Radio Noon
with Ramona Dearing

The Parents of 14 year-old Burton Winters speak publicly for the first time. As well, Kathy Dunderdale on the death of 14 year-old Burton Winters and Search and Rescue's response.

The debate over Muskrat Falls will be back in the spotlight next week. On Monday, public hearings on the hydro-electric development start in St. John's. The Public Utilities Board will hear presentations from Nalcor and Manitoba Hydro. So who's there representing our interests? That job falls to consumer advocate Tom Johnson, a lawyer appointed by government to look out for ratepayers.

CROSSTALK: I'm Maggie Gillis sitting in for Ramona Dearing. Canada Reads is over and Radio Noon is back to its' regular time today. This is Trivia day with our very own trivia treasure Mack Furlong. 

Gander Native Brad Peyton has a big-budget Hollywood movie opening tomorrow: Brad Peyton has taken his career all the way from Gander to Hollywood. It started with his short film Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl. It got noticed by Tom Hanks and now he's the director behind a big budget adventure film, Journey 2 Mysterious Island. Host maggie Gillis reached Brad by phone. http://www.themysteriousisland.com/

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There's labour strife at Ocean Choice International: FFAW members were locked out earlier this week and now replacement workers are aboard the off-shore trawler the Newfoundland Lynx. What do you make of the labour situation at OCI? Is the use of replacement workers just part of doing business or should there be anti-scab legislation?

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Labour rally to "Tell Harper: Hands off OAS: Host Maggie Gillis speaks on phone with Karen White, President of the St. John's and District Labour Council and one of the organizers of tomorrow's protest rally. http://www.carp.ca/category/advocacy/campaigns/hands-off-oas/ 

 

CROSSTALK: The student sprayed with Febreeze in Twillingate has made national news. Today we're asking is it parental over-reaction or did the teacher go too far? Our guests are David Pretty and Denise Pike. They're both parents and also members of the Federation of School Councils. What do you think? 

  

Explosions litter the sky in Grand Falls - Windsor. Flames completely destroyed A & R Trailer Repair on Duggan Street. It was a tricky fire to fight, as explosions littered the sky throughout the morning. We speak on phone with Vince Mackenzie the Fire Chief in Grand Falls - Windsor.

 

CROSSTALK: We're well into snow storm season and slippery roads go along with the territory. But after a year-long debate, the province has decided AGAINST making snow tires mandatory. We're wondering if you agree. Host Maggie Gillis' guest is Lloyd Hobbs, Manager of Traffic Safety with Safety Services Newfoundland and Labrador. Should winter tires be mandatory?

Unionized trawler workers hold the line at the wharf in Bay Roberts:  Roland Hedderson is the staff representative for the Fish Food and Allied Workers' in Bay Roberts. Host Maggie Gillis reached him by phone for an update on Locked out FFAW employees.

CROSSTALK: Radio Noon starts half an hour later this week due to the Canada Reads feature with Jian Gomeshi. Today we've decided to run our own Newfoundland and Labrador Reads. Guest host Maggie Gillis will be joined by Darrell Squires, the Assistant Manager of public libraries for western Newfoundland. We want to know what fiction or non-fiction books YOU would put on a Newfoundland and Labrador Reads list?

Eastern School District cafeteria workers could go on strike right now: Chartwells  provides cafeteria service to about 40 schools in the Eastern School District. They've been trying to work out a new contract with their workers. The workers have voted 93 per cent in favour of going on strike. They could have legally walked off the job today but chose not to. Ed White is the national rep. for CUPE Local 4885. Brian Callahan reached him by phone.

A Canadian company plans to run fibre-optic cable from Clarenville Iqaluit: It's the first leg of an ambitious plan by Artic Fibre to bring high-speed internet to Canada's North. It could mean big changes in Nain and Voisey's Bay. Doug Cunningham is the President of Arctic Fibre. Ramona reached him by phone.

CROSSTALK: There's no grey area with this question: do you love winter? If you don't, fair enough. But our guests love to get outside at this time of year. They are Carolyn Staple, who makes igloos and has tried all sorts of winter activities including kite-skiing. Also, Roxanne Notley, who loves a good boil up.  Call in, with guest host Brian Callahan!

MHA for Torngat Mountains questions why a military search and rescue helicopter didn't join the search until Tuesday:  On Sunday evening a 14-year old boy went missing on a snowmobile. On Wednesday, searchers found his machine, and later, his body. Randy Edmunds is the MHA for Torngat Mountains. He joins us in studio by phone.

CROSSTALK: The report from Manitoba Hydro is out, saying Muskrat Falls is the cheapest source of power for Nfld and Lab, but with the caveat that more information is needed, and that the cost overruns could be significant. Should we go ahead and develop Muskrat Falls? Ramona's guest is Nalcor CEO Ed Martin.

CBC Producer and Arts reporter Suzanne Woolridge died yesterday: Today on the show, we celebrate the accomplishments of one of the bright lights here at CBC. Suzanne Woolridge passed away last night and today the arts community is remembering her contribution. We are joined in Studio with Amy House and Sandy Morris.

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Manitoba Hydro gives a cautious thumb's up to the Muskrat Falls project: Manitoba Hydro's report on Muskrat Falls has just been released.The report concludes that the Labrador link is a lower cost option than other alternatives. BUT Manitoba Hydro's endorsement comes with some words of caution. CBC Reporter David Cochrane caught up with Kathy Dunderdale this morning at Memorial University.

 

CROSSTALK: There's a debate over the value of early detection of prostate cancer. That's just one of the many questions you can put to our experts: Darrell Yetman of the Prostate Cancer Awareness Network, as well as urologist Christopher French and radiation oncologist Jinka Sathya. 

RADIO NOON ARCHIVES:  Christine Davies brings us some tape from 1951. Just months before she became Queen a young Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were on a five-week Royal Tour of Canada with a brief side-trip to the United States. St. John's was their last stop.

 

CROSSTALK: Who knows who set the first snares in Nfld and Lab, but you can be sure it was to catch some badly-needed food. Fast-forward to modern times: Should hunters still use snares?  Ramona's guest is well-known author and former wildlife enforcement officer, Earl Pilgrim.

Gasoline prices may soon shoot to a dollar-forty a litre: Ramona is on phone with George Murphy. He's with the Consumer Group for Fair Gas Prices. He's also the MHA for St. John's East.

CROSSTALK: Certain words seem to trigger an instant reaction these days, and "feminism" is one of them. We're asking if "feminism" is becoming a bad word. Our guests are Linda Ross of the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women. And Kira Petersson-Martin, who is doing her MA in Women's Studies.