I find this a bit strange:

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Police say they never learned the identity of the driver until six days after the accident, but Bezanson said police told him later on that night they knew who it was and that it was a government-owned vehicle.

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CBC

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“(He) definitely smelled of alcohol,” Mr. Gamble said Thursday. “I can’t say that he was over the limit without a breathalyser or whatever.”

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That is true for the charge of "blowing over .080." But impaired driving does not require a breathalyser reading. For the charge to be laid, there need only to be "reasonable grounds to believe" that the driving was "impaired by alcohol".

It appears to me that the "slurred speech" and odor of alcohol reported by the witnesses do give such reasonable grounds.

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Here is what Nova Scotia’s Motor Vehicle Act says about car accidents and reporting them to police:

“The driver of a vehicle directly or indirectly involved in an accident shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”

“Where a person violates (the above clause) and there is injury or ..... damage to property resulting from the accident, the person violating (the above clause) shall upon conviction be punished as provided” under the law.

“The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury or ..... damage to property shall also give his name, address and the registration number of his vehicle and exhibit his driver’s licence to ..... the driver or occupants of any vehicle collided with, or to a witness.”

“The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury or ..... property damage to an apparent extent of $1,000 or more, shall, within 24 hours ..... forward a written report of the accident ..... to the nearest detachment of the (RCMP), or to the chief of police or any regular member of the police force of the city or incorporated town” in which the accident took place.

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Originally posted by sandpiper:
... I just assumed he resigned as MLA when I first skimmed the story. But he's going to stay on. It's just his cabinet post he stepped down from.

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Resigning is something that he apparently does frequently.

From the Herald article:

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...It’s the second time in less than a year that Mr. Fage has quit cabinet in controversy...

In February, Mr. Fage resigned his cabinet spot over a government loan. He hadn’t told his cabinet colleagues about his ties to S&J Potato, a company slated to receive a $250,000 government loan. Mr. MacDonald put Mr. Fage back into cabinet after the June election.

NDP House Leader Kevin Deveaux said the fact Mr. Fage is embroiled in a second controversy reflects badly on the premier and his judgment.

“The premier should have thought long and hard before he decided to bring him back into cabinet,” the New Democrat said. “I think Nova Scotians have good reason to question (Mr. MacDonald’s) judgment.”

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[ 05 January 2007: Message edited by: Briguy ]

I guess the lesson here for politicians that commit crimes is to go big, or go home. Or do it in Hawaii, or have the Syrians do it....

The number of people in Canada who remember that Campbell was convicted of driving drunk would probably fit in a $10 hotel room.

Once the Liberals elect a new leader, and get their dirty trust fund money, they'll withdraw their support.

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A Tory backbencher says he called the premier's chief of staff about Ernie Fage's car crash immediately after the fact, contradicting claims from the premier's office.

Caucus chair Alfie MacLeod said Wednesday he notified Bob Chisholm the night of the accident after he drove by the scene on Nov. 24.

"I thought it was [Fage's] car, but I wasn't sure," he said.

MacLeod said he called Chisholm to report that he saw an accident and believed it was Fage's black Jetta.

"He said thank you for calling," MacLeod said.

MacLeod said he was at the same bar with Chisholm and Fage that night, marking the end of the legislature's session.

...

MacLeod's revelation may have serious political ramifications for the minority Tory government, says NDP Leader Darrell Dexter.

"The government here is in peril," Dexter said. "They are placing themselves in a position of instability, which is inexcusable."

Dexter said it appears the premier's office hasn't been forthright in detailing who knew about the accident and when.

Premier Rodney MacDonald lashed out at reporters Wednesday morning.

"I'm not going to be commenting further on this," he said, adding the police investigation is still underway.

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CBC

Bob Chisholm (the premier's chief of staff) made a statement last evening in which he implicated Sasha Irving (communications director) whose name had never been mentioned in connection with all this. Darrell Dexter (NDP leader) happened to be on live TV at the same time and he had a completely incredulous and flabbergasted look on his face when he heard that.

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A lot of Tories are grumbling about leadership after watching Premier Rodney MacDonald's office bungle the Ernie Fage fiasco last week.

But party sources say there is only a remote chance of a coup before MacDonald's minority government faces a confidence vote this spring.

"Obviously everyone's talking about leadership now," one prominent Progressive Conservative said. "But Rodney's probably safe."

There are two ways for the party to depose its leader: through a caucus revolt, or a constitutional change at its annual general meeting next month. Neither seems likely, according to sources who are friendly to MacDonald, and others who would like a change at the top.

Some cabinet ministers were openly grumbling at the legislature last week after the premier's office was forced to admit to a cover-up in the aftermath of the Nov. 24 car crash that led to Fage's resignation.

....

Another source said a revolt is not in the nature of most Tories.

"People are reluctant to shoot the leader, but they are always willing to shoot the staff."

MacDonald refused to fire staff members Bob Chisholm and Sasha Irving, who took the blame last week for misleading the public over when the premier's office learned about the accident.

Sources said pressure will build for someone to take the fall as the PC party prepares for its annual convention in Halifax, Feb 9 to 11.

The mood at the meeting is not likely to be happy. But Tories don't expect it to be rebellious either.

Things could be uglier if the premier and the government drop in the polls, but the next public opinion survey is not due to be released until March.

There is no mechanism at the annual meeting to depose a premier. The Conservative party constitution only allows for a leadership review after an election loss.

That would force an anti-MacDonald faction to change the constitution if it wants a review. And the party only votes on a change to those rules if members from 30 different constituencies are willing to put their names on a petition.

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By MARY ELLEN MACINTYRE Truro Bureau

PLEASANT VALLEY — Tory MP Bill Casey is determined the Lafarge cement kiln in this community will not be burning tires.

The MP for Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley met this week with provincial Environment Minister Mark Parent to hammer home his point.

"No doubt at the time the (Sydney) tar ponds were created, industry was of the opinion it would not create an environmental problem," Mr. Casey said in a news release.

"Decades later, we know it is a health and environmental disaster," he said. "Although some would say burning five million tires poses no problems, chances are someday the community of Pleasant Valley will incur similar challenges to those that face Sydney today."

The Resource Recovery Fund Board has agreed — if Environment Department approval is forthcoming — the cement plant can collect the 900,000 tires for use in its Pleasant Valley location.

The contract could be worth over $2 million a year in collection fees for the cement company. Lafarge would also be able to decrease the amount of coal used at the plant by about 20 per cent.

Some of the tires would be shipped to another cement plant near Montreal.

Mr. Casey pointed to the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal, which recently allowed an appeal of a decision to permit tire burning at a Lafarge plant in Bath, Ont.

He suggests that decision should be enough to convince the Nova Scotia government to shelve the idea of a similar operation.

A group of Dalhousie University scientists has been commissioned by the Environment Department to study the potential impact.

Voice of the people

Bamboozling public

I hope Sally Steele ("Worth supporting," March 29) read the letter on the same page titled "Much too late," which is more in line with the facts. Mark Parent is attempting to bamboozle the public by announcements that he knows cannot be achieved.

Sally wrote that the new law commits to "increasing renewable energy use and improving management of our solid waste." She must not be aware that Mr. Parent is just about ready to give approval to Lafarge to burn one million tires a year. That approval is going to be given to Lafarge despite the fact that Mr. Parent has received a request to recycle 100 per cent of the tires that we produce in Nova Scotia yearly.

Mr. Parent is waiting to hide behind a so-called "independent study" that is being done by Dalhousie, and he is waiting for the right moment to make the announcement. Mr. Parent knows very well that he did not have to to pay for a study on tire burning emissions. He could get a thousand studies for the asking.

By SHERRI BORDEN COLLEY Staff Reporter

Emily Kierstead, a Shortts Lake resident who lives near a cement plant where Lafarge North America is proposing to burn tires, is worried not only about what the emissions may do to her own health but that of her 13-month-old granddaughter, who lives about 80 kilometres away in Halifax.

"We need to get on our feet and ask the government to protect the children of Nova Scotia," Mrs. Kierstead, a member of Citizens Against Burning of Tires, said during a meeting Wednesday night in Halifax.

The group, which opposes Lafarge’s proposal to burn tires at its Pleasant Valley cement plant, is gaining support from Halifax to Sydney. And on Wednesday night, the group brought one of its meetings to Halifax.

Terry O’Leary does not live in the immediate area of the Lafarge plant, but he’s as concerned as residents who do.

"I’m certainly against tire burning," said O’Leary, of Fergusons Cove in Halifax. "I’m here strictly as an environmentalist. I’m here as a citizen. Once tire emissions get into the atmosphere, they affect people in the entire world."

"People in Halifax as well as people in Yarmouth should be concerned about this burning of tires in Truro."

Since he became involved with this cause four months ago, Mr. O’Leary says he’s found a group interested in recycling 100 per cent of tires from Nova Scotia and making "as many things as you can name."

Lafarge has been awarded a contract with the Resource Recovery Fund Board to collect and process the province’s used car and truck tires — about 900,000 per year.

The company hopes to burn the tires in its cement kiln to help reduce fuel costs, but it needs approval from the Environment and Labour Department before it can continue.

The department has commissioned Dalhousie University to study the use of tires as an alternate fuel. The report is expected within weeks.

Chris Richards, a manager at Lafarge’s Pleasant Valley cement plant, was on hand Wednesday to give a summary of the company’s proposal.

If the company gets department approval, the deal would mean a reliable, timely collection of tires, which Mr. Richards said Lafarge officials feel is "environmentally safe," would generate new jobs, and be a stable, long-term solution to handling tires.

"One of the problems we’ve had in Nova Scotia is we tried to recycle tires here, it hadn’t been economically viable," Mr. Richards said. "A number of companies have tried and they’ve all failed."

Mr. Richards cited a number of health studies, mostly done in the United States, which concluded there were no significant health risks in using alternate fuels in cement kilns.

The Nova Scotia government — which has said it wants to achieve international recognition for having one of the cleanest and most sustainable environments in the world by 2020 — should "be bludgeoned" with this plan to burn tires because it’s such an over-contradiction to its grandiose plans, said Sydney’s Bruno Marcocchio of the Sierra Club of Canada.

"Burning tires at any temperature is unsafe, particularly in a kiln that is not designed with control systems to adequately scrub the emissions," Mr. Marcocchio said after Michelle Raymond, the provincial NDP’s environment critic, gave a brief presentation.

"Dioxins will be formed even at the highest of temperatures. And, there are all of the other emissions that need to be considered."

Ottawa Tel: (613) 992-3366
Ottawa Fax: (613) 992-7220
Amherst Tel: (902) 667-8679
Truro Tel: (902) 893-2455

Press Release

Casey continues lobbying Province to reconsider tire burning by Lafarge

April 5, 2007

OTTAWA – A recent announcement by the Ontario Environmental Tribunal to allow an appeal of a decision that would have allowed the burning of tires in a Lafarge in Bath, Ontario is a good reason for the Province of Nova Scotia to shelf the idea of allowing Lafarge to burn tires it is Pleasant Valley plant, says Bill Casey, M.P.

In a meeting with Nova Scotia Environment Minister Mark Parent yesterday, Casey argued that the project should not go ahead in Pleasant Valley based on the significant environmental problems it could pose in the community, and lack of benefit to the community.

“Lafarge has only been in the community for a few years and it appears they will leave in 10 years, or so, but they will leave behind clay pits with residue from burning tires over a 10 year period,” Casey said. “Lafarge will be gone but the residents will be left to deal with this problem indefinitely.”

Casey told Minister Parent it was ironic that two levels of government were investing $4 million to clean up the tar ponds in Sydney with cement probably produced in Pleasant Valley.

“No doubt at the time the tar ponds were created industry was of the opinion it would not create an environmental problem. Decades later we know it is a health and environmental disaster. Although some would say burning five million tires poses no problems, chances are someday the community of Pleasant Valley will incur similar challenges to those that face Sydney today,” Casey explained.

After meeting with Minister Parent, Casey was pleased the minister was very receptive to his arguments and will continue to gather information before making a final decision on tire burning by Lafarge in the Province of Nova Scotia.

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I've been in Alberta since before Fage was convicted, so I may have missed something. But unlikley the basic facts have changed.

Despite the fact the NDP has never been a contendor in Cumberland North- both Fage running and a PC candidate, means anything could happen.

The NDP's general standing in rural mainland has ramped up considerably since Fage started piliing up those overwhelming majorities. Take Fage the poular incumbent in governing party out of the picture- and who knows what support level the NDP will get.

Not sure why Fage is running again [pension? plain stubborness?]. He'll get some sympathy vote, but questionable whether enough.

The race will be so wide open I wouldn't even count the Liberals out They have the old base there- and any number of people who they could tap to be a good candidate... whether any of them want to fight to be an MLA for a third string party being the question.

Maybe somebody in NS closer to the rumour mill could update.

Humorous note. Back in February or March Kevin Deveaux, the NDP House Leader, resigned his seat to take a position with the UN in Vietnam.

When he was leaving he was doing the expected round of interviews, and a journalist asked him one of those questions where you are exoected to say something deep and meaningful, and it can be anything you want, ending with "what have you learned from your years in the thick of Nova Scotia politcs?"

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But Jim Bickerton, a political scientist at St. Francis Xavier University, thinks the numbers will be a factor. He said he has assumed for a while that the government will fall in the spring, and he doesn’t know why the opposition would keep the minority alive.

"I suppose it’s somewhat poll-dependent," he said. "The Liberals might be reluctant if they’re still at the bottom of the polls to pull the plug, and that would be the thing I suppose that would keep it going."

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