Cheers &Jeers
Cheers: to innovation. Ecobloc, a tech company that started during the pandemic, has developed a product that uses ultrasonic sound to deter rodents from entering buildings, rather than killing them with traps and poisons. You could call them modern-day Pied Pipers. Though the company has clients in many parts of the world, it’s going to be manufacturing its product in Corner Brook. Here’s to home-grown talent.
Jeers: to roadblocks. Lynn Moore, the lawyer for the eight women who are filing civil cases against the provincial government over allegations they were sexually assaulted by on-duty Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers, says it’s unfair that the women have to jump through hoops to have their identities protected. Unlike in criminal cases, where a publication ban automatically protects the names of sexual assault complainants, the complainants in civil cases have to provide expert evidence that they will suffer harm if their names are published. Moore says she has asked the province to rectify this situation, but it has failed to do so.
Cheers: to warm welcomes. Having to leave your country because there’s a war raging is a terrible circumstance, but thanks to the Association for New Canadians (ANC) and other community groups in this province, the Ukrainians who arrive in Newfoundland and Labrador today will receive a warm welcome, with help in finding accommodation, services, necessities and, in some cases, employment. Kudos to all those who are lending a hand.
Cheers: to first aid. Jimmy White of St. John’s has two heroes to thank for helping to keep him alive when he collapsed after his heart just stopped while he was walking around Quidi Vidi Lake on April 3. Two strangers performed CPR while waiting for help to arrive. White spent 11 days on life support, but is now back home with his grateful family. It seems there are angels among us.
Cheers: to open doors. Visitors to the province this summer, as well as livyers, will find a warm welcome waiting at a dozen provincial historic sites — the provincial government is waiving regular admission fees from May 21 to Oct. 7, in recognition of Come Home Year 2022. Included in the list of sites are the Bonavista Lighthouse, Cupid’s Cove Plantation and the Trinity Visitor Centre.
Jeers: to hyperbole. In discussing the glitches plaguing MYGOVNL online services last week, Digital Government and Service NL Minister Sarah Stoodley said the government was working with a company called Vivvo to resolve the problem, and that the delays in service were unacceptable. Not only did the government have its best people, its tech experts working with Vivvo on the problem, Stoodley said it had its “best experts” on the job. Let’s hope they’re not in the same league as all those “world-class experts” at Nalcor that a couple of former premiers were always referring to during the construction of the Muskrat Falls project.