Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson calls it consolidation. Newfoundland fishermen call it a threat to their safety. The “it” is Anderson’s decision to close several weather reporting stations – most notably the one in Gander, Newfoundland.
This means that Newfoundland and Labrador fishermen will be getting their weather forecasts from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and they’re not happy about it. Neither are officials of the provincial government.
Newfoundland/Labrador Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Tom Lush, backed by Premier Roger Grimes, submitted an alternative proposal to Ottawa that would keep the Gander station open, but by mid-April the province had not received a response.
“We put the report on his [Anderson’s] desk, and we’ve not heard anything officially as of yet,” said Intergovernmental Affairs spokesman Tom Hann. “We’re waiting.” The provincial plan includes involvement by Memorial University.
Paul Giroux, spokesman for Environment Canada in Ottawa, said in mid-April that Anderson had not seen any information that would cause him to change his mind about the Gander weather station, and that the minister had made the decision with the “best information available.”
Among the fishermen who are angry about Anderson’s decision is Ludrick Crane, who’s been fishing out of Cox’s Cove for 25 years. “When we go out in the morning, we need an accurate local forecast,” Crane says. “Now they want to take that away. Halifax is too far away to give us accurate information. The politicians in Ottawa have no idea about what we deal with here; they’ve put us in danger. As you can imagine, we get a lot of wind here, among other things.”
Eugene Caines, a Port Saunders fisherman, says, “I’m with everybody else. We don’t want to see it closed. We all depend on that weather station, and our safety is involved here.”
Closing the Gander station is part of a consolidation plan “to improve the quality of its forecasts and its service to Canadians in all regions,” according to Anderson. The plan will be implemented over a five-year period and will cost $75 million. It reduces the number of reporting stations from 14 to five – Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
“With this new funding, Canadians will see an improvement in the accuracy and timeliness of day-to-day forecasts, longer-term forecasting, and in the prediction of extreme weather events,” Anderson said. “The investment will also allow the Meteorological Service of Canada to strengthen its research capability and partnerships with weather-sensitive industries, other levels of government, and the university community across the country. The highly skilled and dedicated staff of the MSC will also be provided improved working conditions, greater access to training, and better equipment to do their jobs.”
Ludrick Crane isn’t convinced or impressed by Anderson’s statement. As for the provincial proposal, He says, “I know our politicians have been talking about it [keeping Gander open], but I’m afraid it may be too late.”