Have you seen that Irving Oil TV commercial, the one about saving the right whales by moving the shipping lanes?
At the end, a woman is paddling across the bay, talking about the partnership between industry and the environment, about giving nature the right of way. “That’s my ‘what if,’ ” she says.
What is my "what if"?
How about this…
What if K.C. Irving never built that first refinery, the most visible symbol of this heavily industrial city?
What if heavy industry hadn’t so thoroughly dominated the city’s economy for the past 50 years? Would we now be building a true post-industrial economy, one that didn’t rely on the burning of fossil fuels?
What if we didn’t have to sell out the planet to become an Energy Hub?
Our beautiful coastline is already blighted by an oil refinery, the Canaport oil and gas terminal, the Colson Cove generating station, and the Point. Lepreau nuclear power plant.
Now, the provincial government wants to build a second reactor at Lepreau, and the Irvings are adding two more soiled gems to the landscape – a second refinery and the liquefied natural gas terminal.
What if we could be like Germany, which has become an alternative energy superpower. It’s created 240,000 jobs in renewable energy industries like solar and wind power.
What if consumers – me included – could reduce consumption and eliminate the business case for building new refineries?
That’s my “what if.”
Then again, what if I just had an active imagination like the folks at Irving Oil?
And I talked up the fact that Irving Oil burns clean fuels, the low-sulphur ones the company’s always bragging about. It’s kind of like manufacturing light cigarettes, I guess.
And what if I just focused on Irvings Oil’s environmentally friendly symbols that mask the polluting nature of the fossil fuel industry?
Take Eider Rock, for example, the name for the proposed refinery project. An eider is a cute little duck. These hardy little fellas don’t migrate; they stick it out in the cold northeast all winter. Irving Oil says they represent Saint John’s strength and permanence.
It’s a heart-warming contrast to the oil soaked birds that made the nightly news after the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
In the environment section on Irving Oil’s web site, they talk about employees biking around the refinery site rather than driving motor vehicles, thereby doing their part for the environment,
That’s their “what if.”
Whatever.
- Mark Leger
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Irving Oil's what if...
What if an oil company really could be green. That's Irving Oil's what if...we'll talk to environmentalists tonight on Serf City to see what they think. We want to hear from you too - the citizens of Serf City. Give us a call at 651-3830 and express your thoughts on the election campaign. That’s ‘Serf City’ Thursday, March 27, at 6 pm on CFMH 107.3 FM.
Friday, March 21, 2008
A Prayer for Norm McFarlane
Earlier this week, my wife Janet I went to city hall, intending to catch the end of a council session.
As it turned out, it had been over for hours.
We heard voices inside, though, so we opened the door.
We thought we were entering the House of the People – Common Council.
Instead, it felt like we were entering the House of God.
The council chamber was empty, except for a small group of people gathered in front of the mayor’s chair.
They swayed back and forth, their arms outstretched toward the ceiling.
“Praise be to God, they cried.”
“Thank you Jesus.”
“Lead them and guard them Oh God.”
It was like a scene from an evangelical church in the southern U.S.
Yet here we were, on a Tuesday night in City Hall.
Janet stepped back outside the chamber. I took a seat in the front row, waiting for a break in the action.
After a few minutes, three people left the group and headed for the exit.
I got up and met them at the door.
“What were you doing?” I asked.
“Praying,” a woman said. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“Why here, though?” I asked.
“We come here often to pray for the politicians, to help them lead us,” she said.
“Why tonight?” I asked.
“The door was open,” she said, and then off they went.
Janet and I then walked home, puzzled by the scene we’d just witnessed. We’ve spoken to councilors and council watchers since then, and none of them has ever heard of this group. Yet there there were, and had been many times before they said.
I must admit my first instinct was to take offence.
Like I said earlier, the council chamber is a People’s House, not a House of God.
I believe in the separation of Church and State, and for that reason oppose even the prayer that kicks off each session of council.
But who were these people really hurting? They were alone here, and not imposing their beliefs on a full council chamber.
Besides, council is doing a poor job of leading the city right now. They’re fighting a lot with each other, in private and in public. In general, they’re not inspiring much confidence.
So I can’t fault this group for saying a prayer for better leadership.
I certainly don’t have any better suggestions myself.
As it turned out, it had been over for hours.
We heard voices inside, though, so we opened the door.
We thought we were entering the House of the People – Common Council.
Instead, it felt like we were entering the House of God.
The council chamber was empty, except for a small group of people gathered in front of the mayor’s chair.
They swayed back and forth, their arms outstretched toward the ceiling.
“Praise be to God, they cried.”
“Thank you Jesus.”
“Lead them and guard them Oh God.”
It was like a scene from an evangelical church in the southern U.S.
Yet here we were, on a Tuesday night in City Hall.
Janet stepped back outside the chamber. I took a seat in the front row, waiting for a break in the action.
After a few minutes, three people left the group and headed for the exit.
I got up and met them at the door.
“What were you doing?” I asked.
“Praying,” a woman said. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“Why here, though?” I asked.
“We come here often to pray for the politicians, to help them lead us,” she said.
“Why tonight?” I asked.
“The door was open,” she said, and then off they went.
Janet and I then walked home, puzzled by the scene we’d just witnessed. We’ve spoken to councilors and council watchers since then, and none of them has ever heard of this group. Yet there there were, and had been many times before they said.
I must admit my first instinct was to take offence.
Like I said earlier, the council chamber is a People’s House, not a House of God.
I believe in the separation of Church and State, and for that reason oppose even the prayer that kicks off each session of council.
But who were these people really hurting? They were alone here, and not imposing their beliefs on a full council chamber.
Besides, council is doing a poor job of leading the city right now. They’re fighting a lot with each other, in private and in public. In general, they’re not inspiring much confidence.
So I can’t fault this group for saying a prayer for better leadership.
I certainly don’t have any better suggestions myself.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Election Fever...
Forget Spring Fever, the race is on to be Saint John's mayor. Tune in to ‘Serf City’ for a discussion of the election campaign underway now that Michelle Hooton has joined Ivan Court and Norm McFarlane in the race for the city's top job. We'll interview people who keep a close eye on the political scene, including 'Telegraph-Journal' columnist John Chilibeck, former mayor Shirley McAlary, CHSJ news director Gary MacDonald and Kurt Peacock from UNBSJ. We also want to hear from you - the citizens of Serf City. Give us a call at 651-3830 and express your thoughts on the election campaign. That’s ‘Serf City’ Thursday, March 20, at 6 pm on CFMH 107.3 FM.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Theatre for the people
The following is a transcript of comments I made opening last night's show:
Good evening. I’m Mark Leger and you’re listening to Serf City on CFMH 107.3 FM.
For eight months last year, I lived in Ghana, a country in West Africa.
My wife and I lived in Accra, the capital and home to about five million people.
Because it was so big it had a lively arts and culture scene.
To get to know the place better, we went to a lot festivals, concerts, and theatre productions.
One night soon after we arrived, we went to a play at the National Theatre, the Accra equivalent of the Imperial. The play was called “Streetism” and was about the life of homeless children in Accra.
We thought we’d learn more about Ghana through the play itself – the plot, the themes, and the acting styles. We didn’t consider what role the audience would play.
In most Western theatres audiences are reminded before the show to turn off their cell phones and it’s considered rude to talk during the performance.
In Ghana, as it turned out, audience participation is part of the show.
From the opening scene where Ghanaian street kids were setting up mats on the streets of Accra, to the final one where the kids were convicted of theft but ultimately released into the care of local churches, audience members hooted and hollered, laughed and shouted questions and made comments to the actors on stage. It must have taken incredible concentration to deliver lines amidst the racket in the audience.
At times it felt like the set of a lowbrow U.S. talk show. One particular scene involved a father and a stepmother trying to deal with their son, who is skipping school and getting poor grades. At one point the son puts up his fist and challenges his father to a fight, and the audience goes nuts, some egging him on, others aghast that he would show such disrespect for his father.
Later in the play, a little boy was centre stage, taking about why he ran away from home. He said his father and mother were too busy at work to take proper care of him. From the back of theatre, someone shouted, “That’s no reason to leave home.”
At first I felt badly for the actors – especially the little kids – but then I realized it was part of the culture, a sign of their engagement in the play. They aren’t passive observers like we are here in Canada.
Now, I’m not suggesting you heckle the actors next time you see a play in Saint John.
But do pack the theatre and be as enthusiastic as they were that night in Ghana. Maybe an extra loud and long standing-ovation at the end of the play.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks, which is why the theme of the show tonight is “All of Saint John’s a Stage”
There are 3 plays being staged this week and next.
Teatrogatos is presenting ‘9 Parts of Desire’ on Prince William Street. The Lorenzo Society is staging David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’ at UNBSJ. The Saint John Theatre Company follows with ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ at the Imperial Theatre.
That’s not all. At the end of the month, a local improv group is presenting “Teabag: The Musical” at Akord on Water Street.
We’ll set the scene tonight with interviews about the productions themselves and the state of the theatre scene in Saint John.
We also want to hear from you. What do you think of the city’s theatre scene right now? What’s the best play you’ve ever seen staged here?
If you didn't get a chance to contribute your thoughts to tonight's show, post a note here, or send us an e-mail to: serfcitysj@gmail.com
Good evening. I’m Mark Leger and you’re listening to Serf City on CFMH 107.3 FM.
For eight months last year, I lived in Ghana, a country in West Africa.
My wife and I lived in Accra, the capital and home to about five million people.
Because it was so big it had a lively arts and culture scene.
To get to know the place better, we went to a lot festivals, concerts, and theatre productions.
One night soon after we arrived, we went to a play at the National Theatre, the Accra equivalent of the Imperial. The play was called “Streetism” and was about the life of homeless children in Accra.
We thought we’d learn more about Ghana through the play itself – the plot, the themes, and the acting styles. We didn’t consider what role the audience would play.
In most Western theatres audiences are reminded before the show to turn off their cell phones and it’s considered rude to talk during the performance.
In Ghana, as it turned out, audience participation is part of the show.
From the opening scene where Ghanaian street kids were setting up mats on the streets of Accra, to the final one where the kids were convicted of theft but ultimately released into the care of local churches, audience members hooted and hollered, laughed and shouted questions and made comments to the actors on stage. It must have taken incredible concentration to deliver lines amidst the racket in the audience.
At times it felt like the set of a lowbrow U.S. talk show. One particular scene involved a father and a stepmother trying to deal with their son, who is skipping school and getting poor grades. At one point the son puts up his fist and challenges his father to a fight, and the audience goes nuts, some egging him on, others aghast that he would show such disrespect for his father.
Later in the play, a little boy was centre stage, taking about why he ran away from home. He said his father and mother were too busy at work to take proper care of him. From the back of theatre, someone shouted, “That’s no reason to leave home.”
At first I felt badly for the actors – especially the little kids – but then I realized it was part of the culture, a sign of their engagement in the play. They aren’t passive observers like we are here in Canada.
Now, I’m not suggesting you heckle the actors next time you see a play in Saint John.
But do pack the theatre and be as enthusiastic as they were that night in Ghana. Maybe an extra loud and long standing-ovation at the end of the play.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks, which is why the theme of the show tonight is “All of Saint John’s a Stage”
There are 3 plays being staged this week and next.
Teatrogatos is presenting ‘9 Parts of Desire’ on Prince William Street. The Lorenzo Society is staging David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’ at UNBSJ. The Saint John Theatre Company follows with ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ at the Imperial Theatre.
That’s not all. At the end of the month, a local improv group is presenting “Teabag: The Musical” at Akord on Water Street.
We’ll set the scene tonight with interviews about the productions themselves and the state of the theatre scene in Saint John.
We also want to hear from you. What do you think of the city’s theatre scene right now? What’s the best play you’ve ever seen staged here?
If you didn't get a chance to contribute your thoughts to tonight's show, post a note here, or send us an e-mail to: serfcitysj@gmail.com
Sunday, March 9, 2008
All of Saint John's a stage
Tune in to ‘Serf City’ for a discussion of Saint John’s lively theatre scene. Three plays in one week, all produced locally. Tearogatos presents ‘9 Parts of Desire’ on Prince William Street. The Lorenzo Society stages David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’ at UNBSJ. The Saint John Theatre Company presents ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ at the Imperial Theatre. We’ll set the scene on Thursday night with interviews about the plays, and the state of the theatre scene in Saint John. That’s ‘Serf City’ Thursday, March 13, at 6 pm on CFMH 107.3 FM.
Friday, March 7, 2008
People deserve to heard on city development issues
The following is a transcript of comments I made opening last night's show:
Good evening. I’m Mark Leger and you’re listening to 'Serf City' on CFMH 107.3 FM.
I’m going to begin tonight’s show with a quick story about a recent trip to city council. No groans, people, I even going to talk about zoning. But bear with me, now, I promise to keep it short and as interesting as it can be.
I went to the city council session on Monday night. When I arrived it was packed with city workers because the ongoing pension debate was back on the agenda.
But before they finished with that issue for the night, council had to deal with some residential zoning issues.
First up was a gentleman from the east side. He lives in a quiet residential neighbourhood and he was worried about a bar someone wanted to open across the street. He made a passionate speech about how this would tarnish the residential character of his neighourhood. He asked the councilors, “Would you want to raise your kids across the street from a nightclub?
The councilors apparently agreed and rejected a zoning amendment that would have allowed a club to set up there.
Next up was a young couple from Sewell Street in uptown. Lee Jamieson and Paula Alfonso were concerned because a small law firm was opening next door. They share a driveway, and the law firm wanted to use to get their parking lot.
Lee and Paula were vehemently opposed to this idea. They didn’t want cars going up and down the driveway all day. They thought it would be dangerous and ruin the residential character of their property.
They gave a long and spirited presentation of their objections. They showed pictures of renovations to the house and extensive work on the property, and spoke at length about how their little uptown oasis would be spoilt by the proposed zoning amendment.
Everyone, me included, was getting restless after about an hour.
But it got me thinking about the nature city living; how at the heart of most development issues is the mix and mingling of commercial and residential.
Think of the LNG facility…the pipeline through Rockwood Park. Affected residents may not have gotten their way on those issues, but they certainly got their say.
On a much smaller scale, uptown couple and the family from the east side are grappling with the same fundamental issue – the balancing of commercial and residential needs in the city.
Should a bar be located in a residential neighbourhood? Should a business be able to use a residential driveway?
I don’t think there’s a clear-cut answer to either of these questions. But I do know one thing: the people’s should be heard.
Which brings me to the subject for today…the proposed police/justice development north of Union Street. The public consultations concluded on Saturday at the Trade and Convention Centre. The results of those discussions are due to be released next Thursday.
But we want to continue the debate here tonight.
What do you think should be done with the site north of Union?
Should the older buildings there be demolished to make way for the police state, or should they be preserved?
Is it even the right place for the police station, or should other things be developed there?
If you didn't listen to the show last night or give us a call, feel free to post your thoughts here!
- Mark
Good evening. I’m Mark Leger and you’re listening to 'Serf City' on CFMH 107.3 FM.
I’m going to begin tonight’s show with a quick story about a recent trip to city council. No groans, people, I even going to talk about zoning. But bear with me, now, I promise to keep it short and as interesting as it can be.
I went to the city council session on Monday night. When I arrived it was packed with city workers because the ongoing pension debate was back on the agenda.
But before they finished with that issue for the night, council had to deal with some residential zoning issues.
First up was a gentleman from the east side. He lives in a quiet residential neighbourhood and he was worried about a bar someone wanted to open across the street. He made a passionate speech about how this would tarnish the residential character of his neighourhood. He asked the councilors, “Would you want to raise your kids across the street from a nightclub?
The councilors apparently agreed and rejected a zoning amendment that would have allowed a club to set up there.
Next up was a young couple from Sewell Street in uptown. Lee Jamieson and Paula Alfonso were concerned because a small law firm was opening next door. They share a driveway, and the law firm wanted to use to get their parking lot.
Lee and Paula were vehemently opposed to this idea. They didn’t want cars going up and down the driveway all day. They thought it would be dangerous and ruin the residential character of their property.
They gave a long and spirited presentation of their objections. They showed pictures of renovations to the house and extensive work on the property, and spoke at length about how their little uptown oasis would be spoilt by the proposed zoning amendment.
Everyone, me included, was getting restless after about an hour.
But it got me thinking about the nature city living; how at the heart of most development issues is the mix and mingling of commercial and residential.
Think of the LNG facility…the pipeline through Rockwood Park. Affected residents may not have gotten their way on those issues, but they certainly got their say.
On a much smaller scale, uptown couple and the family from the east side are grappling with the same fundamental issue – the balancing of commercial and residential needs in the city.
Should a bar be located in a residential neighbourhood? Should a business be able to use a residential driveway?
I don’t think there’s a clear-cut answer to either of these questions. But I do know one thing: the people’s should be heard.
Which brings me to the subject for today…the proposed police/justice development north of Union Street. The public consultations concluded on Saturday at the Trade and Convention Centre. The results of those discussions are due to be released next Thursday.
But we want to continue the debate here tonight.
What do you think should be done with the site north of Union?
Should the older buildings there be demolished to make way for the police state, or should they be preserved?
Is it even the right place for the police station, or should other things be developed there?
If you didn't listen to the show last night or give us a call, feel free to post your thoughts here!
- Mark
Monday, March 3, 2008
I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down...
The Big Bad Wolf proved to be no match for a house made of brick, and the same may be true for those that want to level buildings north of Union Street to build a new police station. Tune in to this week’s Serf City for a discussion of the proposed police/justice development. Should we tear down the existing buildings or incorporate them into the proposed development? We’ll speak with politicians, heritage advocates, but mostly importantly we want to hear from you – the citizens of Serf City. Tune in Thursday night at 6 pm to CFMH 107.3 and give us a call. The number for the phone-in is 651-3830. Talk to you Thursday night!
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