' the Greatest Gift'

UPFRONT ‘ The greatest gift’ Ten years after 9/11, the legacy of the special bond between stranded passengers and their local hosts remains strong Story and photos by Rob Antle he contributions have streamed “To me personally, 9/11 events in in from all over the world. They Lewisporte have provided innumerable began the day of Friday, Sept. 14, opportunities to reaffirm the genuine T2001, with the passengers and crew of Delta goodness of a people who honestly care for Flight 15 making the first pledges as their their fellow human beings, who are not aircraft completed a transatlantic journey afraid to be different, and who have accepted from Frankfurt to Atlanta interrupted three me as if I were one of their own,” says Shirley days earlier. Since then, the offerings kept Brooks-Jones, a passenger on Delta Flight 15. coming, from a two dollar gift by a struggling “This, to me, is perhaps the greatest gift — student in Columbus, Ohio, to a $15,000 to be a part of a place and a people who are corporate donation. simply extraordinary.” The Delta Flight 15 scholarship fund was Brooks-Jones is a retired Ohio State created to thank the residents of Lewisporte, University administrator who has tirelessly N.L., who provided shelter and warmth to promoted the fund. Her visit to Lewisporte diverted passengers forced to land far away this month will be her 20th since that first from home on 9/11. unscheduled stop on 9/11. In recognition Today, Raie Lene Kirby is a fourth-year of her efforts, the provincial government medical student at Memorial University in St. awarded her honourary membership in the John’s. She is focusing on family medicine. Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2007. Raie Lene Kirby was a Grade 12 student Ten years ago, she was a 17-year-old Grade 12 The story of Delta Flight 15 is just one in Lewisporte, N.L., when the town student at Lewisporte Collegiate enlisted to of many positive tales to come from that took in stranded passengers on Sept. help out with the influx of hundreds of so- most terrible of days. According to figures 11, 2001. Kirby was among the first recipients of the Delta Flight 15 schol- called “plane people” on their doorsteps. compiled by NAV Canada, more than arship fund, created as a thank you by “Everything stopped, and all the attention 130 aircraft were diverted to locations in those diverted to central Newfound- land that day. Below, the new World was on making these people feel comfortable, Atlantic Canada on 9/11. Thirty-eight went Trade Centre is under construction in making sure that they had everything they to Gander, one to Deer Lake, 21 to St. John’s, the left of this August 2011 image of needed,” she recalls. Kirby mainly helped eight to Stephenville, seven to Goose Bay, the Lower Manhattan skyline. The origi- nal Twin Towers were destroyed in the care for the children of passengers when they 47 to Halifax, and 10 to Moncton. Gander 9/11 terrorist attacks. needed a break. It was an “amazing thing,” — a town of about 10,000 — received she says, to see how people came together. 6,600 diverted passengers alone. A year later, Kirby was among the first A number of events are planned to recipients of a scholarship from the Delta commemorate the tenth anniversary. Kirby Flight 15 fund. To date, 134 scholarships has been invited to a dinner at the Canadian have been presented to local students, consulate in Atlanta — the home of Delta’s helping them pursue fields from medicine headquarters — this month. “In the end, to engineering to business to the ministry it’s always important to remember what to teaching to nursing to geophysics. The happened that day, and that the world came fund is now closing in on $1.5 million in together to try to make a difference,” Kirby total value. says. Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 9 SUSPENSE BUILDING Halifax shipyard awaits federal contract decision rving Shipbuilding hopes the contents of that politics will be left out of the process, I16 bankers boxes delivered to Ottawa in and the two shipyards selected will be those July will transform into billions of dollars that represent “best value” to Canada. But in federal contracts spread over the coming that hasn’t stopped feverish provincial lobby- years. ing efforts. The boxes contained plans, diagrams, Three bidders have qualified for the work. and detailed documentation related to the Irving is one. Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. Halifax yard’s bid for one of two lucrative is the second. The wild card is a last-minute federal shipbuilding contracts. entry that replaced individual bids by yards in “We are very confident in our bids, our Ontario and Quebec. The assets of financially- facilities, our partnerships and, most impor- troubled Davie Yards of Lévis, Que., were tantly, our workforce and their ability to build sold to a consortium that included Ontario’s the best ships to meet the needs of the fed- Upper Lakes Group, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. A welder at Irving Shipbuilding works on the first of nine mid-shore patrol vessels for the Canadian Coast eral government well into the future,” said and South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Guard in this March photo. The Halifax yard is in the Jim Irving, CEO of Irving Shipbuilding, in Marine Engineering. The feds had agreed to running for billions in upcoming federal shipbuilding a statement formally confirming delivery of extend the final deadline for bids two weeks, work. Photo courtesy Shipsstarthere.ca the bids. allowing time for the Hail Mary Davie acqui- Up for grabs are two contracts in the Na- sition. Irving proponents say the Halifax ship- tional Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. Meanwhile, back on the East Coast, Ir- yard’s bid is the option “that will drive superi- One shipyard will be selected to build combat ving’s bid has the support of not just Nova or benefits to all parts of Canada.” And with- vessels, a contract worth roughly $25 billion. Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, but also his in the province, the combat contract could The second piece of work will see construc- counterparts in New Brunswick and Prince create and sustain up to 11,500 jobs at peak tion of non-combat vessels, mostly for the Edward Island. (The Kiewit Offshore Servic- employment periods across Nova Scotia. coast guard, with a price tag of about $8 bil- es shipyard in Newfoundland withdrew from For now, it’s wait and see — and hope. lion. contention just months before the deadline Ottawa’s decision on the contract winners is The feds have taken great pains to stress to file bids.) expected this fall. 10 | Atlantic Business Magazine | September/October 2011 UPFRONT THROUGH THE BACK DOOR Partnership gets private sale listings included on broker site or years, lack of access to Realtor.ca can now list their properties on the national F(formerly MLS) hindered the success of service for a set fee rather than a commission private real estate sales. Simply put, sales is based on a percentage of the final sale. a numbers game: the more people who see What’s the difference? Five per cent your property, the more likely you are to sell commission on the sale of a $300,000 home it. People who tried to avoid paying Realtor is $15,000. PropertyGuys.com advertises a fees by selling their own home or property basic self-service sales package for $399; it’ll were at an inherent disadvantage compared to cost another $299 to get listed on realtor.ca those who registered with a licensed broker. – which means a home could be sold for less Brokers can list with the national real estate than $700, regardless of its price tag. listings on Realtor.ca; private sales cannot. Though the deal could mean huge Rather, they could not – until now. changes for the traditional real estate New Brunswick’s ‘for sale by owner’ industry, a representative of the Canadian realty pioneers, Propertyguys.com, have Real Estate Association is circumspect in his joined forces with maverick real estate assessment. “Stories about new entrants or (L-R) Ken LeBlanc, CEO of Moncton-based PropertyGuys.com broker Lawrence Dale, president and CEO business models are common,” noted Pierre has partnered with Lawrence Dale of RealtySellers to of- of Realtysellers. Dale, a licensed broker in Leduc of CREA media relations. “CREA and fer fee-based access to national real estate listings. “This is the type of deal that consumers want and traditional Toronto who is well known for challenging its members believe in offering a range of agents fear,” says Dale. his industry’s norms, purchased shares services. Each consumer is unique and has of PropertyGuys.com and now lists unique needs, but whatever those needs their properties. But as more people get used PropertyGuys.com properties on the national may be, there is a Realtor who can offer an to transacting online, especially younger real estate listings website, under his license. appropriate level of service.” people, they’re having a hard time swallowing Founded in 1998, PropertyGuys.com PropertyGuys.com CEO Ken LeBlanc the thousands of dollars in commission fees. provides a sliding scale of services at set fees, believes the deal is a harbinger of significant I think, over the next four to five years, we’ll all of which can help a property owner sell his change in the real estate industry. “Most see a shift in how people buy and sell real or her own real estate.

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