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Show Tuesday. September 24, 19 THE DAILY HERALD, Provo, I Uh Page B7 Faced with cod crisis, Canada's poorest province fights back By DAVID crarv from the projects. It still smarts from a 1966 hydroelectric deal that ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland enabled Quebec to sell power to This was Canada's poorest the northeastern United States for province even before its major huge profits, while Newfoundland site of the project industry, the cod fishery yvas got only wiped out But Newfoundland isn't token payments. "Whenever you talk about seeking sympathy. Saddled with 19 percent unem- megaprojects, there's always been ployment, the province is tackling disappointment in the aftermath," its epic problems with potentially said Chuck Furey, the province's industry minister. "Our expectaepic solutions, including world-clations have always been on the mining and offshore oil promoon, and we've always crashed jects. Not to mention farming, and marketing vodka down to earth." To boost the chances for broad made from melted icebergs. Not everyone will emerge a economic progress, the governwinner. Jobs for university gradu- ment also has selected three other areas to target for ates are scarce, forcing many to head elsewhere, and life will never development. One is tourism, a challenging be quite the same again in the hundreds of fishing villages that relied sector because of Newfoundland's on cod. geographic isolation. There is hope But those pushing for change for a miniboom next year, the 500th anniversary of the island's say this is no time for nostalgia. "This is war that's the atti- discovery by navigator John tude of businessmen here," said Cabot. The second targeted sector is Roderick White, vice president of information high-tec- h a technology, particularfirm, NewEast Wireless Telecom. "We ly in fields related to marine comhave some serious handicaps when munications. One company, Nautical Data International, is wooing it comes to competing in the global economy, and maybe you grow customers worldwide with digital up with a little bit of an inferiority navigation charts. The third sector is aquaculture complex. So we're pretty motivatNewfoundland's cold, ed here." using Ever since it reluctantly joined unpolluted waters to raise seafood Canada in 1949, Newfoundland products like scallops, salmon, mussels, whelk, sea cucumbers has been one of the "have-not- " provinces, receiving much more in and sea urchins. While revenues from cod fishfederal aid than it contributes in ing have fallen from $136 million taxes. The collapse of cod stocks in in 1988 to $1 million last year, revenues for other seafood have 1992, and a continuing moratorium on cod fishing, has worsened surged to offset that loss. But the encouraging financial the imbalance, yet officials believe Newfoundland can become a results have not translated into "have" province within 10 years. jobs. Of the 42,000 people who The optimism focuses on two worked in Newfoundland's fishing a nickel depdsit at industry before the cod collapse, megaprojects in Labrador heralded 25,000 are unemployed. Voisey's Bay The experience has been as one of the biggest mineral finds for Newfoundland's offwrenching the and the of start of century, shore oil drilling in the Grand coastal towns, where the fishermen's entire lives revolved around Banks. ' The first oil project, Hibernia, is cod. "The numbers understate the scheduled to begin operations next human impact," said Alistair year. The Voisey's Bay mine may O'Reilly, assistant deputy fisheries minister. "Most communities on open by 1998, potentially supplythe coast are without the resource 13 nickthe world's of ing percent that was such a big part of their el. social and economic fabric. the Together, projects are likely It's who they are and what they to generate several thousand jobs do." and hundreds of millions of dollars But some former fisheries for the debt-riddprovincical workers are shifting gears successgovernment, which had been layfully through retraining. At Nautiing off hundreds of civil servants. Newfoundland authorities have cal Data International, which deals computer technolobeen bargaining hard to ensure the in cutting-edg- e 32 of the 52 employees formergy, maximum benefits province gets ly were fishermen or fish-plaAssociated Press Writer i..r ' t V . . ss sea-urch- in hi non-miner- al ft V i - f1 fast-growi- en nt -- fan AP Photo background, off A the entrance including these two unidentified women taking a break from a stroll near the shoreline. Since the collapse of the cod fishery, New- - huge iceberg, to the harbor of St. John's, Newfoundland, attracts thousands of tourists and residents, workers. In the harbor town of Arnold's Cove, an entreprenuerial, can-d- o spirit is evident. Instead of closing down when the cod stocks collapsed, managers at the National workers on the payroll. "To keep going, we had to become world class, we had to compete on the world market," said the plant's chief executive, Bruce Warehanx "We had to make m "This is war that's the attitude of businessmen here in Newfoundland. We have some serious handicaps when it comes to competing in the global economy, and maybe you grow lip with a little .bit of an inferiority complex. So we're pretty motivated here." Roderick White, Newfoundland businessman Sea Products fish plant decided to persevere even if they had to import cod from abroad. Using Russian cod from the Bering Sea, the processing plant has managed to survive, keeping about half its 450 drastic changes in the way we operate." Though laying off half the workers was tough, Wareham said employees' morale is high because of improvements to the plant and new China, Japan Sn dispute over uninhabited islands Although coming at the problem from different angles and different solutions, all No one should pushing BEIJING share one thing: They are sides care much about the Diaoyu Chinese who feel they were I; lands. The eight small, volhumiliated once by the Japanese canic islands in the East China and will not let it happen again. Sea, just off the northern tip of "This is similar to 1931, Taiwan, are uninhabited and when Japan invaded the northcovered with scrub. east provinces of China," said Fishermen stop now and then Zeng, a campaigner in BeiTong to fish the deep waters or pick for war reparations from herbs in the high hills. For cen- jing a repeat of history. "It's Japan. turies, the place was just a dot in That's feelings are strong why and the open sea, uninteresting among Chinese, no matter where ignored. are." But the building of a spindly they Taiwan and Japan all China, lighthouse on an outcropping of claim the islands, whose waters rocks this summer has opened a are thought to hold significant dangerous rift between China oil and gas reserves. Japan calls and Japan, exposing wounds the archipelago the Senkaku from World War II that have yet Islands. to heal. The issue of who owns the Members of a right-win- g was dormant until this islands group from Japan built the lightwhen members of the summer, house, claiming the archipelago nationalist Japan Youth Federais part of Japanese territory. Chiy an built tion aluminum, na has warned the Japanese the on one of lighthouse to knock it down. a and islands Japanese painted "Whether Japan can win trust a wooden board, hoisted from Asian countries and even flag on hillside. a on They also posted a the whole world depends on translates to: "Rememthat sign of actions the it whether can stop Dead." the ber on the Diaoyu the On Monday, they landed once Islands and whether it can correct its attitude toward its history again on the island to rebuild the of aggression," Shen Guofang, a flimsy lighthouse, the third time Chinese government spokesman, they had done so since July because of rough weather. said Thursday. This time, however, groups in Curiously, Chinese officials find themselves on the same side Hong Kong, Beijing and Taipei of this issue as democrats from have vowed to put an end to it, scolding the Japanese governHong Kong and nationalists ment for not reining in the right- from Taiwan. By JENNIFER UN Knight-Ridd- Newspapers er two-stor- nt right-winge- rs t t . wingers. But they are getting little encouragement from the Japanese government. Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikedo said during a recent trip to Hong Kong that Japan had legitimate claim over the Diaoyu Islands. Navy vessels from Japan, meanwhile, have been patrolling the waters, preventing Taiwanese from fishing too close to shore. The battle over the Diaoyu Islands has struck a deep chord among Chinese from the mainland as well as Taiwan. Even though Japan has built strong economic ties in Asia, 50 years have not erased deep feelings of distrust, anger and suspicion. Taiwan became a colony of Japan in 1895, while Hong Kong was an occupied city during World War II. China's northwestern region of Manchuria was invaded by Japan on Sept. 18, 1931, starting the War. As many as 300,000 Chinese were killed by- Japanese troops in the "Rape of Nanking" in 1937. "Hong Kong people are very upset," said Albert Ho, a Hong Kong legislator and spokesman for the Committee for the Protection of the Diaoyu Islands. "Not only have the Japanese done few things to express, a national apology for the wartime atrocities committed against Hong Kong and China, they are now showing a revival of militarism and aggression." emphasis on cooperation. "I had a dream to make working in a fish plant something to be proud, of," said Wareham. who grew up in a nearby harbor town. . "We can compete with the best in the world. And we can do all this in Newfoundland, where people supposedly just drink beer and don't want to work." More so than other Canadians, Newfoundlanders admit to having a chip on their shoulder and believe their compatriots in other provinces look down on them. The Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism has placed ads in major Canadian papers trying to dispel misconceptions about Newfoundland. "We're perceived by a lot of investors as an economic backwater," said Geoff Tooten, who heads the marketing division. Earle McCurdy, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union, said he finds himself fre worker-manageme- mm mm I- ....... mm The Daily Herald - Category: City: Zip: Phone: Mail to: Pumpkin i wm mm mm m mm mm mm Contest, The mm mm mm mm V Jit can cut down on the Daily Herald, 1555 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo, UT 84604 mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm Already Entered? -- chance of trouble, if you have my company come out to tune it up and get it ready for the winter months. 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