The Local Paradox

This article examines how the Port au Port wind-to-hydrogen project exemplifies manufactured consent in Newfoundland and Labrador. Drawing on the Local Paradox framework, municipal dependency research, and the legacy of the cod collapse, Churchill Falls, Muskrat Falls, and offshore oil, it shows how structural weakness, historical trauma, and consultation rituals combine to greenwash global agendas as local opportunity. Port au Port is framed not as a community-led vision, but as an echo of elsewhere’s priorities — Berlin’s hydrogen demand, Ottawa’s climate branding, and corporate strategies — imposed on fragile institutions and vulnerable populations. Read More...

This article examines how Newfoundland’s supposed “wins” in land and resource politics often amount to optics rather than substance. From Gros Morne’s UNESCO designation and the displacement of families, to federal “custodial management” of the fisheries, to new wind-to-hydrogen megaprojects backed abroad, locals are consistently left with symbolic recognition while real control and economic benefits flow outward. Even at the municipal level, provincial bailouts reinforce dependency rather than autonomy. By tracing these patterns, the piece argues that Newfoundland’s resource governance operates as theatre: protecting appearances while leaving communities with empty hands. Read More...

This article examines how the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) — a global coalition of banks, insurers, and asset managers aligned with the Paris Agreement — leverages financial power to shape Newfoundland’s development without democratic oversight. Drawing on the “local paradox” framework, it shows how weak, fragmented local governance leaves the province vulnerable to top-down financial agendas. Projects like Port au Port’s wind-to-hydrogen proposal illustrate how Paris-aligned funding bypasses local consent, reinforcing the governance gap and shifting decision-making power from communities to creditors. Read More...

When Atlantic Canada issued sweeping fire bans in 2025—locking down trails, banning dog-walking, and threatening $25,000 fines—it didn’t just mark a shift in emergency response. It marked a shift in how people are governed. This article explores the broader pattern: how fire is being used not just to manage risk, but to manage people. From Maui to Jasper to Newfoundland, crisis is becoming opportunity—and the public is being pushed out of the decision-making process. It’s not about whether the fire is real. It’s about what burns afterward. Read More...

This article distills key insights from a peer-reviewed study exploring why grand policy schemes like the Great Reset often fail in places like Newfoundland and Labrador. The authors introduce the concept of the local paradox: that bold, top-down strategies rely on strong local governance for successful implementation — yet those very strategies often emerge in regions where such local capacity is absent, fragile, or disincentivized. The case of Newfoundland illustrates how path dependencies, historic shocks, and a long-standing culture of patronage politics have eroded the institutions needed for democratic reinvention. The province’s cycle of failed resets — from resource megaprojects to federal development boards — reveals why transformative planning cannot succeed without real local strategy, legitimacy, and capacity. Read More...