Broadcasters must make guarantees to public
Published Thursday November 19th, 2009
Letters to the editor
The debate between the cable/satellite companies and broadcasters over "fee for carriage" has been an unprecedented public relations campaign that makes political attack ads look tame. For the most part, the accusations and innuendos from both sides have not been independently challenged, allowing the consumer to make an informed decision.
The issue is centered around the support of local broadcasting. We live in a province of more than 750,000 people; the only local programming offered is in the form of newscasts. The public broadcaster produces a newscast out of Fredericton, and the two private broadcasters each have six people dedicated to feeding regional newscasts out of Nova Scotia. Is what we have now considered "local broadcasting" and what are our thoughts on the possibility that we may now have to pay for it?
The city of Bangor, population 35,000 and also serving northern Maine, has four private broadcast stations employing a total of 213 people (63 dedicated to TV News). One of the affiliates broadcasts a two-hour morning show and noon hour, suppertime, late night and weekend newscasts. Carriage fees are negotiated every three years.
If carriage fees are approved and the broadcasters receive 50 cents per subscriber, per month, at an estimated 300,000 subscribers in New Brunswick, each individual broadcaster's revenue will increase by approximately $1.8 million dollars a year.
With this sudden influx of cash the broadcasters should consider improving their local services, or at the very least guarantee there will no longer be cutbacks.
MIKE BURCHILL
Rothesay
Moncton needs bilingual signs
Recently, Dieppe City Council adopted a bylaw regulating exterior commercial signage. The Group for Bilingual Signage in New Brunswick wholeheartedly endorses this important step forward.
The bylaw promotes bilingualism and recognizes the importance of economic development. Incoming businesses as well as renovating businesses will be required to advertise in both official languages. Since it only applies to new signs, the bylaw entails no additional costs for existing businesses. It will also be cost-neutral for Dieppe, which will enforce the regulation through its current permit system.
We would not have been able to achieve this important breakthrough without the help and support of the community. We would like to recognize the 4,000 individuals who signed the petition, the 15 national and provincial organizations that joined us, as well as federal MPs Brian Murphy and Yvon Godin, and the Committee for the Promotion of French in Dieppe. Finally, we must applaud Dieppe City Council for listening to the community and making the right decision.
The work has just begun. Equality for French-speaking New Brunswickers cannot and must not end at Dieppe's city limits. Other communities must take similar steps.
There is no better place to start than Moncton. Moncton is the first and the largest bilingual city in New Brunswick, with a population of 64,000 residents, of whom 21,000 are francophone and 30,000 are bilingual; it is unfortunate that 80 per cent of commercial signage is English-only. Moncton should follow Dieppe's lead and demonstrate that it is a city built for everyone.
MARTIN LEBLANC RIOUX
Spokesperson, Group for Bilingual Signage in New Brunswick
Debt cut won't help spending
I'd like to thank Minister of Finance Greg Byrne for making it clear the premier's statements were inaccurate when he claimed that the people of New Brunswick would benefit from the sale of NB Power.
During his Oct. 30 address, the premier said, "For New Brunswickers, the benefits are numerous..." and mentioned "the elimination of almost 40 per cent of our provincial debt."
In a Nov. 17 news article, the minister stated "the deal won't cut the amount the province pays to service the provincial debt." He went on to explain that "Right now, we make interest payments on our own debt and those interest payments are significant, about $600 million a year. That is not going to change those interest payments...."
Clearly Minister Byrne has been listening to the credit rating agencies, who have confirmed the province's rating won't improve with the sale of NB Power assets; neither will the provincial debt be reduced, since NB Power finances its own debt. The premier would do well to listen to his minister and industry experts.
This isn't the first time Byrne has had to correct the premier. Last spring, I asked if the premier would disclose the amount of money government had spent on the Moncton casino. The premier said no taxpayers' money had been spent. When I brought forward figures that confirmed several untendered contracts had been awarded, totaling $2.9 million, the minister had to correct the premier, saying he had been referring to the building of the casino.
BRUCE FITCH
PC MLA, Riverview and Opposition critic for Finance
What's Williams offering N.B.?
This is an open letter to Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.
What's your problem, Danny? Why are you squawking at us? Were you hoping New Brunswick would give you transmission access to New England's markets for your new hydro development on the Lower Churchill River - for free, on a silver platter?
Quebec made a substantial offer to us to allow that same access. I didn't hear anything about any offers from Newfoundland and Labrador. Nor did I ever hear any offers from you to share with us your recent gas and oil windfalls and still don't see any offers on the table from Newfoundland and Labrador - just your bluff and bombast.
"Danny millions," maybe it's time for you to put your offer on the table. Make your wager or fold your cards and shut up.
F.E. WHEATON
Moncton
Family thanks benefactors
Dear refinery workers,
We would like to take the time to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the donations that were given. It is unbelievable that so many people that do not know our daughter can give their hard-earned money to her cause. A very special thank you to all of the shop stewards of the local unions and also to the people that pushed this fundraiser for us. If we have missed anyone in this letter, our apologies are given. You all are wonderful people, and we are forever grateful to all of you. It makes us very proud to be apart of the construction and maintenance family.
ROB AND CHERYL MOORE
Saint John
A critic winks at global warmers
On the eve of the critical December UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, may I offer all global warming defenders (especially staunch ones like David Suzuki and Gwynne Dyer) a most sincere mea culpa for my long and pushy stand against their now vindicated theory.
All of Al Gore's predictions are coming about - as he so insightfully forecast in his Nobel Peace Prize-winning movie, An Inconvenient Truth.
It's all true and global warming deniers should accept the reality staring them in the face. Everything Gore foretold is happening. We are seeing runaway global warming (especially in the last decade), the Arctic polar cap and all the sea ice are melting, the oceans are rising faster and faster, islands are being swamped, storms are getting bigger and bigger, Category 5 hurricanes are striking the U.S. coastlines like never before, millions of species are going extinct every year, polar bears are drowning and also near extinction, and countless people are dying of excessive sweating from higher temperatures. Not one single prediction Nobel-winner Gore made has not happened. Mankind indeed faces a looming climate cataclysm of its own making.
Now, if I can only dislodge that tongue of mine from my protruding cheek...
THADDÉE RENAULT
Fredericton
Harbour bridge must be fixed
I was appalled to hear Councillor Chris Titus speaking on the dangerous condition the harbour bridge is in. Why did they not let the public know there is falling concrete on Harbour Passage?
He stated the outside walls of the bridge were not safe. This bridge should be closed until the needed repairs are complete. Why do we have no help for funding this project from infrastructure money?
Titus and MP Rodey Weston must be held accountable if anyone loses their life. As Titus said, engineers recommend closing.
BOB MCNAIR
Saint John
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I see you have no problems with my freedom of speech, as long as i do it in both official languagues. I somehow suspect it would not be a problem if i just used french though.
His version of Bill 101 Quebec style equality which forces everyone to speak French or move out of the province, is not needed. The goal of the French activists is to bring the Offical Languages Act into the private sector and no matter where a francophone travels they will need service in French
Remember sign laws=the demand for bilingual service=less jobs for unilingual anglophones. Remember what happened in Quebec is going to happen here.
Speak up and tell you MLA, MP, write letters to the editor and say no to sign laws.
I dont see sign laws in the US in order to give over 300 million people equality with each other.
A person who does not speak English or French is equal under the law with anyone else for anything in the civil or criminal courts. Language does not make people equal, human rights make people equal and language rights are not human rights though the French activists are trying to make them so.
While seeing as every research dollar and development dollar for hibernia and white rose came from ottawa to start with i think it is only right they send the money back to ottawa for disbursment.isn't it ironic, that about 90% of newfoundlanders were living off ottawa's handouts back in the early 90,s because they had fished themselves into poverty by not abiding by the federal imposed limits. But because they now have money coming from offshore oil financed solely by ottawa danny williams feels that all of that money should stay in newfoundland. Talk about a hypocrit.