In both Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, the local media will report when a town gets a new fire truck.
The difference between the two ends there.
In Prince Edward Island, the people of North Rustico bought a new fire truck recently to replace one that was about 25 years old. The truck cost $200,000. The town fire department raised $150,000 and borrowed the rest.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial government buys fire trucks and then sends them out complete with ministerial political hoopla as if they were gifts from the politicians.
In PEI, the people are self-reliant.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, patronage remains the foundation of politics.
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