Geography
Once upon a time, not that long ago, Danny Williams drove up the Northern Peninsula, in a Winnebago or some other such suitable campaign vehicle, in the course of a couple of provincial by-elections.
Out across the water, he saw lights twinkling on the far horizon.
“What could that be?”, he wondered? “What is that land over there? Nova Scotia? Quebec? Iceland? Ireland? Norway?”
“Malta?”
No, someone patiently explained to him.
“Sure, that’s Labrador.”
“Labrador!”, he exclaimed. Well, I’ll be! I never knew you could see all the way to Labrador – Labrador! – from this belovèd island of ours!”
And what is the name of that island? Again, from O.D.P.’s scrum today:
As well, from a Lower Churchill perspective, the federal government are looking at several billions of dollars in green infrastructure money. Well, what better place to put some green infrastructure in transporting some of that Lower Churchill power to the Island of Newfoundland and Labrador, in order to replace Seal Cove, Holyrood, thermal generation?But apparently O.D.P. hasn’t read and initialed his own “re-branding” memo. Surely it’s the Island of NewfoundlandLabrador, no?
Labels: pretty maps, what island?
posted by WJM @ 5:56 PM
2 Comments:
I've heard a different version of that story.
Supposedly, Williams stopped the campaign caravan during the '03 leader's tour, abruptly and off the schedule.
He was apparently standing on the side of the road pointing across the narrow passage saying something to the effect that anyone who says we can't build a tunnel across to there is nuts.
That version of the story, which I've heard from several people, seems to make more sense. There have been so many over-the-top, wacky, things that people forget the first one: building the Stunnel.
He entered office convinced it could happen. Commissioned a government study on it, likely to prove he was right. In the end it was an escape mechanism.
Thing is, as looney as the idea of the Stunnel is, a version of it still lives. It's in the Lower Churchill deal.
Thing is, we can build. It was never an issue of technical ability or know-how. It was a matter of cost. That's something that doesn't seem to determine the fiesty fellow especially when it's other people's money he's spending.
There definitely was a media piece — whether it was print or broadcast, I can't recall, and haven't been able to find — wherein Danny recounts, in his own words, his surprise on discovering Labrador.
I think it was from 2001 or 2002, after he was leader, and after the two Northern Peninsula by-elections.
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