Eastern Graphic Columns and Opinions

Guilty by public opinion

The very thing some people loathe about living on this small Island is often our best ally.
One of our greatest assets is the fact that most people know someone who knows someone else who knows others.
Bewildering perhaps to anyone who doesn't understand the word-of-mouth process of spreading information and certainly a thorn in the side of those who don't want anyone else to know what they're up to.
Among those who'd give the unofficial Island grapevine a thumbs down are the three individuals accused of running over and killing a fox with their snowmobiles this winter.
Guilty or not their names are out there and they have already been tried by the court of public opinion.
All it took to gather some information on the crime was to put out a public plea. Remember this is a small Island and the only time a secret is safe is if you tell no one.

What's an 'ordinary observer' to believe

It’s not always what you say that is most interesting, sometimes what you don’t say is far more telling. And in the case of Charlottetown accounting firm Arsenault Best Cameron Ellis what is of interest is whether the firm red flagged any issues surrounding the controversial Provincial Nominee Program.
Arsenault Best Cameron Ellis enjoyed a dual role in the provincial nominee story. On one level it acted as the auditor for Island Investment Development Inc., the provincial body that managed the PNP program. On the other hand it acted as one of seven provincially appointed intermediaries that matched potential immigrants to Island businesses, and in the process likely generated millions of dollars in revenue for the firm.

O Canada - Oh my

We offered to hear from Canadians on this issue and they have already spoken loud and clear. They overwhelmingly do not want to open the issue. The government will not proceed any further to change the national anthem."
... Dimitri N Soudas, the prime minister’s office.
The above email was received by this scribe on the evening of Friday, March 4, at 6.25pm AST. Now this is pretty thrilling stuff for one such as me. I mean, good heavens above, an email direct from the famous PMO (prime minister’s office).
Me. Pretty small potatoes. But there I am, apparently on a list to receive first-hand such an important message.
But then I wonder, how did they get my email address? Does this mean they are watching me, and reading all the uncomplimentary stuff I scribble about Steven Harper and his lot? You can get pretty paranoid at this pundit game, doncha know.

You can get a lot for no money

The Montague Storm Midget A boy's basketball team won the gold medal in front of the biggest crowd seen at a high school sports event in years.
Parents, teachers, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbours, all poured into the gym to cheer the team on. They chanted, cheered, laughed, did the wave and just had fun and the game was fast paced, and very entertaining. The team and its coaches had worked and played hard, and you could see they wanted the win. They got it. They deserved it.
There are a lot of events going on in eastern PEI year round but school sports events are often overlooked as a good source of entertainment. The majority of these events are free, or you can get in for a small donation, sometimes even by donating a can of beans for the food bank.
Getting together and supporting activities in our area keeps the spirit of who we all are alive and well.

Hang 'em high guilty or not

The massive coverage given to a fox allegedly run over and killed by three snowmobilers has proven one thing – give people an outlet to vent the darker sides of their personality and it will pay off in spades.
The comment sections on several Island media websites contain comments from people with apparently very little understanding of the justice system, especially the most important part: that all accused people are innocent until proven guilty, and that also includes people accused of running over a fox.
But that’s nothing compared to a Facebook group called "Send the 3 Snowmobilers who Cornered & Killed a harmless fox to Jail!"

Not even our Island is safe from earthquakes

Chile has joined Haiti in suffering through a horrific natural disaster. Canadians and Prince Edward Islanders should not be complacent. We are susceptible to a similar event. PEI was affected by a magnitude 7.2 quake on November 18, 1929.
Known by several names such as the Grand Banks earthquake and the South Shore disaster, this earth shaker’s epicenter was situated about 250 miles due south of Newfoundland. It was felt as far away as Montreal and New York City.
Souris and the surrounding area were affected. My dad and his oldest brother had experienced the Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917. Uncle Russell was in school and dad at home. Dishes rattled and fell. A window pane cracked in the house. The initial thought was since this war, Souris was being shelled by the enemy.

Readers write about birds and gardens

The following is a letter I received recently from Edith Perry of Millview: "After reading your column in this past week’s Eastern Graphic I thought I should pass on the list of what feathered friends visit my Feeders: Six Jays (of course!), several Black Capped Chickadees, a pair each of the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, a flock (14 or so) of Mourning Doves which has lost two or three of their numbers to the Goshawk that lurks around here every winter for at least five or six winters, several Juncos, a flock (five to six) of American Finches that was joined last winter by a pair of Pine Siskins.
"The latter two species haven’t visited the feeders this winter. Yet! I do hear them around the yard at times. Nuthatches were regulars until I moved the suet hangers away from the large trees they found much easier to navigate. Sometimes a flock (five to six) of Purple Finches have also been fairly regular but not this winter.

Mike Mulligan comes back

A few months ago, my daughter came over on her way home from a used book sale with a grin on her face a mile wide.
She had been looking for books to read to her two year old, and showed off the treasures she had found. One gem in particular delighted her.
It was a great big book entitled "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel", by Virginia Lee Burton.
Now it was my turn to grin. "Oh, he’s gonna love that," I said.
My daughter beamed. "I know! I remember how much we loved having you read this to us as kids!"
"But do you remember why ...?" I asked, my grin wider. "I do."
See, I remember "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" well. Very well. Almost word for word.

Horse folks are discussing their own candidates for GM

This past week Wes Sheridan admitted that the Harness Racing PEI concept wasn’t working and changes were necessary. Hopefully he won’t compound the error by turning things over to Atlantic Lotto. And BTW, I’m not taking credit for anything, but perhaps we have at least helped clarify some of the issues.
The general manager candidates and those involved in his/her hiring, might even want to check out some of the columns we have written since 2005 on the subject. They are archived online at www.maritimeclassics.net

Women belong in hockey, see the medal?

So what's the real reason for the upheaval across the nation because members of Canada's women's hockey team lit up some stogies and had a celebratory drink in the arena following their Olympic Gold Medal game?
Were their actions unbecoming for ladies and that's why some people's knickers got into a knot?
Or were the players not adhering to the rules and ethics of the Olympic Games, as some have claimed?
I dare say if the men had done the same thing after their big game Sunday afternoon the guffaws would be heard echoing across the country - acknowledging, of course, that "the boys" had earned it.
The reaction to the women's spirited antics snowballed not because of their actions, but because of the stagnant attitude many cling to regarding women in sports - hockey, in particular.
No one can argue that smoking and drinking don't and shouldn't go hand in hand with athletics, but it's naive to suggest it doesn't exist.

Government's plan is rural apartheid

The Ghiz government’s Rural Action Plan could just as easily be called rural economic apartheid. In both style and substance it is pitting urban against rural.
The reality is the government has no substantive plan to create new economic development in rural PEI. It has no plan to repopulate. It has no plan to maintain necessary infrastructure like schools and hospitals.
Instead we get the Department of Transportation stealing jobs from one rural community and transplanting them to another. The net effect is no new economic development in rural PEI.
We have government using the Rural Action Plan as justification for plunking tax dollars into necessary community infrastructure. I’m sorry investing $104,000 so the Souris Group Home Association can construct a recreation room with wheelchair access is not rural development. How patronizing. How condescending can the Ghiz government become?

I've never felt so Canadian

Courage is grace under pressure
... Ernest Hemingway
Mr Hemingway had a way with words, did he not? In five words he encapsulated the essence of one humankind’s most highly regarded attributes. He also went on to explain just what he meant.
"Courage is not the absence of fear," said he, "but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear."
Like winning a gold medal by risking life and limb on a slippery ski hill; or plunging down an icy chute at 140 kilometres per hour, the body exposed to potential destruction every millimeter of the way.
And courage comes as well in the form of a figure skater named Joannie Rochette whose mother dies suddenly and without warning in the very city where she has come to watch her daughter perform in Olympic competition.

Political influence doesn't determine success or failure

The Vancouver 2010 Olympics are over, and while initially Canada was criticized for not "owning the podium" and leading the medal standings, the nation bounced back by winning the most gold medals of any nation during a Winter Olympic event.
But regardless of medal counts, or the thrill many got when Canada won gold in men’s hockey or when Heather Moyse won gold on the bobsled track, what no doubt mattered the most to Islanders was seeing our athletes compete alongside the rest of the world on Canadian soil.
The fact is in many Olympic sports, it comes down to hundredths or thousandths of a second in making the difference of getting up on that podium or not. It was easy to bemoan the occassions when Canadians missed getting on the podium, but how many of us could do what the athletes do on the ice, the bobsled track, or the slopes? Because some athletes don’t get medals doesn’t mean they’re not highly skilled in their sport.

Looking forward to meeting you

Sometimes you need to just grab the torch and run with it, but in my case, instead of holding the fire of the Olympics, I have joined the staff of The Eastern Graphic as a reporter.
My husband Doug, dog Tom, and two cats, Henry Wilson, and Annie J, were quite surprised when I informed them I was going to work at The Graphic. It’s an adjustment for me, and an even bigger adjustment for my crew! (I did offer my husband $100 month to do housework. He’ll get back to me on that.)
We have lived on PEI (this time) for the last 13 years, and in the Montague area eight of those years. We vacationed here - too numerous trips to count.
This new venture will give me even more insight into Kings County in general, and I know there are great stories out there just waiting for me.
It will be so nice to meet you.
Teri Morris 

The old school is a testament of our start in life

I liked the sociability and the fun of school. I was asked to do an article on the Convent, but except for music lessons from Sister St. Felix – later known as Sister Irma Daigle, I know little.
From Grade I to halfway through VII, I attended the Souris Elementary School, also known as the Public School or the old High School on Church Street.

Readers share feeding stories

The following is a letter from Bonnie Bertelsen of Souris: "I have just read with interest your article in the recent Eastern Graphic regarding the bird count results. I have just moved here permanently from Toronto after summering here for a number of years. This is my first winter and I have watched with interest the birds and wildlife activity in my yard. I have lived in Toronto for the last 40 years, where feeding the birds is a major challenge - it’s a constant battle to keep the grey squirrels out of any type of feeder.
"At the beginning of winter I noticed a number of jays flying around. I know very little about different bird species and someone told me they liked cracked corn. I have filled an open tray type feeder and it has attracted many of them - I get flocks of about 10 - 20 at a time each day. I also get large flocks of starlings, a half dozen or so crows and a few morning doves every day.

Successful symposium burnishes Kentucky of Canada image

Tom Clark, president of the PEI Standardbred Horse Owners Association and a couple of other horsemen who kindly checked in, tell me this past weekend’s Equine Symposium was an outstanding success, with more than 250 of the horsey set participating.
Apparently the folks from the other horse breeds were especially pleased to have access to the calibre of speakers from the harness industry. One of the particular highlights for all attendees, was being able to hear about Somebeachsomewhere from Brent MacGrath.

Double dipping on the PNP cash cow

It’s time for Allan Campbell to either step out his blissful bubble of ignorance and bring transparency to the Provincial Nominee controversy or be removed from cabinet.
The Innovation Minister, who in recent months has allowed his unchecked and unabashed cheerleading to get in the way of the facts, was at it again when he claimed that Charlottetown accounting firm Arsenault Best Cameron Ellis is not in conflict of interest over its dual role with the PNP file.
The firm is one of seven agents licensed by government to act as intermediary, meaning it matched would be immigrants with Island businesses. It was a profitable gig, likely generating millions for the firm since being named intermediary under the previous Tory government.

Cancer will be beaten

Cancer is a lump in one's throat and the fear when told the diagnosis. It causes you to leave your dignity, modesty and self-esteem in the hospital parking lot. Cancer is the bitter disappointment that Maddie was turned away at the QEH door due to the H1N1 visitor restrictions. This survivor spontaneously traveled from Sussex, New Brunswick to offer her smile and optimism.
Cancer is the last meal before your surgery – broth that was hot water in a cup with a chicken waved twice very lightly over it from five feet on high. It is feeling sorry for a nurse searching for a vein to put an IV line in. It is getting angry at the IV pump. No matter what you do with your arm – except leaving in perfectly still, it sets the alarm off over and over again.

And Yet, The House Still Stands

And Yet, The House Still Stands

Last week, my wife left on a little jaunt across the country for a family wedding. I am sure she will be astonished to come home and find the house still standing and the pets still alive.

For the week before she left, every second of her spare time was spent on one of two activities: packing and giving me crucial information about the way the house (in which I have lived for many years) operates.

Actually, she begins packing for a trip of any duration about two weeks in advance. She will go down to the garage, get a suitcase the size of a landscaping trailer, and lay it open in our bedroom. Then, as the inspiration strikes, she will toss in items of clothing that she might possibly need on her trip.