A matter of time

Some pointed questions, and, even by Ross Wiseman standards, some spectacularly flat-footed answers, during his CBC Labrador Morning appearance on Tuesday concerning air service in southern Labrador (.mp3 audio link). Peter Cowan is behind the mic for the Ceeb.

COWAN: Now what is that response? What are the various options that the Department is actually looking at in this specific case?

WISEMAN: Well, I think that the, y’know, that’s, I’m, I really wouldn’t want to start speculating today through your medium what might be the response government might have. What I can assure the people of the south coast of Labrador, and your listening audience, y’know, that we are very much aware of the uniqueness of the south coast of Labrador. We need to develop a response in the context, though, of a greater provincial strategy which we had planned to have ready by the end of the year. This announcement now relative to the south coast of Labrador is gonna prompt us to zero in more closely and focus on that particular aspect of the access strategy in the near future. And we’ll be working with the communities on the south coast of Labrador, the community leaders there, and the industry itself, as to how we might provide an appropriate response to ensure the people of that region of Labrador have reasonable access to air services.

COWAN: We’ve heard calls for a regional airport in Port Hope Simpson, your government has talked about this being a priority, it was mentioned in the consultant’s report. How far along are we? How serious is the government in terms of developing this as one option in terms of alleviating some of the burden on an airline having to serve so many communities?

WISEMAN: It is an option, and it is under active consideration.

COWAN: What does “active consideration” mean?

WISEMAN: As I said to you a moment ago, y’know, we’re looking at an overall strategy for air access in the province. And part of the infrastructure considerations has to be obviously part of that piece, y’know, we’re really advanced, well advanced, in that process, we need to be well advanced, obviously, if we’re going to plan to have that strategy document ready for release by the end of this year, so as we get into early fall, y’know, we’ll be able to formulate some definitive decisions around infrastructure issues, other issues relative to access will be considered at that time.

COWAN: Now, considering though it’s going to take a long time to actually get that infrastructure in place, isn’t this something that you should fast-track in order to get that infrastructure if it’s decided that it’s needed?

WISEMAN: Well, making some decisions in the next couple of months is a relatively short time line… We will be, in the very near future, making those kinds of decisions around what the future will hold, what kind of infrastructure investments we’ll be making…

Oh, that Ross Wiseman. Danny, whatever you do, never, ever, drop this guy from cabinet!

As previously well documented by this corner, you might be forgiven for thinking that Danny Williams-Government, or indeed, His predecessors, had already decided to build a new airport in Port Hope Simpson — strategies, and pieces, and the public opinion in Belleoram notwithstanding.

Since then, Trevor Taylor has re-stated Danny Williams-Government’s case. Not only is DW-G “committed” to building a new airport in Port Hope Simpson, He, or They, are equally committed to pawning the bill off on Ottawa.

So the government of which Ross Wiseman and Trevor Taylor are members have, in the past, decided upon building an airport in Port Hope Simpson, and are, in the present, committed to building an airport in Port Hope Simpson. But they simultaneously, in the present, have the idea — sorry, the “option” — under active consideration, and, in the very near future, but still the future, they will make the necessary decisions.

Paul Oram’s super power is freakishly accurate and perfect memory. Ross Wiseman and Trevor Taylor can travel in time.

It might seem, at least to those of us who can’t conceive of this universe where time moves in all directions at once, that nothing is getting done by a provincial government that increasingly appears to be treading water, and poorly. But it’s all appearances. Mortal senses deceive. Things are getting done. They are getting done in the future, and in the past. Things that appear to be incomplete, or the subject of endless procrastination and indecision now, are in fact firmly in hand then.

Ah, don’t worry your little head about it; Ross and Trevor will soon arrive in the future, or maybe back in the past, and make the decisions that their colleagues already made in the past, or that they will make in the future. And if you’re still confused, there will be plenty of further press releases, and possibly even a decision or two, sometime between now and October 11, 2011, to set your mortal mind at ease.