CANADA: Newfoundland

Hank Greely reports: "I was in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador this March for the first time and learned several interesting things about it. First, the provincial name was recently changed to add Labrador, the mainland component of the province. The Province has about 550,000 people, a drop of about 10 percent over the past decade. 90 percent of them live on the island of Newfoundland, which has about a quarter of the land territory. The natural resources of the province, now that the cod are gone, are almost entirely on Labrador - iron, nickle, and hydroelectricity. The 50,000 or so people in Labrador were getting restive, hence the change in the province's name.

Second, the name isn't pronounced as I had expected. It is NewfoundLAND and LabraDOR. I was told I could remember the former by reciting "Gee it's grand in Newfoundland."

Third, the island has apparently suffered during its economic decline from a variety of get rich quick economic schemes. (I was there in part to discuss biotechnology and human population genomics in Newfoundland, which some had hoped, I think incorrectly, would be yet another big economic boost). The most interesting was the great hydroponic cucumber scam. Someone, a few decades ago, convinced the government that Newfoundland could corner the world market in cucumbers by growing them hydroponically in lighted greenhouses. I was told, with a mixture of pride and chagrin, that the glowing greenhouses could be spotted by astronauts in space. The cucumber prices collapsed from overproduction, energy prices for the greenhouses skyrocketed, and the provincial government had to pick up the bills.

Based on my short visit (in late March, not the best time), I liked Newfoundland. The countryside, at least around the capital, St. John's, which was the only part I saw, was gorgeous and the people both friendly and interesting - and markedly loyal to their economically struggling home. I'd like to go back.

Two last points. If you go to Newfoundland, be careful about your plane tickets. Its capital city is St. John's, but a major city in New Brunswick is named Saint John. I had to fly from the latter to the former (via Halifax) and was told in Saint John that every week they get one or two Americans arriving who think they are landing in Newfoundland. Second, I was also told that NewfoundlLAND and LabraDOR is NOT a maritime province, but an Atlantic province. I don't know why, but the Newfoundlanders seemed to care".

Ronald Hilton - 7/19/02