| Volume 3. Issue 3. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Communities Have Their Say On Effects From TAGS CancellationWith the Atlantic Groundfish Strategy (TAGS) being called off early by the federal government, many former fishers under the assistance program are being faced with reduced or zero income by May of next year when the program expires. To try and assess the cost in human and community terms, the minister of Human Resources Development (HRDC) has sent one of his senior officers on a tour around Atlantic Canada and Quebec, meeting with people and groups most affected by the early end of the program. Eugene Harrigan, as part of his fact-finding tour, met with community representatives and displaced fishers in several locations throughout the province in November. Harrigan says he is looking not just for information from community and development groups, but also personal stories from displaced fishers as to what their prospects are when TAGS runs out in May. On Nov. 14, Harrigan heard submissions from people in the Shelburne area, including Lockeport mayor Sarah Huskilson, who is sharply critical of how the TAGS program has worked so far, and about the effects that its early cancellation will have on communities. She said the ceiling on TAGS benefits has kept fisher's families at the poverty level, and removing the program altogether will further download responsibility onto municipal units. "This is totally and absolutely unacceptable. It is placing small coastal communities in a precarious position." She said municipal units had counted on the spin-offs from TAGS income for five years, not the four-year program to which it has been reduced. Huskilson said that due to many years of local fishermen to fish using good conservation practices, there is still "a lucrative and sustainable fishery" in areas 4X, 5Z and 5Y off south west Nova Scotia. She said if the federal government would ensure the right of fishermen in south west Nova to fish on an equal opportunity basis, there would be an effort- controlled fishery providing a decent income for all fishers. At Isle Madame, located in Cape Breton's Richmond County, Harrigan met with representatives from Development Isle Madame (DIMA), and a number of partnering organizations, including the local HRDC, which have tried to foster development and employment in an area that was once dependent on a now non-existent fishery. Isle Madame was devastated with the closure of the groundfishery in 1994; a community of 4,300 lost 500 jobs. But the region represents one of the TAGS success stories, says Alvin Martell, Community Liaison Officer with DIMA. Of the 350 people who participated in TAGS in his area, half used the program to get into other jobs, taking advantage of counselling, training and other strategies, and are now off TAGS. DIMA itself was developed to help the community take advantage of incentive programs through TAGS. But Martell says although the Isle Madame area has managed well, many people will be left with nothing when TAGS ends in May. Amadee Boudreau was an offshore trawlerman. He now tries to make ends meet on $500 a month. He says without fishing or some alternative, he doesn't know what will happen to him and his family come May. "We could do it on our own if they would give us a bit of fish," he told Harrigan. "We don't want to get rich, we want to make a living. With pride," he emphasized. Harrigan was told that with a diversity of fish available off the shores of Isle Madame, local fishers feel some kind of fishery could be made available to them to keep employment going. Shrimp and crab are plentiful and have good markets. But it is frustrating for out-of-work fishers to have to sit by and watch shrimp boats from New Brunswick and other parts of Nova Scotia take resource from under their noses. Isle Madame fishers hold none of the limited licenses for this fishery. All six of the displaced fishery workers who met with Harrigan in Isle Madame agreed that reducing TAGS to what they described as income supplement was a big mistake. Brenda Martell used to be a fish plant worker. Under TAGS, she took extensive training and opened her own consulting business. She is justifiably proud of her efforts to keep herself employed. But with the retraining incentives and wage subsidies removed last year from the TAGS program, she says opportunities to become re-employed have been taken from people. "I don't know what I would have done without TAGS and the support I got from HRDC," she says. "But it's not right to pay people to sit home. They cut out the most important part of the program. I know 12 or 15 people who could get jobs if that part of the program was still in place." She says local businesses could hire more people if wage subsidies were still offered. Brenda Martell has started the Isle Madame Committee of Displaced Fisheries Workers and has prepared a proposal for the government to bring a new fishery back to this area. Harrigan heard a lot of complaints about the stereotype that haunts people on TAGS, as being lazy and sitting home collecting cheques. The people of Isle Madame strongly opposed that idea, and all agreed that people in their community want to work, they only need the opportunity. Alvin Martell told Harrigan that both a short- term solution and a long- term plan are needed in his area. People will have to find some way to survive after TAGS ends in May, and the community also needs long-term development to keep people working and revive the local economy. DIMA has made job creation and training have been a priority, with good success in the area. But Martell says while the goal is self-sufficiency, some level of government support is needed during this transitional phase. Harrigan, who began his fact-finding tour in October, has travelled throughout the Atlantic provinces and Quebec to gather his information. He says one thing most fishers he has spoken with agree on is that any replacement assistance program be flexible, to make it work for the largest number of people in varying circumstances. "The tendency is to blame recipients of TAGS for their troubles. But it seems one key to success is that the community as a whole takes responsibility for the situation." A report will be presented to HRDC minister Pierre Pettigrew by the end of December. Harrigan says the department hopes to have any new initiatives in place in time for the spring federal budget.
Sambro - Working Together For The Common Good
“It’s not perfect, but without it we’d be dead.” Sambro, located just west of Halifax, has always been a thriving community. But with the collapse of the groundfishery in 1994, fishers there were left wondering how they would continue to make a living in a declining industry. In September of 1994, fishers were notified by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) that all the haddock quota for that area had been caught and the fishery would be closed for the rest of the year. This put fishers in such a bad position that Sambro Fisheries co-owner Sam Elsworth and then-rival Donnie Hart decided something had to be done. Between them, the two men formulated a proposal for the DFO, asking for a special quota just for the Sambro fleet, that would keep the boats fishing. This quota would be based on historic catches from 1986 to 1993. And surprisingly enough, the DFO agreed. A management board was struck, and Sambro’s co-management fishery was born. In 1995, the community was considered a test area by DFO, says Hart. “We were the guinea pigs, a pilot project,” says Hart. “A lot of people didn’t know if it could work. But they (the fishers) made it work.” At the time the first proposal was put together by Elsworth and Hart, they didn’t know the figures for historical catch, so they had to estimate how much fish it would take to keep the fleet active. “We really went in blind,” says Hart, “but it worked out in balance.” The management board consists of 10 directors, from the Halifax West Commercial Fishermen’s Association. The executive formulates a fishing plan for the year, dividing the community’s quota among larger and smaller boats. The membership ratifies the plan, knowing that they have the flexibility to re-allocate quota mid-year if one sector within the group runs out of fish. Hart says Sambro’s fishers are a good bunch to work with, because of their willingness to co-operate for the good of the whole. “The fishermen here are easy to work with. They are trying to hold the community together. They are dedicated to keeping Sambro as Sambro. We’ve always been a fishing community, and we want to always be a fishing community,” he says. Hart says fishermen enjoy a healthy competition among each other, “but there’s no backstabbing.” As a matter of fact, some of Sambro’s larger fishers who aren’t part of the management group but operate under Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs), have offered to sell the association any leftover quota they have to keep all the boats fishing. Sambro’s buyers and processors have also decided they can work better together than in competition. In 1996 Sambro Fisheries merged with rival B&J Fisheries. Third competitor Seafarer Fisheries had been acquired by B&J in 1989, so the merger combined Sambro’s efforts into one organization. Hart, now assistant plant manager of Sambro Fisheries, says co-owners Elsworth and Doug Garrison are proud that no jobs were lost in the merger. The company employs 23 full-time and 10 regular part-time. The plant processes about half of the groundfish it takes in, and ships the rest whole to Japan, the US and western Canada, both fresh and frozen. Since the merger, the company has made a niche for itself in the Halifax restaurant market, with about 25 per cent of its fish going to that sector. Hart says diversification is the key to continued success for the community. Sambro Fisheries has an ongoing aquaculture project, trying to raise winter flounder and halibut. Sambro holds about 75 per cent of the province's shark licenses, and is active in the swordfish industry. Urchins, lobster, and crab are also caught by local fishermen. Tuna is another lucrative area the community is pursuing. All these alternative fisheries, says Hart, take pressure off the groundfishery while still keeping fishers working. Fisherman James Gray says if DFO had a quota system of "days-at-sea" instead of a pounds per species "shopping list," fishermen would do better. He says some days he can't catch what he needs, and other days he catches fish he doesn't need. But problems aside, Gray, who has been fishing out of Sambro for 22 years, says the majority of fishermen in the community are working hard to make the co- management fishery work, putting the community ahead of personal gain. The group maintains a fund that was established to pay for dockside monitoring. Fishers pay one cent per pound, and leftover funds go towards buying up unused quotas from other boats to keep the fishermen going when needed. As well, the community is looking into borrowing funds to buy quota from some fishermen who are interested in selling out, and thereby keeping those quotas in the community. The group functions so well, says Hart, because when a problem comes up it is dealt with immediately, and not left to fester. "As long as we're all making ends meet, that's the answer. We're not perfect here, and you couldn't say the group is happy, but they're okay." Sambro is pulling together in other ways as well. Penny Henneberry is Development Coordinator with the Greater Chebucto Community Development Association. She is currently working on a project to develop nearby Crystal Crescent Beach, and says the community has been enthusiastic about coming up with ideas to get the project going. Henneberry is developing a five-year, $1.5 million project that will see a canteen, washrooms, improved roads and parking, and sand dune protection. The community will have to kick in about a quarter of the money, either in cash or sweat equity, and Henneberry is working with local residents to make sure the project is a success. Her final management plan for the development was due to be completed by the end of November, and then goes on for provincial approval, with work to start next May. The development of the popular beach area, only 35 minutes from Halifax, will help draw people to the community, says Henneberry, and may allow for spin-off development such as restaurants and other conveniences. Hart says that kind of development is another way of taking pressure off the fishery, since some jobs will be created, as in park security and maintenance, and construction. And other spin-offs like boat tours to historic Sambro Light, the oldest operating lighthouse in North America, will all help this tiny community retain its sense of independence and identity.
Coastal Communities Network Launches Major Provincial CED ProjectThe Coastal Communities Network is gearing up for one of its largest undertakings yet - a province-wide Community Economic Development project. Over the winter, communities around the province will have a chance to organize their thoughts on what is needed to sustain them into the future. Participants from a number of regional sessions will meet with government representatives at a provincial conference May 8-10 at White Point Beach Resort on the South Shore to share ideas and formulate a strategy. The CCN was notified in November that funding for the $180,000 project will be supplied, mainly by Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), along with funding from Agriculture Canada. The project will be organized by a co-ordinator, expected to be on stream by the end of November, and will involve a series of 13 regional seminars held over the next few months. Each seminar will bring together community members, Regional Development Authority (RDA) representatives, and other interested parties, to talk about what that community needs to foster economic development. The provincial conference will bring together community representatives and government departments, and consist of four main components:
The Network had been awaiting funding approval from various government agencies since a Coastal and Rural Conference Planning Project report was compiled by GTA Consultants in the fall of 1996. But Mike Grace, Manager of Strategic Alliances at HRDC Halifax Regional office, says his department realized that time was growing short for CCN to organize the project and that funding would have to come through soon or the project might not happen. So HRDC agreed to fund the lion's share of the CED project. "We felt a conference like this, getting coastal and rural communities together to talk about their concerns and looking at solutions, is vital. We didn't want administrative difficulties in other departments to affect the momentum and motivation shown by CCN in organizing this project," said Grace. In 1996, a steering committee was formed, including the CCN, outreach workers from the Atlantic Groundfish Strategy (TAGS) program, community based learning centres, the Economic Renewal Agency, RDA's, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and commissioned the GTA study which identified the need for a CED project. A series of focus groups was held in 1996 in eight rural and coastal communities throughout the province, as well as interviews with key government and community- based organizations. Those focus groups concluded that with more government offices being taken out of small communities, inconsistent government support for CED projects, cutbacks to the education system, and reduced support for business and industry, that it is up to communities themselves to create opportunities for economic growth that will ensure their survival. Out of that report, a funding proposal was drawn up by the CCN for a CED project, to begin with regional seminars in April of 1997. But delays occurred, beyond CCN's control, and now the project is finally underway. "The result of this project will give us a true vision of the power of CED, and of what it means in this province," commented Pam Harrison of the Guysborough Regional Development Authority, and a Steering Committee member. "The project is a major step in improving the lines of communication between government and communities, bringing the two together in a common plan," said Alvin Martell, committee member. A report from next May's conference will be presented at a national community educators conference taking place in Halifax in June. "This project will give us a snapshot, a picture in time, of where CED is in Nova Scotia today," said Charles Dixon, an Industrial Adjustment Consultant with HRDC in Dartmouth."This will put the government in touch with the people, and what they want and need." Steering committee member Eileen MacNeil described the project as "a springboard, a catalyst to stimulate grassroots community economic development for years to come."
Peer Lending Groups Give Financing Alternative To Small BusinessLast May, Sandra Acker wanted to join a friend in running a small shop in the south shore town of Bridgewater. But after approaching all the government funding programs she could think of, Acker found they all demanded either collateral or equity - something Acker didn't have. Her business partner suggested a peer lending group to her, and after following that advice, today Acker's business is up and running. Being a member of Calmeadow Nova Scotia is not just a source of funding for Acker, but has become a way of life. Calmeadow is an organization that makes small loans, beginning at $1,000, available to business people who can't access loans through the usual sources, such as the bank or government programs. The organization operates by having groups of four to seven self-employed people in a community come together as a business credit group. This group meets monthly to exchange ideas, provide support and assess each other's loan applications. Each member makes a proposal to the group on the business for which he or she needs the loan, and the group decides if it is a viable idea. No collateral is needed to apply, but the group must feel satisfied the applicant has what it takes to make a go of the business. "The group wants full disclosure of an applicant's financial picture, and newcomers to the group often find it hard to give us that kind of information," says Acker. "But if you can't sell me on your business, you can't sell it to anyone else," she says. Loans, processed through the Royal Bank, begin at $1,000. Successively larger amounts are available after each loan is paid off, but only if all members of the lending group are current in their payments. Loans go as high as $5,000, and after that level has been reached, members can access $15,000 individual loans independently from the group, but still through Calmeadow. These loans require collateral. If a member has problems meeting payments, the group is there to provide ideas and support to overcome the problem. Many groups have reserve funds, contributed to by all members, to cover such emergencies. If a member defaults on the loan, the group is not held legally responsible but cannot access more loans until that bad debt is repaid. Calmeadow will kick in half of the debt. Based on borrowing co- operatives started in third- world countries, the organization first came to Canada in First Nations communities, and then spread to other communities. Calmeadow began in Nova Scotia in 1991 in Shelburne County, aided by the Royal Bank. While that institution lends the money, it is actually guaranteed through Calmeadow's backers so the bank is assuming no risk. Mary Coyle is the Director of the Coady International Institute in Antigonish, and is former Executive Director of Calmeadow. She says when the organization first decided to establish itself in Nova Scotia in the early 1990s, a search was made for an appropriate financial partner and a logical host community. The partnership was established with the Royal Bank, which in turn suggested Lockeport as a good test community. Coyle says Lockeport was a good choice, because after the closure of the NatSea plant there, people were forced to find other ways of creating business and making money. As well, she says, the community had a long history of home- based businesses. The mayor and townspeople were keen to establish a partnership with Calmeadow, and the experiment was a great success. Based on that success, Calmeadow Nova Scotia has been expanding steadily throughout the province ever since. It has been incorporated as a separate entity from the mother organization in Toronto, although it is still affiliated with it's parent group. In 1994, $1 million was raised - with half of that coming from the Royal Bank and $100,000 from the Metro United Way - to fund the organization on a five year plan. Backers of Calmeadow since its inception in Nova Scotia have included prominent businesspeople such as John Risley of Clearwater, Allan Shaw, Clayton Coveyduck of the Royal Bank, Pat Bewers of ITI, James Moir of Maritime Medical, and Dale Godsoe of Dalhousie University. "It was encouraging to see that such a community- based venture caught the imagination of so many corporate and community leaders," says Coyle. Barb Smith is Rural Accounts Manager of Calmeadow. She says the organization is hoping to be self-sufficient by the end of the five-year plan in 1999. Smith reports groups have managed very well with their loans. At the end of August this year, accumulative defaults on loans was only 4.7 per cent, a rate especially good considering that clients are in what is considered a high- risk bracket that banks won't normally lend to. Smith says one goal of the organization is to attract more women, at least 50 per cent of clients, since women often have difficulty accessing loans on their own.. Right now that figure stands at 47 per cent. Acker says one of the most helpful things about the group is how members support each other. "It's a very intimate group - we all become friends and help each other, share ideas. To make a business successful, you have to have that peer support. It's crucial," she says. She also says Calmeadow representatives are extremely helpful. They will come in person to talk with the group when advice is needed. "They work hard for their clients, so long as the clients work hard for them and follow the rules," she says. A very important function of the group is to carefully screen potential new members. Not everyone can make a go of a business, and it is up to the group to decide if an applicant is the right kind of person to help make the lending group successful. Acker is so positive about the help Calmeadow can offer small businesses that her lending group organized a trade show in Bridgewater for early November, in part to help promote the organization. She says members have a wealth of information to offer someone starting a business, strategies for promoting your product, how to get the business started, utilizing government programs, tax issues, and so on. She lists among the benefits of being a member of Calmeadow, not just the accessibility of funds and the chance to establish a credit rating, but lasting friendships as well. For more information on Calmeadow, call 1-800-565- 2205.
By Bernadette Romanowsky, River John, and David Orton, SaltspringsTake the time to read the October 1997 Joint Public Review Panel Report "Sable Gas Projects," which uses the catchy and misleading phrase "seed project." (Copies can be obtained by calling toll free 1-800-587-0887.) The report is the end product of a process overseen by a five-person review panel, chaired by US-born and educated Dr. Bob Fournier. This panel was not an independent environmental review panel. Three of its five members were also members of the National Energy Board. The following are for us - two people who have spent considerable personal time trying to understand the natural gas industry - some good reasons to totally reject this report:
Sam Elsworth - The Father of Community Based Co-ManagementTry to make an appointment to see Sam Elsworth. The competition for his time is fierce. Being co-owner of Sambro Fisheries is just one of his commitments. Call his office and you are likely to be told he is in Ottawa being sworn in as national head of the scouting movement, or in Spain for an international fisheries meeting. Or he just might be in meetings with fishermen in the Sambro area talking about how their model of community-based co- management is working these days. Elsworth is a strong supporter of co- management, having initiated the movement in Sambro after visiting Iceland and Norway in 1992 and observing the state of their fisheries. He has also been active in developing Coastal Community Network's policy on community based co- management. In Iceland, communities were suffering because of the concentration of the fishery towards huge factory freezer trawlers. Elsworth said those communities, which traditionally had a small inshore fishery not unlike Nova Scotia's, had become left with little choice but to sell their quotas to the big stakeholders. Norway's fishing communities were flourishing under the community based co- management system. "What I saw in Iceland was brutal," says Elsworth. "I didn't want to see it get that bad in Nova Scotia." Elsworth says that although some would argue privatization of the fishery cuts costs and rationalizes overcapacity, there is an immense social cost that hasn't been calculated. "There is a real dollar value that can be placed on it, but no one has ever done a study on that," he says. No one talks about how a fisher sells his fixed gear quota to a large company, then reactivates his idle mobile gear license, creating more pressure on a declining fishery in that sector. Seeing how the situation was declining for fishermen in his area, he joined up with former rival Donnie Hart and started implementing a community-based co- management of the area's quotas. "It was a desperate grab," he admits, but the plan has caught on well. While he wanted to model Sambro's fishery after the Norwegian example, he realized that only parts of that model would work here. Elsworth says there is a tremendous spirit of volunteerism in Sambro that makes community based co- management work for that community. Other fishers have told him they admire the success of community management in Sambro, but know the same plan couldn't work in their area. Elsworth admits there are problems with the management of the Sambro fishery, and some of the members would like to privatize. He says the next step is for the community to secure equity loans to finance buybacks within their own group. This would keep the quota and the fishing history, on which quotas are based, in the community. "It's anything but perfect," he says of the community-based co- management fishery now in practice in Sambro. "But it's really, really for us. It's great." He is optimistic for the future of the community, and that fishers will be able to work out any difficulties they are having by working together for the good of the community. Elsworth says he is beginning to see a lot of "converts" within the DFO to the concept of community-based co- management. And the provincial fisheries department has always been supportive of the concept. He has also been meeting with the heads of the FFAW in Newfoundland. Elsworth believes this group to be very influential in the setting of fisheries policies, and he is hoping they will come on side with the idea of community based co- management of the fishery. "It seems they have the ability to influence how the industry goes," says Elsworth. A resident of Bridgewater since he began working at the National Sea Products plant in Lunenburg in 1983, Elsworth not only oversees the complex operations of his Sambro plant, he is a member of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), a member of the Fisheries Resource Council of Canada (FRCC), and a director with the Eastern Fishermen's Federation (EFF). In his spare time, Elsworth devotes a tremendous amount of effort towards the scouting movement. An indication of his participation in this organization is the fact that on Nov. 21 he was officially sworn in as National Commissioner of Scouts Canada, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. It's an honor that those who know him say Elsworth greatly deserves. Having fully participated himself as a youth in the Boy Scout movement, Elsworth says the organization helps instill proper values and life skills in young people. He is excited about the benefits he sees for youth in scouting, and is happy to be a part of that movement. "It's a feel-good organization. So many things in the fishery are depressing these days. This is something when you come away, even if it's attending a meeting, you think ‘ahh, there's a positive contribution.' " As National Commissioner, Elsworth will be in charge of all program matters, such as training, leadership, recruitment, and upholding the aims and principles that are the tradition of the organization. Asked what motivates him to be as involved as he is in fishery and community matters, Elsworth admits to having two distinct driving forces within his personality. While he has always been highly competitive, and strives to excel at everything he does, he also has what he describes as "an immense social conscience" that came to him through the church and scouting. He was greatly influenced by people who helped him during his life, people like his scout master when he was a boy, and others - all volunteers. "It's never been a case of doing the right thing. I'm not a manager. It's a case of doing what's right," he explains. "It's no good to be successful if those around you are suffering."
Goldboro Residents Closely Watching Sable Offshore Gas SpinoffsNo one is watching the unfolding of the Sable gas pipeline story closer than the people of the coastal communities in Guysborough County where the pipeline will come ashore. With tentative approval given to the $3 billion project in late October by the federal/provincial review panel, natural gas from six offshore fields could come ashore at Goldboro by Nov. 1999. The Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline Project will build a 1,000 km pipeline from a plant at Goldboro, through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to Maine. Residents in the nearby communities are still skeptical about what benefits they will see at the local level. The primary concern is whether employment will be created to ease a difficult situation in an area that has seen its fortunes decline steadily. "We're in a very economically depressed area, no doubt about it," says Patricia MacIsaac, who lives across the water from Goldboro in Isaac's Harbour. "The fishery is very down right now, and even in the forestry, people have to travel an hour or more to cut pulpwood." Like many people in the area, MacIsaac is hoping for at least some short-term employment during the construction of the plant and clearing land for the pipeline. MacIsaac is the former principal at Riverview School near Goldboro. That school once had an enrolment of 340, and now houses only 67 elementary students. She says it is a shame that many young families move away from the area, because they can find little in terms of employment. She is hopeful that the pipeline development might bring some young families back. MacIsaac is also hoping the development will provide some much-needed spin-off benefits for the area, such as improved roads, and maybe funding for projects like turning the little-used Riverview School into a community education centre. Ray White is the MLAfor the area. He says local residents were hesitant to feel hopeful or enthusiastic about the project and its benefits. And while enthusiasm is building following the October review panel announcement, White says many people won't believe it until they see actual development start. He believes people have been somewhat assured by the level of information that has been available to them through consultation with the gas developers, and by the fact that a Sable Advisory Committee has been struck to look after the concerns of the community. Ken MacLeod is retired from the air force and living in Goldboro. He is also hoping for employment for the people in his area, along with residual benefits to the community. "The community owns the wharf here and if (the gas developers) wanted to use it, they might want to improve it," he says. One problem MacLeod has noticed is that residents of Goldboro feel that as a rule, benefits in the county usually go to the larger community of Guysborough. People are hoping this will not be the case with the pipeline project, and that things like regional offices for the gas companies, will stay in Goldboro. Guysborough County is one of the biggest winners in the pipeline project, according to Bernie MacDonald, Senior Advisor, Training with the Offshore Energy Office in Halifax. He says local companies will be able to purchase natural gas directly from the Goldboro plant, at considerable savings, which "creates a great potential for businesses there," he says. As well, the construction phase of the plant, and the provision of food and lodging for workers will also create great spin-off benefits for the area, MacDonald says. The head of the Guysborough County Regional Development Authority (RDA), Gordon MacDonald, has a more long-term view of the gas development. He has been in on the project from the first, being a member of the team in 1995 that convinced the offshore partners to choose Goldboro over Point Tupper for the location to bring the gas pipeline onshore. The RDA has been busy working on the project ever since. Representatives have visited towns in Alberta and at Aberdeen, Scotland, where similar development has taken place, to determine how the community handled the changes such an industry brings to the area. "We've recently attempted to draw on other peoples' experience. We learned a lot from those people, how a rural community can deal with a new industry." MacDonald has attended international offshore technology conferences, and was an intervener in the hearings prior to the project's recent approval. He says it was very rewarding to hear the decision of the review panel to approve the pipeline proposal Oct. 27, pending federal approval, and that the people of Guysborough County should be proud, but he says the work isn't finished yet. Now the RDA is busy making sure local people will have the skills required to compete effectively for the jobs, and although no decisions on training have been made, the RDA will be monitoring what types of training programs may be necessary. This fall, the RDA completed a skills inventory of people in Guysborough County, to assess the skill level of the 6,500 people who took part in the survey. One disappointing finding was an unemployment rate of about 40 per cent, which doesn't include retirees. MacDonald says training needs can't properly be assessed until the pipeline consortium clearly identifies its requirements for workers. Until that happens, the RDA plans to stay busy, meeting with potential industry suppliers and local businesses, to find ways of increasing the benefits to the local area and boosting spinoff economic development. MacDonald says he is hearing a lot of ideas from local businesspeople on how to best take advantage of the development, and it seems to him that local residents are beginning to have more faith that the development will actually take place. Later in December, MacDonald is expected to leave his position as executive director of the RDA to head a new department within that organization, dealing solely with the Sable gas development. If the project receives final federal approval, construction could start as early as Jan. 5. The final decision is expected by mid- December.
This final draft of the CCN's community based co-management guide was approved by the general network membership during it's November meeting in Truro. We present the text of that guide now for the information of readers.
"Community Based Co-Management Guide"
In today's world of home computers, Community Access computer sites, and the World Wide Web, the Internet is becoming a more commonly-used information tool. For children in school today, computer literacy begins in Primary, and in many households, children are more comfortable with, and knowledgeable about, computers than their parents! So here is the run-down on how to find the CCN website, and what you'll see when you get there.
The CCN website is found at: The CCN Homepage includes the articles from all back issues of the Coastal Community News, and the text of other CCN publications. This information is continually updated as new issues of the newspaper are published, and new policy papers are approved. The site will soon include a copy of the recently-approved CCN Guide to Community Based Co-management of the Fishery, as well as the text of Senator Gerald Comeau's speech delivered during the Annual General Big Event in October. The website is maintained by CCN volunteer member Carlton Lunn, a fisherman in Louisbourg. Mr. Lunn first presented the idea of a website to the CCN membership, and has been largely responsible for keeping the information updated. The site is located on a server at the George D. Lewis school in Louisbourg, graciously provided free of charge to the CCN. When you find the CCN website, you will also find a fact page, and information on the CCN, like how to get a subscription to Coastal Communities News. From the CCN Homepage, you will also find many links to other related sites, such as community organizations, federal and provincial governments, environmental groups, universities, and marine and fisheries-related organizations. The CCN would like your feedback about our website. Please contact us if you have comments about our site, or if there is something else you would like to see added. If you don't own a computer, you can get on- line at your local library, school, or a community CAP site, and some communities have businesses set up where you can rent computer time.
We would be interested in hearing from our readers about interesting and informative websites they have visited. Call us at (902)895-1491 or e-mail at ccn.newsteal@north.nsis. com
Coastal Communities NewsAcknowledgements Coastal Communities News is published bi-monthly by the Coastal Communities Network, a non-profit society registered in the province of Nova Scotia. Coastal Communities News is made possible by the generous efforts of many volunteers, and by financial contributions from Human Resources Development Canada, and by donations and in-kind contributions from the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture, as well as from member groups and organizations. We welcome all articles and submissions, from individuals and groups, with content in keeping with the role and nature of this magazine. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Except where additional credit has been given, all articles are prepared by the Editor and Editorial Board. Join the Coastal Communities Network
Our Mission StatementThe Coastal Communities Network is a volunteer association of organizations whose mission is to provide a forum to encourage dialogue, share information, and create strategies and actions that promote the survival and development of Nova Scotia's coastal and rural communities.
"A Large Voice for Small Communities"CCN is made up of organizations rooted in Nova Scotia's coastal and
rural communities, and it is the diversity of its membership that gives
it strength. Your organization, and your community, can help CCN determine
its direction and strengthen its voice still further. Join the Coastal
Communities Network today. How to Become Involved
|
 CCN Publications | Co-Management | Make It Happen | Up-Dates Glossary | CCN Magazine | Main Port | Fish Facts | Information Kit | SUBSCRIBE!!! | E-Mail |
| Created
by Virtual Media Productions
Ltd. All rights reserved by The Coastal Communities Network © 1997-2002. PO Box 1613 Pictou, N.S. B0K 1H0 Phone:(902)485-4754 Fax:(902)445-7134 E-Mail coastalnet@ns.sympatico.ca |