Natural Resources committee  I would believe that without the spinoffs and the direct moneys from oil and gas development, our province would be in a very sad position indeed today. It has been a tremendous boon, a tremendous windfall. I always say that it could be much more. As my colleague Mr. Lomond said,

Natural Resources committee  I would echo that. I know right now that in Newfoundland and Labrador we have a number of megaprojects out there in the wings. I fear if they were all to come to fruition in a short period of time, we wouldn't know where we'd find the workers. Most individuals who want to be wo

Natural Resources committee  It's extremely high, extremely valuable. We work in the North Atlantic. We prosecute our livelihoods there. Most times if you go into that water, your life expectancy is measured in literally minutes. In the case of my brother and those on the chopper, they may not have survive

Natural Resources committee  I'll answer briefly and then, if I could, I'd turn it over to my colleague, Mr. Lomond. In Bay Bulls we are very close to the city of St. John's. Many people have access to Memorial University. Many people have access to the trades colleges. There's a tremendous interest in educ

Natural Resources committee  Yes.

Natural Resources committee  Mr. Chair, committee members, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about the energy security of Canada, and in particular the regional economic impacts of oil and gas development. The maximization of economic benefits from this non-renewable resource is of consi

Natural Resources committee  Regional and economic development groups, such as those I represent, are working to bring local capabilities, knowledge, skills, and initiative to bear to ensure that the province capitalizes fully on this finite opportunity. We must nevertheless not lose sight of how a strong Ne

Natural Resources committee  Most of the development and most of the spinoff benefits so far have been centred on the Avalon Peninsula, and the closer you get to the city of St. John's, the more you see. I represent, as a mayor, a small town of 1,000 people. It has been 1,000 people for many years. We have

Natural Resources committee  Any government really has the task of creating the environment in which things can happen, so when it comes to regulations and such, that's the role I see primarily for government. Of course, helping financially doesn't hurt either, but by and large, I believe government is in pl

Natural Resources committee  For 500 years the fishery has been the mainstay of the economy of Newfoundland. In recent years we have moved a fair distance from that. It's still a billion-dollar-plus industry, but we've moved away from groundfish and into shellfish for the most part. I think the fishery is a

Natural Resources committee  There's always an inherent danger when you work in the North Atlantic. I don't know how safe you can make it, but we can certainly make it safer than it is. I would refer to the helicopter crash in which my brother and those other individuals he worked with were killed. They had