You can’t blame politicians for trying, but sometimes even their best intentions go awry.
All Lake Melville MHA John Hickey wanted was to get a few pictures taken of him symbolically beginning the paving of Labrador. Not everything went as planned. Several weeks ago, Hickey gathered representatives from two local municipalities and one band council at the eastern end of the Trans-Labrador Highway to provide photographers and videographers with proof that he and the Progressive Conservative government he’s a minister of are indeed responsible for "hard-topping” the region’s roads. The weather provided its own symbolism by withholding the sunlight and sending clouds to drop rain on the event. Falling water is not an impediment to paving, but it can wreak havoc on delicate camera equipment. However, the rain (although wet and a little annoying) did not hinder the political ceremony. There was a delay, but it was caused by an accidentally dumped load of asphalt that created a metre-high speed bump across the eastbound lane. Before the photo opportunity was able to take place – before some of the black, tarry gravel could be publicly thrown onto the roadway – all the spilt asphalt had to be shovelled back into the machine by embarrassed workers who asked journalists not to take pictures of them cleaning up the mishap. Once it was done, the construction workers loaned their shovels to the politicians, who were then able to get on with their work. One at a time – starting with Hickey and moving down the line, first to the mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and then to officials from North West River and Sheshatshiu – they each dug one bladeful of tarmac from the paving machine hopper and scattered it onto the bare roadbed in front of the spreader. The machines were then able to carry on with their work – something they could easily have done without the physical help of politicians – while Hickey et al retired to a nearby driveway to complete the task of feeding the local media, there in moderate force to record history happening.
At this point, however, Hickey seemed to let his emotions carry him away from his sense of prudence – this was, after all, the long-awaited official beginning of the paving of the Freedom Road – and he apparently diverged from whatever script he was following by promising an end to dirt on the whole 1,125 kilometres from Wabush to Red Bay within 10 to 15 years.