Sunday, June 25, 2006
DENIS LOSIER DIED ONE YEAR AGO TODAY!!!!
I wrote this blog last year.
For you long time readers? Remember this guy from the North Shore?
He came down to the Capital to protest the hospital cuts in the North Shore.
His name was Denis Losier.
I just learned that he was one of the two brothers killed over the weekend.
He and his brother were hit by a vehicle that was driven by their best friend.
This guy was suppose to blog en Francais in my blog.
I hung with him all day during their protest!
He was a very nice guy!!!
After this picture was taken. We gave each other a little hug and little did I know that he would be dead months afterwards!!!
My deepest sympathy goes out to all his family and friends on the sad day..
WILL THE IRVINGS PRINT THIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR???
I must admit that the last couple of weeks have been very difficult even for me!
First, I get arrested at “The Altantica Info Meeting / Protest” for taking pictures to put in my blog.
Within a Two day period from then I also find out from my sources that when I return to Fredericton I will
be banned for life from the New Brunswick Legislature!?
Sure enough my sources were indeed right!
I showed up at the Legislature and I was served papers by the Sargent At Arms - Dan Bussieres telling me that I was for harassing the public.
I asked - Who did I harass?, but I receive no answers.
Last Fall, I got hired to do a job for a contractor at the
Legislature. I was told It was to be approximately six months worth of work and it paid me $10 per hour.
But soon after that the contractor was forced to
fire me after I had already worked for four hours because Dan Bussieres told him that I was a security risk.
What is strange here, is that I was still allowed to go into the Legislature every day!?, even when I was labelled as a security risk!?
Very strange.
I now have an ongoing complaint with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission pending on this issue.
So? Will this action set up a precedent to the rest of the workplace that if you put in a complaint?
You will be fired from your work? Even though your complain had nothing to do with your new employment?
The Legislative Administration Committee is served by 5 P.C.s and 3 Liberals. They held a private meeting and Tanker Malley told the media that I was warned on many different occasions of harassing the public.
This is a complete lie!!!
Not once was I was approached about my behaviour.
I believe that my behaviour is much better than the manners of our elected officials with the way they have been acting in the Chambers during these last few months?
They said that I was harassing famous industrials who visited the Legislature. The only person that I could think in that field was J.D. Irving himself. I approached the Billionaire and wished him a Merry Christmas. I even have a picture on my blog shaking hands with J.D. Irving.
Would this be considered to be harassment?
I have been a free of charge lobbyist for different issues during the last three years.
I have brought a lot of issues to light with our
elected officials as well as helped a lot of people.
I was very surprised to hear on the news that Labour leader Tom Mann congratulated Tanker Malley for banning me from the Legislature!?
Since when does a Labour leader go public and agree with the
Government?, especially on an issue where a poor person is involved?
There are many questions but no clear cut answers.
From my contacts, I heard that it was the bureaucrats who wanted me gone because they know that our present elected officials will be long gone but the bureaucrats will be around for life.
Also in my opinion Bev Harrison would have never be foolish enough to sign any papers to have me banned.
So in light of that fact I believe Dan Bussieres took advantage of Tanker’s weaknesses. So I will end with this-- Is it the People’s House?, Or the Bureaucrats
House?
Charles LeBlanc
Fredericton N.B.
A VIEW ON THE IRVING NEWSPAPERS MONOPOLY IN NEW BRUNSWCK!!!
By KIM KIERANS Community News
A SENATE committee has released a plan to ensure that Canadians will enjoy a wider choice of voices, ideas and debate through their newspapers, radio and television.
First of all it wants to control the slide towards too few people owning too much of these media.
The standing Senate committee on transportation and communications, which included former journalists Joan Fraser, Jim Munson and Pat Carney, found concentration of media ownership has accelerated and
reached unacceptable levels.
In Atlantic Canada the problem is bigger than ever.
Back in 1970 the Irving family’s domination of the media in New Brunswick was a highlight of the report of Senator Keith Davey. Ten years later the Irvings were again under fire from the Kent Commission.
This Senate committee finds that in 2006, the Irvings have an even tighter grip on media in New Brunswick.
"Probably the most emotional testimony was prompted by the extensive and growing ownership by the Irving family of New Brunswick," the report stated.
The concern is that Irving is "a dominant media force linked to a dominant industrial base."
The family owns all three English-language dailies, most weeklies and a growing number of French publications in New Brunswick. It also owns most of the presses in the province and has three radio stations. It is also estimated to have 300 companies in areas such as oil, transportation and forestry and employs eight per cent of the population.
"Competition is a great thing and personally I don’t think there’s enough," said Senator Jim Munson
He said journalists in Atlantic Canada told him that working in an environment with one dominant player created a prevailing feeling of self-censorship.
"That’s worrisome," he said. "The argument has been made that, ‘Oh, our editorials are different and we have different editorial boards.’ Somehow along the way in an economic environment like New Brunswick people have a tendency to perhaps look the other way or if you want to continue working look further away and I think those kinds of issues have to be addressed."
While the concentration in New Brunswick is a concern, the report noted that in a province with a population of just 752,000, Irving group ownership is likely responsible for the continued existence of the three dailies and many weeklies in the province.
Outside New Brunswick, Montreal-based Transcontinental Media has come to dominate the Atlantic newspaper industry.
Transcon now owns all the daily newspapers in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia with the exception of the Halifax Chronicle Herald.
It also owns almost all the weeklies in Newfoundland and a good chunk in the Annapolis Valley and southwestern Nova Scotia.
While this is an area of concern, Senator Joan Fraser said it’s not lethal. "Things change. I don’t think either the Irving interests or the Transcontinental interests or anybody’s interest are eternal." She noted that at one point Lord Black owned a "gigantic proportion of Canadian print and in rapid order he didn’t anymore."
The Senate report is clear. There’s no way to turn back the clock and undo the concentration and cross ownership of the media that the Davey Committee and Kent Commission predicted.
"The horse has left the barn. You can’t change all that," said Senator David Tkachuk.
"You have to start somewhere and build for the future," said Senator Fraser.
So, the senators envision a future with more competition and diversity of media voices. For that to happen, lawmakers will have to adopt rules for media mergers and sweeten the pot for new ventures.
The committee recommends financial aid to encourage new publications and to help them through those first tough years; more licences for community radio and TV; and improved broadband service in rural areas.
It wants the CRTC to make private broadcasters, especially radio stations, provide more local news and information, something most abandoned years ago.
It’s a tall order. Now it’s up to the public to look more closely at what the committee is suggesting. Don’t expect our concentrated media to provide you with much help.
Without public pressure it’s unlikely our MPs will soon be debating these recommendations and suggestions in Parliament, which means the Senate committee report will be added to the pile of well-intentioned but ignored studies into Canadian media.
Kim Kierans is director of the school of journalism at University of Kings College.
Online: www.parl.gc.ca/common/Committee_SenRecentReps.asp?Language=E&Parl=39&Ses=1
I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR TO THE IRVING'S NEWSPAPER!!
The issue is getting is little out of control.
Tom Mann a labour leader writing a letter to the editor praising Tanker Malley of signing papers to have me ban for week and there were a few lines in the other irving paper that wasn't true.
But I do have one problem.
The Irvings have blocked my email address. I can't send them a letter. Maybe after last week Senate report.
The Irvings will have the power to deny my letter and I would have to say- Here we go again.
I'm going to write a letter this afternoon and lets see what's going to happen.
What I'm going to do is write one and blog it right in here so the readers will see if they change the story. Stay tune....
MOLLY'S IS THE PLACE TO BE FOR A GOOD PRIVATE CONVERSATION.
Just for the record? No one paid me to write this little blog.
During my 6 months protest in front of the Legislature, I would always walk downtown especially at night.
The Capital is beautiful in the evenings. There’s no hills to walk up and it’s peaceful.
I would always walked by the many restaurants or stores on Queen Street.
I remembered one place across from Officer’s Square call - Molly’s!!!
I walked in there on a few occasions but didn’t really noticed much until last summer.
I bumped into an old friend and we wanted to have a conversation in private so he suggested Molly’s?
I said - Sure! Why not???
I was in for a huge big surprise.
Once inside, it was pretty dark but the guy kept on walking through the building until he directed me in the back.
Once outside, I noticed a cool water fountain, gold fishs nice chairs, garden and many huge umbrellas over the table so a person could escape the hot City sun.
I might add there’s good food such as Sandwiches, Soups and Ice Cream.
They always have specialties of the house. They also have any alcohol drinks you want. I might add that the coffee is fantastic. It's from another country!!!
The main reason that I decided to write about this place is the privacy a couple or anyone can have.
I remember one day, one politician wanted to chat with me but it was very difficult to have a conversation in private because all the restaurants are in the open and of course we could be distracted by other people.
In this case? It’s sort of a paradise centre on Queen Street.
A person doesn’t notice the place from the street!
It’s beautiful!!!!
I would suggest to anyone who wishes to have a meeting or chat in private over a couple of drinks or coffee?
Molly’s on Queen Street is the place to be!!!
My God! What a nice set up they have in that area.
Once again???? For the record?
Molly’s never paid me to write this blog about their fine place. They don’t even know that I’m writing this story!!!
I saw it with my own eyes and I was very impressed.
I believe that other citizens should have the right to know there’s a private paradise centre on Queen Street!!
Molly’s is located across from Officer's Square!!!
Molly's is the place to be!!!
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By the way? If you go? Please let me know because I’m curious to know if I’m the only one who feels this way?
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