, if DW had not handled the JH file the way he did, just maybe RG, and others, would not have attached the way they did.
No this is about moving this province forward.
Haven't you heard Danny Dumarais and Gerry Reid say in not so many words thy would give away our resources for short term gain in the interest of getting reeleted. Not unlike what RG did with the Voisey bay Ore. But it didn't work even with the secret claus gag order people saw through his give away electioneering and now we are suffering because of it.
RG's comments that morning were from the point of view of Judge Jury and Executioner and he should retract them we are all innocent until proven guilty.
It's obvious the beuracracy in the House has failed miserably and hopefully that will get fixed.
DW is to be commended for having the intestinal fortitude to call in the AG even if it smears his govt we will all be better of in the long run because of his efforts and vision for the province.
How could anyone in their right mind vote for the provincila liberal party when they have compromised their parties integrity and by extension this provinces integrity and ability to be autonomous from Ottawa and the federalists because they have accepted payment from the Federal liberal party to pay for their offices.
The real group we should all be uniting against is the federalists who want to maintain the status Quo and keep NL as a have province and colony of the empire of Ontario.
Like Quebec we need autonomy over our own affairs by way of the fishery including the NT&FC, seal hunt, off shore oil and gas, and a non renewable resources from being clawed back through the D-Equalization formula.
VOCM is just covering thei own ass by not playing the tapes and pleading ignorant. They are complicit in this breach of freedom of speech by not blocking out RG and making him accountable for his allegations of an innocent man.
RG isn't some joe blow he is a former premeir of NL even if he wasn't elected he filled the position for 2 years and should know better.
NL ExPt.
I agree with you on the Liberals. So we have conservatives in both jurisdictions, yet the Feds are still the bogy man, perhaps different tactics, maybe the big litigator should start using the courts to get what the province should have.
I find it hard to see the Province moving ahead. Maybe a small part is doing well, as in an economic up turn, soon to be stagnant it looks like. We still have all these people leaving the Province as a whole, less so for the Integral part up here on the mainland. The rural areas are in a mess, or are all these people who work in and for those areas lying.
Perhaps we are to wait the 10 or 15 years for all this success?
I find it unacceptable when any one person is put so high on a pedestal as the savior of all things. We have seen it before, all comes crashing down, the province suffers and the savior goes on his white way.
Yes we have seen it before short term gain giveaways and look where we ar now.
It is time we held our ground as a province and not sell out our fellow brothers and sisters for our own personal gain and situation.
Isn't being apart of canada with it's social network supposed to be the saviour so that we can wait out these big oil and Big Ottawa so that we can get what is rightfully ours from our resources. So that revenues from non renewables can be utilized to create renewewable and sustainable enterprises.
I recently heard the LMN saying that they were fine with getting just jobs from the Shefferville project and allowing the processing to happen in Quebec. So while tyhe individuals might profit in the short term with jobs the province and people as a whole will suffer for their short term self interest in that we will most if not al of the revenues from the ore that will be processed in Quebec.
Big business and Big Ottawa can't buy pursuade or corrupt danny so they are buying out indivuals and groups to get what the Provincial govt isn't willing to give away.
Read the Royal commission it very clearly states we have been too long concentrating on jobs and not enough on wealth creation. Jobs will come our way no matter what because the resource is in our province but the real measure of a project or resource is the amount of wealth we can glean from it so as to be able to reinvest in our people and renewable economical enterprises.
Otawa and big business would like nothing better than to get rid of Danny because he can't be bought and is willing to stand up for all NL'ians so as that we can develop a renewable and sustainable economy.
10 years isn't much to ask for when it comes to developing an economy that has been on the down hills lide for 58 years in this federation.
NL's problem has been our division whether that be Lab and NFLD or Bayman Townie outside interests have utilized those divisions to circumvent any and all efforts of our leaders to further our economy.
We are so poor no one is willing to take a short term pain for long term gain.
Fallow field.
Ownership and control of the entire continental shelf
Full utilization of the seal. (First come first serve quotas by beuracrats in Ottawa)
Clawing back non renewable resource revenues so as that we will always feel dependant upon Ottawa. Instead of allowing us to keep like Alberta do our Non renewable resource revenues so as to create a renewable economy from thoe monies.
NL ExPat.
We are on the same page on most things, except the faith in Premier Williams [PW] to do the things he says he is going to do. Perhaps if you lived in Labrador you would be cautious as I and many others are. PW is not alone, most island based politicians are treated with the same caution, there is only one that I can think of who put himself out to fight for the betterment of Torngat region, the late Garfield Warren. The may be others in other regions, not sure on that.
So PW promised that Labrador would get a better deal from his government, we are still waiting. The only announcement of any size of a project with provincial $ is a new hospital for Lab West. There are other projects held up, with sizable promises from PW but contingent on 50% federal money. Like the upgrading of TLH, the much needed and way overdue auditorium for Goose Bay. So why are a number of auditoriums being built [funding secured] on the Island and we are still waiting? Why was the wind farm given the kibosh under the guise that the provincial energy strategy plan had to be completed? Still no provincial energy plan but several wind farms have been given the green light on the island.
In my town, the only thing done, apart from the usual flow of monies for infrastructure, since Labrador has had a man in cabinet, is a fence around the freight lay down area and part of the wharf. A fence that was not needed as bad as a covered storage lay down area, but we were ignored again.
Double standard is as double standard does, I just made that up, not bad.
Hypocrite, peck sniff, Tartuffe, white sepulcher all resonate for me.
The TLH is apart of the NHS and funding should be contingent on 50/50 funding. You are barking up the wrong tree on that one you should be getting after the feds the Province has already promised their share.
We would be stupid and downright negligent to fund the TLH on our own when it is apart of the NHS. We have to leverage the little bit of money we do have to get the most out of it not throw good money after bad.
Dialysis, Extended ferry service, Food freight subsidy, Two new ferries in the works, Northern gateway initiative. As for the small wind projects on the island they are exactly that small and they also have buy back clauses and invite investment and capital for other larger projects which we would have a controlling interest in as well as have the option to buy back at predetermined times in the contract.
Maybe someone should total up the actual requirements of the 33 communities on diesel and the output of the Holyrood fuel fired elect generating plant. If those numbers could be used to argue an infeed or infeed cascade/wheeling through the island. We would all benefit in this province and not Quebec and Ontario as usual in this Corporate colonialist empire of Ontario.
It seems to me that this govt is willing to put up money for private public enterprises. Maybe the reason your area hasn't received as much as you would like is because the people in your area haven't proposed anything other than public.
Like what kind of accomadations are available for tourists in Nain? A collage of pictures from your area to promote tourism. Northern safari adventures, Morovian interpretation centre, Location specific and distint horticulture, Berry co-op, Carving school college, Rock tumbler jewlery, Jewelry co-op, Jewlery classes, Labradorite jewlery, Quarry operation, Rock hounding classes, Exploration mining classes, Private public wind mill diesel generating project, scenic coastal ATV/Ski-Doo trail along the coast from Nain to Rigolet, Aquaculture.
Keeping in mind ferry capacity and air transport rates which are higher due to federal landing fees being double.
Form interest groups to develop and promote different initiatives and ideas.
Back to nature tours experiences.
labrador Ski-doo BaJa.
Govt's job isn't to create jobs but rather to create an atmosphere for it's people to create jobs and attract investment.
Whoa man, you reading what your are saying there?
I’ll put it down to being uniformed for now.
First of all, to date I believe the TLH has been funded majority by the Feds, so province have to play catch up.
You neglected to mention the auditorium for Labrador, is that part of the TLH? Or is that throwing good money after bad.
You say:
“We have to leverage the little bit of money we do have to get the most out of it not throw good money after bad”.
Speaks for itself.
Can you tell me how much private has gone into the community/auditoriums announced for the Island? Who gets hit for the bucks on the Mile One?
Dialysis: We have to do hand stands and pay homage to the leader for getting the basics in health care?
Extended ferry service: Same as above.
Food freight subsidy: Feds out do province by 3 to 1 at least. Feds all year, province 4 months only, or till yearly budget runs out.
No new ferries are in the works for the northern service as yet. We keep being told that it is too early to have any input. Translation; people on the Island or even New Brunswick know better as to what we want.
We have lots of public private on the go, even on the Island. It’s a great way to flush public money down the toilet, or more to the point, encapsulate the wealth. Create the atmosphere yes.
The wind project proposal for Labrador was private money. Large scale, could have been legit reasons for not wanting to go ahead, but we don’t know do we? Because island centric control freaks wont even discuss it rationally.
Many things you mention are either in the works, are up and running, have been tried and failed for various reasons. Main failure would be that private investment is just not there. Takes too long for return to realize. Some private are legit, some are just blood suckers feeding off the public teat.
You see Big Ottawa big business. We see Big St.John’s big business. You see Ottawa colonialists; we see Island Colonialists and opportunists. We are divide, that has to change, start by treating Labrador like an integral part of the province as a whole.
But we digress; this is not helping to explain the bi partisan goings on in the house of assembly. Still don’t know what happened to the 300 grand plus Wally Andersen overspent or how John Hickey double billed 20 times, but it’s not his fault, some one else did it, let me run a multi hundred million dollar department any way. Or for the debacle that is now the DW v anyone who does not fawn and kiss his arse.
All of the recent ongoing investigestions of scandal cross party lines. So if anything DW is to be commended for bringing in the AG.
Exception being the 2875 extra constituency allowances being continued during DW's term even though it has been going on forever he halted it after this one last time.
Even that has been fixed and this was to be the last time from here on in their CA's are to be pro-rated so as not to be used as an electioneering fund.
Good money after bad may have been the wrong terminology to use in this instance. I consider the TLH a very good investment for the province as a whole even the country but obviously Ottawa doesn't see it that way or else they wouldn't be dicking us around with their fair share of what is apart of the NHS.
Nunatsiavut/Sheshashie, HVGB water sewage treatment plant, New reservation process for Interprovincial ferries, Red bay road maintenance depot.
Here are a few links to Mainly Labrador initatives. Far from all encompassing just a few I have saved.
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/fishaq/0615n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/intrd/0525n06.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/0508n03.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/0510n03.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/0510n07.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/gs/0512n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/tw/0425n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/tcr/0428n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/0428n09.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/tw/0419n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/laa/0412n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/tw/0406n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/0327n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/0328n03.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/hrle/0329n05.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/0321n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/laa/0324n06.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/0313n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/0315n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/intrd/0317n03.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/health/0301n03.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/tw/0222n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/hrle/0223n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/mpa/0213n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/fishaq/0214n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/just/0216n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/env/0216n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/0203n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/0124n05.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/0126n10.htm
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2006/06/26/nf-sheshatshiu-reserve.html
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/laa/0630n05.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/fishaq/0629n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/0628n05.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/hrle/0623n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/business/0620n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/edu/0615n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/intrd/0713n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/fin/0720n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/edu/0821n06.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/health/0823n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/business/0825n05.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/intrd/0901n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/laa/0908n06.htm
http://www.pcparty.nf.net/
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/intrd/0926n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2005/exec/0308n08back2.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/1002n07.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/1002n08.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/fin/1120n03.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/nr/1204n01.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/laa/1206n07.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/tw/1124n07.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/tw/0109n02.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/tw/0112n03.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/intrd/0118n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/tw/0119n05.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/edu/0125n04.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/laa/0129n05.htm
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/tw/0212n05.htm
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