Community Updates June 2006

Canso Town

§         This was a good lobster season in the Canso area.

§         The water system will be upgraded. 

§         There is a new roof being built on the arena.

§         A new permanent stage is being put in for the Stan Rogers fest.

RCIP AHPRC

§         Todd Barr has been working one day week tying up loose ends with RCIP. 

§         Working on projects regarding integrated stroke care. They are conducting mini case studies in Yarmouth and traveling throughout rural NS and Ontario .

§         Todd is leaving Nova Scotia in July for a position in Peterborough Ontario to work with the Trent Center for Community Based Education.

Black Loyalist Society

§         On March 31^st the Black Loyalist Heritage Society’s Office was deliberately set on fire and burned down.  The Community has been reeling from this act of hatred and trying to rebuild. 

§         They have been fundraising and are having a healing weekend June 24^th and 25^th. 

§         They managed to save the hard drives but the irreplaceable loss is some artifacts and the entire library. 

§         They have had two auctions with huge donations, a night at the theatre and very generous financial donations. 

§         Prior to the fire the society had submitted a business plan to become a provincial museum, a cultural landscape like Louisburg .  After the fire the Ministry of African Affairs spearheaded meetings with ACOA and tourism & Culture to name a few.  The business plan is now being forwarded.  There has been a Project Coordinator Position, which is an 18 month term, that position is to get things lined up to get the plan going. 

§         The genealogical research and office administrator have been promised three years of continued funding.

Department of Fisheries & Oceans

§         Oceans Day is June 8th, please distribute posters.

Voluntary Planning

§         Working on a two-year project with Voluntary Planning.  This involves going around the province regarding community development, getting a sense of interest in communities, doing in house research on various facets of sustainable communities and what part does vision and social capital play to communities.

District of Digby

§         The Council is still working on the budget for the Municipality.

§         The community will be doing a beach sweep in Gulliver’s Cove.

§         Concern over arbor, rock is needed to help stop erosion to the beach, there is a concern over flooding in this area.

§         Lobster season has opened.  Rumor is the catch is low so far this year.

§         Scallop Days Festival will be happening from August 10^th to August 13^th.

§         On Labour Day Weekend (September 1-4) we will be having our 2^nd annual Wharf Day Rally.  The Family Biker Festival will also be held, it was a great success last year.

§         Linda has been elected Chair of Waste Check, our Regional Solid Waste Authority.

§         The sewer project in Smith Cove is coming along.

§         The area is concerned over Tourism.  It was not a great season last year.

§         The wind farm in the Municipality will be up and running by September. Construction has begun.

§         The council has been working on policies to improve our municipality.

§         The PAC (Planning Advisory Committee) is still working on planning in the agricultural section.

§         The nursing home Tideview Terrace has been closed due to the flu.  Several residents were ill.

§         The spring UNSM Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities was held at the Digby Pines.

§         There was a successful fundraiser for the Food Bank, $910.00 was raised by doing a charity games night. Paid $10.00 received $50,000.00 end of night used play money to bid on items.  We also helped the Digby Fire Department by hiring them to be the operators of the games and bringing the games.  They received $700.00 for their services.  Our fire departments do a lot of fund raising.

§         Shaw Wood is closing in our area.  There will be close to 250 people losing their jobs.  Our Warden is on a committee to see what can be done.

§         The annual Big Bike Ride for the Heart and Stroke Foundation will take place August 12^th. Linda was a provincial volunteer for the Heart and Stroke Foundation in May.

§         The Minor Soccer Association has over 300 children registered.

§         Registration is taking place for swimming. The pool hours are being extended this year.  Lifeguards have been hired.

§         Deputy Warden Jimmy MacAlpine is a candidate for the PC party running in the Provincial Election Councilor MacAlpine is currently on a leave of absence for this election.  Our current MLA is Harold Theriault Jr. who is a Liberal in the running to be re-elected.  We also have Andrew Oliver running for the NDP.

§         The Environmental Team students have won the Provincial Environmental Competition.  They will be going out West to compete.  We are very proud of our students.

§         Paul Gidney won a National Competition in Power Lifting in his weight class.  Mr. Gidney broke two national records at this competition.

Native Youth Support Network (NYS)

§         Discussed the hand drum workshop that was held and hand drum singing workshop was also done. 

§         They are hoping to get together once a week to sing and socialize to help bring the community together. 

§         NYS is also planning regalia workshop.  A dancing workshop was also held.

§         Pictou Landings annual Powwow was held last weekend. The Pow Wow was a success. 

§         Moccasin and beading workshop will be upcoming.

§         The War Party concert was held in March they are hoping to make it an annual event.  Seven different reserves came together to attend the concert, it was also well attended by the black community.

East Hants Colchester Regional Library

§         The Senior expo is happening at Exhibition Park this weekend.

§         Public Library summer reading programs theme this year is Quest for Heroes.

§         The Community Economics Conference will be held July 7-8.  The workshops will run from 8-12 in Sydney at UCB.

Northern AIDS Connection

§         Just received funding to hire a 80% staff person.

§         Northern AIDS connection is a local organization serving northern NS: Pictou, Colchester , East Hants , and Cumberland Counties .

§         They are providing support and treatment information for those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, Prison outreach, Fundraising and Volunteer recruitment and training, prevention education through presentations, information sessions and healthy decision making fairs.

§         The Art Auction for AIDS is held annually in June, the auction is the secondary source of funding for the organization.

§         The Walk for Life is held annually in September.

§         Project with youth high school students. Gay youth group being formed. Bringing them into a safe environment so they can talk and learn.

Nova Scotia Community College

§         Strategic Planning Session are underway for the past two months. Some 2000 Nova Scotians have participated in consultations.  The plan will be released this summer in a college or community event.

§         NSCC will be recruiting an new Vice President of Business Development, the process is underway.

CCN Staff

§         Erica de Sousa  Just came back from Nunavut , she was working on dietary assessments in two Inuit communities. There was a discussion on the high prices of food up North.

§         Erica attended the Canadian Social Planning meeting in Toronto Ontario .  The meeting was made up of Social Councils across the country, Nova Scotia was represented by CCN .There was discussion regarding forming a network of community groups across the country. 

§         Erica attended a meeting in Halifax organized by GP regarding Natural Step. Natural step is a systematic scientific approach to creating         environmentally and socially based communities, focusing on Community  Development.

§         Erica also passed out information on the Herbalist Association of Nova Scotia’s 4^th Annual Herb fair July 8^th and 9^th at Tangier Deanery in Ship Harbour .

§         The Lobster season started well this year in the Northumberland Strait region but it has dropped significantly.  There are concerns that the Gulf of St Lawrence is not flushing out due to drop in water levels of Great Lakes .

§         The Pictou Landing Pow Wow was great this year. There were ten drum groups.  The Pow Wow was well attended this year.

§         Ishbel took part in training in on community conflict resolution. 

§         Ishbel also went to and gave talks and workshops. 

§         Pictou Regional Development Authority has its web portal up and running. The portal is very in depth.   www.pcconnects.com

§         Ishbel presented at the CVI workshop the wharf research CCN did.The document One Plank at a Time and the new Facilitators Guide Training manual was presented .  This was a highly successful workshop with a good turn out, and good discussions came out of this.  The funders were pleased.

§         David Suziki will be speaking in New Glasgow on June 12.

§         Discussed the proposed 500 acre wind farm that is supposed to begin construction in Canso this fall.