Cheers &Jeers

JEERS: to the major hit Fiona had on Newfoundland’s farms – and the lack of help coming from both the provincial and federal government. So far, both levels of government say there’s nothing they can do to help farmers cope with the losses. “They fully appreciate the loss that we’ve experienced, and certainly they recognize that it’s a terrible blow, but there isn’t an existing program to help with it,” says New World Dairy president Brent Chaffey, who says the storm resulted in a price tag of more than $1.5-million for his St. David’s farm. The storm levelled more than half of Chaffey’s 800 acres of corn, meant to keep his dairy and beef cattle fed through the winter, and isn’t covered by crop insurance because that’s not available on dairy farms in this province. With the only other opportunity to secure feed in Quebec – and coming with a hefty price tag – he’s had to make difficult choices, including getting rid of his entire beef herd. New World isn’t the only farm to suffer setbacks thanks to Fiona – half of the wheat at West Valley Farm in Doyles was damaged, about 100,000 litres of industrial milk from this province was dumped due to a power outage at the Agropur plant in Truro, N.S., and Sweet Berry Farms in Black Duck Siding lost 12 turkeys and a new building they were using as a turkey barn. Increasing agriculture of all types needs to be a priority in this province considering how little of our food is produced here, and this sort of loss is a huge setback. The lack of government support in a situation like this, where we know Fiona had a devastating impact, surely makes it clear the value the two levels of government place on building this sort of industry in the province, and it’s completely unacceptable.

CHEERS: to repurposing an old military base and building a new industry.

Argentia Gold took a risk on the unknown when it opened in 2020 in the former U.S. Navy base, and as CEO Brian Keating points out, “everybody knows the marijuana industry wasn’t so lucrative as everybody expected.” It’s a costly endeavour in this province due to our climate. With Newfoundland and Labrador’s demand for pot still relatively low, they’ve found new markets and are selling in Ontario and Saskatchewan currently and plan to continue looking for other places to sell their product. Building a business is always a challenge, but Argentia Gold is employing 20 to 40 people, depending on the time of year, and looking for new opportunities for the rest of their building, which is renovated and ready to go.

CHEERS: to an improved situation for those living in the Outer Battery.

The bright lights are finally shut off and the abandoned Servicemaster vehicle that impeded parking in the area for nearly a year has disappeared. This comes after the company said it was taking the “appropriate remedial measures” after it was alerted to the situation. Where the van has gone is still unknown, but it’s definitely a relief to residents like Christina Smith, who said, “It feels like a big relief. The whole feeling of living here is changing. It’s a step forward.” But the situation isn’t over yet – those lights could be flipped back on at any time, and several residents of the Outer Battery are still embroiled in lawsuits. We can only hope it’ll come to a positive resolution for all involved.