New Democrats have a new leader

WOODSTOCK – “I want us to be one of the richest places in the entire world.”

That was Dominic Cardy in Woodstock prior to his succession as the new leader of the NDP in New Brunswick. His vision for the future of the province is bright, and Cardy said he has creative ideas to stimulate growth.

“We want to encourage good businesses, so we’ll push for the New Jobs Tax Credit.”

This idea gives businesses a fully refundable tax credit for new jobs.

Cardy also believes literacy is one of the biggest problems that New Brunswickers face and is the single most important thing he would change.

“Politicians here have been happy to sit and preside over a province where we have an illiteracy rate that’s more than 50%,” said Cardy.

“I don’t think that you can expect people who don’t have the ability to read and write, to be able to compete with well organized interests no matter what they are.”

Cardy enters the leadership role following Roger Duguay, who resigned after the NDP failed to win a single seat in the last provincial election. The party only earned 10% of the vote, a percentage the party rarely improves.

Cardy has worked overseas for many years for political organizations in countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia. He writes for Inroads, the Canadian policy journal, and has been involved with the NDP since his time as President of the Nova Scotia NDP Youth Wing. He holds a degree in political science from Dalhousie University.

Time to Burn

Drive-thru times translate into idle times. Idling your vehicle reduces fuel efficiency and increases air pollution.

By Michael MacDonald

WOODSTOCK - It is undeniably cold this time of year. Many Canadians often idle their vehicles in the morning and throughout the day to ward off the freezing temperatures. The benefits of being warm do not always outweigh the costs.

“Getting high efficiency out of your car is decreased every time you allow your car to idle. Some people will say turning your car back on will use more gas. Ten seconds of idling uses more gas than turning your car back on,” said Aynslie Croney, Assistant to the Department Heads at NBCC Woodstock.

Croney is also a Green Committee member at the college. She is helping to promote reducing idle times.

There are many misconceptions about idling.  Natural Resources Canada says that idling your vehicle in cold weather is not an effective way to warm it. The most effective method is driving. This helps warm the bearings, steering, suspension, transmission and tires.

Also, fuel consumption is increased depending on the amount of time spent idling before driving.

“The test results showed that with a 5-minute warm-up total fuel consumption increased by 7 to 14 percent and with a 10-minute warm-up total fuel consumption increased by 12 to 19 percent,” according to a study Environment Canada conducted in April of 2008. A cold chamber was used to simulate an urban driving cycle.

“Especially going through Tim Hortons, you’re idling there for a good 5 minutes," said Roger Britton, a student and car owner. He said it is a problem for the environment that people idle so much, and knows it is using a lot of fuel.

Green Venture is a community-based non-profit organization committed to sustainability. They said a recent study suggests “Canadians voluntarily idle their vehicles for a combined total of more than 75 million minutes a day. This is equivalent to one vehicle idling for 144 years."

Milk Madness

Vernon Black is a dairy farmer from Bloomfield, NB. He maintains the high cost of milk means a better quality product.

By Michael MacDonald

WOODSTOCK - Consumers and businesses have been feeling the pinch as the price of milk rose by five cents per litre on February first. The New Brunswick Farm Products Commission announced the increase on January 27^th.

Rising fuel and feed prices, among other factors, have been affecting the operating costs of dairy producers and processors here in New Brunswick.

“If you can’t cover your costs as you go along, well then you’ll fall behind.”

Vernon Black is a dairy farmer from Bloomfield. He produces half a million litres per year, and said feed costs are his biggest input. According to his math, the recent price adjustment will cover only the increase in feed costs.

Canadian dairy farmers enjoy a guaranteed return on their milk. This does not mean it is easy for dairy farmers to be profitable.

“My husband came from a family of dairy farmers who lived in the states and here. That’s why his father ended up going back to upstate New York; the smaller farm… just couldn’t make it, it was so controlled,” said Michelle Tereault, a mother from Woodstock.

She thinks the general public is unaware the farmer is not making much of a profit, even with the high price on milk.

“I guess it’s like everything else. Everything seems to go up in price,” said Nancy McCauley, also a resident of Woodstock. “I’m going to have to buy milk at whatever price.”

But Vernon Black says the high cost comes with benefits.

Other than sustaining Canadian farms, the price covers things like the Canadian Quality Milk Program. It requires dairy farmers to adhere to a strict set of standard operating procedures. It also requires farmers to record all of their drug treatments.

A validator visits individual farms to make sure farmers respect the rules. Farms that fail the inspection are revoked of their milk licence. Black was pleased to say his farm was validated last March.

“If they want farms in Canada that are sustainable, that go by the environmental rules and all the food safety rules, you better support your Canadian farmers,” said Black.

And that means paying a higher price for milk.