Cheers & Jeers
JEERS: to a waste of paint. When the line-painting crew went through Mitchell’s Brook, St. Mary’s Bay, recently, they painted over potholes and all in the pock-marked pavement. Seems like it would’ve made more sense to patch the road before laying down lines.
JEERS: to short notice. When Justice Minister Andrew Parsons released the external review of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Friday, members of the media were given less than an hour to digest a nearly 60-page report and scramble to a 1:30 p.m. newser with the minister. It’s great the minister was available to answer questions, but a little more lead time would be appreciated.
CHEERS: to concerned citizens. Two recent court victories show what people can accomplish when they are determined or dedicated to a cause. In Witless Bay, resident Lorna Yard went to court to prove a member of the town council had falsely claimed residency in the town as required in order to run for a seat on council. She won that case and the councillor in question had to vacate his seat. Last week, the Atlantic Salmon Federation was successful in forcing a full environmental review of the Grieg Aquaculture salmon farming operation proposed for Placentia Bay. Then-environment minister Perry Trimper had released the project from the review process prematurely in 2016.
JEERS: to having to do government’s work. In both the court cases cited above, citizens had to fight for due process in the absence of government rigour. The Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment should ascertain whether municipal election candidates are eligible to run for office, rather than citizens having to press the matter in court after the person gets elected. In the aquaculture case, the judge noted that “in making the release decision the minister chose an option unavailable to him under the statutory authority. The only option available when a project has significant public concern or may have significant negative environmental effects is to order an Environmental Impact Statement.” Any Environment minister should be well aware of that fact.