Summer of Love 2007 : Vote early!

But don't vote often.

Special balloting for the October 9 general election apparently began on August 20.

The Elections NL didn't issue a news release until today.

That's an interesting timing.

The Elections Act provides that "An application to vote by special ballot may be made to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer beginning not more than 4 weeks before the issue of the writ of election and ending at 6:00 p.m. on a day to be determined by the Chief Electoral Officer."

That provision was added to the act by an amendment approved in the legislature just this past spring.

So what do we know?

Well, the writ will drop sometime within the four weeks from August 20. Most likely the official campaign will be short, lasting only the legal minimum.

However, there's nothing to stop an elector from legally applying for a special ballot this week, getting it before the writ is dropped and having their mind made up - and their vote cast and in the box - well before the official campaign begins.

How many votes will be cast before the writ of election is actually issued?

We'll know on October 9.

Anyone doubt now that the election campaign has already been unofficially under way since late June?

Update and correction: An eagle-eyed e-mailer pointed out an obvious point. The ballots can't be mailed until after the writ drops and Elections NL nominations close.

Still.

It'll be interesting to see how many people apply and vote early.

-srbp-

Strange bedfellows 2: Paul Oram's fickle affections

How quickly doth love turn to hate in the land of politics.

Remember this from Day 9 of the Summer of Love 2007?

Even the Premier's parliamentary assistant will be able to get in on the electioneering. The last SOL release for Thursday was an announcement of a photo op involving federal fish minister Loyola Hearn and the Premier's Open Line crackie, Paul Oram.

Oram and Hearn can be photographed at a municipal water and sewer project in Oram's district, on Friday at 1:30 PM.

In an election campaign, even the crap is apparently so potentially vote-worthy that a cabinet minister and a wannabe cabinet minister will pose for happy snaps with it.

Now sure, as the Telegram recently pointed out, these cost-shared programs have a promotional clause that requires a news release at least.  That was the official response when a government rep was asked this year about the joint funding announcement issued last week.

But last year - before the provincial general election - it apparently required a photo op and smiles with the minister with whom the provincial government was supposedly locked in a blood feud.

How times change. 

Campaign photo ops one day.  Daggers on the open line shows the next.

-srbp-

SOL, Day 8: More money from Ottawa

Who says the provincial Progressive Conservatives and the federal Connies are on the outs?

Pish posh old boy.

Not when there's an election to be won.

There's transportation infrastructure money to be announced in Corner Brook on July 4. The feds will be represented by Loyola Hearn, fish minister and in this case stand-in for Lawrence Cannon. Apparently, Fabian Manning - who has been known to take Cannon's seat in the Commons from time to time - was unavailable for this guest shot.

The province won't be represented by provincial transportation minister John Hickey or even the alternate minister of transportation.

Nope. The provincial government will be represented by finance minister Tom Marshall, whose district just happens to be getting the cash.

They'll both be accompanied by the mayor of Corner Brook. Now is Charles Pender thinking of leaping to provincial politics this fall, alongside former Reform/Alliance-dallier and former Liberal candidate wannabe Steve Kent and how many other municipal councillors and mayors eager for an MHAs salary?

Time will tell.

But hey, it's the Summer of Love.

Even supposedly mortal enemies can kiss and make up when there are votes to be courted with public cash.

-srbp-

SOL: The Ontario Version

The Globe and Mail recently gave Dalton McGuinty some advice on his version of the Summer of Love.

Their advice would be well received in the eastern reaches of the country as well.

-srbp-

SOL Day 10: Yet more money

It's the Summer of Love in Newfoundland and Labrador and the cash just keeps on flowing.

1. CNG and NLDG are contributing respectively $116,000 and $152,000 to the town of New-Wes-Valley to upgrade the local water supply.

2. Appleton will be getting new water storage tanks thanks in large part to cash from CNG and NLDG.

3. A heritage project in Elliston will get $230,00 from the supposedly feuding governments.

4. NLDG will spend $2.55 million on road work in InTrd minister Trevor Taylor's district. Nothing signals a pending election like the smell of paving tar.

That's four cash announcements on the Friday before a provincial government holiday weekend and it isn't even noon yet.

-srbp-

SOL Day 13: The Love Boat!

It's a provincial government holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador, but holidays can't stop the election love machine from spreading cash and good news throughout the land.

Federal foreign affairs minister Peter Mackay and provincial tourism guru Tom "Kayak" Hedderson will host a joint news conference today to announce funding for the group that works to attract cruise ships to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Yes, it's the Summer of Love Boat!

Nearly $300K from the federal government and $100K from the provincial government, as the news release indicates.

-srbp-

The Summer of Love, 2007: Day One

In Labrador:

The provincial government announces a go-it-alone strategy for the Trans-Labrador Highway. [Turns out there was no signed agreement. As for Connie promises, well, people are starting to figure out what those are worth. Invites for this little show apparently didn't go out until late last week.]

Then, the official sod turning of the Mealy Mountain Auditorium.

Then sod-turning for a new long-term care home in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

-srbp-

This didn't take long...

Steve Kent, member of the federal Liberal party and now a Dan-didate wannabe.

Nothing like ridicule.

-srbp-

Update: Did the old ears deceive or did Steve Kent dismiss his Liberal party connections a something confined to trying to get a Liberal nomination a decade ago?

Is that what Kent told a VOCM call-in show audience?

Well, if it is, people will have to wonder about Kent.

Offal News dissected the whole question of Kent's political opportunism when Kent finally announced his intention to be a Dan-didate - six months after he'd made the decisions and six months after Bond Papers outed Kent's switch from federal Liberal to provincial Dan-didate.

You'd be amazed at how many Liberals were amazed at the Bond piece and how many dismissed it entirely. Many of those same people likely believed Brian Tobin was staying for the full second term - right up until he bailed and ran back to the mainland - even though it was an open secret the guy's campaign team was raising cash months before he made the announcement.

But anyway...

At some point, Kent needs to explain his presence at the federal Liberal convention last November.

Was he a delegate?

If so, didn't he have to sign membership papers last summer?

Oh and for those who love the silly pretensions of certain locally-owned newspapers, check this week's Scrunchions over at The Independent. Therein readers will find a lovely precis of the Offal News stuff - printed a week or so later.

Likely Indy editor Ryan Cleary took time from tireless and fearless pursuit of his agenda to read through some old notes for a story he filed for The Telegram almost a decade ago on Kent and his flirtations with the Reform Party.