The new chair of the board of governors at College of the North Atlantic – headquarters in Stephenville – just happens to be the top contributor to the past two election campaigns of Joan Burke, education minister and member of the provincial legislature for Stephenville.
There’s a story on the front page of the Saturday Telegram.
Appalachia Distributing – the company listed as making the donations - has a record of political giving:
| Year | Party | Candidate | Annual/ Election | Amount |
| 1998 | Liberal |
| Annual | 450.00 |
| 1999 | Liberal |
| Annual | 450.00 |
|
| PC | Leonard Muise | Election | 150.00 |
| 2000 | Liberal |
| Annual | 450.00 |
| 2001 | Liberal |
| Annual | 450.00 |
| 2003 | Liberal | Gerald Smith | Election | 170.00 |
| PC | Joan Burke | Election | 1,000.00 | |
| PC | Joan Burke | Election | 192.50 | |
| PC | Jim Hodder | Election | 200.00 | |
| 2004 | PC |
| Annual | 375.00 |
The Telegram also reports election contributions for 2007 - $1,000 to Joan Burke’s campaign - but those still aren’t available on the provincial elections office website.
Government corporate registry records show the company was dissolved in 2005 and revived a year later. The corporate registry lists Appalachia Distributing Limited with two directors, Terrence Styles and Darlene Styles.
That makes the political giving totals (including the grand listed by the Telly for 2007) as follows:
Liberal (ended 2003) : $1,560.00
PC (1999, 2003-current) $2,577.50
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