our vision for nl 01

hese past eight years, we as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians T have joined forces boldly to transform Newfoundland and Labrador. Rejecting pessimism, we have taken responsibility for our destiny and charted our own course. We have secured a stronger foundation for growth by investing billions in infrastructure – roads and highways, wharves and bridges, terminals and ferries, water and waste, schools and hospitals, all of them essential to new growth. Through strategic planning in every sector and region of our province, we have identified new ways to build on that foundation, capitalizing on our strengths and seizing opportunities. Our foundation has never been stronger; our prospects, never brighter. The once-poor cousin of Confederation is now a Have province, leading Canada in growth and confidence.

Something extraordinary is happening in our province.

There's new energy all around us and it's changing how we see ourselves and our place in the world. Newfoundland and Labrador is on the rise, energized and ready to reach our full and incredible potential. We're leading, not following. We're creating our success, not waiting for it to happen.

Now is the time, not to fall back, but to move boldly forward to realize the full promise of our potential. Now is the time to achieve growth in industries, traditional and new; in regions, large and small; and in families throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Now is the time to

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 1 ensure Newfoundlanders and Labradorians everywhere can take full advantage of the opportunities at our door.

New energy is opening new avenues for growth that will benefit families like yours.

As Premier, I will lead a team that builds on this new energy, driving our plan for more jobs, better health care, stronger partnerships, and resource development that is right for the people of our province. As a government, we will use our revenues from nonrenewable resources to secure a renewable future for the benefit of generations to come.

We will continue to cultivate conditions conducive to growth: responsible fiscal discipline, a solid foundation of reliable infrastructure, competitive taxation, minimal red tape and progressive public services, including a range of instruments and initiatives to help businesses grow and families thrive.

Returns on growth will give us the means to continue reducing our province’s debt and interest costs, lowering taxes, sustaining the quality health care programs we provide, securing the essential services we deliver and supplying the progressive initiatives we advance to help people find a clear path forward.

This is our time – now, more than ever before.

Together, through a partnership of collective effort and individual responsibility, we as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador grows stronger and more prosperous than ever before.

Kathy Dunderdale Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 2

index

our vision for nl 01 20 agriculture index 21 forestry MOVING FORWARD CELEBRATING OUR PROUD HERITAGE fiscal responsibility 02 22 veterans family-friendly growth 03 23 arts, heritage, culture low tax 04 24 tourism EDUCATING FOR CAREER SUCCESS 25 eco-sustainability excelling in k-12 05 PROMOTING HEALTHY LIFESTYLES post-secondary 06 26 fitness growing our workforce 07 27 wellness and prevention GROWING OUR REGIONS 28 healthy aging regional growth 08 DELIVERING QUALITY HEALTH CARE Labrador 09 29 diagnosis and treatment transportation 10 30 chronic disease municipalities 11 31 care close to home PROSPERING BUSINESSES CLEARING PATHS TO OPPORTUNITY enterprise 12 32 poverty reduction trade 13 33 persons with disabilities HARNESSING NEW ENERGY 34 community sector renewable energy 14 SECURING THE VULNERABLE oil and gas 15 35 child protection GIVING INDUSTRIES AN EDGE 36 violence prevention innovation, r&d 16 37 policing, corrections fisheries 17 GOVERNING RESPONSIBLY oceans 18 38 accountability mining 19 39 the federation

www.newenergynl.ca

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 1

i

MOVING FORWARD

02 fiscal responsibility 03 family-friendly growth 04 low tax

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 2 fiscal responsibility 02

Costing Our Approach: almost $12 billion to about $8.2 billion – a Our Firm Commitment to Fiscal Sustainability reduction of nearly $4 billion.

• The 2011 Blue Book, New Energy, • We will continue to demonstrate our highlights our priorities – the initiatives that commitment to fiscal security by continuing to we have chosen to make Newfoundland and pay down the province’s debt in a Labrador stronger. responsible, balanced manner.

• Each year, in choosing Budget initiatives, • We will take on additional public debt for we will establish a ceiling for new spending specific purposes only if it is affordable and growth and make our choices accordingly. makes our province stronger and our children better off than they would otherwise • The pace of growth of public investments be. must be sustainable. Our commitment to fiscal sustainability is firm. In implementing Long-term Plan to Secure Pension Liabilities the commitments identified in this Blue Book Approximately $3.9 billion of the province’s and in fulfilling our responsibilities as a $8.2 billion net debt consists of unfunded government, we will ensure annual provincial public pension plan liabilities and other post- expenditures do not grow beyond the level retirement liabilities. Since 2003, we our economy can sustain. invested approximately $2 billion of Atlantic Accord revenue into the Teachers’ Pension • To be fiscally responsible in certain Plan and nearly $1 billion into the Public circumstances, we may need to rearrange Service Pension Plan. Nevertheless, by 2029 priorities. We will make those decisions in according to the current trend, the Teachers’ consultation with Newfoundlanders and Pension Plan will be only about 21% funded Labradorians in the pre-Budget process. and the Public Service Pension Plan will be only about 42% funded. Addressing public • Implementation of our priorities will be pension plan liabilities and other post- phased, if necessary, to accommodate fiscal retirement liabilities will be a priority. constraint. • We will develop a long-term plan to reduce • It should be noted, however, that a number our unfunded public pension plan liabilities of expenditures involve spending money to in a responsible manner by making set save money. periodic payments.

• Priorities that require upfront investment to • At least a third of any surplus will be reduce future costs will be acted upon early invested in the pension funds. in the mandate. Annual Reduction of Direct Debt • Every year, we shall ensure all our The second component of the province’s net investment choices are fiscally responsible debt is direct debt, which we have continued and sustainable. to pay down annually as this debt becomes due, without re-borrowing. Responsible Approach to Debt Management We have demonstrated a responsible • We will continue to make payments on the approach to debt management by reducing province’s direct debt, thereby reducing Newfoundland and Labrador’s net debt by interest payments. nearly a third since 2003, from a high of

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 3 family-friendly growth 03

Population Growth Strategy Child Care Credit and Infant Care • We are committed to cultivating conditions Investment that enable families and communities to Our government has demonstrated its grow. We will develop a Newfoundland and commitment to child care in this province by: Labrador population growth strategy focused • introducing a nonrefundable Child Care on creating and improving conditions Credit of $539 per child; and, favourable to in-migration and an increased • providing an Infant Care investment of birth rate. $1,000 for each child born or adopted in Newfoundland and Labrador. Child Care Pilot Project To enable parents to balance child-rearing Parental Benefits and careers, we moved forward in the 2011 • We will protect the jobs of workers who Budget to introduce a child care pilot project take a specified period of maternity or focusing on home-based regulated child paternity leave. care, to make child care in Newfoundland and Labrador even more accessible and Adoptions Reform affordable. This initiative includes: • We will make it easier and swifter for people to adopt children from within this 1. supports for home-based child care province and from outside our province and business providers offering regulated child our country. In developing and care for children of a mixture of ages, with a implementing reforms, we will be responsible maximum of six children per home; and vigilant in ensuring the safety of children is not compromised. 2. start-up grants for operators; and,

3. annual infant stimulus grants for offering regulated infant care to children 24 months of age and younger, with a maximum of three children per home.

The pilot project will run for a period of two years. Lessons learned will guide us forward.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 4 low tax 04

Commitment to Low and Competitive Taxes Maintaining Our Solid Record of Family- As we have demonstrated through some of friendly Tax Policies the most significant tax cuts in our province’s We are committed to maintaining the suite of history, we believe in keeping taxes low so tax reductions, fee reductions, tax credits and Newfoundland and Labrador families have incentives that our government has provided more disposable income to invest in since 2007, which include the following: themselves and their communities. • Personal Income Tax cuts, which were the • We will ensure Newfoundland and biggest personal income tax rate reductions Labrador families continue to enjoy tax rates ever in Newfoundland and Labrador that are low and competitive. • Low-Income Tax Reduction • Home Heating Rebate • We will review our income tax rates and • Low-Income Seniors’ Benefit provisions to ensure that our income tax • Refundable Tax Credit for Seniors system is progressive and competitive. • Heating Allowance • Provincial Home Repair Program Residential Energy Tax Rebate • Residential Energy Tax Rebate • As announced on April 19, 2011, our • Residential Energy Efficiency Program government has introduced a tax rebate • Voluntary Firefighter Tax Credit equal to the eight per cent provincial portion • Child Tax Credit of HST on residential electricity and heating. • Reduction of vehicle registration renewal All residential electricity is eligible for the fees and other fees. rebate, not just the heating portion. This $38 million initiative will directly result in lower Since 2007, our government has energy bills and benefit all residents of the introduced tax reductions totaling province, particularly during the cold winter months. A family purchasing $5,000 of approximately $1.6 billion in residential energy a year will save an cumulative savings for taxpayers. In estimated $400. 2011, Newfoundland and Labrador taxpayers are paying approximately • Since the Home Heating Rebate program $500 million less in taxes as a result will also be continued, the total benefit to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador will of these measures. be an estimated $55 million a year.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 5

ii

EDUCATING

FOR CAREER SUCCESS

05 excelling in k-12 06 post-secondary 07 growing our workforce

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 6 excelling in k-12 05

Excellence in Advanced Technology opportunities in our province that will be • We will place interactive white boards in all driven by leaders in science and innovation. schools in our province. • We will encourage all schools – through • Through the use of web-based posters, brochures, news clippings, technologies, students and teachers can be professional literature and academic journals connected in virtual space despite the wide – to showcase notable advances in science, distances dividing them. We will identify technology and industry, both locally and ways and means of applying such abroad, that will motivate and inform technologies more effectively to enable students with interests in these fields. students in small schools and rural locations to avail of programming once restricted to • We will establish a scholarship that larger centres. recognizes student innovators.

• We will invest in making Newfoundland • We will encourage the private sector to and Labrador a leader in the development of partner in sponsoring science, technology new e-learning programs. Taking maximum and robotics fairs, exhibitions and advantage of the particular strengths that competitions to promote applied learning some schools and certain teaching and showcase creativity. professionals have in particular disciplines, we will pursue opportunities to establish Excellence in Mathematics cross-institutional web-based linkages that • In collaboration with school boards and may propagate these skills. teachers, we will develop a strategy to increase participation rates in senior high • We will identify opportunities for local Academic and Advanced Mathematics researchers and enterprises in leading-edge programs. growth sectors, such as software development, robotics, green energy • We will encourage employers in development and life sciences, to work with Newfoundland and Labrador in disciplines teachers and students in the classroom or lab requiring a firm grounding in mathematics to setting in ways that will promote a culture of sponsor scholarships for senior high innovation and invention. Advanced and Academic Mathematics programs, and we will work with them to Excellence in Science promote these scholarships and celebrate the • Recognizing the opportunities available to recipients. graduates with a firm grounding in the sciences, we will work with school boards Celebrating Student Excellence and teachers to encourage students – both • We will encourage schools to continue to male and female – to choose science draw attention to the successes and courses. leadership of students and teachers at public

assemblies and through other means in the • We will provide funding to invest further to school. update science laboratories and equipment.

• We will continue to invest in music and • We will augment our high school cultural education that promotes the curriculum in ways that will showcase the development of students’ talents. work of scientists and innovators working in Newfoundland and Labrador, highlight • We will continue to invest in opportunities science-based career opportunities in our for student groups, such as sports teams and province, and identify development

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 7 musical ensembles, to travel across and Focusing on Individual Students outside the province to compete and • We will work with educators and parents to showcase their talents. review and, where necessary, improve upon individual support services policies to ensure Focusing on Teachers our students receive the education they need • We will work collaboratively with teachers to achieve their full potential as individuals. and school boards to ensure teachers have manageable workloads. Career Planning • We will expand the Futures in Skilled • We will work with teachers to explore Trades and Technology program to all options for addressing concerns about schools in the province. We will promote discretionary leave. skilled trades and technology occupations and development projects in Newfoundland • We will provide additional teachers, student and Labrador during education week. assistants, training and professional development, and time for teacher • We will evaluate course offerings to ensure collaboration to ensure the proper delivery of Level II and III courses are career relevant. student support services. • We will start students thinking earlier about • We will work with teachers to explore the wide world of career opportunities that options for student supervision during lunch exist now and that may emerge in the future, hour to allow teachers to focus on education and we will show them the connections while ensuring students are adequately between their curriculum and those careers. supervised. • We will encourage schools and boards to Motivators, Mentors and Role Models partner with industry and labour to promote • We will motivate students by sponsoring career options in the skilled trades and visits to our schools and classrooms (both in technology occupations. person and by video links) of pioneers, leaders and motivators in a range of • We will encourage schools to engage disciplines, including the sciences, professionals in many different career engineering, business, sports, the arts and disciplines to give students early insights humanitarianism, and also role models in about career paths. the Aboriginal community and persons with disabilities who have made significant • We will coordinate an online body of achievements in various disciplines. information to enable teachers and career counselors of junior and senior high school Women in Nontraditional Careers students to provide the facts students need to • We will encourage young women in our K- make sound career and curriculum 12 schools to consider taking courses that lay decisions, including information on emerging a solid foundation for careers in skilled provincial career opportunities. trades and other professions in which women are underrepresented. In particular, we will Emergency Preparedness encourage women to take advantage of • School boards and schools must have opportunities to take courses and pursue effective protocols for responding swiftly, extracurricular activities in areas related to efficiently and effectively to emergencies and mathematics, physics, computer science, tragic events. All members of the team must robotics and engineering, highlighting the understand their respective roles and be fully successes of women in these fields. prepared at all times to respond to any challenge. We will work with school boards • We will encourage educators to promote to and schools to ensure these protocols are young women in secondary school the clearly articulated, practised regularly and benefits of the skilled trades and technology thoroughly evaluated. program.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 8 post-secondary 06

Tuition Fee Freeze all of us. We have been making strong • Newfoundland and Labrador has the most- investments in our public post-secondary competitive tuition fees in the country thanks system year by year, guided by our 2005 to the investments our government has made White Paper on Public Post-secondary since 2003. We have frozen tuition fees at Education, entitled “Foundation for Success”. our public post-secondary institutions Investments in operations and capital works (Memorial University and College of the to give students access to leading-edge North Atlantic) for the past seven years and laboratories and research facilities will achieved the lowest tuition fees in all of ensure our public post-secondary institutions Canada (except for the fees Quebec reserves remain competitive nationally and accessible for Quebec students). We will continue to for our people. freeze public post-secondary tuition fees by • We will consult with Memorial University investing over $52 million throughout our and College of the North Atlantic about mandate to keep tuition fees from rising. infrastructure needs related to the science research building, the business building, the Student Aid Enhancement and Debt medical research laboratories, the libraries at Reduction St. John’s and Corner Brook, CNA Newfoundland and Labrador has the best headquarters and shop modernization to student aid program in the country thanks to determine priorities and timelines. the investments our government has made. Since 2003, we have: Grenfell Campus, Memorial University • introduced a new formula to calculate • We will continue to work collaboratively parental discretionary income in order to with Memorial University to maximize the enable students from middle-income families potential of Grenfell Campus at Corner to access the student loan program; Brook for the benefit of its students; • decreased the amount of spousal strengthen its programs; and promote contributions to give married students greater research and development to further diversify access to assistance; economic growth in the western region of the province. To continue to grow the Grenfell • eliminated the interest on the provincial Campus, we will work with the University to portion of student loans; and, complete the construction of the academic increased the up-front needs-based grants • building, the 200-unit student residence and for students, simultaneously reducing the the environmental laboratory building, and amount of money a student has to borrow. explore other options for future growth.

We will continue to support all of these Student Housing initiatives, and build upon them for the • We will complete the construction of new benefit of our students. In particular, we will: Memorial University St. John’s and Grenfell eliminate the provincial student loan over • Campus residence buildings. four years, and replace it with an up-front needs-based grant; Aboriginal Communities • ensure student debt reduction grants are • We will work with Memorial University and available, not only to full-time students, but College of the North Atlantic to develop also to part-time students; and, innovative programs to provide better access • ensure students are given regular and greater opportunities for young people information on the status of their loans and in our province’s Aboriginal communities to repayment options. acquire post-secondary education and training. Post-secondary Infrastructure Funding Sound investments in post-secondary education reap huge dividends that benefit

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 9 growing our workforce 07

Workforce Development Secretariat • We will establish a workforce development • Requiring that industry demonstrate a secretariat in the provincial government to commitment to hiring a specified percentage link industrial development and employment or number of Newfoundland and Labrador opportunities with people who do the work. registered apprentices and engineering and This unit will work with all departments, technology students when approving provincial and federal, that focus on development plans for large-scale projects. employment, education, skills development, business development and industrial • Working with labour to encourage greater development. It will have the mandate and use of apprentices among employers and power to cut across all departments and greater participation of member agencies to achieve results. The cost of journeypersons in mentoring apprentices. establishing the secretariat is $3.5 million. • Developing individualized apprenticeship • The workforce development secretariat will training plans for registered apprentices with engage in an awareness campaign to more than 7,200 logged apprenticeship highlight the career disciplines in which hours to help them obtain journeyperson skilled labour is in short supply and certification. opportunities are strong in Newfoundland and Labrador so prospective students can • Offering a study guide for registered make informed education and career apprentices and trades qualifiers to use choices. before challenging the journeyperson exam.

• It will collaborate with developers and Women in Skilled Trades employers to ensure we continue to recruit A PC government will continue to invest in and train the skilled workers we need to and support initiatives that provide access for enable projects to proceed, to advance and encourage women to become involved industry expansion and to support existing in skilled trades careers. enterprises. To encourage more women to consider • It will recruit Newfoundland and Labrador apprenticeship training, we will embrace expatriates to come home to take these opportunities to build on the successful skilled careers and participate in building our arrangement we negotiated with province. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to increase female Advancing Apprenticeship Opportunities representation in skilled trades. The terms of In many trades, a graduate must complete the contract included the development of a apprenticeship training to quality for mentorship program in the electrical trade. employment. We will increase our supply of The IBEW also committed to match female skilled workers by advancing apprenticeships students in their first year of apprenticeship opportunities by: with appropriate employment.

• Expanding the government apprenticeship Additional measures aimed at improving hiring program to allow for additional women’s participation opportunities in skilled apprenticeship placements within trades: government departments and agencies. • Including in tender specifications a • Continuing to support the female industrial requirement to hire a specified percentage or training officer position with the Department number of Newfoundland and Labrador of Education, based in Corner Brook. The apprentices. officer has been able to take the lead in

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 10 promoting women in skilled trades and in which women are particularly providing support and guidance to students underrepresented. entering post-secondary education and to apprentices pursuing their certification. • Working to eliminate any systemic discrimination against women that may deny • Continuing to provide scholarships to them promotion within (or entry into) certain women enrolling in trades courses to careers on the basis of gender. facilitate their learning. • Working to ensure all workplaces foster an • Supporting initiatives to promote atmosphere of respect for women and participation by women, such as expanding respond to disrespect promptly and the Women in Trades initiative, supporting effectively. career exploration programs and camps for females and continuing to target scholarships Labour Market Development for females, through the previously • Through the Labour Market Development established Office to Advance Women Agreement and the Labour Market Apprentices. Agreement, we will work to develop training, labour and support programs that are best • Supporting high school initiatives, such as suited to the opportunities and circumstances the Skilled Trades and Technology program, in Newfoundland and Labrador. that encourage greater participation of females in the skilled trades. Guide to Relocation in Newfoundland and Labrador • Working with College of the North Atlantic • As recommended in the Youth Retention to increase offerings of exploration and Attraction Strategy, we will maintain a programs, such as the Orientation to Trades web-based Guide to Relocation in and Technology Program; and to hold Newfoundland and Labrador to provide a targeted career forums for females, one-stop web portal for individuals to access particularly in rural areas. information on relocating to the province. The web portal will provide access to real • Working with employers and unions to set estate information, movers and shippers, goals for female participation in skilled trade information on schools, and community employment opportunities. services in the destination region.

• Continuing to negotiate gender Skills Transfer agreements, as has been accomplished on • We will ensure the agreements we enter major projects, to ensure women are able to into for resource development include skills avail of the benefits of these projects. transfer components so Newfoundland and Labrador acquires enduring expertise. • Continuing to promote opportunities for women to enter trades and other careers in

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 11

iii

GROWING OUR REGIONS

08 regional growth 09 Labrador 10 transportation 11 municipalities

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 12 regional growth 08

Rural Secretariat good health and autonomy through active • We will strengthen the Rural Secretariat and living, healthy aging and mutual support. give it a higher profile, engaging citizens and communities to ensure government policies, • It needs to be connected to a network of programs and legislation are supportive of education, with a continuum of learning from rural needs and priorities. early childhood throughout adulthood in an environment of mutual support. Regional Networks The Rural Secretariat will move forward in the • It needs a quality of life that includes social next phase of its work with a clear vision of and recreational activities near to home – a the importance of networking, cooperating lifestyle that invites people to sink down and sharing. Building strong, interconnected roots, that feels more like a family than a communities in regions where people can society, and that gives people a sense of thrive will continue to be our focus. We being linked in to everything exciting believe every region needs to be able to happening in our world. draw upon certain strengths to make it viable. Communities themselves will become more viable through the networking of citizens, • It needs a network of citizens who take volunteers, non-profit organizations, service responsibility for the well-being of their groups, churches, students, businesses, communities, cooperating, sharing, labour organizations and government volunteering, getting involved in municipal agencies. Some sectors are divided and governance, recognizing local strengths, governed according to differing seeking solutions and communicating those administrative spheres, but that should not aspirations to others. impede access to services. Technology will be a vehicle for decentralization by • It needs reliable infrastructure – and collapsing great distances in virtual space. indeed, just as most of our natural resources Best practices of other jurisdictions will be are located in rural areas, so too most of our examined and tried. infrastructure investments (in fact, 71% of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development Critical Infrastructure investments) over the past eight years have • We believe modern transportation and been in rural areas. communications links between regional economies and global markets are essential. • It needs an employment base, grounded We will continue to work to provide modern, on local strategic strengths: nearby natural reliable connections for people, products and resources, strategic advantages, regional information. services, and a brain-trust of community leaders committed to identifying Micro-lending Program opportunities for innovation and • We will continue the Micro-lending diversification. Program, which gives small enterprises and social enterprises the capital they need to get • It needs to be connected to a network of off the ground or make a strategic care, ideally a seamless continuum from expansion. home care to hospital care to long-term care, with a strong emphasis on promoting

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 13 Labrador 09

Northern Strategic Plan for Labrador required, ensuring the cost of power is • We will move forward to build upon the reasonable. We will move forward achievements to date of the Northern progressively toward the day that every Strategic Plan for Labrador, mapping others region of Labrador is fueled by green, on the horizon, building on the initiatives renewable energy generated by its mighty already taken, consulting on emerging needs river waters. and adjusting our work according to evolving circumstances. Underground Voisey’s Bay Mining • We will promote underground mining in the Power Voisey’s Bay region. • Our long-term plan for Labrador is to harness the vast power of the Churchill River Northern Gateway system, step by step, to fuel strong, • We will pursue every opportunity to see sustainable growth throughout Labrador. Labrador recognized nationally and The Lower Churchill River is the greatest internationally as a Gateway to the North undeveloped hydropower resource in North and positioned to take a lead role in America. Our plan is to develop Muskrat providing goods, services and a base of Falls first, then develop Gull Island and expertise for all other regions of Canada’s finally, in 2041, put to optimal use the power North. of the Upper Churchill to fuel strong, sustainable growth in industry and Trans-Labrador Highway employment throughout Labrador – growth • We will complete the Trans-Labrador that means employment, opportunity and Highway, ensure the quality is maintained prosperity, generation after generation. As and provide more off-highway services. we ramp up toward the development of Muskrat Falls, we will proceed with Phase II Labrador Sport Travel Subsidy of the Coastal Labrador Energy Efficiency • As part of a province-wide initiative to Pilot Project under the province’s Energy promote sport, we will increase funding for Plan. the Labrador sport travel subsidy so more Labrador teams can travel to compete. • We will continue to examine options for developing small hydro sites in coastal Other Initiatives in Labrador Labrador to provide access to green, low- Through this Blue Book are many other cost power. We will complete the review of initiatives that will benefit Labradorians and Labrador isolated commercial customer build on the investments we have made in electricity rates and ensure rates in the future Labrador throughout the past eight years. are not onerous for customers. We will continue to provide a diesel subsidy where

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 14 transportation 10

Provincial Transportation Strategy locations of all collisions, including those • Reliable transportation infrastructure is a involving moose), an increased number of prerequisite to economic growth. We will moose hunting licences, additional brush develop a comprehensive Provincial clearing, vegetation control and measures to Transportation Strategy to identify and meet improve driver awareness. We will explore our transportation needs in ways that will options to enable people receiving moose promote economic development and safety. hunting licences to designate surrogates to This strategy will enable us to build, renew hunt a moose for them. We will work with and maintain our transportation the province’s outfitters on ways to provide infrastructure in a way that is comprehensive, more moose-hunting opportunities for non- coordinated and predictable. The multiyear resident hunters. planning will address a range of needs from roads to ferries to air services. Provincial Ferries and the Vessel • We will dedicate a portion of gasoline tax Replacement Strategy revenues to the Provincial Transportation • We will continue to implement our vessel Strategy to ensure revenue is assigned to replacement strategy, which envisions the improve our roads network. construction, here in this province, of a total • We will satisfy our own transportation of ten ferry vessels to help us meet our intra- procurement needs to the greatest extent provincial marine transportation needs. possible from within the province. • We will develop a long-term ferry fleet management strategy to plan rationally, in Infrastructure Strategy advance, for vessel maintenance and • We have made strong investments in replacement to minimize disruptions to infrastructure construction, repair and people who depend on these marine replacement, even in times of limited fiscal services. capacity, recognizing that such investments • We will work closely with provincial ferry ultimately expand our economy and, by user committees and unions to undertake extension, our fiscal capacity. Since 2003, measures to improve scheduling and we have invested approximately $7 billion in contingency planning for service disruptions. infrastructure (roads and highways, wharves • We will continue to invest in provincial and bridges, terminals and ferries, schools wharves and terminals for our provincial and hospitals, and more). Through ferry services. investments unprecedented in scale, we have spread offshore oil revenue and other Air Access Strategy revenue throughout our province, benefiting • In 2010, we released our five-year air every region of Newfoundland and access strategy, “Taking Flight”, to foster and Labrador. We will continue to construct new accelerate air access development. The infrastructure and repair and upgrade strategy is to attract new national, trans- existing infrastructure by setting responsible border and international routes; enhance the priorities according to our province’s fiscal capacity and frequency of flights at our means. airports; increase passenger and cargo demand for air services; establish NL as a Moose Management Strategy passenger and cargo hub for the North; • As we announced on July 6, 2011, we are establish NL internationally as a preferred launching a suite of initiatives to reduce the destination for tourism and business; number of moose-vehicle collisions on establish strong partnerships and alliances Newfoundland and Labrador roadways. between private and public stakeholders; These initiatives include a wildlife fencing and set the province’s direction on air service pilot project, a wildlife detection system pilot development to 2015. We will continue to project, a Collision Data Management implement the strategy’s recommendations System (which will record the precise in the years to come.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 15 municipalities 11

Regional Sharing of Services encourage women to seek elected office • Municipalities are communities of municipally, provincially and federally and to neighbours working cooperatively to deliver step forward to serve in other representative basic services, foster local business growth and leadership capacities. We will and enhance the quality of life of citizens. encourage women who have already taken Working collaboratively, municipalities have this step to serve as mentors and role models tremendous power to move their regions to others. forward through the choices they make. Regions should have access to the tools they • We will do more to ensure our municipal need to prosper. By sharing services, regions clerks have access to the training they need can avoid duplication of effort, achieve to do their work effectively. In consultation economies of scale and meet people’s needs with Municipalities Newfoundland and at reduced costs. We will provide incentives Labrador and the Nunatsiavut Government, to sharing to advance regional cooperation we will identify best practices for providing initiatives. such training and assistance, and apply these lessons elsewhere in the province. Fiscal Sustainability • We have undertaken a full review of the Emergency Preparedness criteria for municipal financing and initiated • Under the direction of Fire and Emergency consultations with municipalities. We have Services – Newfoundland and Labrador (FES- provided transitional funding while the NL), we will ensure emergency response department has continued its work on the plans for each region of the province are new Municipal Operating Grants formula. tested and fine-tuned so responders are When their work is completed, we will ready for any emergency situation. We will introduce the new MOG formula. ensure emergency equipment is stationed strategically around the province. We will No Forced Amalgamation work in collaboration with municipalities, • We will not force amalgamation on any community organizations and others to put municipality against the will of its citizens. into effect new practices to improve our We will encourage towns to consider emergency preparedness and disaster amalgamating when it makes sense to do so, response. and we will work with towns to help make freewill amalgamation proceed smoothly. • We will work with municipalities as they Through the sharing of services, it is possible complete and test their emergency to achieve most of the benefits of preparedness plans. amalgamation without actually amalgamating, so we will work with towns to • We will undertake a comprehensive review find options that work for them. We will of emergency response services throughout encourage towns to find creative ways to our province, including our ambulance preserve their identities and heritage while services, ambulance operators, emergency enjoying the benefits of cooperating. The responders, paramedics and other services two are not mutually exclusive. and personnel.

Invigorating Municipal Governance • We will continue to invest in firefighting • Working with Municipalities NL, we will equipment, vehicles, infrastructure, training encourage residents to run for municipal and services, building on our significant council. investments of the past two terms. We will encourage towns to share firefighting • In honour of the foundational work by the services to achieve economies of scale and late Dianne Whalen, we will expand the cost savings that could finance additional “Make Your Mark NL” campaign to lifesaving equipment

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 16

iv

PROSPERING BUSINESSES

12 enterprise 13 trade

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 17 enterprise 12

Payroll Tax Import Substitution • To make the tax on labour competitive with Many of the products our retailers sell and the rest of Atlantic Canada, we will work consumers buy in Newfoundland and toward the elimination of the Health and Post Labrador could be produced here at home. Secondary Education Tax (HAPSET), which is Local enterprises could be supplying the local also known as the payroll tax. We have market and also exporting those products already taken incremental steps in this abroad. For certain sectors and certain direction. As we stated on April 19, 2011, products, such as agrifoods, small-scale retroactive to January 1, 2011, the payroll manufacturing and professional services, it exemption threshold has been raised from seems reasonable to produce things locally $1 million to $1.2 million, meaning an that are currently imported. additional 90 businesses will not have to pay any payroll tax while the tax burden is We will extend and strengthen the province’s reduced for 845 others. This measure puts Supplier Development Program, which helps $2.3 million back into the hands of the local small and medium-sized enterprises province’s employers. We will raise the supply quality goods and services at exemption incrementally, reducing the value competitive costs to public and private sector of the tax by approximately $10 million per entities in local, national and international year for the next four years. markets. Collaborating with public sector entities, industry associations and private BUYNL sector companies, we help local firms identify Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are potential buyers for their products and bringing products to markets both locally services, navigate and interpret the and around the world. If people were to see procurement process, access supply a full inventory of the products we produce, opportunities, and establish mutually they would be amazed at their number and beneficial vendor-buyer partnerships. Our variety, and inspired to buy locally, if not to Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural launch enterprises of their own or to partner Development will work with industry with other producers for greater success. An associations and private sector firms to online catalogue or database of locally- systematically identify and take advantage of manufactured products, developed import substitution opportunities in all incrementally over time, would tell the regions of the province. province’s story. While such a project could be formidable in scope, there are also Tender Review reasonable ways of showcasing the broad • Through reform of public tendering range of products produced by local practices, we will open doors for local firms – companies large and small across a wide both individually and in multi-enterprise range of sectors. networks – to supply public institutions. Our Government Purchasing Agency will • We will work collaboratively with local implement revisions to reform procurement business associations to develop a plan for and capital works tendering projects to make producing an online BUYNL catalogue to them more amenable to local suppliers showcase locally-manufactured products and bidding on contracts. The Public Tender their producers. The project will, by its Review Committee will examine possible nature, be a work perpetually in progress, impediments to local firms succeeding in but the benefits of telling this story are such procurement opportunities due to the nature that it is worth the effort. of tender and bid packages, and will provide suggestions with respect to removing these impediments.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 18 • We will examine ways to subdivide tenders Women Entrepreneurs so local firms are able to bid on components • We will continue to work with the they are capable of doing without being shut Newfoundland and Labrador Organization out by components that fall outside their of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE) to range. promote opportunities for women to establish, expand and diversify business • The Government Purchasing Agency will enterprises in our province. continue to roll out the Tender Award Reporting System to all government-funded • In particular, we will continue to invest in bodies allowing for the collection of purchase the Self-Employment Assistance program and award information that will be used to (SEA), which provides financial and further supplier development. entrepreneurial assistance to eligible individuals who are interested in seizing • The Government Purchasing Agency will opportunities to start a business. acquire a procurement system which will provide supplier, product and bid • We will continue to support the network of opportunity information as an instrument to women business owners who have joined grow supplier capacity within the province. forces to pursue export markets for their products and services. Enterprise Retention • We will help work with Memorial • We will partner again with NLOWE and the University’s Faculty of Business and Government of Canada in organizing representatives of the business community to international trade missions to identify new identify and address barriers to survival and opportunities for business sales and growth facing local businesses. In international partnerships that can lead to partnership with the Atlantic Canada greater success. Opportunities Agency, Memorial University’s Faculty of Business and small business • We will partner with NLOWE in sponsoring leaders, we will initiate a review of the suite Supplier Development Sessions, connecting of programs available to the Small and businesses with government purchasers. Medium-sized Enterprise sector with a view to coordinating efforts and filling gaps to • Under the Business Networks Program, we strengthen the sector. will continue to work with NLOWE to make Newfoundland and Labrador an Business Support Programs international leader in developing a supplier • We will review all programs available to diversity strategy for certified women business enterprises in Newfoundland and Labrador owners, and to enable business owners to to ensure they are properly focused and leverage the advantages of being certified as flexible to meet the needs of local a women-owned business by WEConnect entrepreneurs. Canada, a leading international certification standard for Canadian women-owned • We will also work with the Government of businesses. Canada to examine and improve programs offered either jointly or exclusively by the Head Start for Youth in Business federal government to ensure they are We will build on recommendations of Youth properly focused and flexible to meet the Retention and Attraction Strategy to provide a needs of local entrepreneurs. stronger head start for young people interested in a future in business. • We will identify new and better ways to prepare businesses to take maximum • We will move forward with the advantage of venture capital, angel Entrepreneurship Forum to target youth investments, bank-based programs and entrepreneurs from each region and enable other sources of capital for product them to collaborate with a panel of business development, business expansion and advisors for mentorship and direction. diversification.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 19 • We will promote youth entrepreneurship by comparing them with those of other encouraging successful young entrepreneurs jurisdictions. to provide advice and mentoring to other young people interested in establishing small • We will consult regularly with business and businesses. labour associations on measures we can take and instruments we can use to make our • We will identify opportunities to promote business environment even more attractive successorship planning, especially in rural and even more competitive. We will work to areas. make Newfoundland and Labrador one of the most competitive tax regimes in North • We will encourage the establishment of America to promote growth and jobs. more cooperatives in rural regions to enable young entrepreneurs to pool resources and Capital Wealth Management expertise to promote business success. • We will continue to facilitate the growth of a concentrated body of expertise in • We will expand the ExportAdvantage Newfoundland and Labrador in capital Internship Program to enable more wealth management. employers to hire qualified graduates with training in international business. Stock Savings Plan • We will review the Newfoundland and • We will put a special emphasis on working Labrador Stock Savings Plan to determine if with young entrepreneurs interested in revisions or alternatives are required to creating sustainable businesses based on encourage Newfoundlanders and renewable resource development, eco- Labradorians to invest more in provincial tourism or environmental protection to enterprises. promote economic diversification. Minimum Wage Business Networking • Having raised the minimum wage • We will continue to support forums that incrementally over the past five years, we will encourage networking among businesses, convene an advisory committee on the sector by sector, and across various sectors. minimum wage in 2012 and every two years Networking opens doors for improved thereafter. marketing, partnership building, enterprise diversification, skills development, knowledge Growing Business and Confidence growth and business success. Many of our policies on business attraction and growth are dealt with in subsequent Competitive Corporate Taxation sections regarding specific industries: mining, We believe corporate tax policies can be energy, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and so used to promote development and forth. Businesses thrive where opportunities employment growth. We already have a abound, and they certainly do abound in competitive corporate tax rate and a low Newfoundland and Labrador. General small business tax rate. We have a solid approaches we have taken and will continue foundation on which to build an even more to take include investing in reliable competitive taxation regime, and room to infrastructure; maintaining competitive tax maneuver to introduce some innovative rates; reducing red tape; advancing programs through the tax system to stimulate education and training to establish pools of more investment in the province. We are skilled labour to meet business and industry prepared to use our tax system in creative demands; advancing professional networks ways to stimulate more investment in the and associations; taking the lead in drawing province. together labour and business; promoting and marketing Newfoundland and Labrador; • We will commission a comprehensive and ensuring public officials are review of the rates of business tax and other knowledgeable and responsive to business costs imposed by the government, needs.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 20 trade 13

Export Development Strategy • To protect and advance our best interests, • In 2010, we unveiled our province’s Export Newfoundland and Labrador has elected to Development Strategy. Our vision is to lead join the talks between the Government of in the provision of market Canada and the European Union toward the entry and expansion development of a Canada-European Union expertise that results in Comprehensive Economic and Trade enhanced export success Agreement. We will continue to work to for Newfoundland and ensure every agreement to which we are a Labrador companies and party advances our best interests, including increased economic the Atlantic Procurement Agreement and the growth for the province. Agreement on Internal Trade. The strategy has four general goals and 14 strategic priorities, all Trade Partnership Development of which will constitute the core of our trade • We will identify opportunities both at home policy moving forward. The goals are these: and abroad to forge new and stronger to increase the export knowledge and partnerships connecting local firms, sectors preparedness of Newfoundland and and communities with others around the Labrador companies; to increase the number world, capitalizing on our strengths to open of new exporters; to increase the sales and markets to local products, services and growth of existing exporters; to diversify people. markets of existing exporters; and to introduce new exporters to targeted markets. • We will continue to sponsor and participate We wholly embrace the Export Development in forums that encourage networking among Strategy and consider it to be an integral part businesses, both within and among sectors of of this document. our economy, recognizing that networking opens doors for improved marketing, Networks and Niche Development partnership building, enterprise • We will work to nurture a coordinated and diversification, skills development, knowledge mutually supportive approach among the growth and business success. provincial, federal and industry agencies working on trade and export development to • We will build on successful partnerships improve the export performance of already achieved in international markets, Newfoundland and Labrador firms. recognizing that such successes build • We will focus on diversifying successfully goodwill and open doors to other into non-resource, knowledge-based goods enterprises. and services that we can sell to the markets of the world. Cultivating Global Awareness and Skills • Through our branding strategy, we will • To ensure global thinking permeates continue to promote our province as a great everything we do, we will strengthen efforts place to work and raise a family, and our to work with existing firms to take advantage people as innovative and energized. of emerging global value chains in order to produce and service products that are National and International Trade international in scope; provide educational Agreements opportunities in K-12 and post-secondary • We will take full advantage of the North settings to forge stronger connections with American Free Trade Agreement, which gives people in countries that are current or us open access to the huge North American prospective trading partners; and work with marketplace, and we will work to produce immigrant communities to build a better more high-quality specialty products that can understanding of the economies, cultures also penetrate other markets, especially in and languages of old and new trading Europe and Asia. partners.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 21

v

HARNESSING NEW ENERGY

14 renewable energy 15 oil and gas

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 22 renewable energy 14

Energy Plan • This project will produce more power than • In 2007, we released our we can use. Even if we did not sell that extra province’s first power, the project would still be the least- comprehensive energy cost option to meet our electricity needs. plan, “Focusing Our Selling the extra power will create revenues Energy”, a strategy for our province. That is why we have developed to prepare brought Emera into the picture. The Newfoundland and agreement with Emera allows us to turn the Labrador to capitalize fully value of that surplus power into extra on the extraordinary energy resources that revenue to benefit our province’s people. stock our “energy warehouse”. Appreciating the importance of “getting this right”, we • One of the most significant gains for our have adopted a perspective sufficiently broad province is the ability to transmit power in to encompass all our energy resources and Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and New sufficiently far reaching to take us out to and England. This gives us a route to get the beyond the return of Upper Churchill control additional power to export markets. It also in 2041. opens the door for us to export additional power in the years that follow. For the very Lower Churchill Phase One – Muskrat Falls first time, Quebec will not have the power to • The principal reason for developing Phase block us from exporting our power to One of the Lower Churchill project at markets. There are protections for this Muskrat Falls is that this is the least-cost province every step of the way to protect the option for meeting our province’s energy best interests of the owners of this power, the needs and it will result in the lowest power people of Newfoundland and Labrador. rates for consumers. Without Lower Churchill development, our province would Jobs and Benefits be facing the prospect of financing • The estimated total capital cost of the enormously expensive upgrades and project is $6.2 billion, including $2.9 billion eventual replacement of for the generating facility at Muskrat Falls the Holyrood and transmission infrastructure in Labrador; Generating Station, $2.1 billion for the Labrador-Island link and which would do nothing transmission infrastructure upgrades on the to ease our reliance on Island; and $1.2 billion for the Maritime the costly, Link. The project will generate 8,600 nonrenewable fossil person-years of “direct” employment and fuels we burn there for 18,400 person-years of total employment in energy. Newfoundland and Labrador. At peak employment during the construction phase, • To determine that the Muskrat Falls project which we expect to occur in 2013, we will truly is the least-cost option for providing see about 2,700 people working. Total electricity to Newfoundlanders and income from the construction phase for Labradorians, two independent reviews of labour and business in Newfoundland and this project were commissioned: one by the Labrador will be approximately 220 million Public Utilities Board and the other by dollars a year, which adds up to 1.4 billion Navigant, an internationally respected leader dollars over the course of the project. This in the energy sector. Released in September, activity will generate some 210 million the Navigant report confirms Nalcor’s dollars in provincial tax revenues, plus some findings that Muskrat Falls will save 525 million dollars in federal tax revenues. ratepayers $2.2 billion over fifty years and is Nation-wide, the construction phase will the least-cost option. generate 540 million dollars a year in labour and business income, totaling 3.5 billion

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 23 dollars by the time this project has been Upper Churchill Contract Strategies completed. • The Upper Churchill Contract has three decades more to run. In the initial phase Renewable Power for Sustainable Growth from 1972 to 2016, Quebec has been • Development of the clean hydropower paying a quarter of a cent per kilowatt hour. resources of the Lower Churchill is a vital From 2016 to 2041 under the renewal component of our comprehensive Energy phase, Quebec will get Upper Churchill Plan and a giant leap forward for power for just a fifth of a cent per kilowatt sustainability. Few factors can drive hour. Meanwhile, they have been selling sustained economic growth more effectively that power at a huge markup. In 2008, the than a large supply of renewable energy at a power they were getting from us for a relatively low cost. Lower Churchill quarter of a cent per kilowatt hour they were development means transforming from an selling for 9 cents per kilowatt hour – 36 economy reliant on nonrenewable energy times what they paid for it. In 2008, Quebec revenues to an economy grounded on made 2.3 billion dollars from Upper sustainable, renewable, clean energy Churchill power. Our province made 50 resources. As hydro-power can fuel million, which is to say that for every dollar sustainable economic activity in perpetuity, it they made, we made 2 cents. CFLCo is is a key vehicle for our drive to self-reliance. currently before the Court seeking redress for this injustice. Our plan to develop the renewable resources of the Lower Churchill is to complete Muskrat National Energy Corridors Falls first and then Gull Island. Three • The federal government has tremendous decades from now, in 2041, our renewable power and leverage to lower barriers energy strength will be even greater as the between provinces and forge a path toward entire 8,000-plus megawatts of Upper and fairness and true community. We will Lower Churchill power will be ours to control, continue to press Ottawa to take a lead role harness and market to support industry and in opening east-west energy corridors that prosperity in Newfoundland and Labrador. give provinces the freedom to transmit Energy from the Churchill River system will energy to markets within the country. The fuel industrial expansion and employment Government of Canada should get involved growth throughout Labrador and the island. in opening these corridors because it is good It will ensure our province’s status as eastern for the Canadian economy, it is good for the North America’s energy warehouse for people of Canada, it builds regional strength generations to come. and it creates economic opportunity.

Hydropower for Coastal Labrador Affordable Industrial Power • In conjunction with the signing of the • We will work with industries to achieve Muskrat Falls term sheet, we also announced competitive power-purchase agreements. the provision of 2.5 million dollars to further study small-scale hydroelectric projects for Climate Change Action Labrador coastal communities. The province Plan currently provides almost 20 million dollars a • We will implement the year in grants and subsidies to lower the Climate Change Action costs to consumers in Labrador’s coastal Plan 2011 entitled communities of the electricity that is currently “Charting Our Course”, provided through diesel generation. We are which we released in hopeful that this study of small hydro sites August 2011. This Action will provide alternative methods of providing Plan builds on the reliable and clean power to these province’s first-ever Climate Change Action households. Plan, which we released in 2005. The Office of Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and We will actively seek proposals from Emissions Trading within the Executive businesses and partnerships to construct a Council (which we established in 2009) will power line to supply communities of be the lead agency for strategy and policy Labrador’s North Coast. development, including a new Climate

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 24 Change Action Plan, a greenhouse gas Energy Innovation Roadmap strategy and a five-year energy efficiency • We will abide by the Energy Innovation strategy. We were determined to make Roadmap Phase One, which we released in strategic linkages with existing processes, 2010, and we will support the production of including the Environmental Assessment Phase Two of the Roadmap. Phase One process related to specific initiatives, the includes a detailed analysis of Strategic Environmental Review process Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy sector related to general initiatives, the Natural and innovation opportunities in several key Area Systems Plan, the Innovation Strategy, areas, including oil and gas, hydroelectricity, the Energy Plan and the Waste Management onshore wind, remote energy systems and Strategy. energy transmission. It also considered health and safety and environmental Energy Efficiency Action protection to guide future improvements in Plan technology and practices. Phase Two of the • We will implement the project will define the actions required to Energy Efficiency Action develop, commercialize and market Plan 2011, entitled innovations and technologies within the “Moving Forward”, which priority areas identified in Phase One, and it we released in August will identify the investments and partnerships 2011. This plan aims to required to support the long term provide a comprehensive implementation of the roadmap. picture for the province of energy consumption, energy efficiency efforts to Alternative Energy date, and new directions for the future. We • Alternative energy sources include energy recognize the importance of leading by from earth (geothermal, biomass), air (wind), example in the government’s own operations fire (solar) and water (tides, waves). We as well as providing a strong and sustained have successfully employed technologies that focus that reaches out to all sectors of the harness geothermal energy to offset energy economy. requirements in some public buildings, such as schools. We will continue to seek ways to Residential and Industrial Energy Efficiency use innovative, environmentally-friendly We will examine best practices to strengthen technologies to shift our reliance on initiatives that advance residential and electricity. We have also been inspired by industrial efficiency. the success of the wind / hydrogen / diesel clean-energy project in Ramea and will look for opportunities to apply this technology (or similar innovations) in other remote and rural locales of the province.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 25 oil and gas 15

Exploration 1. Equity Ownership: Taking equity With development ownership in projects to ensure first-hand projects at Hibernia, the knowledge of how resources are managed, Hibernia South to share in that management, to foster closer Extension, Terra Nova, government/industry alignment of interests White Rose, North and to provide an additional source of Amethyst (a satellite field revenue. of White Rose) and Hebron, plus continuing 2. Fiscal Regime: Implementing a exploration in other regions, Newfoundland progressive fiscal regime, including royalties, and Labrador has become one of Canada’s that provides an appropriate sharing of the petroleum giants. We are determined to downside risk, the upside potential, as well build on these successes to promote as clarity to potential investors. continuing exploration, development, technology transfer and other local benefits 3. Regulatory Framework and Land so that all regions of Newfoundland and Management: Ensuring we have an effective Labrador will continue to benefit from the and efficient regulatory and governance development of our oil and gas resources. structure to encourage responsible, timely In accordance with our 2007 Energy Plan, and effective resource development. we will encourage oil and gas exploration activity through a range of initiatives, 4. Local Benefits: Encouraging industry including these: sustainability by strategically capturing local benefits through business development, • Through a working group comprising the technology transfer and job creation, and provincial government and petroleum increasing the level of processing, refining industry representatives, including Nalcor, we and other value-added activities in the will continue to identify measures to promote province. This will also result in the targeted exploration activity and address expansion of local capabilities and increase other industry needs. our competitiveness.

• Through Nalcor, we will continue to Equity Ownership purchase existing proprietary seismic data for • We will continue to pursue the acquisition reevaluation and acquire new data to fill in of the 8.5 per cent federal interest in the gaps. Hibernia Project in a manner that makes economic sense for the province. • We will continue to develop data management information repositories for • We will establish a policy to obtain a 10 per onshore and offshore resources. cent equity position in all future oil and gas projects requiring a Development Plan • We will advance a comprehensive approval, where it fits our strategic long-term petroleum resource marketing plan. objectives.

Effective Management and Maximized Fiscal Regime Benefits • We will implement the Offshore Natural As the 2007 Energy Plan states, Gas Royalty Regime when industry governments, as resource owners, have four consultations are complete. This regime has levers at their disposal to ensure sound and five key objectives: encouraging development effective management and to maximize of economic projects; obtaining higher benefits over the long term: royalties from a project when prices and profitability are higher and providing “downside protection” for developers in low

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 26 price environments; creating a predictable Refining, Secondary Processing and Other and transparent system; designing a system Value-added Activities that is sufficiently flexible to adapt to different • We will aggressively pursue refining, types of projects; and ensuring the regime is petrochemical, and other value-added internationally competitive. secondary processing opportunities. We will request that companies provide an • We will establish an internationally assessment of the feasibility and provincial competitive Generic Offshore Oil Royalty benefits of refining oil and/or pursuing other Regime in line with the principles and secondary processing opportunities in structure of the Offshore Natural Gas Royalty Newfoundland and Labrador prior to Regime. submitting a Development Plan.

Regulatory Framework Landing Natural Gas • We will review the onshore petroleum • We will request that all companies provide regulatory structure to ensure it responds to a detailed assessment of the feasibility and the needs of industry and the province. provincial benefits of landing gas in Newfoundland and Labrador prior to • We will continue to work with the federal submitting a Development Plan. government and stakeholders to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our current Land Management offshore regulatory structure, consistent with • We will encourage the federal government the principles of the Atlantic Accord. to work with us to establish time limits for developing new and existing significant • We will work with the affected Aboriginal discovery licenses offshore; to ensure governments and groups to ensure that companies outline detailed plans and developments in areas under claim or subject timelines for execution for exploration to a treaty are managed efficiently and activity; to establish a reporting and effectively for the benefit of those Aboriginal monitoring program which will ensure the peoples and other residents of the province. exploration activity is being pursued as planned; to facilitate the development of Employment and Industrial Fabrication satellite fields including reduced cycle time • We will focus on benefits requirements that approvals; and to develop open-access target maximum sustainable supply and requirements to existing facilities by third service industries and employment where we parties. have the potential to create or capitalize on our competitive advantages. To accomplish Boundary Resolution this, we will work with our stakeholders and • We will be vigorous in defending partners, including unions, fabrication yards Newfoundland and Labrador’s rights and and oil and gas companies. interests in negotiating resolutions of disputed boundaries in such regions as ‘Old • We will establish a fund with an initial $5 Harry’. million investment to provide financial incentives for export-based petroleum Offshore Safety fabrication and manufacturing opportunities. • We accept the recommendations of These financial incentives will be based on Commissioner Robert Wells to promote clear guidelines, targets and program offshore safety, including his call for the parameters. establishment of a separate Canada- Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Safety • We will develop and implement a Board. We will continue to press the federal comprehensive capability marketing plan to government to endorse these be used in conjunction with our supply and recommendations. industrial fabrication industry companies to sell our expertise inside and outside the Comprehensive Review of Marine Safety province. Centre of Excellence • We will continue to press the Government of Canada to work with our government in

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 27 commissioning a comprehensive review of existing expertise in marine technology, R&D, marine safety in waters off Newfoundland industry and training which abounds in and Labrador with a view to ensuring Newfoundland and Labrador could be Canada – arguably the world’s greatest harnessed more effectively to promote coastal state – becomes the global leader in Canada’s supremacy in maritime search and marine safety. A broader examination of rescue; and so forth. Canada is blessed with safety may lead to recommendations that incredible rescue professionals, experienced some of the safety functions consolidated at in the harshest of conditions. We have a real Trenton or Halifax might be better opportunity here to set an example for the consolidated hundreds of kilometres farther world, not only with respect to rescue east in ocean-bound Newfoundland and techniques, but also with respect to the Labrador; or that the safety functions of 9 organization of rescue services. There is far Wing Gander, 5 Wing Goose Bay and CFS more we can do to harness the strengths we St. John’s should be bolstered to improve already have in order to build the kind of mariner safety; or that Newfoundland and marine safety network we are capable of Labrador bases of operation could serve as achieving for the benefit of those brave staging grounds for Northern Gateway enough to work at sea. operations extending into the Arctic; or that

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 28

vi

GIVING

INDUSTRIES AN EDGE

16 innovation, r&d 17 fisheries 18 oceans 19 mining 20 agriculture 21 forestry

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 29 innovation, r&d 16

Innovation Strategy academia and government agencies and • Our Innovation Strategy departments. has proven to be a solid foundation for growth. • Through the RDC and the Innovation We are continually Strategy, we will continue to incubate vital assessing its progress and new opportunities that will propel endeavouring to maximize Newfoundland and Labrador toward new success through the growth as we head deeper into the 21st application of the century. strategy’s accountability framework. With this strategy to guide us, we will nurture a • We will continue to provide, through the strong culture of creativity and cooperation Research & Development Corporation, with the necessary skills and knowledge, the funding to stimulate a significant level of right financial supports, the supportive pure and applied research in Newfoundland regulations and policies, good physical and and Labrador. information infrastructure, appropriate and competitive industry structures and the ability • We have been taking advantage of the to identify and capture market opportunities Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative of NRC- for new or better goods and services. IOT, which provides entrepreneurship and Components of the strategy include support managerial guidance for ocean-industry for youth innovation, a scholarship fund, a businesses to work with researchers focusing graduate employment incentive and R&D on strategic areas, helping to bring industry- incentive information for businesses. relevant ideas from concept to prototype. We will continue to emphasize collaboration Technology Parks and Other Support for and partnerships among institutions, Strategic Clusters between education and industry, and within • The Innovation Strategy identifies promising strategic clusters throughout our regions. clusters in a range of disciplines, such as marine technology, environmental • We will continue to harness the power of technology, information technology, life our public post-secondary institutions – sciences, and cultural and tourism industries. Memorial University, the Marine Institute and Technology Parks encourage the transfer of College of the North Atlantic – to help us technology from universities and colleges to make the most of our investments through the marketplace, foster close interaction the Industrial Research and Innovation Fund between businesses located in the park and (IRIF). the public sector (including institutions and related spin-offs if they are nearby), nurture • We will continue to demonstrate due start-up and emerging technologies, and diligence in working to capture venture promote economic development. By capital as well as research financing from a nurturing collaboration and cooperation, we wide range of sources. Our initiatives will will increase the number of high-value jobs, facilitate commercialization by charting a strengthen our industrial base, aid in course from prototypes to saleable products. research and development, and bring homegrown efficient solutions to market. • We will partner to make Newfoundland and Labrador more competitive in terms of Research & Development spending per capita on research and In 2008-09, we launched our province’s new development. Research & Development Corporation (RDC) to work with, and encourage collaboration • We will also strive to increase the share of among, R&D stakeholders including industry, private-sector R&D significantly as a proportion of total R&D. The government

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 30 will partner with large industrial players • Through the OCIO, we will install active in the province to find mutually Consolidated Server Architecture, including beneficial ways for them to increase redundancy backups to guard against significantly their research and development catastrophic failures, in order to improve investments here. reliability and reduce risk to government.

Health Research • We will continue to expand the Information • As a government, we have invested Management Capacity Assessment Tool significant funds in health research and (IMCAT) across government departments to facilities, including the Newfoundland and enable them to assess and improve their Labrador Centre for Interdisciplinary information management capability. Research in Human Genetics. We will build on those investments. • Through the OCIO, we will develop an e- government framework to facilitate an Broadband Province-wide orderly implementation of service • We will work with the private sector and the improvement opportunities both within the federal government in a concerted effort to organization and for clients of government provide province-wide high-speed access departments and agencies. within four years. In June 2011, we invited internet service providers to develop a plan • Through the OCIO, we will implement to assist in improving broadband access in appropriate back-office processes to improve underserviced areas. Through the Rural the internal efficiency of government as it Broadband Initiative, we will work with relates to client-focused service delivery. industry and government partners, and within the confines of a sector that is heavily- • Where appropriate, the government will regulated by the federal government, to network with Newfoundland and Labrador- advance initiatives that improve broadband based information technology firms and access. The call for proposals creates the professionals to support the government’s environment to have formal discussions with initiatives while promoting growth in our industry and protects their intellectual province’s IT sector. property while providing the government with the ability to address broadband availability. Digital and Cellular Telephone Service Already our investments have totaled $20.6 • We will work with service providers to million and levered more than $90 million. develop a plan to expand digital and cellular Broadband access is now available in 450 telephone access to more regions of the communities – up from 114 in 2003. province. e-Government Infrastructure Establishing and Promoting Innovation Newfoundland and Labrador is becoming a Successes leader in e-government through the work of • We will work with innovators, enterprises the Office of the Chief Information Officer and educators to identify opportunities to (OCIO) across all departments. We are establish and promote our province’s ready to do more to harness the power of leadership, on an international scale, in key modern computer and telecommunications areas in which we have natural strengths, technologies to deliver services more including ocean technology, fisheries effectively to the people of Newfoundland sciences, aquaculture, marine transport, life and Labrador while at the same time sciences research, aerospace technology, nurturing public service expertise and software development, and communications provincial leadership in the information technology engineering, digital multimedia technology and information management production, web development, electronic fields. game development and film production.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 31 fisheries 17

2011 Memorandum of Understanding • We will work with federal government In the summer of 2009, in an attempt to end agencies and commercial banks in a a protracted strike in the Newfoundland and collaborative effort to assist in the provision Labrador shrimp fishery, the Fish, Food and of inventory financing arrangements. We Allied Workers, the Association of Seafood will also work with the sales consortia after Producers and the Government of they have been established. The purpose is Newfoundland and Labrador signed a to make available to sales consortia Memorandum of Understanding designed to inventory financing greater than that which provide the level of analysis required to would otherwise be available from inform the debate on the rationalization and commercial banks. This should enable restructuring initiatives necessary to ensure consortia to have a greater ability to hold the long-term stability of the province’s product in inventory for an extended period, fishing industry. In 2011, the province to allow for a more orderly release of received the report of the independent chair product into the marketplace than is currently of the Memorandum of Understanding the practice in the industry. Steering Committee on Fishing Industry Rationalization and Restructuring. Fisheries Rationalization and Restructuring The MOU report states that, because of Fisheries Marketing market forces, the fish processing sector has On July 18, 2011, we announced that we been downsizing and the downsizing will are accepting all seafood marketing continue. The report calls for deliberate proposals in the report of the independent rationalization of the sector by a further 30 chair of the MOU steering committee. per cent over a relatively short period of time Specifically, we will explore options with the at a cost of approximately half a billion federal government and the fishing industry dollars. to establish a seafood marketing council, a number of seafood sales consortia and While the MOU report lays out an approach improved access to inventory financing for to rationalization, it does not present a plan the province’s fishing industry. for fishing industry restructuring. The report makes clear the parties could not reach an • We will provide support to the fishing agreement on how to proceed with industry to help them further develop the restructuring, stating “at this juncture many details of how a provincial seafood key industry participants appear unwilling or marketing council would be structured and unable to contemplate more fundamental function. The industry will be required to restructuring initiatives”. However, the report play an active role in establishing the council, also states that “initiatives designed to including sharing in funding the support rationalization alone will be organization. insufficient to allow industry and government to achieve the kind of meaningful • We are willing to provide funding to offset restructuring that is necessary”. initial incremental set-up costs for participants who are interested in Rationalization without restructuring would establishing sales consortia, subject to input leave significant and fundamental challenges and support from the federal government unaddressed. A massive expenditure that and the fishing industry. We are also willing leaves the problems unsolved is not the to participate in a working capital guarantee solution. program, which could be accessed by sales consortia to enhance their inventory Considering the importance of this industry financing capacity. to Newfoundland and Labrador, we cannot cease trying to chart a way forward as partners around the table: harvesters,

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 32 processing plant workers, other fisheries that contribute to tourism development, workers, the fisheries union, processing plant economic development, community/municipal owners large and small, and the provincial infrastructure or community services. and federal governments. Fish Harvesting Sector Measures • Therefore, we will be vigorous in working to • We will press Ottawa to work with the engage again the parties to the province and fish harvesters to identify ways Memorandum of Understanding, and others and means to rationalize the harvesting if that is determined to be helpful, to sector without harming harvesters in the complete the critical phase that is missing process. from this MOU report by developing a comprehensive restructuring proposal for a • We will press Ottawa to bring forward a sustainable fishing industry in Newfoundland program for fishing licence buyouts. and Labrador. • We will press Ottawa for reform of capital Workforce Adjustment gains policies for fishing enterprises. • We will continue to advance measures to assist workers and communities affected by • We will be forceful in pressing Ottawa to the closures of fish processing plants. The enhance the province’s voice and role in the MOU report describes the measures we have management of fisheries issues that fall already taken over the past eight years to within federal jurisdiction. assist communities affected by processing plant closures. These include: Lobster Licence Buyout • We will cost-share with the federal o Transition support services through government a lobster sustainability and HRLE to help displaced workers develop an rationalization program to enable licence- individualized transition plan to include holders to exit the industry, thereby access to labour market information, enhancing the viability and incomes of those retraining options, counselling on relevant who remain. provincial and federal programs concerning employment opportunities, resume writing, Sustainable Management and Custodial job search, training, wage subsidies and self- Management employment supports. This also includes • We have long expressed frustration that the retraining through public, private and non- Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization profit training institutions. (NAFO) has been ineffective in curbing unsustainable fishing practices. We have o Regional economic diversification long called on the Government of Canada to through programs made available through stand boldly before the United Nations and INTRD. This includes wage subsidy to declare it will assume custodial management support transition to other jobs, through the of the fish stocks of the northwest Atlantic to Fish Plant Worker Employment Support terminate the unsustainable fishing practices Program (FPWESP) - Wage Subsidy that are threatening the recovery of the fish component for Small- and Medium-sized stocks of the region. We are calling once Enterprises (SMEs) which provides new again on the Government of Canada to entrepreneurs and expanding small assert custodial management over the Nose businesses with funding to employ fish plant and Tail of the Grand Banks and the Flemish workers negatively affected by the closure of Cap. a fish plant. Fisheries Science o Short-term job creation through the • We will continue to invest provincial funding Fish Plant Worker Employment Support in our new fisheries scientific research Program (FPWESP), which provides a short- initiative. In 2010, we announced the term solution to help workers deal with their provision of $11.75 million to establish the immediate financial needs. Eligible workers Centre for Fisheries Ecosystem Research at are employed by local governments and Memorial University’s Fisheries and Marine community organizations to work on projects Institute. This funding included $6.5 million

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 33 for human resources and operating costs of harvesting and processing sectors with the centre over the next five years plus $5.25 emphasis on more-efficient utilization of million to charter large vessels, such as the traditional species, better use of under- RV Celtic Explorer, for offshore research. We utilized species and enhanced value- also announced $2 million to fund the realization of all fisheries resources. The Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation program is helping our fishing industry (CCFI) plus $200,000 for a highly- become more innovative and competitive. sophisticated inshore fisheries research Through this initiative, we will continue to vessel, the RV Gecho II, to study coastal bays support projects that contribute to the with unique habitats, inshore spawning and processing, harvesting and marketing nursery habitats, enabling the province to sectors. better monitor inshore and offshore species migration. Our total investment was $14 Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and million. This vital work will continue. Trade Agreement (CETA) • We will strive to ensure our province’s best • We are calling on the Government of interests are protected under any Canada to enhance offshore fisheries Comprehensive Economic and Trade research initiatives significantly in order to Agreement between Canada and the better understand what is happening in the European Union. We will continue to northwest Atlantic. Canada ought to be the address trade concerns such as tariffs so our world leader in fisheries science and products can compete more effectively in the expertise, and Newfoundland and Labrador marketplace. ought to be the place in Canada where fisheries science and expertise is Aquaculture Industry concentrated. • We will continue to invest in aquaculture to replace some of the wild fish supply that has • We are also calling on the Government of been lost and give fishing communities an Canada to preserve and indeed enhance its alternative to reliance on wild fisheries. investments in coastal surveillance using vehicles that operate on, above and beneath • As the latest annual report of the the ocean surface. Investments in the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast indicates, we will complete the development Guard and the utilization of satellite of an Aquaculture Development Framework technology and other resources ought to and put the framework into action. reflect the enormous importance of safeguarding this vital resource. • We will complete and implement the Aquaculture Sustainable Management Fisheries Loan Board Framework. The FFAW has called for the establishment of a fisheries loan board. Our province • We will continue to invest in strengthening operated such a board many years ago. our aquaculture industry, building on the Nova Scotia currently operates a Fisheries enormous capital investments we have made and Aquaculture Loan Board. We will learn to date to grow opportunities in rural areas. from past practices in our province and examine the best practices of other • We will work to expand aquaculture to jurisdictions with a view to establishing a other regions. fisheries loan board that will strengthen the fishing industry in Newfoundland and • We will focus on developing stable, Labrador. sustainable careers in this industry, emphasizing quality over quantity of product. Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Program (FTNOP) • We will target additional regions for • Through our Fisheries Technology and New aquaculture enterprise development while Opportunities Program, we will continue to continuing to work with regions where support research and environmentally aquaculture has proven to be successful. sustainable fisheries development work in the

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 34 • We will work to grow fish species that can • We will explore new ways to process be processed locally into lucrative value- farmed and wild fish and add value to the added products, and work with processors to products we market. make this happen. • We will continually update information on • We will promote local consumption of best practices in aquaculture health on a locally-grown fish. global basis.

• We will further advance initiatives to • We will ensure aquaculture developers file expand cod aquaculture, recognizing the rehabilitation and closure plans and post added time and investment needed to financial assurances for site liabilities prior to produce cod for market. starting operations to ensure funding is available for the province to carry out the • We will ensure optimal use is made of the necessary site rehabilitation should the lessee Centre for Aquaculture Health and be unwilling or unable, for example through Development, located in St. Alban’s. bankruptcy, to do so. This greatly reduces the risk of future orphaned or abandoned • We will explore new opportunities to aquaculture sites being generated in develop farmed and wild fish products that Newfoundland and Labrador. cater to Asian markets where the love for diverse and innovative seafood products is renowned.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 35 oceans 18

Leader in “Blue” Technology providing resources to market products and Our strategic location in the North Atlantic services; (2) to advance collaboration positions us perfectly to capitalize on between industry and educational institutions opportunities in the ocean technology – or to foster an environment of innovation, and “blue” technology – sector. For centuries, we help develop and attract a highly-qualified have been fishers and mariners. Today, our workforce; and (3) to encourage local expertise extends to fish farming, subsea business operators and related organizations cabling, deep-ocean exploring and offshore to consider the innovative products and oil production. The ocean is the last great services produced by the ocean technology frontier on our planet, and we are already cluster as a means of advancing their own among the world’s leading pioneers, business objectives. harnessing the power of institutes, infrastructure, technology and minds that are • We will appoint an Assistant Deputy among the best anywhere. New Minister for Oceans to coordinate the opportunities abound in oil and gas, fisheries government’s activities in the ocean and aquaculture, fisheries science, ocean technology sector in cooperation with the observation, weather forecasting, subsea RDC. robotics technology, marine transportation, vessel design and engineering, marine Incubation recreation and tourism, offshore safety, • We will adopt an improved technology defence and security, education, advanced incubation model. We will provide greater R&D, advanced simulation and modeling. access to funding for start-up firms and The work we have progressed over the past incubation facilities through a new Ocean eight years has already opened wide the Technology Development Fund to doors of opportunity here. The American- complement existing provincial and federal based Marine Technology Reporter describes programs. We will support product Newfoundland and Labrador as “an development and marketing efforts of post- international epicenter of marine incubation and independent start-up technology.” We believe a sector already companies. We recognize that public worth some $250 million a year to our operations can serve as a beta test ground, a province’s economy can grow in value to first market, or a technology demonstration more than $1 billion a year by 2015. That platform. We will advocate for businesses, means rewarding careers for our people, departments and agencies to use new investment, diversification and technologies developed by the local ocean sustainable economic activity for our technology cluster. communities. Partnerships Ocean Technology • We will explore the role of research and Sector Strategy educational institutions in developing and • In 2010, we launched transferring skilled people and new our province’s Ocean technologies to industry. Technology Sector Strategy with the • We will continue to work toward the release of “Oceans of establishment and successful operation of a Opportunity”. The comprehensive ocean observing system in strategy identifies the role the Northwest Atlantic Ocean as a means of of the government as threefold: (1) to help growing the ocean technology cluster in the identify and eliminate barriers to ocean province. This would be a means of linking technology development by providing several small-scale ocean observing systems improved access to capital, facilitating currently in place, including the SmartBay initiatives in international markets, and initiative, the Bonne Bay Marine Station, the

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 36 Newfoundland Operational Ocean developed by locally-based companies fill an Forecasting System, and private sector identified market niche or are competitive. activity related to the collection and analyzing of information in the marine • We will cooperate with industry associations environment to provide forecasts or data for and non-governmental organizations to its clients. develop improved market intelligence and provide a more receptive channel for industry Coastal and Ocean input into future government actions and Management Strategy and policies. Policy Framework • In 2011, we released Infrastructural Supports our new provincial Coastal • We recognize the value of strong and Ocean Management infrastructural supports for the development Strategy And Policy of the ocean technology cluster. Examples Framework to provide include the wave tank at the Institute of long-term strategic direction on sustainable Ocean Technology, the marine simulator at use of coastal and ocean resources in the Marine Institute, offshore construction Newfoundland and Labrador. We will follow facilities at Bull Arm and Cow Head, and the through in putting the strategy and synchrolift in St. John’s harbour. framework into practice. Our vision is of healthy and productive coastal areas and Collaboration ocean resources contributing to a prosperous • We will bring together representatives from economy and to the well-being of present each of the oceans-related industries from and future generations of Newfoundlanders the private, public and education and and Labradorians. The strategy is grounded training sectors to start strategizing about on five principles: conservation, precaution, how best to manage and develop our sustainability, integrated management and various oceans industries in an integrated adaptive management. and mutually supportive way. The provincial government will convene regular meetings of Marketing Intelligence senior public and private sector • We will collaborate with key stakeholders to representatives involved in the various identify international markets where oceans-related industries for the purpose of technologies, services and expertise developing an integrated and synergistic approach to ocean-industries development.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 37 mining 19

Recognizing the Value of Mining government in the province since the Moores Iron. Nickel. Copper. Cobalt. Gold. administration of the seventies. The strategy Uranium, Fluorspar. Zinc. Lead. Silver. will pursue four goals: competitiveness for Antimony. Molybdenum. Titanium. the industry, fair return for our people, Vanadium. Tungsten. Dimension stone. progress for our communities and workers, Anorthosite. Dolomite. Silica. Gypsum. and sustainability. Limestone. Barite. Pyrophyllite. Aggregate. Slate. Peat. Rare earth elements. Such Promotion and Investment Attraction commodities hold the promise of investment • To attract external investment and its many and employment opportunities throughout direct and spin-off benefits, we will do more Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly in to promote the competitive advantages of rural regions. mineral exploration in the province, concentrating on the mineral potential, Consider how mining and processing have geoscience database, regulatory regime and transformed Labrador West into a centre of stable environment. immense wealth and opportunity. Other regions are also seeing the benefits of • We will target potential investors from exploration and development, and we have traditional and emerging markets. only scratched the surface (quite literally in some cases) of the opportunities that abound • We will engage more strategically in here. Over the past five years, the mining conferences, trade shows, investment industry has been the second-largest symposia and information sessions at such contributor to the provincial Gross Domestic venues as the Prospectors and Developers Product after petroleum, employing 5,000 Association of Canada Annual Meeting, people while generating $3.3 billion in Cordilleran Round-Up, China Mining, the mineral shipments, $72 million in Mineral Resources Review, Labrador Expo exploration investments, and nearly a billion and other in-province opportunities. dollars a year in direct and indirect revenues.

In rural regions, the sector holds great We will keep our promotional activities promise for further economic development • and job growth. fresh, focusing on delivery via the internet, trade journal articles, and direct advertising.

• Recognizing that Newfoundland and We will partner, where appropriate, with Labrador is a treasure-trove of minerals, • most of them undeveloped or undelineated, industry associations, federal departments we will do far more in the years to come to and other provincial departments to promote put our province’s mineral wealth to work for our industry. the prosperity of our province and the self- reliance of our people and communities. • We will continue to help local prospectors to attend national mining conferences to Minerals Strategy promote networking. • We will move forward to implement the new Exploration and Development Incentives Minerals Strategy. In • We will maintain strong investments in 2011, our government exploration and development through our released a consultation Mineral Incentive Program, which assists the paper on the development local exploration industry, helps attract of a minerals strategy for exploration investment to the province and Newfoundland and leverages some two dollars for each dollar Labrador, the first wholesale review of invested. minerals policy undertaken by any

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 38 • We will conduct a cost-benefit analysis of Access to Land the various mineral exploration incentives • In developing the government’s Natural (such as tax credits or direct incentives) Areas System Plan (NASP), we will ensure the offered by other jurisdictions in selecting best process of defining areas in which practices for Newfoundland and Labrador. exploration is not permitted balances conservation, economic opportunity and, Prospector Assistance where applicable, Aboriginal interests. • Recognizing the importance of prospectors in contributing to lucrative mineral Research and Development discoveries, we will maintain the Prospector • Through geoscience data collection and Training and Assistance Program. high-level scientific analysis by Geological Survey professionals, we will continue to • We will continue to facilitate the work of expand the body of knowledge available to prospectors through support of the Matty prospectors and developers. Mitchell Prospectors Resources Room in collaboration with the Newfoundland and • We will continue to finance impartial, state- Labrador Chamber of Mineral Resources. of-the-art geoscientific investigations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador to • We will continue to provide direct financial unveil the distribution, nature, quantity and assistance to eligible prospectors for origin of Newfoundland and Labrador’s traditional and grass-roots prospecting, for mineral resources. air support to remote properties and for advanced prospecting projects. • We will engage the province’s Research & Development Corporation (RDC) and our Public Geoscience province’s post-secondary R&D • To ensure our geoscience database is professionals, including Memorial comprehensive and current, we will continue University’s Department of Earth Sciences to invest in improving the collection of and the Inco Innovation Centre, to stimulate geoscience data, which benefits the mineral strategically-advantageous research and exploration sector, recognizing that every development activity in our province’s mining dollar invested in public geoscience yields at and mineral exploration sector. least five times that investment in exploration investments, and potentially much more if • We will promote the development of exploration leads to a mine. technological solutions that may assist in locating deeply buried mineral deposits, • We will invest in maintaining our core improving the efficiency of exploration, libraries so the information is available to providing metallurgical solutions to improve mineral exploration companies, whose work extraction and efficiency of mining, can lead to economic growth. developing innovative mining techniques, and providing means of reducing the Infrastructure environmental impact of mining. • We will identify the key infrastructure needs for further mining exploration and Developing New Resources development, and will make prudent • We will promote the search for investments to open up new opportunities. commercially-attractive new deposits of both conventional and unconventional mineral Regulation and Legislation commodities. • We will ensure our legislation, regulations and permitting process for mineral • We will explore opportunities to meet the exploration, mine development and quarry major demand in the northeastern United development are modern, balanced and States for aggregate (crushed stone, sand reflective of the needs of the industry and the and gravel). province. • With the world’s largest producer of rare earth elements, China, reducing the

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 39 availability of these minerals, which are vital Training, Education and Workforce Issues for modern technologies such as computers, • Consistent with the letter and spirit of the cell phones, lasers, catalytic converters and recommendations of the 2007 Skills Task other leading-edge products, an opportunity Force, we will continue to strengthen post- exists for Newfoundland and Labrador to secondary programs to train trades and develop our own deposits of rare earth management professionals for the mining elements both in Labrador and on the island. industry so we reap maximum benefits from We will work with developers to explore these developments. opportunities to turn these resources to our advantage. • We will do more to ensure the people of our rural communities have access to • We will explore opportunities for employment opportunities as well as development of the dimension stone and education and training so they can benefit industrial mineral sectors. fully from local mining and exploration opportunities. Taxation • We will review the tax regime – the Revenue • We will identify ways to ensure that Administration Act, the Mineral Act and the members of society who continue to be Mineral Holdings Impost Act – to ensure it under-represented in some areas of the strikes the right balance between providing mining sector – particularly Aboriginal appropriate revenue to the province while people and women – can avail of the remaining competitive in the global mining opportunities. industry. Any incentives or relative advantages we may provide will be Health and Safety promoted fully to ensure the province reaps • We will review and continually monitor their benefits through increased investment occupational health and safety legislation and development activity. We will continue and regulations regarding mines, to ensure to ensure the province benefits fairly in our people are operating in healthy and safe corporate income tax from mining workplaces. operations. • We will improve mine safety of worker Benefits regulations in light of the findings of • In recognition that minerals are consultations we have undertaken through nonrenewable resources that ought to benefit the Department of Government Services. not only current generations but also future generations of Newfoundlanders and • We will introduce strengthened mine health Labradorians, we will ensure the province and safety regulations, learning lessons from maximizes benefits from mining through mining accidents and tragedies in other such provisions as may be negotiated, jurisdictions so we can prevent them from including local employment benefits, gender occurring here. These strengthened equity plans, use of local supply and regulations will cover a wide range of issues: contracting companies, spin-offs in research illumination, cap lamps, conveyor belts, and development, training, secondary emergency procedures/mine rescue, and processing of raw materials in the province, requirement for geological characterization and the negotiation of impacts and benefits and composition analysis of rock being agreements with Aboriginal groups in certain mined or quarried; underground mine circumstances. operations; open pit mine designs; mine

shafts; mine hoists; the handling and storage • We will continue to apply the provisions of of explosives; and the use of electricity in the Environmental Assessment Act, which mines. may include the completion of a benefits agreement pertaining to a particular project • We will take measures to ensure our as part of the approval process. mining workplaces are respectful, free of

discrimination and harassment.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 40 Healthy Relationships • We will continue to engage in outreach • We will encourage exploration and mining programs such as Provincial Mining Week, a enterprises and the local communities to Mining in Society show and a Women-in- develop healthy relationships through Mining forum. community engagement and consultation, addressing any reasonable concerns the Sustainable Mining and the Environment local residents may raise. • We will work with mining industry communities to understand and address Outreach environmental issues associated with industry • We will continue to engage in outreach activities. initiatives through our Mines Branch, in conjunction with those delivered by national Climate Change and local mining industry associations, • In collaboration with our mining sector, we including the Prospectors and Developers will explore actions – such as innovation in Association of Canada’s “Mining Matters”, energy efficiency, technology development Women in Mining (WIM) Canada, the Mining and investment in new capital projects and Industry Human Resource Council (MiHR), technology – that mining companies can take Aboriginal groups, mining companies, other to adapt to changing climate conditions and governments and our departments of reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet Business, Education, and Innovation Trade established or anticipated targets. Our and Rural Development. This outreach will government, through our Climate Change include providing ready public access to Action Plan, has committed to reduce GHG user-friendly information that will be needed emissions by 2020 by 10 per cent below to make informed decisions on many issues 1990 levels. from exploration to rehabilitation, including planning for the long-term use of public lands. Through outreach, we will also inform young people of mining sector careers that may be available to them, and inform entrepreneurs of business opportunities that may be available to them.

• We will continue to promote the creation of rock kits for schools, to help inform our students of our mineral resources, mineral exploration activities, mining operations and mineral resource uses.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 41 agriculture 20

Agrifoods Strategy Working Capital • We will implement our new five-year • We will explore opportunities to provide or Agriculture and Agrifoods Action Plan secure greater working capital for innovative entitled “Our Farms, Our Food, Our Future”. agricultural enterprises where such help is warranted. We will maintain the provincial Greater Food Security Agrifoods Assistance Program. • We will work to increase the production of food to enhance food security and reduce the • We will continue to support a farm loan carbon footprint associated with food guarantee program to provide farming transport. enterprises with access to capital they need to grow. • We support the “slow food” movement, which aims to promote increased supply of • We will promote continuing growth and local food demand with locally-grown food diversification through continued strong products. We will work with farmers to investments in the Agriculture and Agrifoods ensure Newfoundland and Labrador is able Development Fund. to supply increasingly more of the foods we consume, thereby increasing food security. • We will continue to work with the Government of Canada through the Atlantic • We will work to encourage Innovation Fund and with outside investors to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to leverage additional funds to move agrifoods purchase and consume more locally- projects forward to commercialization. produced food products. Agricultural Land • We will promote the purchase and use of • We will continue to advance the land- Newfoundland and Labrador-produced clearing program and work with farmers and foods by Newfoundland and Labrador others to find ways to engage more land schools, hospitals and other public suitable for farming for agricultural institutions. purposes.

• We will promote the growth of a local food Dairy security network, develop domestic produce • We will work with the Dairy Farmers of markets and assist growers. Newfoundland and Labrador to facilitate further growth in the value of the province’s Marketing and Trade dairy industry, including through the • We will gather farmers, trade professionals expansion of value-added food production and others to determine ways to market and an expanded School Milk Program. Newfoundland and Labrador agricultural products more effectively. • We will engage the province’s dairy farmers – among the most successful in the • We will cooperate with our agricultural country – to identify best practices in the industry to aggressively market the full gamut industry and share that knowledge with other of homegrown products both locally and in farmers in our province, ensuring that the markets beyond Newfoundland and government shares the vision and Labrador. complements the approach of those with proven agricultural expertise. • We will advance the establishment of an online database identifying locally-produced • We will work to expand the local goat agricultural products. industry, providing training for producers and seizing opportunities to supply the

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 42 demand for goat products such as meat and • We will work to achieve sustained regional dairy products. self-sufficiency in forage production, facilitating the shift to increased production • We will work to identify opportunities to of silage corn. We will identify land in diversify into the production of cheese, yogurt Labrador suitable for forage production and and other value-added dairy products. provide opportunities to utilize this land appropriately. Poultry • We will work with the Egg Producers of • To facilitate crop production, we will work Newfoundland and Labrador to strengthen with local apiarists to facilitate the expansion and expand the local industry, seizing of the province’s apiculture (bee-keeping) opportunities to claim a greater share of the industry, ensuring the bees kept in this production of egg-based value-added province are disease-free to the greatest products. extent possible.

• We will work to expand the size and value • We will promote increased local farming of of the local turkey production industry, root crops; herbs and spices; and medicinal addressing barriers to competitiveness such herbs such as echinacea, goldenseal, as the high costs of feed and rations. ginseng and St. John's wort.

• We will work with the Chicken Farmers of • We will work to explore opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador to facilitate an non-timber forest production of resources expansion in the size and value of the local that might include wild mushrooms, broiler (chicken) industry, addressing barriers fiddleheads, fir pitch and bent willows. to competitiveness such as the high costs of feed and rations. Infrastructure • We will maintain support for the Fruit and Other Farmed Animals Vegetable Storage Program. • We will work to expand the local sheep production industry, facilitating the • We will continue to provide off-farm access introduction of sheep that are specially suited roads and electrical services for agricultural to the local environment and working with operations. producers to identify opportunities to increase the value of trade in local sheep Professionalization and Succession Planning products. We will also identify opportunities • We will work with farmers to promote to expand local beef and swine farming. professionalization and succession planning

in the province’s agriculture industry. • We will work to expand the size, diversity and value of the local fur industry, working New Entrants with farmers to facilitate expansion in an • We will develop a suite of initiatives to environmentally-responsible manner. attract and support new entrants in various

sectors of the agricultural industry. We will Crops facilitate mentoring and mutual support • We will support research and development networks. initiatives focused on the development of new or improved crops. Organic Farms

• We will explore opportunities to gain a • We will work to increase the value and greater share of the growing market for marketability of local cranberry, strawberry, organic foods, and work with organic bakeapple, partridgeberry and blueberry farmers to identify incentives and other products. assistance that may facilitate growth.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 43 forestry 21

Future of Forestry Centre for Forest Science and Innovation Our forests have immeasurable value to • We will complete the establishment of the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. They Centre for Forest Science and Innovation to are vital ecosystems that sustain life in draw together the expertise and research incredibly complex ways, whether by giving activities of the provincial and federal wildlife, fish and plants a place to thrive, or governments, Memorial University, College by helping to filter our atmosphere and of the North Atlantic and other entities. We drinking water, or by producing and will continue to partner in the Model Forest safeguarding our soil. They are spectacular of Newfoundland and Labrador. We will attractions for tourists, hunters and recreation continue to invest in developing our enthusiasts, providing a means for people province’s expertise in forest management employed in these sectors to earn a living. and research. They are classrooms where students and researchers engage in the sciences and Forest Research and Innovation Fund pursue valuable research and development • We will invest through the Forest Research work that may lead to important scientific and Innovation Fund to advance the work of and technological advances. They provide the Centre for Forest Science and Innovation resources we can harvest to sustain economic and the Forest Innovation Strategy. Grants activity and employment in many will support research as well as communities, including Corner Brook, and modernization and diversification of forestry many other logging and sawmilling operations. communities. While the province has experienced the impact of the radical shift in Resource Analysis and Management Strategy the North American pulp and paper industry, The key principle guiding all our actions in our forests remain a valuable resource that the forestry sector is sustainability. To apply we will use to build thriving, sustainable this principle effectively, we must continually enterprises and employment opportunities for advance our understanding of the dynamics people in many regions. at work in our forest ecosystems.

Forest Innovation Strategy • We will continue to require timber resource • We will develop a Forest Innovation analyses and forestry development plans to Strategy to identify new opportunities for the assess and manage our forestry resources Newfoundland and Labrador forest industry. responsibly, strategically and sustainably in The strategy will consider opportunities the best interests of the people of across a broad spectrum, examine the best Newfoundland and Labrador. practices of other jurisdictions worldwide, identify opportunities for small-scale Resource Replenishment enterprise development, examine • To promote sustainability, we will continue opportunities for diversification and value- to invest in the Wooddale Provincial Tree added production, consider strategies for Nursery and the Goose Bay Tree Nursery to modernization of forest operations, and facilitate silviculture and reforestation. identify opportunities for research and development as well as commercialization. Forest Protection The strategy will not only build upon the work We will continue to examine the impact of of the Forest Industry Competitiveness and • Strategy Study but examine the full breadth climate change on our forests and seek ways of forest-based development opportunities. to avoid the worst consequences, such as soil erosion, vulnerability to forest fires and pest infestations.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 44 • We will maintain the fleet of new Ecotourism waterbombers the province recently • We will explore new opportunities for purchased to better protect us from forest forest-based ecotourism. fires. Education Competitiveness and Diversification • We will continue to sponsor the Junior • In 2008, we released the recommendations Forest Warden Association, through which of a Forest Industry Competitiveness and young people have opportunities to learn Strategy Study regarding the current state about forest ecology. and structure of the industry and provide a path forward that is responsive to the global • We will build on the success of the 2009 economy. Our approach gave people “Futures from Forests” initiative, which was closest to the resource an opportunity to be designed to get senior and junior high school part of the formulation of policy that will students thinking about the forest industry guide the future direction of the forest and how forests are managed in industry. We will continue to work with the Newfoundland and Labrador. The resource forest industry to promote competitiveness package produced by the Department of and diversification. Natural Resources, Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development Corner Brook Pulp and Paper and Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian • We will continue to work with Kruger to Forest Service was unveiled during National promote the success of the Corner Brook Forest Week. Pulp and Paper mill. We will continue to work with all sectors in the forest industry – • We will build on the success of the 2010 newsprint, sawmills, wood pellets – to “Kids in the Woods” event, tree-planting promote competitiveness and diversification. ceremonies, forest tours and presentations to school-age children that coincided with Wood Pellet Production National Forest Week. • We will reform the Residential Wood Pellet Rebate Program to promote the use of wood pellets for home heating.

• We will identify and pursue opportunities to promote and grow the province’s wood pellet industry.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 45

vii

CELEBRATING OUR PROUD HERITAGE

22 veterans 23 arts, heritage, culture 24 tourism 25 eco-sustainability

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 46 veterans 22

Honouring Our Veterans Gallipoli Memorial From Beaumont-Hamel to Bosnia, from • We will work with the government of Turkey Korea to Kandahar, Newfoundlanders and to erect a bronze caribou at Gallipoli in Labradorians have served to defend our honour of the Newfoundlanders and values, our allies and ultimately our own Labradorians who fought and died at that families from tyranny. In the trenches, on the site. high seas, in cockpits and turrets and field hospitals, our sons and daughters have Beaumont-Hamel Interpretation Centre placed their lives on the line. Many have • We will establish at Bowring Park a suffered and many have died to secure Newfoundland and Labrador Beaumont- freedom for others, and we owe them our Hamel Interpretation Centre, reflective of the attention and admiration for what they have site at Beaumont-Hamel in France. done. We are bringing forward a series of policies to honour our veterans as well as Educational Travel and Partnership those who continue to serve in our defence. • We will explore opportunities to expand

educational travel initiatives that give more Committee on the Honouring of Veterans students valuable opportunities to visit sites of • We have struck a committee on the military significance. honouring of veterans to recommend appropriate ways to honour those who have • We will strengthen community partnerships served. These ways may include the erecting with places in Europe, Asia and Africa where of monuments, the naming of highways and our veterans have served, to give our people public buildings, the establishment of a keen understanding of the importance of scholarships, support for museum those contributions to the people whose exhibitions, and so forth. countries our veterans fought to save, while

connecting their citizens with the communities Centennial of the Battle of the Somme at of those who fought for them. Beaumont-Hamel and Others

• We will proceed with planning to Fort Townshend Development and th commemorate the 100 anniversaries of Interpretation significant events in the Great War and the • We will consider opportunities to develop role of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and interpret the ruins of the original Fort in those events. We will plan for a series of Townshend, which are in large part beneath events to mark, in 2016, the 100th The Rooms. anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at

Beaumont-Hamel, other battles of the First New Curriculum World War and the sacrifices of all who have We will commission the production of new served to defend us. • curriculum materials to celebrate the contributions of men and women who have served abroad and on the home front, including those who have played an essential supporting role. These materials will also draw attention to the roles our communities have played in times of training and war. We will work to make this an enduring online memorial.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 47

arts, heritage, culture 23

Celebrating Our Heritage and Culture government for our province and, before We owe it to our children to celebrate our that, of our Dominion. heritage and culture in ways that enable them to appreciate the roots that make us • We will commission the development of an strong. Our heritage and culture define us. educational website to celebrate the history They tell our story. They anchor our pride, of Colonial Building through words, photos optimism and self-confidence. Each person’s and videos. narrative is unique, but there are common threads that weave them all together. Arts and Culture Centres • We will complete an organization review of Aboriginal Heritage Partnerships the province’s Arts and Culture Centres and • To celebrate the culture, crafts, languages develop a revitalized strategic plan that and stories of the First Nations, Inuit and includes lower rental costs, which will open Métis people of Newfoundland and the Centres to the community, especially high Labrador, we will work in partnership with schools, and ensure the facilities are used to our province’s Aboriginal communities to their fullest potential in developing and nurture the growth of tourism enterprises, showcasing our province’s cultural talents. cultural enterprises and educational initiatives that showcase this heritage for the Labrador Cultural Travel Fund benefit of all Newfoundlanders and • We will increase funding under the Labradorians and people around the world. Labrador Cultural Travel Fund. We will take additional steps to reflect the province’s Aboriginal heritage in K-12 Cultural Economic Development Program curriculum. • We will maintain the Cultural Economic

Development Program to grow our Native Friendship Centre province’s cultural enterprises. • In recognition of the special challenges faced by some Aboriginal people in the Performing Arts Symposiums and Festivals Northeast Avalon region and the important • We will provide support for multi-artist supportive work of the Native Friendship performing arts symposiums and festivals. Centre, we will identify ways and means of increasing our support for the Native Multiculturalism Friendship Centre. Some have come to Newfoundland and

Labrador more recently than others, bringing Endowed Professorships in Newfoundland cultural riches that add to our wealth. We and Labrador Studies will abide by principles laid out in our • We will work with Memorial University to Immigration Strategy, “Diversity ~ provide endowed professorships in Opportunity and Growth”, ensuring our Newfoundland and Labrador studies to multicultural heritage is reflected and address the diminishing pool of faculty with celebrated and welcoming investors and expertise in social studies, history and other entrepreneurs from around the world who disciplines directly focused on Newfoundland are interested in creating new opportunities and Labrador’s unique heritage. in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Colonial Building

• We will continue to invest in restoring and interpreting Colonial Building, the first seat of

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 48 tourism 24

Vision 2020 – Provincial Tourism Strategy New Product Development • Having charted a bold course in concert • We will continue to develop and promote with our tourism industry partners in shoulder-season and multi-season tourism Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, we opportunities. We will work to develop new will put into action all the tourism products in places such as goals of “Vision 2020: Twillingate and Labrador. Uncommon Potential – A Vision for Newfoundland Task Force on the Quality of the Tourism and Labrador Tourism” Experience and take Newfoundland and Labrador’s • We will establish a Task Force on the tourism product to the next level. Produced Quality of the Tourism Experience to identify in 2009, Vision 2020 is a 10-year strategy to deficiencies in tourism products and propose make Newfoundland and Labrador a solutions to raise the bar and benefit leading tourism destination offering an enterprises and the province. The task force authentic and exotic experience through the may examine a wide range of issues, ‘creativity’ brand pillars of our people, including accommodations, food, signage, culture, and natural environment. Our target information and interpretation. is to double the annual tourism revenue in Newfoundland and Labrador by 2020. Standards of Excellence Vision 2020 as an integral part of our Blue • We will work with Hospitality Book. We will work with Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador to introduce a Newfoundland and Labrador and others to rating system for tourism operators, implement and evaluate Vision 2020. rewarding those that invest in raising the standard of the product they offer. Winter Tourism • We will focus greater attention on Social Media Marketing developing and marketing winter tourism • We will take our online tourism tools to the opportunities in Labrador and on the island. next level of interactivity, further integrating our travel information and trip planning with • We will open a discussion about the next the online sites of municipalities and step in promoting Marble Mountain, businesses, harnessing the full power of including targeted advertising to capture a mapping initiatives such as Google Maps, greater share of the eastern North American Bing Maps and Wikimapia; linking creatively market. We will continue to invest in into the global positioning system (GPS) snowmaking equipment for Marble functions of personal communication Mountain. We will also consider the best devices; exploiting the tourism benefits of options for the long-term success of Marble near-field communication (NFC) technology, Mountain accommodations currently owned location-based service (LBS) mobile by the province, including the option of marketing and Quick Response (QR) code selling the villa and some land to the private applications; and fully engaging social sector for new development that promotes media technologies for photo sharing (Flickr, entrepreneurship and spinoff successes. Panoramio), video sharing (YouTube), livecasting (Skype, Ustream.tv), • We will work to develop a strong Labrador microblogging (Twitter), social networking winter tourism product that will appeal to (Facebook), location-based social networking tourists seeking unforgettable winter tourism (Foursquare, GoWalla) and others. We will experiences that reflect our province’s be even more sophisticated in targeting Aboriginal heritage. We will highlight Cain’s online marketing to web users according to Quest and the Labrador Winter Games as search keywords, site themes and location examples of unique experiences. identifiers. We will capitalize fully on positive international media coverage of

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 49 Newfoundland and Labrador’s travel Seniors Tourism destinations and tourism products. We will • We will do more to attract seniors’ tour seize opportunities to tap into the youth groups to Newfoundland and Labrador, tourism market, inviting social media emphasizing how naturally suited whizkids to generate a high ‘coolness’ Newfoundland and Labrador is for nurturing currency among youth, who may see meaningful friendships, celebrating our Newfoundland and Labrador as a cool place heritage and communing with unspoiled to study, work, live and raise a family. nature.

Cultural Vehicles Marine Atlantic Ferry Access • We will capitalize on tourism marketing • We will work with the Government of opportunities associated with high-profile Canada to ensure the Marine Atlantic ferry cultural vehicles. system meets the needs of our tourism sector and of tourists. • We will work collaboratively with artists – particularly those who have demonstrated Gateway Attractiveness success in the cultural tourism sector – to find • We will invest in improving the look, effective ways to steadily expand our cultural friendliness and functionality of the tourism offerings to increase the value, province’s tourism gateways in such places diversity and attractiveness of our tourism as Port aux Basques, Argentia, Labrador product. West, southern Labrador and our airports. These locations represent our opportunity to • We will celebrate the success of the Fogo leave a positive first impression and point our Island Arts Corporation and the Shorefast guests in the direction of venues and Foundation. experiences that interest them and benefit us.

Multicultural Vehicles Signage Newfoundland and Labrador is blessed with • We will work with communities and residents, including post-secondary students enterprises to ensure that local attractions, and immigrants, from around the world. tourism operations and communities are fully Many of these people maintain strong and fairly promoted under a state-of-the-art connections with other countries; they speak provincial signage policy that is tailored to the languages; and they appreciate the our communities’ needs. things about Newfoundland and Labrador that are particularly appealing to people Adventure Tourism Program from away. • We will expand the Adventure Tourism / Outdoor Recreation program at the Corner • We will do more to engage our Brook campus of College of the North multicultural communities in strategic Atlantic, incorporating the work of the Centre marketing activities of all sorts in order to get for Forest Science and Innovation and the the word out around the world about our Forest Innovation Strategy to promote high- tourism products. We will also seek their quality eco-tourism experiences. advice about ways to improve our tourism products and services to meet the needs of • We will encourage producers of adventure people from various countries and cultures tourism television programming to showcase around the world. Newfoundland and Labrador’ strengths.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 50 eco-sustainability 25

Living Sustainably environment that endures in Aboriginal Living sustainably means minimizing the cultures. harm we need to avoid while promoting the development we need to achieve. Finding a Public Transit and Green Transport harmonious balance is the responsibility of • We are encouraging the municipalities of the government, working in dialogue with the northeast Avalon to cooperate in search proponents, opponents and the larger of ways to expand environmentally-friendly community. Important tools we use to public transit opportunities. Some options promote sustainability and environmental include incentives to use vehicles that burn stewardship are the environmental less fuel, incentives to car-pool, incentives to assessment process as defined by the promote bicycling and so forth. Environmental Protection Act; the Natural Areas System Plan; the Climate Change Flood Risk Awareness Action Plan; the Energy Plan; and the Waste • We will update the province’s flood maps Management Strategy. to incorporate new data and establish a risk alert system to warn local residents and Natural Areas System Plan travelers when flood risks are high. • We will proceed with the development and implementation of a new Natural Areas Coastal Erosion Monitoring System Plan to establish and manage • We will proceed with a coastal erosion provincial protected areas. Currently, 57 monitoring program in areas where erosion protected areas are managed by the poses significant concerns. department, and 34 of these have coastal components. Wilderness Preserves

• Where appropriate, we will designate Moose Management wilderness preserves to protect natural • Opinions differ on the optimal size for the ecosystems. We will balance the need for province’s moose population. We recognize protection with the need to promote the importance of good scientific data to economic development. inform our decisions and as such we are committed to developing a Moose Contaminated Sites Cleanup Management Strategy. This strategy would • We will proceed with the cleanup of address issues like an appropriate target contaminated sites to ensure the health of population, hunting quotas and research nearby residents is not compromised. We requirements. will also work with developers to put in place

reserve funds to finance cleanup work when Eco-Youth Teams industrial operations cease. • Many programs focused on youth – from Green Teams to Junior Rangers, from the Climate Change Conservation Corps to MI Ocean Net, from Policies on climate change are identified in Scouts to Cadets – promote environmental the section of this Blue Book regarding stewardship and sustainable living. We will renewable energy. consult with young people on the development of a new approach to engaging Agricultural Sustainability young Newfoundlanders and Labradorians Policies on agriculture and food security are in green activism – a model for other identified in a separate section of this Blue jurisdictions. We will make a special effort to Book on agriculture. engage Aboriginal youth and Aboriginal elders in developing this initiative in recognition of the strong connection to the

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 51

viii

PROMOTING

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

26 fitness 27 wellness and prevention 28 healthy aging

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 52 fitness 26

Fitness Tax Credit and Support Programs program is designed to include the least fit • We will introduce a provincial fitness tax individuals and also to include males and credit to offset some costs of sport and females with disabilities and health exercise. conditions that pose special challenges.

• We will also partner with the private and Renewing ‘Participaction’ community sectors on initiatives, such as the • We will develop a promotional campaign Canadian Tire Jumpstart program, that similar to the Participaction and Body Break enable children to participate in sport and campaigns to encourage specific fitness recreational activities their families might not activities, including both competitive and otherwise be able to afford. noncompetitive recreation and sport activities. The campaign will promote Infrastructure and Programs healthy recreational activities like cycling, • We will continue to fund regional swimming, Pilates, aerobics and dance, and recreational facilities such as new arenas and healthy uses of promising new technologies recreational programs. We will partner to such as the Wii, Kinect for Xbox 360, develop multi-purpose facilities like the new PlayStation Move and others. facility announced for Pasadena, which includes two-story and one-story space, a • We will encourage people to organize and therapy pool, a rock climbing wall, a walking participate in not-for-profit community fitness track, a community kitchen, areas for family, programming (such as exercise classes, youth and senior activities, and a reception organized hikes, fitness days, road races, areas and office. dance classes, aerobics and so forth).

Health and Fitness Curriculum Move 2 Improve • We will develop curriculum to promote • In selected classrooms, we will pilot the active living, nutrition and other healthy life “Move 2 Improve” program, developed by choices. We will increase opportunities for Allison Cameron at City Park Collegiate physical exercise at schools, adjusting the School in Saskatoon based on research by physical education curriculum to engage Dr. John Ratey from Harvard Medical students who face particular challenges. University. The program – which is also being tested at Beaverbrook School in Sport and Recreational Travel Support Moncton, N.B. – incorporates exercise into • We will open up new opportunities for students' daily routine. By interspersing young athletes to travel to participate in sport periods of focused physical activity with and recreational events. periods of instruction in core curriculum, developers have found students can focus Canada Fitness Test better and progress further. • We will explore the reintroduction of the Coaching Canada Fitness Test program, or an updated version, in schools to promote fitness targets • We will find ways to expand programming by age level. This former national program and coaching, including volunteer coaching, established age-appropriate fitness targets so all students wishing to participate in team and rewarded young people for achieving sports are able to do so, not exclusively the those targets in regular fitness tests open to very elite. all who wanted to participate. Rewards consisted of bronze, silver and gold sew-on • We will continue to provide the patches distributed according to the fitness opportunities, the impetus and the rewards level achieved. We need to work with health for elite athletes to excel and push past their care professionals and others to ensure this personal limitations, but in the interest of

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 53 promoting fitness and in the spirit of • We will continue to open doors for those inclusiveness, we will also provide who are committed to becoming elite opportunities for all students to enjoy the athletes, capable of competing in regional, benefits of team sports and discover the thrill provincial, national and international events. of pushing past limitations to achieve personal bests. • We will continue to provide grants to our elite athletes, continue to support high-level Everyone Plays competitions and continue to maintain the • We will promote an expansion of team Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Centre sports to make room for teams of players not (Powerplex) and the regional training centre at the top level so all can participate in in Stephenville while continuing to provide competition with those at their skill level. funding for regional recreational infrastructure and initiatives. Recreation and Sport Strategy • We will continue to support our elite In 2007, we released our athletes, including athletes competing in Recreation and Sport Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Strategy entitled “Active, Games. Healthy Newfoundland and Labrador: A A Fitness Revolution Recreation and Sport Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are Strategy for ready for a revolution in the way we think Newfoundland and about fitness, sport and recreation. Unfitness Labrador”. As the strategy states, our vision is holding us back, both individually and is of “a vibrant and active population safely collectively. Embracing fitness is participating in physical activity, recreation fundamental to self-reliance. Getting fit is and sport at all levels for quality of life, not easy for many. We owe it to ourselves to improved health, enhanced social help one another out. We need to make it interaction, personal fulfillment and easier to live active lives. We need to reach excellence, all within a system that is safe, out to children in age brackets in which equitable, ethical and accountable.” lifelong habits are learned. We need to reach out to adults and seniors who are Own The Podium especially vulnerable to the consequences of • We will continue to raise the bar for unhealthy lifestyles. We each need to reach athleticism in this province, nurturing a out to the person in the mirror, set realistic culture that rewards athletes for setting the goals and start to enjoy the benefits of sound highest goals for themselves. lifestyle choices. Fitness is a vital component of “wellness”, which is dealt with more • The Premier’s Athletic Awards will continue broadly in the section that follows. to provide opportunities to honour athletes who have risen to the challenge and excelled in their sports.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 54 wellness and prevention 27

Healthy Living Division Support for Parents and Children • We will establish a Healthy Living Division Childhood obesity is an escalating problem of the government’s new Population Health in Newfoundland and Labrador. Poor diet Branch to provide cohesive and focused and inactivity have been identified as causal oversight of the government’s policies and factors. The health consequences of programs promoting wellness, healthy living, childhood obesity are potentially severe. We healthy aging, physical education, fitness, have taken action to change attitudes and recreation and sport. behaviours through the Provincial Wellness Plan, the Healthy Students, Healthy Schools Access to Nutritionists and Dieticians initiative, Kids Eat Smart, the Sport and • To give people greater access to Recreation Strategy. information about nutrition, we will explore options such as hiring more nutritionists and • We will work with our schools and health dieticians and using telehealth and e-health care institutions to reduce access to technologies. unhealthy foods and teach students about healthy food choices. Wellness Plan – Phases I and II Choosing Healthy Lifestyles • We have been applying One of the most effective things a person can the measures in Phase I of do to promote greater self-reliance is to take the province’s Wellness individual responsibility for choosing a Plan while working to healthier lifestyle. We are determined to develop Phase II. In promote healthier living in all age groups to 2006, we launched Phase avoid some of the consequences and costs of I, “Achieving Health and Wellness: Provincial preventable illnesses. Wellness Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador”. The first phase focuses on Non-surgical Cosmetic Industry healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco • We will work with tattooing, body piercing control and injury prevention. The second and pedicure practitioners and identify the phase builds on the first and adds actions in best practices of other jurisdictions in the areas of mental health promotion, developing appropriate standards for the environmental health, child and youth non-surgical cosmetic industry to protect development, health protection and healthy public health and safety. aging.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 55 healthy aging 28

Seniors’ Discount on Licence and Permit Fees believe in finding creative • We will provide seniors with a 35% discount ways to help seniors on licences to hunt, fish and engage in achieve optimal various other activities for which permits are independent. required and people are assessed a fee, in recognition and appreciation of their lifelong Healthy Aging Policy contributions a citizens. Framework Since 2003, we have Collective Memory Project made seniors a priority. • In collaboration with Memorial University’s In 2007, we released our Provincial Healthy department of Folklore, we will commission Aging Policy Framework, and we continue to an informal Collective Memory Project in abide by the principles and goals it which we will invite seniors to record and establishes. Among other actions, archive the stories of their youth. We will seek to engage young Newfoundlanders and • We will establish a transportation fund of Labradorians in recording these sessions in $1 million to partner with community an effort to cultivate a climate of mutual organizations to improve transportation understanding and respect connecting the options for seniors. generations while preserving our oral history. • We will work to reduce the prevalence of Respecting Our Seniors chronic disease and conditions. We envision a province in which our seniors can enjoy healthy, active lives, secure in the Care Close to Home knowledge that they can avail of a Also see the section of this document on care continuum of health care and long-term care close to home. according to their particular needs. We

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ix

DELIVERING QUALITY HEALTH CARE

29 diagnosis and treatment 30 chronic disease 31 care close to home

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 57 diagnosis and treatment 29

Health Care System process for orthopedic patients and The primary role of our health care system is improving communication with the public to treat people when they need care. People regarding wait times through providing expect to be able to access health care when access to a website and frequent public they need it and to receive the care they need updates regarding our progress. from a team of health care professionals working as partners. They expect their health • Reducing wait times to meet reasonable care system to be streamlined so there is a benchmarks will remain one of our highest graduated continuum of care. They expect priorities. We will proceed with the the system to be modern, applying best establishment of a new Access and Clinical practices using state-of-the-art technology Efficiency Division within the Department of and with an enduring focus on quality and Health and Community Services to provide safety. In working to meet these provincial leadership on the issue of reducing expectations, we must deal effectively with wait times for key health services. the challenges posed by an aging population, high rates of chronic disease, Emergency Rooms and a vast geography with a dispersed • Within the first 120 days in office, we will population. We must also deal effectively produce a provincial strategy on reducing with the challenge of improving system wait times in emergency rooms. This strategy performance to continually enhance the will identify means of improving the quality and sustainability of the health timeliness of services, utilization of existing system. emergency room capacity, physical infrastructure and policies to enhance We believe our health system should be “patient flow”, and communication with integrated, streamlined and seamless, patients regarding the anticipated wait time. affordable and sustainable, leading-edge, attractive to health care professionals, client Orthopedics driven and community-based. With an aging population, the demand for joint replacement is growing. While we have Priorities made improvements, more can be done. • The health care challenges that shape our greatest priorities in health care are an aging • Within the first 120 days in office, we will population dispersed over a vast geography produce a provincial strategy on reducing in small communities; the high prevalence of wait times for orthopedic surgeries for joint chronic conditions in our society, especially replacement. This strategy will focus on among seniors; childhood obesity; and wait means of enhancing the use of existing times. We will make great headway orthopedic services in the province, addressing these priorities. improving patient flow and ultimately improving the timeliness of access to Wait Time Reductions services. People expect to receive services as quickly as possible. Over the past number of years, Cancer Care we have taken a strategic approach to The impacts of a cancer addressing the issue of wait times throughout diagnosis are many and the health care system. We have made far-reaching, impacting investments which are improving access and not only the patient, but reducing wait times for endoscopy services, family, friends and co- improving access to select orthopedic workers. One third of surgeries and creating additional operating cancer can be prevented, and early detection room capacity. We have further improved and effective treatment of another third is our services by launching a centralized intake also possible. We recognize these impacts

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 58 and have responded through $133 million in Telemedicine, Digital Networks and the new investments in cancer care in the past Health Infoway eight years, with initiatives focused on Newfoundland and Labrador has long been improving prevention, screening, diagnosis, a leader in telemedicine and e-health treatment, implementing recommendations initiatives. Virtual linkages are overcoming from the Cameron report, providing many of the challenges associated with coverage for new cancer drugs, improving geographic dispersal of our population and screening for colorectal cancer and planning placing high-quality health care within reach for a new Positron Emission Tomography of families far from specific services. Such (PET) scanner. links speed diagnosis and treatment, reduce travel costs, expand rural care options, • We will continue to work to enhance cancer facilitate professional development, and care throughout the province to improve the more. lives of cancer patients and their families. • Already we have taken steps to broaden • Guided by the Provincial Cancer Control the health infoway in our province, and we Policy Framework that was launched in are ready to work with health care providers 2010, working together with partners and to do much more. stakeholders, we will focus on further reducing the incidence and impact of cancer Mental Health and Addictions Strategy and improving the quality of life of those By recognizing mental illnesses and living with cancer in Newfoundland and addictions primarily as health issues, we can Labrador. bring a fresh approach to the diagnosis and treatment of these afflictions, involve clients • The Provincial Cancer Control Advisory in their own care and replace the stigma and Committee will play a key role, providing helplessness with dignity, confidence and advice regarding actions that need to be hope. taken to improve the full continuum of cancer care in the province. In consultation Mental Health and Addictions Initiatives with the Provincial Cancer Control Advisory Already Announced Committee, a review of all cancer screening A number of initiatives already announced programs in the province will be conducted will provide significant benefits in the years and within 90 days, we will conclude a ahead. For example, we will: review of whether it is appropriate to lower • construct a modern replacement for the the age to begin breast cancer screening. Waterford Hospital; • open new addictions treatment facilities Lab and X-ray Services and new facilities for the treatment of • We will continue to be vigilant to ensure the children and youth with complex mental government abides by the letter and the spirit health needs; of the recommendations of the Cameron • develop an interactive, web-based e- Inquiry to better serve the people of mental health service: an innovative and Newfoundland and Labrador. engaging method that creates greater access and service delivery of mental health services • We will work cooperatively with local in areas that are geographically isolated; radiologists and the Canadian Association of • create a provincial public awareness Radiologists to facilitate plans to expand campaign to decrease the stigma and accreditation programs and peer review for discrimination, and increase understanding the profession. of how and when to seek help; and, • enhance tele-mental health services to increase rural and remote access to mental health and addictions counselling.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 59 chronic disease 30

Chronic Disease Strategy bulimia to ensure we do not inadvertently Arthritis, cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, cause avoidable harm. We will also be heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease careful to ensure these programs do not lead and the effects of stroke – unlike many acute to bullying. illnesses that can be treated and cured – are chronic conditions that can remain with • We will ensure healthy foods are available people for the rest of their lives. in all schools and other public institutions. We will require these institutions to limit • As we announced in the 2011 Throne access to sugary, fatty and salty foods at the Speech, we are moving forward this year to same time that they are improving access to release our new Chronic Disease healthier food choices. We need to be Management Strategy which will include a especially proactive in replacing high- comprehensive and collaborative approach fructose beverages, high-sugar snacks and to chronic disease prevention and high-salt foods in schools. management throughout the province. “Improving Health Together: A Policy Diabetes Framework for Chronic Disease Prevention The former Auditor General in 2011 and Management in Newfoundland and recommended measures to address chronic Labrador” characterizes the approach our diseases such as diabetes and aggravating government will adopt using five terms: factors such as obesity. client-centred, accessible, evidence-based, integrated and accountable. Our approach • We will make full use of Electronic Medical focuses on: (1) being the manager of your Records in order to capture patient data such own health; (2) promoting health and as personal information, health preventing disease; (3) organizing and complications, risk factors, diagnosis of coordinating services to meet the needs of multiple diseases, and test results. individuals; (4) using current information and standards to provide quality care; (5) • We will provide support for the collecting and using data to guide and maintenance of the diabetes flow sheet which monitor programs and services; and (6) was designed to document results of patient working together for better health. visits. In particular, we will provide funding for the Provincial Chronic Disease Obesity Collaborative Database at the Eastern RHA • We will develop specific, authoritative which was designed to collect and report healthy living recommendations for use in information documented in the diabetes flow educational literature and promotional ad sheets. campaigns specifically targeted to healthy eating and exercise. • We will provide resources to manage and monitor individuals who receive insulin • Working with health care professionals, pumps as part of their diabetes care. dieticians and fitness experts, we will develop programs specifically designed to combat • We will include salaried physicians in the childhood obesity. The programs will be tracking of diabetes diagnosis and treatment. designed to work with families and schools. We are cognizant of the damage children • In developing and implementing our may suffer if body image issues are comprehensive chronic disease prevention presented in ways that are insensitive and and management strategy, we will be traumatizing. In developing these programs, informed by the province’s 2008 report we will work with professionals and others entitled A Review of Chronic Disease who understand such matters and have expertise in such conditions as anorexia and

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 60 Prevention and Management Services professionals available to meet patient (Diabetes) in Primary Health Care Teams. needs.

Dialysis Facilities and Services • We will also continue with our prudent, Since 2004 we have invested over $150 incremental approach to improving access to million to enhance dialysis services dialysis services based upon need, number throughout the province, either through of people impacted and availability of health creating new treatment services for professionals to ensure delivery of a safe and communities where there was a need or high-quality service. through expanding already existing services. To date, investments have increased the Specialty Residencies number of dialysis sites from 7 to 14 and the • In consultation with Memorial University’s number of available treatment seats from Medical School, we will explore the 340 to 494. Following full implementation establishment or enhancement of Medical of investments announced in Budget 2011, School residency programs in hard-to-fill we will have 15 sites and be able to specialty areas, and offer bursaries in return accommodate 531 patients. for local service.

We recognize the demand for dialysis Pharmacare services is increasing and that some • We will work with other governments to individuals continue to travel further from explore options to reduce the costs of home than desired to receive treatment. medications. We will work to make medications more affordable for patients. • We will continue to enhance dialysis services in the province by ensuring we have state-of-the-art equipment and highly trained

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 61 care close to home 31

Continuum of Care The strategy outlines five policy directions. We envision a province in which our seniors can enjoy healthy, active lives, secure in the 1. We will promote healthy living and knowledge that they can avail of a wellness. This means supporting individuals continuum of health care and long-term care to achieve and maintain good health and according to their particular needs. We well-being; and creating and maximizing believe each senior is unique, and rather opportunities for individuals with chronic than impose a one-size-fits-all approach, we disease to reach optimum health. should tailor our programs to a wider range of circumstances. We believe we can help 2. We will deliver person-centred service. seniors to live independently longer as we This means enhancing the availability of encourage and enable their communities to service to support individuals in their homes; help meet their needs more effectively. We increasing the types of living arrangements believe in finding creative ways to enable our available; enhancing the community seniors to stay in their own homes longer, emergency response to individuals in crisis to intervening only to the degree that they assist them to remain at home; increasing desire and require so they can enjoy the focus on restorative and rehabilitative maximum independence. care; enhancing the role of personal care homes; ensuring the most suitable type and Long-term Care and level of support in the most appropriate Community Support Care location; and increasing palliative and end- • We will implement our of-life services and capacity. new Long-term Care and Community Support Care 3. We will deliver family and informal Strategy, “Close to caregiver support. This also means Home”. Under this increasing community capacity to provide approach, individuals and care for those who need it. families receiving long- term care and community support services 4. We will ensure quality services and service will be assisted in a manner that addresses delivery. This means strengthening the health and social needs; optimizes rights and capacity of the workforce to provide high- participation in decision making; encourages quality care; increasing service coordination choice, independence and mobility; and and integration to ensure seamless demonstrates standards of quality in all transitions as individuals access various aspects of service provision. Such an services; ensuring provincially owned or approach will be client-centered, needs- licensed residences meet current and future based and individualized; ensure family standards; increasing the focus on quality of involvement and support; be accessible; be life in all aspects of care; and modernizing flexible and responsive to changing needs; the legislative and regulatory framework for be accountable; and be fair and just. all sectors to ensure a focus on quality outcomes. We have proposed a client-centred model of care, a continuum of care that optimizes the 5. We will ensure system sustainability. This individual’s independence. One of the means ensuring care services are provided primary goals of a client-centered system is based on need and are affordable and to ensure individuals receive supports early sustainable; and ensuring an adequate enough to prevent the need for more supply of long-term care facility beds to meet intensive supports or movement to a more the population needs. restrictive residential care option.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 62 Care At Home beds. Restorative care gives these patients Our focus will be on enabling seniors and the therapy they need to heal and grow others in need of support to remain in their stronger so they can leave hospital own homes and as independent as possible altogether. Restorative care is provided at for as long as possible. the five-bed unit we established in Twillingate. • We will work with community care providers to enhance the availability of at- • We also recognize the need to improve home care. We will provide a continuum of rehabilitative services that will help care based on need, enabling people to individuals avoid entering hospitals in the remain in their own homes longer and rely first place. on graduated care based on need, moving them into institutions only when home-based Supportive Housing Options care is unsafe. • We will commission research on housing requirements and supportive care needs of Level II Plus persons as they age. We will improve the • As a pilot project, we will enable personal range of housing opportunities that support care homes that meet certain criteria to healthy aging. We will support partnerships accept clients who require a degree of care to assess the need for a range of affordable beyond Level II. and accessible housing options. Partners will involve government, the public, the regional Supporting Family-provided Care and health authorities, and others. We will Unpaid Caregivers support affordable and accessible rental • We will develop a new model of home housing for seniors through the Affordable care that realigns patient care funding so Housing Program. We will continue to that it is based on the patient’s assessed provide rent supplement for low income needs. Clients will have the option of persons, including seniors, residing in receiving that care from family members. Newfoundland Labrador Housing. We will We will enhance supports for unpaid reduce rent for seniors living in caregivers. This may include in-home Newfoundland Labrador Housing from 30 to respite, seniors’ day programs, institutional 25 percent of net income per month. We will respite and seniors’ activity programs. We support and enhance the Provincial Home will support and expand community Repair Program. We will identify and programs that provide in-home help. These support other programs and services that may include making meals, housekeeping allow seniors to maintain or modify current and light home maintenance. We will help housing. We will endorse affordable sustain caregiver support networks such as housing design and construction. Universal Caregivers Out of Isolation. We will support design guidelines will promote accessibility education and training for unpaid caregivers. for all including seniors. We will assess the This will enhance their knowledge of the role of assistive technologies in helping needs of the people they serve. seniors remain in their homes and communities. We will increase seniors’ Home Care ‘Needs Test’ Changes knowledge of housing options. We will • We will amend the home care needs apply the age-friendly lens to policies, assessment test to allow recipients to keep programs, and services that address seniors more of their savings. housing. We will assess and deal with seniors housing issues such as property Restorative Care and Rehabilitative Services taxes, home heating costs and other home We will invest in restorative care and expenses. rehabilitative services.

• No one is served when patients who do not require acute care are occupying acute care

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 63

x

CLEARING PATHS TO OPPORTUNITY

32 poverty reduction 33 persons with disabilities 34 community sector

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 64 poverty reduction 32

Poverty Reduction Strategy for a finite period of time to enable other In 2006, we launched our initiatives to proceed. To achieve enduring Poverty Reduction Strategy, results, we will focus on the root causes of “Reducing Poverty: An poverty. We are determined to ensure our Action Plan for initiatives actually benefit those they are Newfoundland and intended to help. Labrador”, initiating an approach that has made Social Housing Strategy us a national leader in poverty reduction. A primary component of poverty reduction is National anti-poverty leaders have pointed to housing. The issues are complex, they vary our approach as a model for the country. across the province and they extend far Our Poverty Reduction Strategy has three beyond issues of poverty reduction, though elements: (1) prevention of poverty, which ultimately all aspects of the housing market means keeping people from slipping into have an impact on poverty in the first place; (2) alleviation of poverty. We have poverty, which means doing a better job of already outlined our meeting the needs of people who rely on approach to social social support networks; and (3) liberation housing – one component from poverty, which means removing the of the comprehensive barriers so people can escape poverty and housing initiative. In find freedom through newfound personal 2009, we released our self-reliance. In 2009, we issued our first Social Housing Strategy progress report on our performance. We are entitled “Secure Foundations: A Social genuinely determined to make a difference Housing Plan for Newfoundland and in the lives of those for whom poverty is a Labrador”. Its goals continue to shape the prison. approach of our government as we move forward. • We will continue to seek feedback and continue to tailor our initiatives to ensure they • Objectives of the strategy include greater are doing what we need them to be doing. integration of housing and support services to promote self-reliance and community Poverty Reduction participation; increased supply of accessible Strategy: Next Steps housing; initiatives that support personal To meet the goal of development and community participation; having the province with enhanced information exchange on housing the lowest levels of poverty need and market trends; enhanced requires a sustained focus coordination and integration of programs and commitment. We will and services between government partners; continue an aggressive enhanced capacity of Aboriginal approach to supporting all Newfoundlanders organizations and community partners to and Labradorians to share in the social and deliver housing services; enhanced economic benefits of the province. management of assets and service to clients and delivery partners; increased rental • We will develop, implement, review and options for low- and moderate-income continually tailor a new phase of our Poverty households; increased assistance to low- and Reduction Strategy to address the needs that moderate-income households for repair of remain, particularly those that have not been privately-owned homes; and increased altered significantly enough during the first housing assistance for Off-Reserve phase of our Poverty Reduction Strategy. Aboriginal households; improved quality of Some elements will be continued; some will NL Housing homes. be revised; and some will be included only

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 65 Support to Purchase Affordable Housing circumstances that penalize individuals from • We will develop a program to support leaving violent, abusive situations they may families with incomes up to $60,000 with the be enduring at home. We will work with first purchase of a modest-priced home. The community organizations to identify and inability to get a down-payment is the implement progressive approaches to primary barrier blocking moderate-income address homelessness effectively. families from home ownership. Our program will be a multi-sector partnership Single Parents that provides equity and other supports to • We are determined to work more effectively prospective homeowners whose incomes fall to help single parents – most of whom are beneath the threshold and whose chosen single moms – to escape poverty and achieve home falls within an established limit personal self-reliance with all the benefits (perhaps $200,000 or $250,000, as that means for them and their children. determined following a period of Novel approaches to child care, education, investigation). We will develop this program employment and housing could made a in partnership with a range of agencies – tremendous difference for some. By being municipalities; the Canada Mortgage and creative and thinking outside the box, we can Housing Corporation; financial institutions; open doors of opportunity to many of these the non-profit sector; and legal firms. We struggling families. propose Newfoundland Labrador Housing Corporation would provide a grant to Food Banks, Community Kitchens and partially or fully fund a 5% down-payment. Community Food Sharing (If the maximum home price is set at Community food sharing is a legitimate way $200,000, the maximum grant would be 5% for neighbours to help neighbours in need. of that, or $5,000.) Following a period of Under the Donation of Food Act our Party consultation, we will finalize and unveil the brought forward in the nineties, grocery details of the role each partner will play. stores and other retailers are able to avoid This initiative has the potential to provide a discarding and destroying tonnes of perfectly novel path to home ownership for low-to- good food by donating it to food banks moderate-income households, assisting 200 where it is distributed to families who choose or more households for each million-dollar to avail of community food sharing services. provincial investment. These centres provide a means for individual citizens, through their freewill choices, to Homelessness and Related Housing Issues make a difference in poverty reduction. • We will commission a study to quantify the Many organizations incorporate food housing needs of Newfoundlanders and donation in their charitable work and do Labradorians in various regions, accounting tremendous good while teaching young for needs that may be hidden from view. We people valuable lessons about giving. will consider solutions to “couch surfing”, “daytime homelessness” among boarders • We will provide additional assistance to and others who are expected to be out of community food sharing organizations to their dwellings during daytime hours, and the offset their operational costs so they can scourge of slum landlords. We will explore continue the great work they are doing. measures that would encourage and assist homeowners to add rooms and apartments Canada Pension Plan and Income Support and to undertake other renovations to • We will allow social assistance recipients to address local housing supply issues. We will wait until age 65 to apply for their Canada explore ways to encourage the construction Pension Plan benefits so they do not have to of small-size dwellings to meet the needs of take a lifelong lower rate by applying at 60. smaller families with limited financial means. We will be especially vigilant to ensure we do not, through policies and regulations, create

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 66 persons with disabilities 33

Participating Fully Accessible and Affordable Housing Among our people, there is a wide spectrum • We will continue to enhance opportunities of individual differences, and disabilities are for persons with disabilities to obtain housing among these differences. Disabilities need that is accessible and affordable, and that not prevent people from participating fully in enables them to live independently. Under their communities or maximizing their the Home Accessibility Modification Program, potential as unique individuals. Often by we will continue to offset the costs of making making simple adjustments to the ways we modifications to private homes to do things, we can remove barriers and free accommodate persons with disabilities. We people from focusing on limitations. will provide incentives to the private sector to stimulate the building of additional Strategy for the Inclusion of Persons With affordable housing units for persons with Disabilities disabilities. We will continue to make • In 2010, our government undertook a modifications to public housing as needed to series of public consultations to help develop accommodate persons with disabilities. a strategy on the inclusion of persons with disabilities. In the term ahead, we will Home Support publish and implement this strategy. Its core • We will expand opportunities for home principles will be equal access, respect, support for persons with disabilities so they equity, choice, self-determination, autonomy can live in their communities as and privacy. Among the initiatives that will independently as possible. continue is the Provincial Advisory Council for the Inclusion of Persons of Disabilities, Transportation which was established by our government in • We will develop a program to offset the 2009. The Council advises the Minister costs of making modifications to private Responsible for the Status of Persons vehicles to accommodate persons with Disabilities on matters relating to persons disabilities affecting mobility. with disabilities. It also advises policies, programs, strategies and recommendations Inclusive Education are developed to advance persons with • We support the principle of inclusion of disabilities. The Council will continue to persons with disabilities in the classroom. work in consultation with persons advocates, Inclusion means enabling all students to feel educational institutions, employers and all at one with their peers. Inclusion must be levels of government. applied in ways that ensure each classroom

setting is conducive to optimal learning by all Lowering Employment Barriers students in that room. We will provide • We will continue to finance programs that student assistants, teaching coaches and will provide funding to employ persons with learning devices as required to facilitate the developmental disabilities. Through inclusion in the classroom of persons with incentive programs and services, we will help disabilities. persons with disabilities obtain employment that provides sustainable long-term income • Through the use of technology and and meaningful work experiences. innovative teaching strategies, we will make

our classrooms more-effective learning Opening Doors environments for hard-of-hearing and • Through programs like Opening Doors, we visually impaired students. as a government will continue to provide meaningful and rewarding employment • We will sponsor appearances in our opportunities for persons with developmental province’s schools of persons with disabilities disabilities.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 67 who have made significant achievements in Physical Accessibility various disciplines. We will be vigilant in ensuring the public buildings we construct: • We will explore new ways to educate • are accessible to persons with physical students about disabilities to promote disabilities that affect mobility; awareness and break down barriers. • contain features that make them accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired; • We will work to identify children with autism and, earlier and to intervene earlier and more • are equipped with visually-cued life safety effectively with proven therapies. alarms and text-based telephone devices to make them accessible to, and safe for, • We recognize that persons who are deaf persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. and communicating using American Sign Decision-making Capacity Language share a unique culture and should have regular opportunities to interact with • We affirm that persons with disabilities others who sharing the American Sign have the right to make their own decisions Language. We will work to facilitate these and to use support if they choose. opportunities. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing are being fully integrated in Paralympics the school system with their peers. Supports • We will work cooperatively to support are being provided in the classroom to motivated and talented persons with facilitate communication and learning. disabilities who seek to train for, qualify for and compete in Paralympic sports. • We will expand the Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities, which provides support for post-secondary students, offsetting some of the significant costs of the additional educational supports many require.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 68 community sector 34

‘Who Cares’ Campaign as a legitimate means of economic, social, • We will build on the ‘Who Cares’ campaign environmental and cultural development. to draw attention to the work of volunteers. • We will develop and launch a research Community Service plan for the community sector. Through cooperation with volunteers and the community sector, we are making our • The Voluntary Non-Profit Secretariat will communities stronger and more responsive work jointly and in partnership with the to citizens’ needs. The community sector community sector to augment accountability augments the work that governments do, and mutual engagement. engages citizens in making communities stronger and better connected, and stretches Voluntary Resource Hubs the value of our resources to achieve • We will explore opportunities to develop maximum impact. Community service Voluntary Resource Hubs located strategically organizations and social enterprises are to support community sector / non-profit investing in infrastructure and activities, organizations and volunteer engagement. putting their compassion into action to help people in need. As people pour themselves • We will review the Labour Market into their community, they become amazing Development Agreement and Labour Market role models for our children while improving Partnerships to better integrate the our quality of life. As a government, we employment needs of individuals while acknowledge the role of the voluntary, non- providing important and timely support to profit sector and its immense value and community groups in meeting their missions. importance to the social, economic and cultural fabric of our communities. • We will work directly with the sector to produce a training plan for boards, Community volunteers, organizations and employees – • We will reinforce our commitment to the delivered by the sector for the sector to build value, role and importance of the community new leadership skills and support (voluntary, non-profit) sector in the social, organizational standards and best practices. economic, and cultural fabric of our communities. Social Enterprise Development • We will encourage approaches to support • We will create an investment fund to and strengthen social enterprise activity (both support innovation, research and existing and developing) and encourage a development, and best practices, and greater understanding of the social explore new ways of doing business. enterprise model as a legitimate means of community economic development. • We will encourage approaches to support and strengthen social/community enterprise activity and encourage a greater understanding of the social enterprise model

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xi

SECURING THE VULNERABLE

35 child protection 36 violence prevention 37 policing, corrections

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 70 child protection 35

Child, Youth and Family Services and alcohol abuse awareness, and lifeline • We have no greater obligation than to initiatives such as a youth support helpline. protect children from harm. We will continue to advance the protection of children through Foster Parenting the new department of Child, Youth and • Working with professionals and others Family Services, which has the well-being of throughout our province, we will identify new children as its overriding concern. Under the and better ways to encourage people to direction of its social workers and other become foster parents so children who are at professionals, we will be proactive in risk of maltreatment by parents and cannot ensuring our policies safeguard children be safely cared for in their own home have a from risk of maltreatment by parents. The safe, secure, stable and nurturing department will improve the child protection environment in which to live. Among the case management system to ensure all most important components of child children in need receive the timely and protection is foster parenting. effective care they require. We will be vigilant in examining and identifying any • We will build on actions we have already deficiencies in child protection in taken to provide greater resources to support Newfoundland and Labrador; consolidating foster parents. We will work with them and the recommendations of reports regarding their association to nurture a culture in which child protection; examining the best practices foster parents are appreciated and supported of other jurisdictions; and making for the extraordinary work they do. recommendations for improving child protection in Newfoundland and Labrador. • We will develop and implement a The government has the responsibility for the continuum of care for children in care well-being of children in care. We must do including additional support for specialized everything we can to ensure the checks and foster homes. balances are effective in protecting children and their families and ensuring the • We will bring forward progressive policy accountability of the system. changes that free foster parents from unnecessary administrative responsibilities so Child Exploitation Policing they are able to do their primary work of • In 2008, we created a Child Exploitation being loving, nurturing parents to the Unit – a sub-unit of the Royal Newfoundland children in their care. Constabulary’s Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit – to focus on the exploitation of • We will listen attentively to foster parents’ children in its many forms, with particular concerns to ensure we are responsive to their attention to the growing problem of internet- needs, concerns and perspectives. based child pornography, localized child prostitution and internet-based luring of Alternative Living Arrangements children. We will provide additional • We will develop better arrangements for resources to enable the police to identify and providing temporary emergency care for combat child exploitation. children removed from their homes for their protection. While there are circumstances in Bullying Prevention and Student Safety which such “Alternative Living Arrangements” • We will work with educators, parents and (ALAs) are the best or only short-term choices students to develop and apply a wide range for children needing protection, our long- of initiatives to combat bullying (including term goal is to identify and implement better cyber-bullying) and other forms of alternatives. aggression and violence against students. We will also be vigilant and creative in continually promoting online safety, drug

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 71 violence prevention 36

Violence Prevention Initiative – Phase I Elder Abuse No person should live in fear of violence, so • We will continue to focus attention on elder we will continue to fulfill abuse, raising awareness and offering help. our obligation to protect those who are vulnerable Regional Coordinating Committees and shape a society in • We will continue to engage the ten which violence is not Regional Coordinating Committees of the tolerated. We have Violence Prevention Initiative, providing the addressed the resources required for them to work to recommendations of identify regional needs. Phase I of the province’s Violence Prevention Initiative spanning the Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre period from 2006 to 2012. In 2005-06, we • We will continue to invest in the began to implement our province’s new Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Assault Violence Prevention Initiative, entitled “Taking Crisis and Prevention Centre to ensure it has Action Against Violence 2006-2012”. the resources to meet clients’ needs.

Violence Prevention Initiative – Phase II Safety Audits • We will unveil and implement Phase II of • We will commission workplace violence the Violence Prevention Initiative to advance prevention safety audits to ensure workers’ the goal of protecting the vulnerable from safety is not at risk from on-the-job violence. harm and fear. Respect Transition Houses • We will continue to sponsor campaigns in • We will continue to invest to expand access school, in the workplace and through the to transition houses to ensure women and media to draw people’s attention to the need their children have a place nearby where to respect women. Such messaging they can go for shelter and protection when continues to be needed to cement the they face threats to their safety in their own attitude changes already achieved through homes. the promotion of equality; to send a message that attitudes and behaviours do matter in a • We will also continue to invest to make social context, and that our children are these houses more secure, ensuring they learning from us; to counter the onslaught of have ‘panic button’ connections with local messages in various media – such as police. television, music, magazines and the web – to which children and others may be Specialized Family Violence Court exposed; to challenge the culture of • Our government currently sponsors a pilot disrespect that for many years existed in program similar to those offered in other some male-dominated professions and that jurisdictions called the Specialized Family may continue to exist in some quarters; to Violence Court. Selected perpetrators of educate those whose attitudes may be rooted domestic violence receive counselling to in bygone eras or in countries in which address the root causes of the violence in a women, even today, are not respected or concerted attempt to eliminate the violence at assured of equality; and to reduce and its source. Victims of domestic violence also ultimately to eliminate the overt and subtle receive support and counselling from this forms of discrimination, oppression and process. violence to which women may be subjected.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 72 policing, corrections 37

Police Forces – Training, Hiring, Resources Cybercrime and Infrastructure • We will provide additional resources to our • We will continue to build on our significant police forces to identify and combat investments to strengthen our police forces, cybercrime, including online child to train more officers, to hire more personnel exploitation, identity theft and online fraud. and to provide the resources and infrastructure our Royal Newfoundland Lamer Inquiry Follow-through Constabulary and RCMP officers require to • We will remain vigilant in adhering to the operate effectively and protect us from crime. recommendations of the late Justice Antonio Lamer regarding wrongful convictions and Drug Treatment Court shortcomings of our justice system. • We will establish a Drug Treatment Court including video conferencing in Her Majesty’s Penitentiary and Other Newfoundland and Labrador. As described Correctional Facilities in the National Anti-Drug Strategy, Drug • The principal prison in Newfoundland and Treatment Courts (DTCs) aim to reduce crime Labrador, Her Majesty’s Penitentiary, is in committed as a result of drug dependency need of considerable infrastructure through court-monitored treatment and investments and, ultimately, outright community service support for offenders with replacement. We continue to urge the drug addictions. They also aim to reduce the Government of Canada to cost-share such burden of substance abuse on the Canadian an initiative. We are cognizant of the economy, which has been estimated at $9 recommendations of “Decades of Darkness”, billion annually for areas including law the 2008 report on our prison system. We enforcement, prosecution and incarceration. will ensure that the present correctional facilities will be used to their optimal School Zone and School Bus Safety potential. • We will amend the appropriate legislation to strengthen penalties for motorists who Women in Conflict speed in school zones or who violate school • We will continue working with stakeholders bus laws, such as by not stopping when in Labrador to develop programming and required to let students cross. We will services for women in conflict or potential explore new ways to monitor violations. conflict.

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xii

GOVERNING RESPONSIBLY

38 accountability 39 the federation

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 74 accountability 38

Our Commitment to Accountability the spirit and intent of the Act while ensuring • Our commitment to accountability is strong the people of the province receive the best and supported by our actions. Since 2003, value for public investments. we have introduced the Transparency and Accountability Act and the Lobbyist Strategic Planning and Performance Registration Act; proclaimed and Reporting strengthened the Access to Information and • We will maintain the policy we introduced Protection of Privacy Act; opened the books to require government departments and of the House of Assembly to the Auditor agencies to publish strategic plans and General; commissioned the Green Report annual performance reports to demonstrate and led the implementation of its sweeping the actions they are taking and the results recommendations to overhaul House of they are achieving. Assembly operations; began requiring strategic action plans and follow-up Online Information Clearinghouse implementation reports from government • We will provide more information online departments and agencies; posted volumes and organize it in an accessible format, of this information in the public domain on building an information disclosure the government’s web sites; commissioned clearinghouse hub to ensure more Justice Cameron to inquire into failures of information is readily available to the public. hormone receptor testing and recommend We will utilize social media as public sweeping reforms; and then proceeded to information vehicles. implement those recommendations. We have heeded the recommendations the Access to Information and Protection of Auditor General has made in annual reports Privacy - Reform reviewing departments and Crown agencies. • We recently received the recommendations In his most recent report, the Auditor General of the 2011 statutory review of the Access to stated that of the recommendations he Information and Protection of Privacy Act. followed up on, our government has We will introduce appropriate reforms to the completed or is in the process of completing legislation. We will continue to protect actions on 89.1 per cent of them. We will personal information, commercially sensitive continue to demonstrate that our information and cabinet documents. commitment to accountability is unwavering. Sunset Clauses Government That Listens • We will remain vigilant in regularly • On a broad range initiatives, we will assessing programs with a critical eye to demonstrate clearly that we are a ensure they continue to prove effective and government that listens to people, not only are not maintained beyond their period of sometimes, but as a matter of course. usefulness.

Public Tender Act Red Tape Reduction • Having introduced reforms to the Public • Having reduced the regulatory burden by Tender Act, we will reform the “Request for about a quarter, we will continue to identify Proposal” (RFP) process to bring it in line with opportunities to reduce red tape.

New ENERGY PC NL BLUE BOOK 2011 75 the federation 39

Newfoundland and Labrador – A Leader in benefiting immensely from Newfoundland Confederation and Labrador’s success and our leadership Working together during the past eight years, on the national stage. A “have” province not only have we changed the face of with a powerful record of growth and Newfoundland and Labrador, but we have strength, we will continue to lead our country also changed the face of Canada, and and continue to set a powerful example for Canadians have taken notice. In terms of all Canadians for generations to come. economic growth, we are leading the country. In promoting the development and Federal Transfers cross-jurisdictional trade in renewable • We will stand for Newfoundland and energy, we are leading the country. In Labrador to achieve fair reforms to progressive student aid policies and tuition Equalization. We will stand for fees reduction, we are leading the country. Newfoundland and Labrador to achieve In poverty reduction initiatives, we are predictable, stable and adequate programs leading the country. In promoting tourism, providing federal transfers to the provinces, taking pride in our heritage and marketing including the Canada Health Transfer, the our unique culture, we are leading the Canada Social Transfer and the Building country. In sector after sector, we are Canada base fund. Two federal transfer showing Canadians how to turn untapped initiatives are set to expire in about 2014. potential into new opportunities and The 2004 health accord provided an newfound prosperity. And we have only just additional $41 billion to the provinces for begun! health care for the following ten years to 2014. The 2007 federal budget provided an • We will work to advance initiatives that are additional $39 billion in federal transfers to in the best interests of Newfoundland and the provinces for the following seven years to Labrador. We will cooperate to achieve 2014. The Government of Canada will soon goals we might not achieve alone, but we be obligated to consider what will follow as will never compromise Newfoundland and these initiatives expire. With a suite of Labrador’s best interests. The primary transfers up for discussion, our Premier and responsibility of the Government of our government will provide strong and Newfoundland and Labrador is to safeguard knowledgeable leadership in representing the best interests of Newfoundland and Newfoundland and Labrador’s interests at Labrador. We have proven ourselves to be the decision-making forums. willing and able to stand alone, when circumstances demand it, to defend Representing Newfoundland and Labrador’s Newfoundland and Labrador on issues that Best Interests matter to us. We are not afraid to be tough • Addressed throughout this Blue Book are when toughness is warranted, but neither are many other federal-provincial issues. On all we afraid to be cooperative when of them, our government will stand strong cooperation will lead us closer to our goals. and, at all times, represent the best interests Canada is well aware of the value we bring of the people of Newfoundland and to the table. Our country is already Labrador.

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