Government Welcomes Reinstatement of
Public Forecasting at Gander Weather Office 

As weather forecasting is extremely important to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and since the employment created by the operation of a federal forecasting office is also important, the Honourable John Ottenheimer, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, and the Honourable Kevin O�Brien, Minister of Business and MHA for the District of Gander, are pleased today with the reinstatement of public forecasting at the Gander Weather Office. 

�In November of 2005, Premier Danny Williams wrote the leaders of the major federal parties and asked for their commitments on a number of issues of importance to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, including the Gander Weather Office,� said Minister Ottenheimer.  �The Conservative Party of Canada supported the restoration of the Gander Weather Office.  I am proud that our efforts have paid off and today public forecasting has resumed.� 

Minister O�Brien is pleased the number of employees that were formerly employed at the office will remain the same.  �It is important for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that our province continues to take a leadership role in weather forecasting, which is key to our robust environmental and ocean technology industries.  The weather office is crucial to the people of the province that depend on forecasting, and it is significant for the economy of Gander and the surrounding area.  I welcome the reopening of the office and the employees to the Town of Gander.�  

Minister Ottenheimer also pointed out that government is still concerned with the level of federal presence within Newfoundland and Labrador.  �While today�s announcement is a positive one, our government will continue to press the federal government to increase its employment presence in our province.  As independent reports by the Harris Centre of Memorial University indicate, Newfoundland and Labrador has a lower share of executive positions than would be indicated by our share of the national population and also lacks Atlantic regional offices.  We are committed to examining opportunities where the federal government and the province can benefit from an increase in federal jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador and rectify the current situation as identified by the Harris Centre.� 

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2007 01 09                                                        11:00 a.m.