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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=265582&sc=151

Real ‘cleanup’ begins at last

The Cape Breton Post

In case you missed it, the big Sydney cleanup is underway — unless, of course, it isn’t. A $52 million contract was announced last weekend for the stabilization and solidification of the north and south tar ponds, the largest single job to be awarded for the $400 million federal-provincial cleanup of the tar ponds and cokes ovens site.

It’s become increasingly obvious over the last couple of years that various physical activities were going on around Sydney’s infamous industrial blight, but in many minds the cleanup — the real cleanup — won’t be underway until the tar ponds themselves are tackled. After all, the project’s usually called the Sydney tar ponds cleanup, and the agency in charge takes that name.

So this is the big enchilada, the genuine article, the real McCoy — except that not everyone’s willing to acknowledge it as a cleanup at all. To the inveterate critics of the government-driven cleanup plan, it’s a cover-up because none of the contaminants — not even the hotspot PCBs which initially prompted some official alarm — will be removed or destroyed. With the rejection of the incineration option, stabilization and solidification, followed by capping, became the entire solution.

Federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who grew up in Cape Breton and earned her environmentalist spurs here, voiced the standing criticism of the plan, which comes down to two assertions: 1) that the work may do more harm than good by stirring up sediments and releasing volatile, potentially hazardous compounds into the air; and 2) that cement-based stabilization and solidification won’t work because of the high proportion of coal-based contaminants in the ponds.

The first point appears to ignore the pollution monitoring standards and operating techniques and procedures developed for the project to protect the surrounding community from harm. These precautions may be critiqued for their adequacy but they can’t simply be ignored.

The second point touches a valid question that has been there from the beginning. The federal-provincial panel that conducted the overall environmental assessment of the cleanup plan in 2006 saw a lot of unanswered questions about stabilization and solidification and spent some time describing how that key part of the plan needed to be further refined and tested.

A good deal of work has been done since then, enough to convince the project managers at least that they could award a master contract that includes some additional work to refine the precise mixture of cement and other materials that will work best in the ponds. John van Zutphen, co-owner of J&T van Zutphen Construction Inc. of Mabou, majority partner in the new consortium Nordly’s Environmental which has won the contract, says there is a formula that will work “but we need to refine that formula to make it more efficient.” He suggests the mixtures may differ a bit from one area of the ponds to another.

Although this is an area requiring further clarification, it is no longer a valid criticism simply to claim that stabilization and solidification won’t work when strength criteria have been developed that will have to be met as the work proceeds.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=265677&sc=152

Historical society makes upgrades to centre

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Old Sydney Society is making upgrades to the Cape Breton Centre for Heritage and Science (CBCHS), thanks to a $95,000 investment from the federal government.

“Heritage presentation is an important component of cultural tourism and its popularity continues to grow,” said Keith Ashfield, minister of state (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency).

“The investment will enable the Old Sydney Society to continue to offer residents and visitors a quality experience, resulting in increased economic activity in the Sydney area.”

The CBCHS is located in the Lyceum Building in downtown Sydney. It is home to the Old Sydney Society and features a variety of permanent and temporary exhibits which chronicle the history and culture of Cape Breton Island.

The centre is also the last stop on the society’s walking tour of Sydney’s historic north end, offered from May to October each year. The tours are a popular attraction for locals and visitors, including thousands of cruise ship passengers who sign up for the tour each season.

Upgrades are being made to the facility’s washrooms, kitchen area, electrical and heating systems. The centre has also acquired a new display system and has implemented measures to increase energy efficiency, such as improved insulation and the installation of new doors.

“The Old Sydney Society takes pride in preserving the heritage of this area for local residents and visitors,” said Peyton Chisholm, manager and curator at CBCHS.

“In order to maintain and grow our appeal to tourists and residents, built heritage properties such as the CBCHS must be enhanced to provide product diversity and accommodate the changing needs of our visitors,” he said.

The total cost of the project is $126,667 with ECBC providing $95,000 through ACOA’s Business Development Program.

The Old Sydney Society is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to collecting and preserving the community’s cultural and natural heritage.

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=266098&sc=145

Lifeguards on duty at four beaches in Cape Breton

CHRIS HAYES
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service is on the job at 21 beaches across the province, including four in Cape Breton, although swimming may be the last thing on your mind with all of this rainy weather.

Lifeguards started work Canada Day at Mira Gut, Indian Beach, Inverness Beach and Port Hood Beach in Cape Breton as well as 17 others across the province.

The lifeguard service has supervised 16-million people, made more than 3,100 rescues and completed more than 1,340 beach projects since 1973, according to a release. Last year, lifeguards were involved in what director Paul D’Eon calls a “major” rescue at Port Hood involving young girls swimming in an area adjacent to the supervised beach.

“We had to do some resuscitation for one of them but she was fine in the end,” he said.

D’Eon said the lifeguard service is hoping to add to its record of 36 years without a drowning on its watch.

Last summer, the number of visitors to Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service supervised beaches in Cape Breton were estimated at 9,762 for Inverness Beach, 8,990 for Mira Gut, 5,744 for Port Hood Beach and 2,944 for Indian Beach.

The lifeguard service may have to take a critical look at covering Indian Beach because of the low numbers, D’Eon said. Indian Beach was the second lowest for the province beating out only Bayfield Beach in Antigonish County.

Weather conditions last summer meant lower numbers, he said.

The lifeguard service is looking at providing service for Point Michaud Beach in Richmond County, which D’Eon noted is quite popular.

D’Eon said there are some 3,000 beaches across the province including some nice ones in Cape Breton and the lifeguard service can’t supervise them all.

Looking at what beaches it will supervise, the lifeguard service considers popularity, the ability to erect infrastructure like bathrooms and parking, beach safety conditions and meeting the goal of providing reasonable access for the public to supervised swimming, he said.

“So if you are in the industrial Cape Breton area, we would encourage you to go to Mira Gut or to Indian Beach. That’s the service that is provided. We could probably name 10 other beaches in the immediate industrial Cape Breton area that are just wonderful places to swim but you just can’t do them all.”

Land ownership can also be problematic at some beaches, he noted.

“You just can’t go into private land and attract people or build stuff.”

Hopefully, the lifeguard service will soon be back at Dominion Beach if sewage treatment proceeds as planned, he said.

Lifeguards are on duty until Aug. 30 from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. daily at 19 of the supervised beaches including the four in Cape Breton. Mavillette Beach in Digby County and Clam Harbour Beach in the Halifax Regional Municipality will only be supervised on weekends.

The lifeguard service wanted to remind beach-goers to swim between the red and yellow flags that mark supervised areas of a beach and for parents, to keep children within arm’s reach and to watch over them at all times. It is illegal to consume alcohol on beaches, a rule underlined by the fact an overwhelming number of drowning and water-related incidents are tied to alcohol consumption.

Parks Canada provides lifeguard service from July 4 to Aug. 31 at Ingonish Beach and Freshwater Lake in Cape Breton Highlands National Park each day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Lifeguards are also on duty at Kennington Cove at Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site from July 1 to Aug. 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day.

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Just posting this because of the "pink building" uproar earlier.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=266311&sc=595

Glace Bay improvements eye-catching in a good way

The Cape Breton Post

I have never written a letter to the editor of the Cape Breton Post before but recent developments in Glace Bay have prompted me to send along my thoughts.

While there have been some negative stories circulating over derelict buildings in the downtown core and the eyesore they present for both residents and visitors, I would like to comment on the positive things that are happening.

I am a frequent traveller along the McKeen Street area of town and have noticed the remarkable improvements to the buildings and infrastructure along this heavily travelled route.

It is also the street where the beautiful town hall museum is located.
The latest improvements here are evidenced by the work carried out by Yates Construction through the remediation cleanup under the auspices of the Cape Breton Development Corp. All along the old tracks were massive elephant ear weeds, garbage and the old rail line, which created an unpleasant appearance to this area.

Well, just take a drive by now! It is all being cleaned up, ditched and beautiful, which really adds to the appearance of this area and the town.

Many thanks to those involved in making, through this transformation, a cleaner, neater and more environmentally friendly area of our community. I say to Devco and its employees, keep up the good work! It is nice to see the pride that this kind of work instils in our community.

Keith MacAdam
Glace Bay
Keith’s Place owner

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=266584&sc=145

VLT device to be tested in Sydney

GREG MCNEIL
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The next step in the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation’s attempts to implement responsible gaming will be tested in Sydney.

Beginning today, the Video Lottery Informed Player Choice System will be attached to local video lottery terminals.

The system follows two years of research on tools to provide video lottery players with information on their play.

“It is a card-based system,” said Robyn McIsaac, spokesperson for NSGC.

“It will be voluntary during the field test as to whether or not a customer wants to register for a card and use the tools on the system.”

The Sydney test follows a pilot project conducted in Windsor and Mount Uniacke between 2005 and 2007, when a Responsible Gaming Device was attached to VLTs.

“The results from the pilot test were quite positive. We anticipate similar results from the field test.”

The research found the features helped players spend less, exercise more control and make more informed decisions.

In 2007, Techlink Entertainment, the original developer of the RGD, was awarded the contract to create the Video Lottery Informed Player Choice System for Nova Scotia.

Sydney testing will take place until the fall.

“It is a field test of the actual system that will be used across the province.
We want to make sure the system integrates properly with the VLTs and all technical issues, should there be any, are effectively dealt with.”

McIsaac said establishments currently operating VLTs are co-operating with the field test.

“They understand as well as we do the importance of responsible gambling tools and initiatives and they have been extremely co-operative.”

Following the Sydney area field test, the IPCS will be installed in the province’s 2,800 VLTS, including First Nations, throughout 2009 and 2010.

For more information, visit www.nsgc.ca.

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=266933&sc=152

All-inclusive vacation packages come to Cape Breton

BY CHRIS HAYES
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Dundee Resort in Cape Breton says it is offering the first all-inclusive staycation package in Atlantic Canada, at a time when many Maritimers are facing tight travel budgets.

Florida, Cuba, Mexico and other sunshine destinations are popular for their all-inclusive packages which are not generally seen in Atlantic Canada, according to a release from Dundee Resort.

Scott MacAulay, owner of Cape Breton Resorts which includes Dundee, said the packages include accommodations, meals, golf, and use of the resort’s recreational facilities for adults and children.

“We looked at the economy this year and said people are looking for a lot of bang for their buck,” said MacAulay, who is also the general manager of Dundee Resorts. “We just said listen, as opposed to doing a package for this and this and this, let’s just do one that includes everything and put it out there.”

“Just the meals alone where people can come in and they can eat whatever they want off the menu. They don’t need to worry about a budget for that particular part of it . . . If they want to golf two rounds a day, whether it’s a two-day stay or a four-day stay they are having, they could certainly do that. That in itself could eat up the whole price of it.”

MacAulay said the package is similar to the all-inclusive deals offered at resorts “down south.”

“This is pretty close to that. The only things we are not including is spa services, motorboat rentals or alcoholic beverages,” he said.

Dundee Resorts is offering the packages from Sundays to Thursday with a four-night package that includes four nights at the resort, four dinners, four breakfasts, three lunches and unlimited golf and recreation for $499 per person and a similar two-night package for $250 per person.

MacAulay figures the all-inclusive package would become a new trend in Atlantic Canada by making resorts more accessible.

Dundee Resort is located on the Bras d’Or Lakes in Cape Breton.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=266934&sc=152

Island Career Academy approved for training program

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Island Career Academy has received final approval from the Department of Education to offer early childhood education training in Sydney.

Henry Johnston, president of Island Career Academy, said the two-year program has been under development for more than four years.

Island Career Academy is one of only five educational institutions in the province to be approved to provide early childhood education training programs.

“The college receives inquiries on a regular basis for EDE training both by prospective students and day-care centres seeking employees. Having the program here in Sydney makes it a great deal easier and much less expensive for those seeking this type of training as they now don’t have to move to the mainland to get it,” said Johnston.

The program will offer training for 20 students per year and provide full-time employment positions for three to four people in the first year increasing to five by year two. Spin-off employment at the lab school provides employment for five additional full- and part-time jobs.

Island Career Academy is a Department of Education registered private career college specializing in human services training.

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http://glacebaygleaner.com/public/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1168&Itemid=131

Cape Breton Drive-in has new website

Written by The Community Press
Friday, 03 July 2009

The familiar screen in the sky on the Sydney-Glace Bay highway has been a local summer tradition for over three decades, and this year the venerable ol’ Cape Breton Drive-in Theatre has modernized itself with a new website.

The drive-in, which will be celebrating 34 years in business next week, recently unveiled, www.capebretondriveintheatre.com, which not only lets people know what’s currently playing at the drive-in, but also what movies will be playing in the coming weeks. Gone are the days of waiting for the newspaper mid-week to find out what will be playing at the drive-in that weekend.

Also included on the website is the history of the theatre, starting with the July night in 1975 when James and Toula Sifnakis first opened the drive-in with a full-service cafeteria. Over the years, the drive-in has become as much beloved for its selection of delicious and affordable food at the concession stand as it has for its movies.

In an age when popcorn and pop for two people at a typical movie theatre can expect to run you $20, the drive-in sells a 16-ounce pop for $1.25, and popcorn, hotdogs and fries are all under $2.50.

The website even has some great ideas to solve two of problems everyone encounters at one time or another at the drive-in – your car battery dying, and being eaten alive by the flies when you open the window.

The drive-in broadcasts a signal in Dolby 5.1 Sound and, the website says, is best heard through your vehicle’s radio at 88.3FM or 650AM. Just about everybody at some point gets so wrapped up in the movie on the screen that they forget to start their car every once in a while and the battery goes dead. It’s a frequent occurrence to see cars boosting each other in the dark, trying to recharge their batteries.

Well, rather than try to call someone you know to come help, you might not be aware that the drive-in itself can help you.

“We have a battery pack on hand to help you out if your car battery dies,” the website says. “Ask us!”

And as for flies, there is another helpful hint on the website:

“Everyone hates black flies! Some nights when there's a breeze blowing it might not be a problem. But on some nights, there's little or no wind... so here's a suggestion! Purchase a fine mesh screen at Home Depot, Home Choice, Canadian Tire or Central Supplies. Lay it over the door and pull it tight. Then close the car door, and voila! You can enjoy the fresh air while you watch the movie!”

The website boasts that the Cape Breton Drive-in has the best admission prices in North America, and it’s hard to argue that when you compare it with going to the movies.

The regular price is $14.99 plus tax per carload. If there are four people in a car, that’s about $3.75 each for two movies – or $1.87 per person for each movie. Even if only one person goes to the drive-in, the cost would be about $7.50 per movie, which is less than the $10.99 cost of one weekend adult admission at Empire Theatres in Sydney.

As they have been for years, Tuesdays are still Super Carload nights, when admission drops to $8.99 plus tax per carload, and there is a bonus feature every Sunday night. And the famous Dusk ‘til Dawn features of 4 or 5 movies playing all night will continue this year on holiday weekends, at a price of $17.99 plus tax per carload.

For more information, check out the new website at www.capebretondriveintheatre.com/ or call the drive-in’s movie hotline at 539-9922.

As always, the show starts around dusk.


Photos will hopefully be added later this week for a splash of colour as usual. :cheers:

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This is "The Vogue" office building. I'll try to get some construction shots when I'm in Sydney in a couple weeks. One thing I'm really glad to see in this is the underground parking...now if only we could replace the surface lots on Charlotte St and the Esplanade. :cheers:

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=267307&sc=152

New Sydney office building will host major tenants

BY CHRIS HAYES
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A new office building under construction on Charlotte Street will have RBC and the Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia as tenants.

RBC said in a release it will move its Prince Street branch, commercial banking and area office operations into the office building at 392 Charlotte St. Forty-one employees will move into the new location.

Jerry Rankin, RBC’s regional vice-president for Cape Breton and eastern Nova Scotia, said in a release that in addition to personal, commercial and small business banking, the new location will also provide wealth management services through the first and only RBC Dominion Securities office in Cape Breton.

The new office building, which is being built by Harbour Royale Developments, will have two stories on the Charlotte Street side and three stories on the Esplanade, where there will be underground parking.

RBC is moving onto the first floor of the building and the workers compensation board onto the second floor.

Director of communications Mary Kingston said the workers compensation board will relocate the 35 employees and all of the services it provides for Cape Breton, Guysborough and Antigonish counties from its Kings Road location into the new Charlotte Street office building.

Kingston said the Charlottee Street office building was selected after a call for proposals.

“It’s good value for us,” she said Tuesday. “It offers a good location. It gives improved parking. There are some improvements that are available inside . . . Because it’s a new building, there is good technology infrastructure included in the building that would mean technologically communicating with our computer systems here in Halifax, that will be better.”

“When we looked at everything we said, yeah, it makes sense for us to move up there.”

She expected to move into the building at around the end of September.

Rankin said RBC is “thrilled” to be part of the commercial revitalization of downtown Sydney.

“When finished in early 2010, the new flagship branch will be 9,000 square feet, making it RBC’s largest and most modern branch in Cape Breton and one of its largest in Nova Scotia,” he said in the release.

The new Charlotte Street RBC location will also have four automated banking machines including RBC’s first drive-thru bank machine in Cape Breton and parking, both underground and behind the branch on the Esplanade.

RBC said for the next six months, it will be business as usual at Prince Street Plaza.

Royal Bank of Canada and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC.

Martin Chernin, of Harbour Royale Developments, said there is still about 1,600 square feet of space on the first floor of the building that has not yet been leased.

Downtown Sydney has been seeing other construction projects recently, including the new building where a Lawtons Drugs store is located and the major expansion of the YMCA.

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=267545&sc=145

New seniors retirement project announced

Breaking News
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Details of a new $18 million seniors retirement home were announced by Shannex Health Care, Wednesday.

The seniors campus will feature a 67 suite retirement living residence and a 47 suite assisted living residence.

Details of the facility were unveiled at a press conference at Harbourstone Enhanced Care, another Shannex facility in Sydney.

The new complex will be located near Harbourstone and connected by a pedway.

For details, check Thursday’s Cape Breton Post.

Here's a map of the current facility and its surroundings. The current one is 3 or 4 floors, I'm assuming the new one will be similar. (http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&fb=1&split=1&gl=ca&ei=JFZVStKaLYLusgP115z0AQ&hl=en&msa=0&ll=46.106506,-60.21497&spn=0.00729,0.013797&t=h&z=16&msid=103381556606783862860.00046e3ca37808ee47210)

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=267635&sc=152

Advanced Glazings Ltd. reaches settlement with company’s founder

BY CHRIS HAYES
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Advanced Glazings Ltd. said Wednesday it has reached an agreement with high-profile Cape Breton businessman Douglas Milburn to settle a wrongful dismissal lawsuit that he brought against the company.

Interim president Rob Nearing declined to discuss the terms of the settlement reached with Milburn, who was terminated by the company that he himself founded and that manufactures a product he invented.

“We settled the suit on terms that were agreeable to both sides,” Nearing said. “I am not going to disclose the actual settlement.”

Milburn, who remained on the board of directors of the company and has been involved as a paid consultant since April, also declined to disclose details of the agreement.

“My interests are in making the company prosper: That has always been my interest,” said Milburn, who is also the company’s largest shareholder. “From the day all this stuff started going down, that’s what I have been trying to do.”

Milburn filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in November 2007 against Advanced Glazings Ltd. over his removal as president and CEO. He was seeking damages of one year’s wages as well as additional damages.

Advanced Glazings manufactures a product created by Milburn called Solera, a line of translucent, insulated glass designed to better distribute sunlight entering windows.

“Dr. Milburn’s employment was terminated in an inappropriate manner, and the company’s fortunes suffered in the period that followed,” Nearing said in a release Wednesday.

“We were fortunate that, in the period that followed, he continued to participate actively as director of the corporation, and more recently as a consultant on matters of business and technology. He’s played a crucial role in helping us restore the fortunes of the company this year.”

Advanced Glazings now employs 23 people, all but two of them in Cape Breton, and is having a successful year, Nearing said.

A group of common shareholders of Advanced Glazings has launched a lawsuit naming two Toronto-based investment funds and a number of former or current directors.

An application that was filed in Nova Scotia Supreme Court alleges the investment funds and directors acted in an oppressive manner against the interests of the common shareholders.

Milburn, who is one of the shareholders, stressed that the lawsuit, which is continuing, is not against Advanced Glazings in any way.


I know I sound like a broken record with road improvements, but I can dispute the traffic volumes being strongly considered since I have the last 10 years counts sitting in my file cabinet at home...

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=267636&sc=152

Province calling for tenders on road projects

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Nova Scotia government is calling tenders for 13 projects to improve highways, bridges and secondary roads across the province, including work on the Cabot Trail and Route 4 in Cape Breton.

Frank Corbett, the acting transportation minister, said in a release Wednesday the tenders, which are valued at $17.5 million, will result in safer and more efficient roads that will benefit communities and industries like tourism.

Corbett, the MLA for Cape Breton Centre, said this is one of the busiest and most productive construction seasons ever seen in the province..

The province recently announced that it expects to spend $325 million on highway construction and major maintenance projects this year, surpassing last year's amount by more than $100 million. A portion of the funding is earmarked to come from federal stimulus programs.

Cathy MacIsaac, a spokesperson for the department, said road improvements are priorized by looking at traffic volumes and the conditions of roads across the province.

Tenders released Tuesday include work on:

• Cabot Trail from 11.5 kilometres south of Path End bridge, north for six kilometres, for upgrading
• Cabot Trail (Trunk 30), Wreck Cove Bridge at Wreck Cove crossing Morrisons Brook, for repairs
• Cabot Trail (Trunk 30), McDonald Bridge, for bridge deck and bridge rail repairs
• Cabot Trail (Trunk 30), Mill Brook #2 Bridge, for bridge deck and bridge rail repairs
• Trunk 4 in Cape Breton, from Lake Shore Drive West east for 4.7 kilometres, for repaving

The tenders also include projects on mainland Nova Scotia including on East Petpeswick Road, Wellington Dyke Road, Highway 101 from Coldbrook to Kingston, Truro Heights Road, Lower Truro Road, College Road/Main Street, Truro, Route 301, in Oxford, Black River Bridge, and Bridge, North River, Colchester County.

I'm working on a traffic volumes post...using google or microsoft maps with colour co-ordinated traffic thresholds. It will be a while, I'm compiling right now, but Hwy 125 from Sydney River to Grand Lake Rd has 1.5x to 2x the traffic of the busiest untwinned sections of 100-series highways on the mainland, including 101 and 103. I know there was mention of some work being started from Balls Creek to Coxheath, and the entire length has been announced to be twinned, but I haven't heard anything about the SR to GLR section being started or tendered yet. I'll confirm or correct when I'm home in a couple weeks.[/rant]

[Davey Boy Smith]

Quite a bit of work has been completed on the Coxheath to Balls Creek section - it is going full steam ahead from what I saw a few weeks ago.

As for the Sydney River to GLR section, the earliest it can begin is 2010 or 2011 (if my memory serves correctly). I attended a Dept of Transportation information session on the proposed twinning of this section last winter, and they said that engineering, assessment and planning still needs to be completed before they could even consider tender/ start that section. This part of the highway would be a "jersey barrier" type set up, with both sides being on the same road separated by a concrete wall, similar to what is in Coxheath now. The transportation guys did seem pretty sincere that it was a priority of their though. An issue is that this section is not considered part of the National Highways System and the federal portion of the money would have to come from a different program. They were optimistic that it could come from a new program that cost shares for roads contained within urban centres. Let's hope this gets done more sooner than later.

There is some major road work going on in Route 4 in the Big Pond/ Ben Eion area and it is also being resurfaced from Howie Centre right into Sydney River.

[Smevo]

^Thanks for the update. I remember that it was going to be jersey-barrier divided, and that it wasn't part of the NHS. I thought most of the design work had been done though. I'm glad it's a priority.

I'm actually not as ticked about it as I probably sound, I just know that there has been a political factor in the delays its seen along with the non-NHS factor. It's actually a well designed highway even in the 2-lane sections, which is probably what's keeping it from being as dangerous as a 2-lane with that volume of traffic would normally be.

Also, good to see the Rte 4 upgrades progressing past the golf course.

One more thing, since I'm arriving in town next weekend (flying in and out of Sydney, but spending the first week in Fredericton)...am I going to be disappointed with the downtown developments? I'm not expecting a whole lot, but I'm expecting more than crap too. lol

:cheers:

[Smevo]

Just logging in for some quick updates while I can. I'll post a full rundown of what I saw when I get back to Calgary, hopefully with as many photos as possible, but for now I just wanted to say that YMCA is coming along nicely with the back addition looking close to complete, Lawtons is done though I didn't get a good look at it, the Vogue office building looks nice and seems to be just putting on finishing touches, Victoria Rd in Whitney Pier looks awesome where they've done the facade program, and the Burnac Dr extension to SPAR Lake Rd to take it to the east traffic lights at Mayflower Mall is completely cut through.

And, oh yeah, 23 rows * 6 seats/row = 138 occupied seats on my Westjet flight from Toronto to Sydney...not a single one was empty. Hopefully it's as successful going the other way too.

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=269239&sc=145

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/stpatour.JPG
From left, George Hennick, site supervisor with the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, explains the remediation process from a viewing area above the north tar pond Tuesday as Chief Raymond Tutcho of the Deline First Nation, N.W.T., and Alex Paul of Membertou First Nation, training co-ordinator with the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office, listen. Tom Ayers – Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=269239&sc=145)

Follow the leader
Northern aboriginal groups seek help from Unama’ki on environmental remediation

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Community and business leaders from the Northwest Territories are touring the tar ponds this week and learning from local aboriginal groups how to build capacity in their own communities and take advantage of future cleanup projects in the north.

Tuesday and today, representatives from the Tlicho and Deline First Nations are being accompanied by officials from Indian and Northern Affairs in meetings with others from the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office based in Membertou First Nation.

Deline Land Corp. spokesperson Marty Ann Kenny said five uranium mine sites around Great Bear Lake are scheduled for environmental remediation and northern aboriginals are hoping to learn from local groups in Cape Breton how to set up private companies and bid on government cleanup projects.

The land corp. is a band-owned entity, but other private companies will be expected to bid on cleanup projects.

“That’s part of why we came here, to find out how they set up the companies,” Kenny said.

The northern cleanup sites include the Port Radium mine, which supplied uranium used in manufacturing of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during the Second World War, she added.

The Deline First Nation, with a population of about 600, is located on the shores of Great Bear Lake. It is a fly-in community with winter-road access.

Unama’ki executive director Owen Fitzgerald said the five First Nations communities in Cape Breton have already secured work contracts worth more than $19 million as part of the $400-million cleanup of the Sydney tar ponds and coke ovens sites.

First Nations communities across Canada have been hearing about the success of the unique economic partnership between the Unama’ki communities and the federal and provincial governments, he said, and are interested in learning how aboriginal set-asides are identified and pursued.

In addition to a tour of the tar ponds, the northern visitors are touring a Devco mine site remediation in Sydney Mines and meeting with local First Nations government and business leaders to discuss how aboriginal communities are organizing to effectively participate in the larger cleanup project and how aboriginal groups are using the project as a stepping stone to business development and future economic development.

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Alexandra Street roundabout included in highway tenders

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Tenders were called Wednesday for several paving projects totalling $12.5 million, including construction of a new roundabout on Alexandra Street in Sydney.

A total of 11 tenders were issued for road projects in seven counties and two regional municipalities as part of the province's highway construction program.

"We're working with partners to make sure improvements continue to go forward on roads all over Nova Scotia," said Bill Estabrooks, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

"These latest projects are among the many now underway to provide Nova Scotians and visitors with a strong road network that connects our communities."

The province is scheduled to spend $325 million on highway construction and major maintenance projects this year, surpassing last year's amount by more than $100 million. A portion of the funding will come from federal stimulus programs.

"There is a wide variety of work involved in these projects, from building a roundabout to bridge painting," said Estabrooks.

“Whatever the job, I know that the Nova Scotia construction industry is up to the task."

Meanwhile, island motorists are being advised of a paving project currently underway in Victoria County which will result in delays.

Two sections of Highway 105, from Exit 10 west for 4.3 kms and east of Big Harbour Road, for about 1.8 km, will be reduced to one lane for cold planing, patching and repaving from today until Aug. 31.

Motorists can expect delays and work takes place from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.



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Mary Mombourquette shows a conceptual design for the Whitney Pier Community Heritage Trail. Trail construction could begin as early as the fall. Mombourquette is a member of the trail committee, along with Charlie Neville, Sandra Dunn, Gordon Kiely, Selma Nobrega, Helen Carrol, Simon Gillis, Posey MacKinnon. Greg McNeil - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=269642&sc=149)

Whitney Pier historic trail in planning stage

BY GREG MCNEIL
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A trail designed to link a community’s past with its present and the community to the rest of the municipality is a step closer to completion.

The Whitney Pier Community Heritage Trail, a concept born in 2003, will be a 1.5 km trail developed between the former lands of the International Pier and the Sydney Steel Plant.

“It is going to be a historic trail,” said said Mary Mombourquette, a member of the society overlooking the project.

“In an around the trail there is going to be different monuments explaining where you are that particular site. Also, all the ethnic organizations will be getting together and they will be providing something on their culture.”

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality is now looking for design proposals for the project.

“We already have a very conceptual plan,” said regional planner, Rick McCready.

“We want somebody to look at that and put together something very specific, including construction drawings that we could actually tender out for the construction of the trail.”

Trail features will allow for a tobaggan run and cross country skiing in the winter. Summertime users will enjoy biking, a boardwalk, benches and flowers among other things.

McCready said the idea stands on its own as a project for Whitney Pier, but it will eventually link into a larger municipal network.

Conceptual plans have the trail linking under the coal railroad to the sidewalks being built in the Harbourside Commercial Park.

That means when the new Ferry Street bridge is built, there will be a connection for foot and bicycle traffic from the trail directly into downtown Sydney.

The proposal was identified in the CBRM’s Active Transportation Plan, which includes sidewalk improvements and other trails around the municipality.

The CBRM is working with Nova Scotia Lands and the Whitney Pier Historic Trail Society on the project.

Construction could begin as early as this fall.

Mombourquette said numerous residents, organizations and schools have been and will be involved with the trail project.

“It is being very positively received within the neighbourhood. I myself did surveys with all the homeowners.”

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New Waterford residents ready to once again celebrate Coal Dust Days

SHARON MONTGOMERY-DUPE
The Cape Breton Post

NEW WATERFORD — It is about to get a little crowded in New Waterford.
Coal Dust Days festivities begin today and continue until Sunday, July 26.

“A lot of people from away come home for these events, especially Plummer Avenue Day,” said festival co-ordinator Carol Ann White.

White said although many of the festivities attract a big crowd, Plummer Avenue Day is definitely the one that no one misses.

“It is the most popular, as it is a nice social event, the one people from away can especially run into a lot of people they haven’t seen in awhile.”

Coal Dust Days begins Saturday with the annual children’s festival at Colliery Lands Park and includes free hotdogs, pop, cotton candy, cookies, games and pony rides.

Organizers are encouraging everyone to get in the community spirit and put a float in the Coal Dust Days parade which takes place Sunday. Formation is at 5:30 p.m. on the KOC on Plummer Avenue. The parade begins at 7 p.m. The route includes lower Plummer Avenue, proceeding up King Street to Emerald Street, down Mason Street back to Plummer Avenue. The awards ceremony will follow at the KOC hall. For safety reasons no bicycles will be permitted and only registered ATVs, operated by a licensed driver, will be accepted.

Plummer Avenue Day is Thursday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The street is blocked off and non-profit organizations, groups, individuals and businesses will have booths set up along Plummer Avenue. Entertainment throughout the day will include Olive Street, Tender Trap, Air Traffic Control, Bernie McCuish & Friends, Dougie MacPhee & Carl MacKenzie, magician Patrick Drake. The wrap-up party follows 7-11 p.m. with Colin, James & Michael MacNeil as well as Laurel Martell and the Deal.

White said they always keep the long-running popular Coal Dust Days activities intact, but like to add new ones.

“We are always looking for new events, especially for the youth.”

A new event this year is the ball hockey challenge at Rotary Ball Hockey Arena beginning at 9 a.m., Monday.

There is also a big bike ride this year sponsored by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., July 24 at the Knights of Columbus hall. Teams or groups sign up for the ride and get pledges to raise money.

“It is like a big flat bed with about 30 bikes so your team can all ride together. It is put on by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, one of the ways they try and raise money.”

White said there is still time to register for events at the Colliery Lands Park including the ball hockey challenge, the big bike, Guitar Hero competition, parade and NBA 2-Ball competition.

The only registration for the tavern tour will be 12-8 p.m., today at the New Waterford Volunteer Fire Department.

Coal Dust Days celebrations will wrap up July 26 with the annual fireworks and concert at Colliery Lands Park at 7:30 p.m. The Andrew Doyle band will perform.

For a complete list of events log on the website, www.coaldustdays.com or call 862-4710.


More rural than Sydney area, but I'll put it here anyway...
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Mi’kmaq culture will be in spotlight during Wabanaki Ways Festival

LAURA JEAN GRANT
The Cape Breton Post

INDIAN BROOK — The work of a renowned Cape Breton artist will be showcased on the opening day of a first-of-its-kind festival happening at the Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort.

Membertou’s Arlene Christmas, who goes by the name Dozay, will unveil the results of a special project at an art show opening reception Saturday at 3 p.m. at Cabot Shores, as part of the resort’s Wabanaki Ways Festival. The reception will be followed by a traditional Mi’kmaq dinner and a live musical performance by award-winning group Morning Star, featuring Alex Poulette and Richard Poulette. John Henry Lafford, an elder from Eskasoni, will open the day’s festivities with a traditional welcome and smudging ceremony.

Dozay has spent years researching legends about native Mi’kmaq hero, Glooscap. She has travelled to the locations where these stories took place, photographed them, and then created paintings celebrating both the legends and these landmarks.

“They’re original acrylics and it’s the series on Glooscap legends,” said Dozay, of the work that will be featured at Cabot Shores. “It’s mostly on Cape Breton legends. There’s 14 pieces altogether.”

Paul Weinberg, who owns and operates Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort located in Indian Brook on the Cabot Trail, said he was first inspired to organize the festival during a tourism conference where officials talked about the importance of providing visitors with unique cultural experiences.

“A lot of our guests come from Germany, France, the United States and all over the world and they’re always asking about native culture so we’ve been doing a lot with the Mi’kmaq with a fellow named John Henry Lafford, who lives in Eskasoni. He’s done some guiding here. He’s taken my guests on trips down the Margaree doing salmon fishing, he’s taken them to Glooscap Cave and so forth. At the same time I connected with Dozay, who’s a native artist in Membertou,” he said, in explaining how the festival has come together.

Weinberg said he hopes the festival is a fun experience for all involved.

“The purpose would be for non-native people to learn what the native culture is on Cape Breton and maybe, even more broadly, the Maritimes,” he said, noting they decided on naming the event the Wabanaki Ways Festival.
“Wabanaki is five tribes — the Mi’kmaq, the Maliseet, the Passamaquoddy the Penobscot and the Abenaki.”

The festival opens this weekend and will continue throughout the summer, coming to a close Sept. 23. Weinberg said they have a number of events planned over the next two months including art workshops for children and adults, musical performances and workshops on a wide range of topics including native culture, storytelling and crafts.

Dozay’s paintings will be on display at Cabot Shores throughout the summer.
Her work has been displayed and exhibited her work throughout the Maritimes, Ontario and the United States. In the coming year some of her pieces will be featured in exhibits in Melbourne, Australia and at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

But for right now, Dozay said she’s looking forward to the Wabanaki Ways Festival.

“It sounds interesting. It’ll be the first one of its kind, I guess, for Cape Breton. It should be a lot of fun and there will be a lot of interesting things to do,” she said.

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A baby eagle relaxes in a nest in Dominion. Despite a constant convoy of activity with the building of the new sewer treatment plant, the eagles seemed unbothered and nested in the community once again. Sharon Montgomery-Dupe - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=270511&sc=149)

Family of eagles still nesting in Dominion despite noisy construction

SHARON MONTGOMERY-DUPE
The Cape Breton Post

DOMINION — The eagles have landed — again.

Eagles will return to their same nest year after year, providing there aren’t any major distractions.

CBRM Coun. Darren Bruckschwaiger said hats need to be tipped to workers involved in the new sewer treatment plant project in Dominion.

Bruckschwaiger said nothing could be much more distracting than a constant convoy of heavy equipment building the road maybe 100 feet or so from the nest.

“That goes to show you how well these people work, always keeping the nest in consideration,” he said.

Terry Power, regional wildlife biologist for the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), agrees.

“We are quite pleased this eagle continued to nest here because at the time the new road was being built.”

Power said the Cape Breton Regional Municipality contacted him before starting the project for advice on building a road while ensuring the nest was preserved.

“The municipality was able to acquire an additional piece of property they hadn’t owned up to that point to swing the road a little to the right to give a larger buffer between the road and eagles nest.”

However, he said it was touch and go whether the eagle would stay.

“They have continued to nest there, which is a good outcome for everyone.”

He said eagles adjust to activity of the surroundings, but if something new comes along it is quite possible they would pack up.

“That would have been an example of that. Building a road is something new. They hadn’t seen that. This pair of eagles was use to nesting in an urban setting, use to a lot of activity from people and this was just one more such activity. It is a good outcome. We are pleased they continued to nest.”

Power estimated there are 175-180 eagle nests in Cape Breton. The DNR documents and keeps track of the nests on the island.

Power said most eagles that breed in Nova Scotia breed in Cape Breton.

“What eagles are looking for is a ready supply of fish. Predominately what they eat in nesting season. They will take road kill, garbage, but nesting time coincides with the gaspereaux run.”

Power said most eagle nests are heavy — built with large sticks — and well anchored.

However, because they return to the same next every year, they continue to add more material.

“They get larger in diametre and deeper. Every year they put fresh grass in the middle.”

Eventually the snow will bring an eagle’s nest down and they will rebuild in an adjacent tree, he added.

“That is why it is important to keep the grove of poplar trees there by the eagle’s nest in Dominion.”

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Sounds like we may have to keep an eye out for something new on this site.
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Workers cleaning up Jasper's site

TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Workers from Hazco and several subcontractors are cleaning up soil under the parking lot of the former Jasper’s restaurant on George Street.

The location was formerly a gas station, although a site supervisor said no tanks are buried there. He said a private client hired Hazco to remediate the ground under the parking lot, a job which is expected to take a couple of weeks.

Workers have erected a temporary fence around the parking lot on the corner of Dorchester Street, and the George Street sidewalk is expected to be blocked to pedestrian traffic next week for safety reasons, the supervisor said.

Details on the remediation work are not being released, but the supervisor said the job is necessary because environmental guidelines have changed since the former service station property was cleaned up years ago.

He said the parking lot will be restored once the work is finished.

Michael Florian, inspector specialist with the Nova Scotia Department of Environment, said the department is not aware of the work, but that’s not uncommon.

“It happens all the time,” he said. “The only thing we need to know at the end of the day . . . is the real heavy stuff.”

Florian said environmental regulations permit cleanups that fall below a certain level and likely pose no concerns.

A large cleanup at the Jasper’s property occurred years ago, he added, so the amount of work left to do is likely to involve only small amounts of gasoline, which is volatile and dissipates easily.

“It is hydrocarbon,” said Florian. “It came from Mother Nature and it can go back to Mother Nature. You’re probably worse when you’re filling up your lawn mower with gas.”

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Airplanes on course for Cape Breton

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — What is believed to be the largest rally of airplanes to fly coast-to-coast in Canada is nearing its final destination at the birthplace of Canadian aviation.

As part of the country’s centennial year of flight, more than 100 non-military airplanes and approximately 200 pilots will land in Cape Breton Monday, ending their two-week journey which began July 16, in Boundary Bay, B.C.

Destined to be near Baddeck, where Canada’s first manned powered flight occurred on Feb. 23, 1909, the event includes stops across the country as the fleet of small planes makes its way to the Sydney airport.

Members of the public will be invited to watch outside the airport gate as the planes land one-by-one in Sydney, with the first plane expected to arrive at 9:30 a.m.

Once the entire group has landed, both pilots and the public will be invited to attend a reception to rename Sydney airport in honour of Silver Dart pilot J.A.D. McCurdy. A concert will also be held featuring Cape Breton music group The Barra MacNeils.

“There’s just a huge amount of press on this flight and it’s picking up momentum for sure,” said Eleanor Anderson, project manager, Silver Dart Centennial Association. “We’re planning a big welcome for them.”

Anderson said most pilots will stay at a Sydney hotel and later be bused by motor coach to the Alexander Graham Bell museum July 28.

Eight to 10 planes will fly into Baddeck for the occasion, landing at the Crown Jewel Resort airstrip.

Anthony Nalli, media co-ordinator for John Lovelace’s Cross Canada Century Flight, said Tuesday the group was currently stationed in Dryden, Ont.

Nalli, who is a pilot himself, said each plane flies according to its own flight plan — not as a squadron.

John Lovelace, the flight marshal, had originally planned to complete the cross-Canada trip himself after discussing the idea in Baddeck with a grandson of Alexander Graham Bell. After sharing his plans, more and more pilots had requested to join, leading him to organize a group of 100 planes to represent 100 years of flight.

“To tell you the truth if we didn’t stop registration a few months ago we could have had double or triple that,” said Nalli. “The interest has been absolutely phenomenal.”


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Harbour busy today with arrival of two cruise ships

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Sydney’s harbourfront will be abuzz with activity today with two cruise ships along with local ports officials hosting a special barbecue for the crew.

In addition to the cruise vessel Maasdam coming into port, the Tahitian Princess will make an unexpected call on Sydney today.

Owned by Princess Cruise Lines, the Tahitian Princess carries 700 passengers and 373 crew and is expected in port at 8 a.m. Her sister ships, Pacific Princess and Royal Princess, will both make visits to Sydney later this year.

Meanwhile, the crew of the Maasdam will be feted today by port officials during the fourth annual Maasdam Crew barbecue. The event is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is open to the public.

Among the events planned is a special presentation to Captain Andre VanSchoonhoven by regional Deputy Mayor Clarence Prince in appreciation of the Maasdam’s continued support of the Cape Breton port.

In total, the Maasdam will make 17 visits to Sydney this year.

After today’s visit by two cruise ships, the next one doesn’t come into port until Aug. 24 when the Eurodam is scheduled to arrive.

The harbourfront will also be busy on the weekend thanks to the arrival of the Tall Ships. A number of activities are scheduled.

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Centre 200 renovations will take a year, says GM

TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — It will be one more hockey season before $1.5 million in renovations to the Centre 200 arena will be finished, said general manager Blair Brewer.

“They have started, but they’ve just started,” Brewer said Wednesday.
“There’s nothing of any significance done yet. They’re fairly extensive and it’s probably going to be a year before they’re all done.

“Construction takes that long. By the time you go through a process of getting drawings done, getting tenders out . . . this isn’t abnormal.”

In March, Nova Scotia MP Peter MacKay announced $1.5 million in upgrades to Centre 200, including funding from the federal government, the province, Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the private sector.

Planned improvements include increasing seating to at least 5,000 with the addition of 13 new skyboxes and club seating, and a new video scoring system. The concession area and washrooms are also slated for renovation.

Brewer said the only work being done so far is the washrooms, which are being modernized and should be done next month.

“There may be a little bit more done, but that’ll probably be it this year,” he said.

Some people may have expected work to be done quicker, but a large construction project simply takes time, said Brewer. “I didn’t expect we would have more done than we do.”

With ice scheduled to go in Aug. 1 and a new hockey season set to begin, the rest of the work will have to wait.

“Before the beginning of next hockey season it’ll be done,” said Brewer.


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CBU project among this year’s nominees for world technology award

The Cape Breton Post

NEW YORK — For Cape Breton University’s Petroleum Applications of Wireless Systems (PAWS) Project, it was simply an honour to be nominated.

The project was among this year’s nominees for a 2009 World Technology Award for Communications Technology.

Although CBU did not win, the nomination was great exposure, according to Cecil Smith, CBU’s director of PAWS.

“We are deeply honoured and delighted that the PAWS project had been nominated for the Communications Technology category of the 2009 World Technology Awards. Recognition from one’s peers means so much and this nominations highlights the importance collaboration plays in research and development."

Winners were announced earlier this month in New York at the World Technology Awards gala ceremony at the TIME & Life Building at the conclusion of the two-day World Technology Summit.

The World Technology Awards honor individuals and corporations from 20 technology-related sectors viewed by their peers as being the most innovative and doing the work of the greatest, likely long-term, significance.
Award categories range from biotechnology, space and energy through to ethics, design and entertainment.

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Claude Goora, contract manager with the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, stands along side the coke ovens brook as he explains one aspect of a new cleanup project that will see groundwater at the coke ovens site collected and contaminants removed. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=272067&sc=145)

Contract worth $15M awarded for coke ovens cleanup

NANCY KING
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The cleanup of the former coke ovens site took a substantial step forward Thursday, with the awarding of a $15.2-million contract that will see groundwater at the site collected and contaminants removed.

MB2/Beaver Marine Joint Venture, a partnership between a First Nations contractor from Cape Breton and a non-aboriginal Nova Scotia-based company, was awarded the contract to construct a ground water collection system and a water treatment plant at the former coke ovens site.

“It ties in the coke ovens into the tar ponds themselves,” said Claude Goora, contract manager with the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency. “Contaminated groundwater being treated at our water treatment plant, which is part of this contract, and discharging into the coke oven brook, which leads into the tar ponds area. So, it is the link.”

The work is expected to begin in August and be completed next spring.

Contaminants include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), petroleum hydrocarbons, benzenes and toluenes.

Contaminated sediment in bottom of the coke ovens brook will be excavated, and replaced by clean backfill material. At the top of that material will be perforated piping which will be used as the collector of groundwater beneath the brook, creating a channel.

It’s going to be collected into the perforated pipe and into a pumping station and into the water treatment plant,” Goora said. “What’s above that clean backfill material and pipe, we’re going to create a new channel, the new channel being lined with high density polyethylene ... that’s basically to protect the surface from groundwater coming up, and also to protect the underneath from surface water coming down.”

Water from the brook will drain into the engineered channel that will wind through the tar ponds site until it reaches Sydney Harbour. The channel will also capture other sources of water that drain into the ponds.

At the on-site water treatment plant, there will be a series of filters and vessels that will treat the groundwater. Once the water meets acceptable freshwater aquatic life guidelines as set out by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, it will be released into coke ovens brook, Goora said.

The sediment that is removed from the brook will be later stabilized and solidified, while the material collected from the groundwater treatment process will be shipped to a certified treatment facility.

The federal and Nova Scotia governments have committed a total of $400 million to the cleanup of the tar ponds and coke ovens sites by 2014.




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Don’t be deceived by what your eyes can’t see

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — For those wondering why the Wentworth Park bandshell is wrapped in plastic — read on.

Over the past week or so, even on the sunniest of days, the park’s crown jewel has appeared untouched and hidden under a giant plastic tarp.

“It’s all good news,” said Alan Peddle, chair of the Friends of Wentworth Park Society, who is guiding the renovations. “The reason it’s wrapped in plastic is because they want to remove all the exterior and interior paint and they’re sandblasting it, so they don’t want it going everywhere.”

Peddle said after carrying out work to remove paint and dust fragments from the aging cement dome, workers found insignificant concrete fractures, which are common in these types of restoration projects.

Engineers were brought in to check the bandshell and found it to be structurally sound, however a cement mixture was applied to prevent the cracks from worsening.

“There’s no problems, but they had to fill it with epoxy and epoxy takes about two weeks to cure,” said Peddle. “That’s why there hasn’t been a lot of activity; it’s been curing.”

Bill Murphy, an engineering and public works manager with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, said he expects the protective plastic to be removed in about two weeks, if not sooner.

“We’re doing work that the community doesn’t see inside the covered part of the bandshell,” said Murphy. “We basically have the bandshell cleaned down; all the old paint removed. It had to be assessed and a new coating application is going on it, that work is going on as we speak.”

Murphy said doors and windows that were part of the original bandshell were filled with cement, which also has to cure.

In addition, cement was poured for a playground area and sitting and retaining walls. A final paint product will complete the look of the bandshell near the end of the project.

The final renovations which began in May, are part of a three-phase project and are estimated at $850,000 which is being shared by Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., the province and the municipality.

The first phase cost approximately $2 million, and the second was pegged at $750,000.

Upon completion, which is expected to be sometime in September, the bandshell area will feature new lighting, pathways, asphalt walkways, a pond fountain, playground equipment for toddlers and a new entrance consisting of an archway for Wentworth Park at the corner of Bentinck Street and Bing Avenue.



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CBU professor picked for provincial biodiversity panel

The Cape Breton Post

HALIFAX — A Cape Breton University professor is among the 12 Nova Scotians named Thursday to help develop a new natural resources strategy for the province.

“The steering panel has selected 12 well-qualified technical experts for this second phase of the natural resources strategy process,” said Constance Glube, former chief justice for the province.

"The four expert panels will soon begin the job of consulting with stakeholders, and their findings will be reported to the steering panel late this fall,” she said.

The four, three-member panels of expertise will focus on the key components of the strategy: forests, minerals, parks and biodiversity.

Joining the biodiversity panel is Martha Jones, associate professor, department of biology at CBU. Also on the panel is Cliff Drysdale of Middleton, director, Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve Association, and Steve Mockford of Wolfville, assistant professor, department of biology at Acadia University.

Other panel members include:

Forests: Bob Bancroft, Pomquet, biologist; Jonathan Porter, Liverpool, manager, Forestry and Fibre Resources, Abitibi Bowater; Donna Crossland, Bridgetown, senior park warden, Kejimkujik National Park.

Minerals: Jacob Hanley, Halifax, geology professor, Saint Mary's University; David Duncan, Wolfville, geologist; Marcos Zentilli, Halifax, geology professor, Dalhousie University.

Parks: Tony Charles, Halifax, professor of management science and environmental studies, Saint Mary's University; Bruce Martin, Bear River, parks planner; Dale Smith, Dartmouth, president, Nova Scotia Nature Trust.

Under the guidance of the steering panel, the four panels will define the process for researching the issues and themes that emerged during the public consultations. The panels will seek technical expertise and hold consultations.
They will also prepare and submit draft reports and recommendations to the steering panel.

The third and final phase of the process will see the development of a strategy to manage Nova Scotia's natural assets, and guide the department of natural resources and government for the next decade and beyond.



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Plummer Avenue Day once again a hit with residents

GREG MCNEIL
The Cape Breton Post

NEW WATERFORD — The skies cleared in time for people to fill the town’s favourite street in the middle of its most popular festival.

Plummer Avenue Day proved once again to be the highlight of New Waterford’s Coal Dust Days.

Held Thursday, the avenue was filled with entertainers, food and activities from the time the street was closed to traffic at 11 a.m. until barriers were removed following the evening wrap-up party.

“The sun was shining, that is certainly a plus and it has been shining for 26 consecutive years for Plummer Avenue Day,” said Susan Coombs of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality recreation department.

“We had a great turnout, wall to wall people and I think it was bigger than ever this year.”

Coombs said both young and old took part in the day that had events lined up to please all ages at all times of the day.

“I think it is tradition and I think it is certainly a place to meet and greet old friends and make some new ones. It is just something that has become synonymous with Coal Dust Days and the festival.”

Although Plummer Avenue Day is thought to be the most anticipated day on the Coal Dust Days calendar, Coombs reminds residents that there are plenty of other festival activities still to come.

Today’s schedule includes a Plummer Avenue stop by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia big bike and the annual doll carriage and bicycle parade in the town square.

Tonight 1,000 people are expected to hit the streets for the 15th annual Coal Dust Days tavern tour.

Coombs said the festival committee event sold out within three hours and is yet another example of the growing popularity of Coal Dust Days.

“I think it grows every year. It certainly met our expectations and beyond.
The committee is more than happy with the whole week of events.”

The highlight of Saturday’s schedule will be the annual firefighters competition, sponsored by the New Waterford, Scotchtown and New Victoria volunteer departments. Activities begin at 11 a.m. and include a full day of entertainment and educational activities for the entire family. That includes fire departments competing in hook and ladder races, bucket brigades and nozzle races.

Sunday, the last day of the festival, begins with a pancake and sausage breakfast at the New Waterford fire hall and concludes with fireworks at dusk.

Call the Coal Dust Days hotline, 862-4710 for details on these and other events.

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Northside Civic Centre Society gearing up for major fundraiser

The Cape Breton Post

NORTH SYDNEY — The Northside Centre Civic Society will host its annual fundraiser dance today from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the North Sydney Community Forum, with music by Kintyre.

The dance is part of the annual Bartown Festival celebrations and comes on the heels of a successful golf tournament at the Seaview Golf and Country Club that included 29 teams.

Funds raised by the community in support of the Northside Civic Centre are approximately $687,000, along with pledges coming into the society office daily.

“The turnout for this year’s golf tournament was up over last year,” said society chairman Leo Steele. “We turned about $5,000 profit from the tournament. Everybody had a great day and now we are looking forward to the dance, which is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year.”

The $12-million civic centre project will be financed by the three levels of government. The federal government will provide $4 million through Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., and the provincial government will provide $4 million from the Department of Health Promotion and Protection. There is also $2.5 million in funding contributed by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and $1.5 million raised from the community.

“We have a number of projects to help raise funds for the centre including the dance during the Bartown Festival, which will continue to be an annual event even after the centre is built,” said Terry Duff, chairman of the society’s events committee. “We appreciate the continued support from the public for all of our fundraising events.”

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The tall ship Picton Castle, centre, was photographed from a Canadian Coast Guard College training vessel that was part of a safety patrol at the Sydney waterfront, Sunday. Sydney harbour was buzzing with activity as people flocked to the wharf to see the awe-inspiring ships that were open for the public to tour. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=272626&sc=145)

Mast appeal
Tall ships draw large crowds to Sydney waterfront


GREG MCNEIL
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Fans of pirates, dreamers of a life at sea and admirers of vessels from the past came from far and wide to visit the eight tall ships docked at Sydney harbour this past weekend.

The two days of viewing for the Sydney portion of Tall Ships Nova Scotia 2009 tour saw a steady stream of traffic from bow to stern of all dockside vessels.

“These ships are the real reason we came here but we’ve been doing other things,” Beth Ethier, a visitor from Ottawa, Ont., said while aboard the Pride of Baltimore II.

“It has been amazing. We have never seen anything like this.”

The Ethier family stood on board all of the ships, but chose the Mist of Avalon as their favourite.

“Roseway was nice too because we got to go right through, underneath and in the kitchen.”

While every vessel sailed into port with its own piece of history and legend in tow, the story of the Amistad is the most well known.

The ship is said to symbolize the lessons and legacies of freedom, justice, perseverance, co-operation and leadership arising from the historic Amistad incident of 1839.

However, crew member Stacy Detwileer noted not everything people have heard about the vessel is accurate.

“They know the name and they think they know the story, but they don’t,” said the native of Phoenix, Arizona.

“They come on and we get a lot of questions, like ‘Oh, this is the slave boat.’ That can spark us to telling the story that it is not a slave boat. It never carried slaves, it never went to Africa. That is not the story.”

The actual story involves 53 captives kidnapped from Africa for the purpose of slavery.

The Africans were transported to Cuba on an outlawed slave ship named the Tecora, sold and then brought aboard La Amistad to be delivered to a life of slavery.

However, the captives seized La Amistad and sailed it up the coast before they were captured and towed to Connecticut.

A court case followed that resulted in the first anti-slavery decision before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is believed to have turned the tide against slavery.

“I’m definitely passionate about telling the story and it is one of the reason why I like to be on this boat.”

The vessel to visit Sydney is a replica of the original Amistad.

A group of youth from African Nova Scotian communities in Whitney Pier and Glace Bay made the most of the ship’s local stop.

They were brought on board over the weekend for a workshop, storytelling and information on the vessel’s history.

The tall ships are scheduled to leave Sydney today.




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More than 100 planes expected to arrive today

Breaking News
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY - The Sydney Airport is abuzz with activity today, as more than 100 planes arrive to mark the centennial of powered flight in Canada.

Some planes began arriving Sunday evening, and it’s expected that an aircraft will arrive every three minutes this morning.

It’s believed to be one of Canada’s largest air rallies and is a part of the Cross Canada Century Flight that began in Boundary Bay, B.C. as a tribute to the centennial of Canada's first manned powered flight, the Silver Dart.

At 1 p.m., there will also be a ceremony renaming the Sydney Airport for J.A. Douglas McCurdy, in honour of the Silver Dart’s pilot.

Gates will open to the public at 11:30 a.m. and there is limited seating but lawn chairs are permitted.

Following the official naming, the Barra MacNeils will perform and light refreshments will be served. This is a free event.

On Tuesday, Baddeck will host the cross-country pilots who will travel from Sydney for the official closing ceremonies of the Cross Canada Century Flight. Some aircraft will fly to Baddeck and land at the Crown Jewel Resort airstrip.



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Pilots near the finish line in journey to mark centennial of powered flight

Breaking News
The Cape Breton Post

For more than a week, John Lovelace has been buzzing across the country as he leads a distinct armada of aircraft to the epicentre of Canadian aviation history.

The Vancouver TV producer and pilot has played a sort of Mother Goose to more than 100 vintage and modern planes that are marking the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight in the country.

The small aircraft, including everything from Lovelace’s two-engine Piper Navajo to a 1930s-era Tiger Moth and First World War replicas, plan to touch down Monday in Sydney, N.S., before heading to nearby Baddeck, where the historic flight took place on Feb. 23, 1909.

Lovelace, who made one last pit-stop in Fredericton on Sunday before beginning the last leg of the journey, said he hoped the sight of dozens of private planes taking to the skies from various airports would raise awareness about Canada’s aviation successes and instill some pride.

“It started as an aviation thing for me — to recognize this great, marvellousachievement that we’ve been able to accomplish in 100 years,” he said from the tarmac of the Fredericton airport as plane engines sputtered in the background.

“But I think it’s almost becoming more of a Canada thing now as I see more and more people coming out waving Canadian flags. It’s great.”

On most of the eight official stops, hundreds of people came out to see the cross-section of planes involved in the Century Flight, even though a few aircraft have left the convoy along the way as heavy weather forced some to divert to other airports and mechanical problems grounded a few.

Organizers had hoped to have 100 aircraft land in Sydney, but now expect to have just under that. Only a dozen or so planes will fly into Baddeck itself, which has only a grass landing strip.

The bulk of the planes, which cruised at an average 200 kilometres an hour, set off from the Vancouver area on July 17 and ultimately carried about 300 people.

Lovelace said there were few hiccups in the trek, which required careful planning in arranging for refuelling stops, landings and ATC clearances.

At one point, ground control in the States said their radar screens lit up like a Christmas tree as about 80 planes cruised through their area all at once.

The group hopscotched across the country, stopping in Calgary, Brandon, Man., Marathon and Brampton, Ont., Sherbrooke, Que., and Fredericton before heading for the final destination in Cape Breton.

Anthony Nalli, a spokesman for the event who piloted his Cessna 206 with his wife, said the crews included everyone from commercial pilots to businessmen and farmers. Most had a keen interest in drawing attention to the country’s little recognized place in flying history.

“There’s a very, very big place in the Canadian culture for aviation and we just want to bring that to the forefront and let people know,” he said, adding that there are two Canadian astronauts now on the International Space Station.

“Canadian innovation is huge in aviation.”

That aside, Nalli said little compares to the wonder of staring out a plane’s windscreen at the changing Canadian landscape from 1,500 metres up.

“When you’re flying at 5,000 feet, you see everything and it’s not like you’re riding in a bus looking out the side window — at that point you’re a bird,” he said.

“You’re seeing this amazing country from the best perspective that anyone can possibly imagine.”

The pilots and the hundreds of people expected in Baddeck will mark the day 100 years ago that John McCurdy flew the Silver Dart, designed by a group financed by Alexander Graham Bell, off frozen Baddeck Bay.

The flight itself was commemorated last February by a replica Silver Dart flown by astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason, though a planned flight on the anniversary itself was scrubbed due to bad weather.

Lovelace said despite the success of the trip, he’ll be glad to stretch his legs and end the 14- to 16-hour days.

“We have one little flight to go and then I’ll be a very happy man,” he said.

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Corey Ranni, left, of Brilun Construction, and Murray McKay, of Service Painting and Waterproofing, work on the tank of the Northside Community Pool. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=272931&sc=149)

Community pool expected to be open by the fall


BY JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY MINES — The prolonged wait may soon be over for patrons of the Northside Community Pool.

Renovations to the interior of the pool, which began early in January, are winding down and it’s expected the pool will be open some time in the early fall.

The work, which will cost in the area of $1.5 million, includes general remediation and extensive upgrades to the heating, ventilating, lighting and electrical systems.

“We had about 75 people show up at a recent public meeting to get an update on the work,” said society chairman Charlie MacLean. “We also used that as an opportunity to recruit possible staff and volunteers. We’ll need about 20 lifeguards and instructors and we need volunteers to help with the fundraising.”

The society is willing to put on courses to enable those people who have taken their levels in the various swim programs, to get their bronze medallion, bronze cross and nationals instructor certification.

“One of the things that we’ve seen in the past is that some staff have been able to help pay for their university education by working at the pool.”
MacLean, who is hoping to increase programming when the pool does re-open, said adults who used the pool on a daily basis, really miss it.

“There is no reason we couldn’t have water sports such as volleyball and get the schools more involved. We are willing to foster that relationship and do whatever we can to grow that possibility. All things are possible if the commitment is there; people are willing to work to make it happen.”

The 28-year-old pool, located next to Memorial Composite High School in Sydney Mines, has been closed since Aug. 5, 2005, when Labour Department inspectors deemed the building unsafe, mainly due to weakened support beams, and put the locks on the door.

The building now has a fire escape from the second floor, which there wasn’t before, and a new ceiling in the basement that will give a one-hour burn fire rating between floors.

Structural repairs to the glulam beams in 2006 was the first phase followed by rebuilding the roof structure. The interior job, which started in 2008, addressed some of the interior fire safety concerns and included replacement of the mechanical equipment, ventilation water filtration and heating system.

“The facility has been completely refurbished with a fresh coat of paint. It will take time to commission the new equipment to make sure it is working properly. It’s basically a new building.”




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Volunteers drive summer events

The Cape Breton Post

Lots of Cape Bretoners are perfectly content to spend their summer holidays snoozing on the back deck, wandering the not-all-pot-holed byways of the island or perhaps ambling along unfamiliar footpaths with nothing but a water bottle and a walking stick. For others, no summer is complete without some sort of spectacle or communal activity, be it as modest as a local festival or as extravagant as a major outdoor concert.

Cape Breton’s simple pleasures are there for everyone, and are mostly free.
For the rest, the cash outlay is usually modest, thanks to the unstinting efforts of enthusiastic volunteers who show up year after year with the one object of trying to ensure that everyone has a good time.

The offerings range from simple, sometimes quirky local events like the Summer People Festival in the Port Morien area, where more than a few visiting tourists, happening upon whimsical stuffed figures in front yards, must wonder why Halloween is celebrated early in this part of the world.

At the other end of the scale are more ambitious events such as the year-long celebration of the centenary of powered flight in Canada, marked this week by the arrival of a squadron of vintage and modern aircraft. Cape Breton’s distinction as the birthplace of Canadian aviation, with the flight of the Silver Dart in 1909 at Baddeck, was commemorated Monday with the renaming of the Sydney airport after the pilot of that plane, J.A.D. McCurdy.

Filling in a busy summer schedule are events such as a motorcycle festival this coming weekend, Sydney’s Action Week and numerous community festivals. Every year there’s something new, such as downtown Sydney’s theatre and art festival, Play This Summer. Sometimes the effort is a one-season phenomenon but there’s always the potential for something new to take root and grow into a signature annual event to which people will purposely travel to enjoy.

The shoulder seasons of spring and fall, for example, have produced unique musical events, the Cape Breton International Drum Festival in the spring and Celtic Colours, a fall concert cycle across the island.

While the big events can boast of drawing measurable numbers of visitors from outside Cape Breton and producing a documented financial impact, the economic importance of small community festivals should not be underestimated. They serve as occasions for homecomings and help extend visitor stays to the island.

A very wet early summer season served a setback to Cape Breton’s tourism sector but with the improved weather there’s good hope of turning that around. Organized events large and small will be hugely important in determining the outcome on the business side.

But if economics were the primary driver of these diverse activities, very few of them would happen. Even large-scale events with professional organizers, sponsorship and government funding depend crucially on volunteers who get little in return except pride of place and the pleasures of playing host. The best gesture of thanks for all the hard work is to pick an event and go to it.

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Marine Atlantic says traffic up despite concerns about economic slowdown

Breaking News
The Cape Breton Post

PORT AUX BASQUES, N.L. — It’s been a pretty good summer for Marine Atlantic so far despite earlier concerns about the economic slowdown.

Spokeswoman Tara Laing says they’ve transported more traffic between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to date than last year at the same time.

Several additional crossings have been added to the original schedule.

Marine Atlantic has hired 125 people since the beginning of the year, most in seasonal positions.


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Tourism was down, but may be looking up

TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The worldwide economic slowdown has had an effect on overall tourism numbers, but several local events and advertising campaigns have had some success in countering that effect.

Current numbers in the tourism sector aren’t available — provincial numbers for May are expected today and Parks Canada’s numbers for July won’t be out till next week — but anecdotally event organizers and tourism operators are saying that Cape Breton has been able to draw in people who wouldn’t otherwise have visited, with attractions such as the tall ships and the centennial of flight celebrations.

“I don’t have a quantitative breakdown,” said Eleanor Anderson, project manager with the Silver Dart Centennial Association, which began a year-long series of activities and events in February to celebrate the first powered flight in Canada at Baddeck 100 years ago.

“But February was a bump and it’s given us some thought about doing things in February, because your first thought is ‘Why would they come here in February?’

“You give them a reason and they will come. We certainly saw our numbers go up.”

Anderson said there is no doubt centennial of flight events have attracted new visitors, because accommodations and restaurants had to be opened up when they normally would have been closed.

Many of the nearly 100 pilots in Cape Breton this week for the Cross Canada Century Flight are also renting vehicles and touring the region, and the Canadian Forces Skyhawks parachute team was here earlier this month, attracting 500 aviation enthusiasts to an event at the Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck.

She said that without numbers it’s difficult to say how successful events have been so far, but there’s no doubt that tourism has benefitted and will continue to do so.

Anderson said the centennial celebrations will cost about $1 million for the year, including about $100,000 in paid advertising. Meanwhile, media outlets across the country have been repeatedly reporting Baddeck as the birthplace of Canadian aviation.

“As far as I’m concerned, we can declare it a success based on media value alone,” Anderson said. “We’ve easily gotten back $5 million in media value alone, and that media value is going to be for years to come.”

Spring projections from Nova Scotia Tourism suggested the number of visitors this year would continue a decline that began last year as the economy softened.

Ray Kavanaugh, chairman of Destination Cape Breton, said while numbers may have been down earlier this year, they seem to be on an upswing.

“I guess from our perspective it seems like there’s a lot of people on the road and lots of people at the various events and festivals,” he said. “Operators are saying things are going very well.”

Kavanaugh, who just back from New York City where he accepted a plaque from Travel + Leisure magazine whose readers named Cape Breton the top island in North America, said tourism will likely continue to grow as a result of international recognition.

Parks Canada is also pleased with the tourism season so far. Spokesperson Germaine LeMoine said early numbers show visitation at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is up 16 per cent over last year — likely due to the Silver Dart celebrations — and camping nights are up about seven per cent in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Visitors at the Fortress of Louisbourg are down about eight per cent but that’s not really a surprise, said LeMoine.

“We had a thousand fewer visitors on Canada Day because of the rain, and last year’s numbers were up because of the encampment” and other activities commemorating the 250th anniversary of the second siege of the French fort, she said.

As well, Parks Canada this year has launched a series of national ads that feature, among other sites, Louisbourg and the Cape Breton highlands, which is helping tourism numbers, LeMoine added.

“From our perspective it’s looking good. Let’s hope the weather keeps up.”




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Skipper Emily Hatcher sails her boat upwind while crew member Ben Dooley hikes on the trapeze, off the Northern Yacht Club in North Sydney, Tuesday. The NYC will host the third of four stops in the provincial 420 sailboat racing circuit this weekend. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=273331&sc=146)

420 sailboat racing circuit making stop at Northern

The Cape Breton Post

By Greg MacVicar
Cape Breton Post

NORTH SYDNEY — Mainsails will be unfurled, jibs trimmed and spinnakers filled with wind on the waters off North Sydney this weekend as the Northern Yacht Club hosts the third of four stops in the provincial 420 sailboat racing circuit.

“We’re hoping a lot of spectators come down to watch the boats out there,” said NYC learn-to-sail director Paula Smith, adding that Munro Park next to the yacht club will be set up to welcome sailing fans with picnic tables and a barbecue. “The race is right in front of you and I think the kids will really enjoy having spectators.”

The 420 is a two-person 14-foot sailing dinghy outfitted with three sails — a mainsail, jib and spinnaker — and suited for those learning to sail.

The Nova Scotia Yachting Association created the provincial 420 circuit in 2007 and had a Cape Breton stop for the first time in 2008, at the Bras d’Or Yacht Club in Baddeck.

The two stops already completed in this year’s circuit were at the Bedford Basin Yacht Club, July 11 and 12, and the St. Margaret Sailing Club on St.
Margaret’s Bay, July 18 and 19. The NYC hosts a stop for the first time this weekend and the fourth and final stop in the circuit is slated for the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Purcell’s Cove outside Halifax, Aug. 6-7.

“Cape Breton should be a permanent stop,” said Smith, adding that the island boasts sailing clubs in North Sydney, Baddeck, Sydney, Albert Bridge and St. Peter’s. “We can rotate it throughout the clubs here with the intent to start growing more sailing competition here.”

A need for competition inspired the North Sydney club to start lobbying for a spot on the provincial circuit a couple of years ago.

“We had kids that would hit 14, 15, 16 that are really good sailors and need good competition to stay motivated and also to become good instructors,” said Smith. “They just get so proficient at sailing and they’re looking for another level. We recognized we had to start putting some racing back in the program.”

The 420 circuit is open to sailors of any age, with some as young as eight and others well into adulthood, but most competitors are in their teens.

“We develop a lot of new sailors,” Smith said of the NYC’s learn to sail program, adding that the club’s $70 weekly registration fee is among the lowest in the country and even that is waived for those who can’t afford it.
“You show up with a bathing suit and a life jacket. That’s all you really need.”

Everyone’s welcome.

“I think that it’s probably a sport that any child can do,” said Smith, explaining that physically challenged sailors are accommodated as well. “You really progress at your own level and at your own pace.”

The racing action off North Sydney is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., both days. Festivities also include a fundraising dance for those 19 and older at the club, Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets are available at the NYC, located at 27 Seaview Dr., North Sydney.



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From left, summer students Chris McGean, Matt Scott and Doug Ivey post signs for this weekend’s Johnny Miles Festival in Sydney Mines. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=273287&sc=149)

Everything in place for annual Johnny Miles Festival

BY JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY MINES — In keeping with the legacy of its namesake, the seventh annual Johnny Miles Festival places significant emphasis on physical fitness.

The festival will run from July 31 to Aug. 2 in Sydney Mines.

Along with the annual Johnny Miles Road Race, the festival features a track and field event, three-on-three basketball, a skateboard competition and volksmarch 5k and 10k walks.

A hometown hero, the late Johnny Miles broke the world record in his first Boston Marathon in 1926 by four minutes. He returned to run the Boston Marathon on four occasions, winning again in 1929.

Miles also won a bronze medal as a member of Canada's 1930 British Empire Games track team. In 1929 Miles received the Will Cloney International Award for Sports, and in 1969 was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. He received the Order of Canada in 1983 and is honoured annually by the Johnny Miles Marathon in New Glasgow.

“Everything is in place for the festival,” said co-ordinator Chris McGean.
“What we could really use are volunteers. We can never have enough to help run the events.”

If you have some free time and would like to volunteer, please call 736-7584.

The only new event this year is the kitchen party, Friday, July 31, from 7-9 p.m. at the Sydney Mines Seniors & Pensioners Club, Fraser Avenue.

Other festival events include the popular Fossil Road Show, Kid’s Fest, the fifth annual car and bike show and the senior’s luncheon.

The festival ends Sunday, Aug. 2, with the Night of Lights with Fireworks FX and a concert in the park featuring Back In Time.

“People can fill out a ballot during the concert in the park for a chance to win tickets to the Oakridge Boys at Centre 200 in Sydney on Aug. 29,” McGean said. “The only condition is they have to be at the concert to win.”

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Dodgers face strong Dominican Republic club at World Series

The Cape Breton Post

By Greg MacVicar
Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Cape Breton Dodgers have been in South Carolina since Monday and are raring to play their first game at the Big League World Series against a strong Dominican Republic squad tonight.

“Some of them had sore arms and bruises, so they had a chance to get rested up,” said Dodgers manager Henry Boutilier of his team, who earned the right to represent Canada in Easley, S.C., after defeating the Windsor All-Stars in the Canadian Big League Championship final in Windsor, Ont., Sunday.

“They’ve been here since Monday, so now they’re wanting to get on the field. They can’t wait to play.”

In round-robin play, the Cape Breton boys play Latin America representative Dominican Republic today at 8:30 p.m. local time, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) representative Germany on Friday, Mexico on Saturday and Asia-Pacific representative Guam on Monday. Action wraps up with the two semifinal games Aug. 4 and the championship match Aug. 5.

The Dodgers had a chance to check out all their round-robin competition Wednesday, as the Dominican Republic played and beat Germany 8-2, and Mexico was slated to take on Guam, although the result for that game wasn’t available by press time.

Boutilier said the Dominican Republic squad was impressive.

“They have a good team,” he said. “They’re fast, they can run the bases well, they have good pitching, good hitting, they’re a solid team. We have to play our best to compete with them, that’s for sure. But I think we can be competitive with them. That’s the main thing.”

The veteran manager said playing in humid conditions with daily highs hovering around 30 degrees Celsius will be more of a challenge for the Dodgers than teams from southern climes such as the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Guam.

“I’m in the shade here and I’m sweating bullets,” Boutilier said about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. “It’s hot. We’re not used to the constant heat here and the high humidity.”

Despite that, the boys — ages 17 and 18 — are pumped up for tonight’s action set for 8:30 AST following a two-hour practice this morning.

“Once they put on the Canada uniform to represent their country, it’s enough to pump them up right there,” said Boutilier. “They know how important it is. And the 18-year-olds realize it’s their last shot, so they want to go out on a good note and do the best they can.”


I probably should be separating the urban from the rural a bit more today, but forgive me as I'm still jetlagged.

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Resort-style living starting to become popular with Cape Breton vacation spots

The Cape Breton Post

BADDECK — The development of four new resort-style properties here in Cape Breton is proving to be popular choice.

It has been one year since the project was first announced by Cape Breton Lifestyles and as owners now start moving into their new digs, a show home on the Kildare Landing property in Baddeck is now open to the public.

“This development lets people experience, in my opinion, the unbeatable Cape Breton lifestyle. Owners will feel like they are always on vacation because they don't have to worry about maintenance — everything is taken care of,” says developer Scott MacAulay.

“We offer a variety of ownership options, including fractional ownership and a voluntary rental program to make it more affordable for people.”

The four developed sites sit on existing Cape Breton Resort properties in Ingonish, Baddeck and Dundee which allows owners to have access to such resort amenities as swimming pools, golf courses and entertainment.

“This development appealed to us because it's very versatile. We get full access to the Bell Bay Golf Course, the Bras d’Or Lakes and the Inverary Resort's pool, which is a favourite of our three daughters,” says Kildare Landing condo owner, Jane Gillis.

To date, 10 condos have been built in Ingonish, six in Baddeck and three lots have been sold in Dundee. As the project grows, economic impacts continue to be realized by Cape Breton companies and workers, with $5.8 million being put back into the island economy.

“From beginning to end, we are going to work with Cape Bretoners on finishing this development. Cape Breton is known for its hard-working people and this has been critical to the success of our project,” says MacAulay
For more information visit www.capebretonlifestyles.com or call 1-877-295-1045.

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Bikefest organizers revved up and ready to go

NANCY KING
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The rumbling of motorcycle engines will likely be a common sound across Cape Breton this weekend, as it hosts the first Thunder in the Highlands Bikefest.

“It’s exciting and it’s nerve-wracking,” Bikefest chair Scott Boyd said Thursday, as the final preparations for the event were taking place.

“It’s just a matter of putting the loose ends together, what’s happening is things have been going along really well and it’s a matter of execution right now.

After the success of hosting two successful Harley Owners Group (HOG) rallies in recent years, it was decided to go ahead with a rally embracing all makes of bikes, Boyd said.

Now, 3,500-5,000 motorcyclists are expected to take part in the festival. Registrations have come in from all across North America. Boyd believes it’s the newness of Bikefest that is serving as a lure.

“It’s a new motorcycle event on the circuit, they’re all going to try it,” he said. “There was (no other motorcycle event) on this particular weekend of any major size in Atlantic Canada, so we decided this was the one to try.”

While he expects some HOG owners who had been to past rallies may stage return visits to Cape Breton for this event, Boyd said he expects many new visitors to come.

He expects Sunday evening’s “Storm the Fortress” event to be among the highlights of the festival, noting there were very few openings left for it. The motorcyclists will ride their bikes into the Fortress at Louisbourg, take over the fort, and raise the Cape Breton Bikefest flag. Boyd said Parks Canada has been very co-operative in planning the event.

“It will be a very unique experience because we will have people who have never, ever been in the Fortress of Louisbourg before,” he said, adding CBRM Mayor John Morgan will be among the riders.

“All the animators will be there, there will be musket firings and canon firings and displays.”

Centre 200 will be a hub for many of the events, including a vendor village, airbrush artists, leather vendors and professional motorcycle tuning. The Canadian Armed Forces will also be on hand with a new state-of-the-art Buffalo armoured personnel carrier. The Thunder in the Highlands custom motorcycle produced by Orange County Choppers, which is being raffled off in support of the Northside Hospital Foundation, will be on display at Centre 200.

While it’s obviously a motorcycle-themed festival, Boyd said it will have something for everyone and will be a family event.

“This is not just a motorcycle show — we’ll have stunt shows down there and safety training will be going on at Centre 200, and music all day long, and events,” he said.

“It’s going to be a big festival and it’s a very family-friendly event.”

Bikefest will also help launch to Sydney’s annual summer festival, Action Week.

Boyd said the CBRM has been an important partner in the run up to Bikefest, as have the event’s sponsors.

In conjunction with Action Week, there will be fireworks on Saturday evening.


The image associated with this story is taken outside of the parking area, on what is normally a local street in North Sydney.
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Commercial units have taken a back seat as Marine Atlantic works to solve traffic problems caused by the absence of the MV Atlantic Vision from service. Since Wednesday, truckers have been parking wherever they could find a spot as they waited to purchase their ticket. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=274071&sc=145)

Marine Atlantic’s Vision could be cleared tonight

JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

NORTH SYDNEY — Marine Atlantic expects the ferry MV Atlantic Vision to return to service late tonight.

Access to Highway 105 entering North Sydney was restricted at various times Thursday due to traffic waiting to enter Marine Atlantic’s terminal in North Sydney.

“We were using the numbering system and it appears to be working,” said Cpl. Ron MacDonald, RCMP Cape Breton traffic services. “There were delays due to the problems with the Atlantic Vision, but during this time the truckers have been using the system and been very co-operative.”

A fire in one of the two thermal heating units on board the MV Atlantic Vision Wednesday at around 6:30 a.m. forced the vessel to return to North Sydney.

By late Wednesday afternoon, the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood, which was originally scheduled to go to Argentia, was re-routed to Port aux Basques with passengers and vehicles from the Atlantic Vision.

“We recognize the tremendous inconvenience being experienced by all our customers, and we want you to know that we are doing our utmost to move and accommodate the traffic as best as we can,” said John Majchrowicz, vice-president of operations, in a release late Thursday afternoon.

“We ask our customers for their continued patience during this busy time, and extend our apologies for the inconveniences.”

The scheduled sailing from North Sydney to Argentia today at 11 a.m. is cancelled. Passengers booked for these crossings are being accommodated on Port aux Basques departures and arrivals, as appropriate.

New reservations for any crossings will not be accepted for another 24 hours to enable Marina Atlantic to reschedule and contact customers affected by the changes.

The MV Leif Ericson remains dedicated to commercial traffic for next 24 to 36 hours. Marine Atlantic is working with its commercial customers to identify critical loads.

Given the high volume of traffic at this time of year, and the number of customers impacted by these schedule changes, Marine Atlantic advises that its reservation system is experiencing an extremely high volume of calls and customers may get a busy signal. Customers are asked to visit their website, www.marine-atlantic.ca, and click on the travel advisory link or continue to try the reservation system.




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Business hall of fame plans to induct five new members
Event takes place Sept. 17 at MTCC

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Cape Breton University, has announced that five local business persons are its latest inductees into the Cape Breton Business Hall of Fame.

Marjorie Fougere, Jim Wilkie, Nelson Latimer and the late Greg Lynch, all of Sydney, will be inducted along with Chief Terry Paul of Membertou.

Fougere owns and operates her own interior design firm and is a well-respected individual in the profession, given the demand for her public speaking engagements; Wilkie is one of the founding partners of A.B.
Mechanical Limited and was involved with the Cape Breton District Labour Council; Latimer was a founding partner of Joneljim Concrete Construction and its group of companies; Lynch’s award will be presented posthumously in recognition of his community service work and his company, Cape Breton Beverages. Paul is being recognized for taking his small First Nations community to the forefront of economic development.

According to committee chair John Nash, the event is meant to recognize the attributes and generosity of longstanding citizens who have grown their businesses into successful firms but have never lost sight of responding to community needs.

“Equally as important is the fact that these individuals are role models for young men and women currently attending university in our community,” said Nash.

“We want students to know that while they are studying, the funds generated from the Business Hall of Fame Dinner will be awarded as scholarships to help them reach their goals and, in turn, encourage them to thrive and prosper in the local business community.”

Scholarships and bursaries in honour of the inductees will be awarded to students studying within the Shannon School of Business at Cape Breton University.

The induction to the hall will take place on Sept. 17 at the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre.

More information is available by contacting the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce at 564-6453.

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John Brown of Haileybury, Ont. and Louis Gravel of Kirkland Lake, Ont. inspect a custom Orange County Choppers bike signed by builders Paul Teutul Sr., Paul Teutul Jr. and Mikey Teutul and features the Cape Breton tartan and a portrait of the Cabot Trail. The bike was a prize in a draw to benefit the Northside Hospital Foundation. T.J. Colello - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=274478&sc=145)

Bikefest gets into full gear

Breaking News
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — There was plenty to see and do as the Cape Breton Bikefest officially got underway, Saturday.

Most of the activity was near Centre 200. A stunt show as held as drivers buzzed around the parking lot, doing wheelies and other tricks. A number of vendors have set up shop selling motorcycle-relate clothing and apparel. There was also live music played for most of the day.

An outdoor concert is planned for Saturday night behind Centre 200, with The Police Experience headlining the show.



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The Boardwalk Busker Festival got underway on the Sydney boardwalk Saturday afternoon as part of Action Week. Shown is busker Sharon Mahoney of Victoria, B.C., who helps along Kevin Bray of Sydney during her character comedy show. T.J. Colello - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=274479&sc=145)

Buskers, other activities in full swing for Action Week

Breaking News
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The 2009 edition of Action Week got into full swing Saturday, with plenty of activities scheduled across the Cape Breton Regional Municpality.

On the boardwalk in Sydney, the Boardwalk Busker Festival got underway with a number of performances held both Saturday afternoon and scheduled again for Saturday night.

At the Sydney Minor Ball Field, there were horse and pony rides, games and other activities as a part of the Kidspree Festival for Kids. On the sports side of things, the Sydney Sooners challenged the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry in Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League action at the Susan McEachern Memorial Ball Park in Sydney.

A fireworks display is slated for Saturday night on the Sydney waterfront, scheduled for 10 p.m.



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Vehicle owners Violet Pye of Sydney Mines, left, and Doug Burns of Sydney, right, look over their 1955 Ford Crown Victoria with Paul Smith of Florence on Main Street in Sydney Mines, Saturday. The fifth annual Car and Bike Show was part of the Johnny Miles Festival, being held in the town. T.J. Colello - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=274480&sc=145)

Johnny Miles Festival activities in Sydney Mines

Breaking News
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY MINES — Saturday was the second day of activities for the seventh annual Johnny Miles Festival.

Main Street in the town was closed down for the fifth annual Car and Bike Show. There were plenty of classic vehicles on display and prizes were awarded to the best of the show.

At the Sydney Mines and District Community Centre, there were plenty of children’s activities, face painting and game stations at the kid’s fest.

Also scheduled Saturday was the 21st annual Johnny Miles 5K Road Race, held in honour of the legendary Boston Marathon winner.

The festival wraps up, Sunday.


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Luke Adam, left, and Olivier Roy (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=274351&sc=146)

Roy, Adam to hit ice for national junior camp

BY T.J. COLELLO
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Two members of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles will look to make an early impression on Team Canada coaching staff when they attend the national junior team’s development camp at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Sask. next week.

Olivier Roy was one of four goaltenders named to the camp in June and will join Jake Allen of the Montreal Juniors, Matt Hackett of the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers and Martin Jones of the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen.

There are no netminders returning from last year’s gold-medal winning team.
Also attending is one of the newest Eagles, centre Luke Adam, who was acquired by Cape Breton via trade in June.

“It’s always a great tournament and it’s fun to have a shot to represent your country at one of the biggest tournaments of the year,” said Roy, who found out he made the roster following a Hockey Canada goaltending camp.

The 18-year-old Roy, a native of Causapscal, Que., was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round, No. 133 overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

He sported a 2.80 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage in his sophomore campaign last season with the Eagles, while posting a 35-13 record with three shutouts.

“I think my chances are like everyone else,” said Roy, training in Montreal this summer.

“No one has returned from last year, so I think I just have to have a good camp and the biggest thing will be next year, too, we have to have a good start of the season until the tournament happens.”

Adam was acquired prior to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft from the Juniors in exchange for 19-year-old forward Nicolas Chouinard, 17-year-old defence prospect Spencer MacDonald and Cape Breton’s first-round pick, No. 14 overall, in the draft.

The St. John’s, N.L. native scored 22 goals and added 27 assists in 47 games with the Juniors last season, while amassing 59 minutes in penalties.

He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, No. 44 overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

There will be five forwards back from last year’s gold medal team, including Jordan Eberle, Cody Hodgson, Evander Kane, Patrice Cormier and Stefan Della Rovere.

But there will be plenty of stiff competition for open spots, with the likes of 2009 first-round picks Matt Duchene, Scott Glennie, Louis Leblanc, Brayden Schenn, Jordan Caron, Nazem Kadri, Zack Kassian and Greg Nemisz in attendance.

The camp will run Aug. 5-10. The participants have been broken up into two teams, red and white, with both Roy and Adam on the white roster.

Both teams will take part in practices, off-ice training and intersquad games slated for Aug. 8 and Aug. 9.

The camp is the first of two for the team. The coaching staff, which includes head coach Willie Desjardins, assistants Steve Spott and André Tourigny and associate coach Dave Cameron, will make their final decisions during the team’s selection camp to be held in Regina, Sask. in mid-December.

Team Canada will compete at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship to be held in Regina and Saskatoon, Dec. 26-Jan. 5.

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Sarah MacDonald views a piece of artwork by local artist Onni Nordman during the final preparations for the opening of the Coastal Arts Initiative’s exhibition at Cape Breton University’s Gallery II. The show, which features the work of 18 local artists, opens today from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and will include a live performance by DJ Dee Haunts. The artwork will be on display at Gallery II until Aug. 28. Submitted by Corey Katz (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=274532&sc=145)

Arts group opens new exhibit at CBU Gallery II today

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The summer continues to be busy for the Coastal Arts Initiative as the local arts group, based in New Waterford, prepares for a new exhibition at Cape Breton University’s Gallery II this month.

“We’re very excited to be back at Gallery II,” Nelson MacDonald, one of the founding members of the youth-driven arts group, said in a news release.

Since 2007, Coastal Arts has exhibited 375 pieces of artwork from more than 50 emerging Cape Breton artists.

The group is currently taking part in the Play This Summer Theatre and Art Festival in downtown Sydney and the summer show at the New Waterford Credit Union Mainstreet Gallery.

They also hosted a very successful exhibit at the Carmel Centre as a part of Coal Dust Days in July.

“But having a show at Gallery II is always special,” said MacDonald. “There aren’t many spaces like it in Cape Breton. To have access to such a large room with good lighting and great acoustics is unique.”

Coastal Arts invites the public to visit the space in all its glory on opening night tonight from 6-9 p.m. and will feature a live musical performance by Sydney based artist Youth Haunts at 7 p.m.

The exhibit is open daily until Aug. 28 and will feature photographs and paintings from more than a dozen artists from Cape Breton.

Included in the show will be work from Nicole McNeil, Ashley McKenzie, Scott Moore, Corey Katz, Onni Nordman, Thomas Clarke, Sarah MacDonald and Jayme Burns.

For more information, see coastalarts.ca.




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Réal Beaudry, front left, an animator at the Fortress of Louisbourg, salutes as motorcyclists enter the fortress through the Dauphin Gate, Sunday. It was a historical moment as 300 bikes stormed the fortress as part of Thunder in the Highlands Bikefest, the first time such an event has happened at the fortress. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=274516&sc=145)

Cape Breton gets Thunder-struck
More than 2,000 bikers take part in Thunder in the Highlands Bikefest

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Harleys, Hondas, Suzukis, Yamahas, Kawasakis, Orange County Choppers — just to name a few.

Motorcycles of all makes and models, and the people who love them, were burning up kilometres in Cape Breton over the weekend as part of the first Bikefest.

Some 2,200 registered participants cruised through many of the island’s scenic drives during Thunder in the Highlands, including the Fleur De Lis Trail, Ceilidh Trail, and the world-famous Cabot Trail.

“Incredible, absolutely incredible,” said Scott Boyd, chair of Bikefest 2009. “We registered in excess of 2,000 ... at last count, and we know that not everybody registered. We had huge, huge numbers.”

The event, which was born out of last summer’s Atlantic Harley Owners Group Rally and the 2006 National H.O.G. Rally, appealed to a broader range of motorcycle owners.

“The bikers are loving it,” said Boyd. “And a lot of local people (are) walking through.

“It’s a great unique experience.”

Vendors from across the country who sell motorcycle gear also came to Cape Breton for the Bikefest. Boyd said six additional vendors have already signed on for next year.

Bikers also came from across Canada, including Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and even some from Massachusetts.

One of most anticipated events of the weekend was the Storm the Fort at the Fortress of Louisbourg, Sunday evening.

Instead of an army of 18th-century British soldiers besieging the fortress, some 500 motorcycles raided the fort and raised the Bikefest flag.

Garret Mullins of Howie Centre travelled to Louisbourg on his 1975 Honda CB 750.

“That’s the one thing I’m really looking forward to,” said Mullins. “It’s a national park so they don’t normally allow vehicles to ride in. So you get to ride in ... and park your bikes all around town and have a little party.”

Danny and Joanne Gayton of Nine Mile River in East Hants, N.S., said they had a bit of a hard time finding their way around on their Harley Davidsons.

“But the locals pointed us in the right direction,” said Danny. The Gaytons, who were staying in Baddeck, said they took their time and drove around the Bras d’Or Lakes.

“It was beautiful around there,” said Joanne.

Albert MacDonald of Marion Bridge, who doesn’t own a motorcycle, brought son Gavin, 8, and daughter Katie, 4, to see the motorcycles.

“It gets people out. It’s something different,” said MacDonald. “They all look great.”

Boyd said Bikefest will continue next year as provincial and federal government officials and tourism organizations view motorcycle touring as a growing business opportunity for Cape Breton.



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Support for Pride Week on the rise

NANCY KING
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — As it marks its ninth year celebrating Pride Week, the Pride Cape Breton Society has seen community support for the event grow dramatically, a spokesperson says.

Pride Week begins Saturday and runs until Aug. 16, with the theme Born to Shine. It features a wide variety of events, many of which are family friendly, Peter Steele noted.

“We certainly have grown in the number of events, as well as the length of the big day events,” he said. “We’ve certainly grown with regards to the numbers of volunteers, we’ve grown in the numbers of sponsorships ... and I am almost triple last year’s financial donations. It’s really becoming a major festival and, certainly by next year, we’re going to rival every other festival that takes place on the island.”

Steele attributes that growth to efforts the society has made to be visible in the community, over the course of the year and not only during Pride Week.

“The fact that people are beginning to realize that we’re no different than anybody else has certainly played a major role,” he said. “Everything we do, we try to do on a very positive note.”

Reaching out to families has always been a main tenet of local pride events, he said, which he believes has also played a role in the growing popularity of the festival. The first day of the festival is family day at the playground at the South End Community Centre, with events including games, a barbecue, face painting, and a opportunity to meet members of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). That day, there will also be a masquerade dance at Christ Church Hall organized by the Breton Education Centre Gay Straight Alliance.

The involvement of youth in hosting and organizing events is something new this year, Steele said.

“That’s a huge plus for us,” he said.

One of the events people should look forward to is the Diva Delights Drag show Sunday at the Horizon Achievement Centre, Steele said. It will feature the current Ms. Sydney Rouge Fatale, and Ms. Indie Skies, and other special guests including someone who will perform a tribute to Michael Jackson.

A highlight of the week is expected to be Aug. 12’s MusicFest at the Southend Community Centre, which will be kicked off with a session for youth age 18 and younger. Among the performers over the course of the night will be Cameron Hollohan, Bryan Stewart. Alex Abbass, Robert Barrie, Laurel Martell and Aaron Lewis, Helles Belles and Sandy Maxwell.

The events planned for this Pride Week are the most diverse yet, Steele said. The parade, taking place Sunday in downtown Sydney, is always a high point of the festival. This year, the grand marshals are members of CBRM council.

For more information, visit www.pridecapebreton.com.

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Move to new building sweet for Port Hastings museum
Group relocates to former Candy Shop building; grand opening set for Wednesday

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

PORT HASTINGS — They’re moving on up — but not too far away.

The Port Hastings Historical Society Museum and Archives has moved into the former Candy Shop building at the Port Hastings Rotary. And although it’s less than a kilometre away, the new location is a big improvement over the roughly 125-year-old building on Church Street.

“It’s quite a change,” said museum manager April Sampson, who figures the “much larger” and “much more modern” space will help the society better tell the story of Port Hastings.

She said the museum chronicles the history of the area from the time early settlers arrived in the late 1700s until modern times.

“Originally there was some temporary communities through fishermen that came from the Channel Islands between England and France for the cod fisheries,” she said. “They set up temporary settlements to dry cod and do the processing and eventually it became more permanent settlements.”

Sampson said area remained a predominately fishing community until the causeway was built in 1954. Two summer students provide guided tours at the museum that focus on the history of the Strait of Canso, such as the existence of ferry services before causeway created a permanent link between Cape Breton and mainland Nova Scotia.

“The new facility we’re in, you get to look over the causeway, you get to see it, as well as Cape Porcupine where all the materials came from,” she said. “So, when you’re telling the story, you can kind of point out the window and say ‘That’s what it is.’ It’s more of an interactive story because people can see what you are talking about.”

The society will host the grand opening of the new location at 24 Hwy 19 on Wednesday from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Inverness MLA Rodney MacDonald will be on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony and there will also be demonstrations, entertainment and snacks.

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-Burnac Dr is cut through to the East Traffic Lights at Mayflower Mall, with the two lots directly east of WalMart and Home Depot newly clearcut, so we'll keep an ear out for development there. Mayflower Mall Annex is going at the NE corner of SPAR Rd @ GLR intersection, directly South of Home Depot.

- Cape Breton Health and Recreation Complex is coming along nicely.

- EHS building is completed and operating.

- Twinning is underway on the Balls Creek to Coxheath section of Hwy 125 as Davey_Boy_Smith reported, and a lot of work has been done already considering it hadn't visibly started last year when I was home in July.

- Rte 4: upgrades with turning lanes completed adjacent to Ben Eion Ski/Golf Resort, massive realignment is underway around Big Pond to get rid of a dangerous curve that had a cliff on the roadside on the inside of the curve...they literally have to move a mountain for this one, and a long stretch of re-paving is underway from Sydney River to Howie Centre.

- New Subdivision roadwork being done in Westmount, I believe for Mariner Estates.

- Hampton Estates building/selling at a very decent pace.

- Vista Heights renovations underway. I got a scare because it looked like they were using baby-blue concrete pre-cast panels, but when I got closer, I noticed it was thankfully just insulation panelling.

- Wentworth Park Upper Pond renovations are in full swing, with Bandshell repairs underway as well.

- The drydock adjacent to the South end of the Boardwalk is being removed. The Boardwalk will then proceed through this property and under King's Rd to connect with Wentworth Park.

- Lawtons is disappointing, but then again, it's on George St...and it's a Lawtons.

- The Vogue office building is looking great, as are the YMCA Renovations.

- Dominion WTP Construction continues with a roof slab ready to be poured soon.

and the big rumour to come out of the trip....
- The overpass into Whitney Pier may soon be no more. Rumour from a credible source is that the plans are being made for an at-grade intersection with SPAR Rd under where the overpass sits now. The structure would be removed and replaced to improve connection inside and into Harbourside Commercial Park. I'm expecting this will happen, but the overpass is such a landmark for Whitney Pier, I'll be sad to see it go.

That's all I can remember for now.

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In no particular order. As I said in the Fredericton thread, I'll be posting photothreads later this weekend and editing in the links in the appropriate posts/threads.

Sydney Photo Thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=172373)

Burnac Dr, SPAR Rd Power Centre
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Vista Heights Renovations
(Don't worry, the baby-blue is just insulation)
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"The Vogue" office building
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Lawtons/Office Building
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YMCA
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Wentworth Park
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Boardwalk Extension Preparations
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Mariner Estates Phase 1
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Hwy 125 twinning, Exits 4 to 5A
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Rte 4 upgrades - re-alignment at Ben Eion
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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276082&sc=145

Sydney, Port Hawkesbury to get affordable housing

POST STAFF
The Cape Breton Post

HALIFAX — Sydney and Port Hawkesbury are among provincial communities that will receive new affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities.

Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse and MInister of National Defence Peter MacKay announced Friday that almost 50 units of affordable rental housing will be built over the next year in Sydney, Port Hawkesbury, Middleton and Amherst.

The funding is being made available through a $128-million joint investment under the amended Canada-Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Program Agreement, which includes equal funding through Canada’s Economic Action Plan and by the government of Nova Scotia and through an extension to the Canada-Nova Scotia Housing Renovation Program Agreement.

“Making life better for Nova Scotians by increasing access to safe, affordable housing is one of the government’s top priorities,” said Peterson-Rafuse. “This new housing will allow more seniors and people with disabilities to remain independent.”

Provincewide requests for proposals were issued this week, inviting contractors to submit proposals for new units for seniors and people with disabilities. Tenders will continue to be issued over the next several months.

A total of 26 independent-living seniors’ units will be built in Sydney while Port Hawkesbury will get a barrier-free duplex. Some 15 seniors’ units, of which three will be barrier-free, will be built in Middleton while Amherst will get a seniors’ fourplex.

The new units are part of the amended agreement announced in April, which will deliver $128 million for construction and renovation of affordable housing to the province over the next two years.

These four projects are the first round of new housing to be built in the first year. The second year will bring construction of more units.

About $20 million will be spent on the creation, renovation and upgrade of more than 2,600 social-housing units in Cape Breton while Northern Nova Scotia will see about $10 million used for the same purpose for about 1,300 social housing units.

Central Nova Scotia will get about $50 million for the creation, renovation and upgrade of 3,700 units and about $16 million will be invested in more than 1,800 housing units in the western region.

In total, about 180 housing units for seniors and people with disabilities in Nova Scotia will be created and renovations and energy upgrades will be made to more than 9,200 individual housing units.

The remaining $32 million will provide continued funding for provincial repair programs and affordable housing through partnerships with private developers and non-profits.

More than 1,200 affordable housing units in Nova Scotia have already been created or preserved under the Canada-Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Program.

Last fall, the federal government committed more than $1.9 billion over five years to improve and build new affordable housing and to help the homeless.

[Smevo]

It's happened again! :rolleyes:
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276332&sc=145

Flying Dutchmen land in wrong Sydney

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A grandfather and grandson are the latest wayward travellers who found themselves in Sydney, N.S., while on a journey Down Under.

Joannes Rutten and 15-year-old Nick Rutten of Amsterdam, Netherlands, booked a two-day flight through a Dutch travel agency to visit family in Sydney, Australia.

On Saturday, as the pair landed in Halifax, they realized their flight had taken them in the wrong direction.

The elder Rutten, who speaks German, Dutch and some English, said they didn’t know there was another Sydney.

“We had 24 hours with no sleep,” he said, sitting at the Delta Sydney hotel, Sunday. “It’s not good, not good.”

Clare MacDougall, an Air Canada customer service representative, was working at Sydney’s J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport when she heard about the pair’s predicament.

“I met the aircraft. When the aircraft door opened, the flight attendant said ‘You’re not going to believe it but we have two people who thought they were en route to Sydney, Australia,’” said MacDougall. “They arrived with no Canadian money — they had all Australian money.”

MacDougall said attempts were made to fly the travellers back to Halifax but the next outbound plane was full. Air Canada later contacted the Delta Sydney and asked if they could provide the pair with a free accomadations.
They have now spent two nights at the hotel.

The two are scheduled to begin travelling back Amsterdam this morning. Once back home, Rutten said he will sort out the flight mix-up.

“I must say the ladies from Air Canada — perfect, perfect,” he said, noting that his family was just as confused about the flight mix-up, including a nephew who waited to pick them up at the airport in Australia.

The grandfather and grandson aren’t the first travellers who came to Sydney, N.S. thinking they were headed to Australia.

In August 2002, Raeoul Sebastian and Emma Nunn, both of London, England, spent their vacation in Cape Breton and became local celebrities after a flight mix-up brought them to another Sydney.

And in December, an Argentinian woman, Monique Rozanes Torres Aguero of Buenos Aires, had been daydreaming about her vacation in Sydney, Australia, when her Air Canada Jazz flight landed in Sydney, N.S.

Aguero decided to vacation to Cape Breton after befriending a local woman at the airport.




http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276259&sc=149

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/playgroundjc.JPG
From left, Michelle MacDonald, Harrison MacDonald, Mary Kate Andrea, Sandra Druggan and her daughters Amiee (in front) and Olivia, and Lois Higgins and her children Erin, Bailee and Brendan Higgins look forward to the day when there is more than one piece of equipment at St. Joseph’s Elementary School playground in Sydney Mines. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276259&sc=149)

If they build it, kids will play
Let Them Be Kids program aiding in construction of new playground in Sydney Mines

JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY MINES — St. Joseph’s Elementary School in Sydney Mines and surrounding community is without a playground — but not for long.

A playground will be in place this fall, thanks in part to the assistance of Let Them Be Kids, an Ontario-based initiative which helps communities build playgrounds along with donations from community groups and individuals.

The program gives the school $1 of equipment buying power for every 60 cents the school raises to help cover the cost of the new playground.

“Over the years we’ve been able to buy a piece here and there, but that method doesn’t work,” said group member Michelle MacDonald. “It is going to cost about $95,000 to build an all-access playground and we are over half the way there. We hope to have the infrastructure and the all-access pathways in place when the playground equipment for the new Miner’s Memorial Playground is installed on Oct. 17.”

The name honours the rich mining heritage of Sydney Mines and surrounding communities.

The students of St. Joseph’s did their share of fundraising bringing in $2,500 in pennies. The students also had input into the type of equipment selected for the playground.

“Really, this is all about kids,” MacDonald said. “Not just the children at St. Joseph’s, but the any child in the community who wants to, will be able to use the playground.”

As part of it’s fundraising initiative which includes barbecues, dances and a silent auction, the parents support group will feature a memory wall in honour of miner’s from the local area.

“We are looking for volunteers to assist with the fundraising, but also to help on Oct. 17 when we construct the playground,” MacDonald said. “There is going to be a lot to do that day, so we are hoping to get between 300 or 400 volunteers. This project is important, not just for the kids, but for our community. It’s a chance for people to come together in support of a good cause and shows our children what can happen when people work together.”

Let Them Be Kids is an all volunteer non-profit organization that acts as a catalyst to help build community capacity on the grassroots level, while building playgrounds, skate parks and fitness parks across Canada.

[mylesmalley]

I think the more important question is, how many people book flights to Sydney NS and find themselves off track? :D

[Smevo]

Just for fun I checked out prices to fly return from Calgary to both Sydneys:
Sydney, NSW (SYD) - $1659
Sydney, NS (YQY) - $1507

That was only from Expedia, leaving tomorrow with a one-week stay. Luckily it was significantly cheaper when we booked our tickets for last month.

[Architype]

I don't know if it's been mentioned here yet, but here is the Downtown Sydney waterfront (http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=rppprv9zh7wk&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=43537427&encType=1) bird's eye view from Bing.com maps, it's loads of fun.

[Smevo]

^I had no idea, that makes me happy. :D

Thanks for letting us know, Architype. :cheers:

[Architype]

Ferry delays a boon for North Sydney businesses (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/08/14/ns-business-ferry-cb.html)

From the article:
"I'll put it this way — we pray for breakdowns," Smith, owner and operator of Robena's Family Restaurant, said with a laugh.

Marine Atlantic says it needed to rebook 32,000 ferry passengers

"The season has been terrific because of Marine Atlantic and their mess-ups and their terrible re-scheduling. People have to have a place to sleep when they're not sailing," said Livingstone.

The ferry operation has been back on schedule for a week. Marine Atlantic hopes to prevent delays in the future with a $400-million overhaul of its fleet.

According to the recent record, North Sydney business owners can look forward to more growth in the captive tourists industry in the future. ;)

Article: Ferry delays a boon for North Sydney businesses (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/08/14/ns-business-ferry-cb.html)
_________________________________________

Here's a question which maybe Smevo can answer. I'm not too familiar with the North end of Cape Breton, but there are two large harbours at Aspey Bay, (Dingwall, and South Harbour). Could one of those harbours ever be used as a ferry port for the Nfld ferry, since it would cut off about one third (about two hours I estimate) of the ferry run to Port Aux Basques. I've always wondered if one of these harbours could be made usable for that purpose?

Reference here on Bing maps:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=46.896625~-60.458107&style=h&lvl=13&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

[Smevo]

Our master plan didn't work this time...;)
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276589&sc=145

Dutch travellers headed to original destination

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A pair of wayward travellers who flew to the wrong continent in search of Sydney, Australia are now on a proper flight path.

Grandfather and grandson Joannes Rutten, 71, and Nick Rutten, 15, had planned to return home to Amsterdam, Netherlands, after mistakenly travelling to Sydney, N.S., Saturday in search of the land Down Under.

After their story ran in the Cape Breton Post and was picked up worldwide, the Dutch travel agency which booked the flights contacted Air Canada officials Monday morning to change their tickets at no cost.

“They left at 1 o’clock and they’re on their way to Australia,” said Maria Reeves, customer service representative for Air Canada in Sydney. “The travel agency called and then they authorized us to change the tickets and take the additional collection.”

According to Reeves, the Dutch duo will arrive in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday at 8 a.m. and will board a flight back to Amsterdam, Sept. 3.

“When I talked to the girl at the travel agency she said ‘I heard we made the newspaper,’ said Reeves. “She said ‘I feel really bad’ and I said don’t worry it’s not the first one.”

Reeves said she knows of about half a dozen travellers who arrived in Sydney, N.S. in search of either Sydney, Australia or Sidney, British Columbia.

Two of the more memorable travel mishaps were Raeoul Sebastian and Emma Nunn of London, England, who spent their vacation in Cape Breton in 2002 and became local celebrities after a flight mix-up brought them to Nova Scotia.

And last September, an Argentinian woman, Monique Rozanes Torres Aguero of Buenos Aires, landed in Sydney, N.S. believing she was in Australia.
Aguero decided to vacation in Cape Breton after befriending a local woman at the airport.

Sunday, the Ruttens told the Cape Breton Post they didn’t know there was another Sydney.

The Ruttens were provided free accommodation Saturday and Sunday at the Delta Sydney.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276568&sc=152

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/Mikmaq-enviro%20training.JPG
Cape Breton’s First Nations communities working through the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office have contracted the Nova Scotia Community College to deliver a series of environmental training sessions to build expertise of Mi’kmaq students in the environmental industry. Displaying a poster describing the program are Waddie Long, environmental foundations instructor, NSCC, John Mellen, student from Potlotek, Claire LeFebvre, national training program co-ordinator BEAHR, Peter MacLean, academic chair school of trades & technology, NSCC, Jamie Johnson, student from Potlotek, Alyssia Jeddore, training support job coach officer, Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office in Membertou, and Fabian Francis, aboriginal mentor, NSCC. Submitted photo (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276568&sc=152)

Mi’kmaq students building expertise in environmental industry

The Cape Breton Post

MEMBERTOU — Cape Breton’s First Nations communities have launched an aggressive training program to help local Mi’kmaq seize opportunities within the environmental industry.

The Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office has contracted the Nova Scotia Community College to deliver a series of environmental training sessions to build expertise in the environmental industry.

The first training class is nearing completion in the community of Waycobah.
Fifteen Mi’kmaq students are participating in a 15-week training program which includes eight weeks of classroom training and 10 weeks of on-the-job training.

“This class is the first of three environmental monitoring training programs to be put on by NSCC in Unama’ki (Cape Breton) communities this year,” Alyssia Jeddore, training support-job coach officer with the Unama’ki office, said in a media release. “We feel there is great employment opportunity in the environmental industry and the Unama’ki communities would like to build an expertise in this sector.”

The training program was developed by the national Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources organization.

“BEAHR was set up by ECO Canada and has undertaken an important task of increasing aboriginal employment in the environmental sector, through career awareness programs, training programs and on the job experience,” said Claire LeFebvre, national training program co-ordinator for BEAHR.

LeFebvre is visiting Cape Breton to check out the Unama’ki training program.

The Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office is a collaborative approach to economic development by five First Nations communities.

It is the result of strong aboriginal leadership that recognized the importance of taking a business approach to pursuing economic opportunities.

An immediate opportunity which drove this initiative was the $400-million cleanup of Sydney tar ponds.

After years of planning and negotiation, in October 2008, the five Mi’kmaq communities reached an agreement for the first Nova Scotia aboriginal set-asides totalling over $19 million for work to be carried out on the tar ponds project over the next five years.



Being in Calgary now, it's not as unfriendly as it's made out to be, but the difference is still there.
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276569&sc=149

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/painterjc.JPG
Grazyna (GiGi) Radziwilko shows one of the many paintings that hang on the wall of the dining room at Rollie’s Wharf in North Sydney. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276569&sc=149)

Artist drawn to images, people of Cape Breton

JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

NORTH SYDNEY — Grazyna (GiGi) Radziwilko hasn’t seen anything quite as beautiful as Cape Breton.

“Moving to North Sydney from Calgary, I didn’t know a place like this could exist in Canada,” she said.

Radziwilko, who immigrated to Canada in 1980 from Poland, said the island reminds her of Europe.

“As a painter, I can’t believe the beauty that I see every day and the friendliness of the people,” she said. “Living out west, people are so busy, they can’t give you five minutes of their time, but here, it is so different. People are more relaxed ”

It is because of that celebrated Cape Breton hospitality, Radziwilko is able to show her paintings.

“Anytime I go out to eat, I have the habit of sketching while waiting for my order,” she said. “I was having dinner at Rollie’s Wharf and as always I was sketching away . One of the waitresses noticed and before I knew it people starting crowding around wanting to see.”

Eventually, Radziwilko was introduced to Lynn Clarke, of Rollie’s, who offered to show her paintings in the dining room area of the restaurant/lounge.

“It is such a beautiful location overlooking the water, an ideal spot to display my work. I do have a gallery on line, but it is great to see people’s reaction to my paintings.”

Radziwilko has been sketching since she was a little girl in Poland.

“In elementary school, my friends used to drag me to the bathroom and beg me to do their portrait,” she said. “I love to draw and looking around me I see this beautiful place, it seems like there will never be enough time to inhale everything.”

Clarke is delighted to be able to showcase Radziwilko’s paintings.

“To me, they are a perfect fit. Like many others, she is finding it a little difficult considering today’s economy, so we are happy to help out at no cost to her,” Clarke said.

“The paintings complement the dining area and are a great topic of conversation.”


Just as an aside on the friendliness thing, it was a shock to my system to be driving in L'Ardoise and area and have people randomly wave at the car (we were obvious tourists with myself and my Punjabi wife), or randomly stop their car to comment on our dog. It proved to me I've been off the island for far too long. :cheers:

[Smevo]

I know what you're thinking, finally something development related. :p
Given the history behind this re: Dominion town hall at the time of amalgamation, I'm surprised this was the only hiccup so far.
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276936&sc=145

Contractor accidentally breaks water line while installing sewer pipes

SHARON MONTGOMERY-DUPE
The Cape Breton Post

DOMINION — If you break it, you fix it.

Officials with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality East Division public works said contractors putting in sewer lines on King’s Road in Dominion broke a pipe late Tuesday morning, causing a disruption in water service for customers in the immediate area.

“The contractor did the repairs,” said Larry Dunn, operation supervisor with public works. “It is in their contract, they break it, they fix it.”

Dunn said at about 11:30 a.m., while workers with Riverside Development were installing lines for the new sewer treatment plant, they hooked one of the water lines. The work was being carried out on King’s Road near the Dominion Arena between Wilson’s Lane and Cooper’s Lane.

“The water line was inactive, but still pressurized. They broke it off so we had to shut the line down so they could do the repair on it.”

He said it wasn’t a large repair job, it included cutting the affected line and putting another cap back on.

However there were complications after that.

After capping the line a thrust block has to be installed to hold the cap, he said.

“You have to put the pipe in before you can put the thrust block in.”

Dunn said the water was expected to be back up and running by late afternoon or early evening, Tuesday.

“They might experience some discoloured water once we get it back on, throughout the town possibly.”

The number of customers affected by the water disruption wasn’t known, but included residents along King’s Road from the corner of Neville Street to Royal Avenue and the side streets.


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=277001&sc=146

Cape Breton athletes, staff to attend Canada Games

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A total of 12 athletes and two mission staff with Cape Breton connections will represent Nova Scotia at the 2009 Canada Games being held across Prince Edward Island, beginning Saturday.

Week 1 of the Games kicks off Saturday with basketball, cycling, diving, rowing, rugby, sailing, women’s soccer, softball, tennis, triathlon, beach volleyball and men’s wrestling.

Week 2 gets underway Aug. 23, highlighted by athletics, baseball, canoe/kayak, golf, men’s soccer, swimming, volleyball and women’s wrestling.
Team Nova Scotia will look to build on its 46-medal total at the 2005 Canada Games in Regina, Sask., 14 of which were gold.

The team took home 47 medals at the 2001 Games in London, Ont.
Opening ceremonies for the event will be held Saturday in Summerside, with the closing ceremonies to be held in Charlottetown, Aug. 29 at the new Athletics Centre.

Local athletes include: Kayla McCarron, Basketball; Holly Denny, Softball; Dylan Landry, Wrestling; James Gillis, Athletics; Geoffrey Myatt, Athletics; Jonathan Boutilier, Baseball; Kenny Long, Baseball; Michelle Campbell, Swimming; Megan Brown, Volleyball; Kristen Ryan, Volleyball; Vanessa St. Georges, Volleyball; and Elyse Quann, Wrestling; Mission staff include Glenn Johnston of Halifax, formerly Sydney River, and Donna White of New Waterford.


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=276932&sc=152

Mi’kmaq agency going to Norway for aquaculture trade mission

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A Cape Breton Mi’kmaq agency is the only Nova Scotia representative to participate in an Atlantic Canadian aquaculture sector science and technology transfer and trade mission to Norway.

The week-long event, scheduled to begin Saturday, is sponsored by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), in partnership with the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) and the National Research Council.

The only Nova Scotian participant in the event is Waycobah Fisheries and Natural Resources.

Delegates from a total of 15 Atlantic Canadian aquaculture companies and organizations taking part in this mission will attend the world’s largest aquaculture trade show in Trondheim, Norway. They will also continue building upon success generated when ACOA and NAIA collaborated to deliver similar missions to Norway in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

“With exports of $146 million in 2008, aquaculture is one of Atlantic Canada’s leading export sectors, and thus a key component to our region’s economy,” said the Keith Ashfield, minister of state for ACOA.

“ACOA is committed to helping companies within the aquaculture industry increase their export potential.”

Atlantic Canadian delegates will learn about the latest in research and development and will establish relationships critical in their efforts to increase sales. In turn, delegates from other countries will have the opportunity to learn from their Atlantic Canada counterparts, who are recognized globally as technology leaders in the aquaculture industry.

The aquaculture industry in Atlantic Canada is a dynamic system of food production driven by producers of salmon, mussels and oysters.

The industry is supported by world class research and development facilities, suppliers that manufacture everything from cages to automatic feeding systems, associations that provide a strong voice, as well as governments that recognize the value of the industry and work together with key stakeholders to promote opportunities for growth.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=277282&sc=145

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/clement2.jpg
Federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement, right, is shown walking along George Street in Sydney with his chief of staff Bill King following a Wednesday breakfast meeting at the Delta Sydney. Greg McNeil - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=277282&sc=145)

Clement asked to help fix ferry problems

GREG MCNEIL
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Traffic congestion at the Marine Atlantic terminal in North Sydney quickly became an issue during the federal minister of industry’s breakfast meeting with local business people.

Tony Clement spoke on a broad range of issues during Wednesday’s session, but problems at the ferry terminal came to the forefront when the president of the longshoremen’s association approached the minister before a scrum with the local media.

“The people are getting frustrated,” said Peter Gillis, president of local 1259 of the Atlantic Coast District International Longshoremen’s Association.

“It is to the point where customers are coming there and not even allowed on the property because there is not room to put two, three boatloads of traffic at the same time on the lot.”

In recent weeks, access to Highway 105 entering North Sydney has been restricted due to traffic waiting to enter Marine Atlantic’s terminal in North Sydney.

When Gillis asked him about solutions for the terminal, Clement said the government is listening all the time.

“Certainly, part of my trip here is to hear from Cape Bretoners, from people in the Sydney area, of what their challenges are and how the federal government can be helpful.”

Gillis said terminal upgrades could help Cape Breton take advantage of a booming Newfoundland economy.

“As an employee over there, as well as a union representative, I feel we have to get some of this money brought down into this region and have some the infrastructure changed over there.”

Gillis hopes the concerns will be addressed and not forgotten.

“I hope that he didn’t just put this information on a piece of paper and is going to go lose it on his desk.”



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=277276&sc=152

Residents upset proposed meeting on tar ponds cancelled

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Residents of Sydney who wanted to learn more about the tar ponds remediation project are upset that a proposed meeting was cancelled.

Wayne McKay of Ashby said he arranged a public meeting after hearing concerns while on the campaign trail as an NDP candidate during the last provincial election.

Specifically, he said residents worried about a letter sent to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality last year that requests a delay in a playground project being developed on Intercolonial Street, to be known as the Wintering Cove Neighbourhood Park.

A line in the letter states, “This current land use does not create a concern with respect to exposure to air contaminants.”

Additional studies would be required to demonstrate whether or not there are risks to users of the park. Those studies, the letter reads, would result in additional cost and delay for the project.

McKay said a meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the McConnell Memorial Library in Sydney to discuss air quality and other concerns.

On Tuesday at about 3 p.m. McKay called Gary Campbell of provincial Crown corporation, Nova Scotia Lands, which is remediating the former steel plant property, to remind him of the meeting.

Campbell returned the phone call at 4:30 and told McKay’s wife he would not be in attendance.

“This lack of showing up at the last second just really, really angered me,” said McKay. “I had been doing everything I could to accommodate both sides to try and come to some kind of resolution here.

“If you talk to the residents, they’ll tell you that they don’t believe anything that anyone from the tar ponds agency says to them. They’ve completely lost faith in the agency and it’s because of things like this happening over and over and over again.”

Campbell said Wednesday that the meeting date was a misunderstanding. He said McKay was asked to gather questions from the residents and that he received a copy of those questions about two weeks ago.

“I never expected we were going to be dealing with six pages of questions, many of which are certainly outside my mandate to deal with and I told him in my e-mail I was in the midst of preparing for two board meetings, both Nova Scotia Lands and SYSCO, and I had hoped to get a week off for vacation the week after,” said Campbell.

Campbell said he told McKay he wasn’t able to answer those questions within the scheduled time frame. He said he assumed there would be no meeting, but said he never used the word cancelled until Tuesday.

Tanya Collier MacDonald, spokesperson with the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, said a meeting was already held for those residents at the McConnell Library in June.

She said the agency is currently in the process of answering the submitted questions.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=277648&sc=149

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/fieldjc.JPG
Volunteers (left to right) Jordan Campbell, Brian Andrea, Mark Boudreau Jr., Francis Clarke, Bruce MacDonald and Mark Boudreau Sr., are among many who helped lay the sods for the new community sports field next to Dr. T. L. Sullivan Junior High School in Florence. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=277648&sc=149)

Sports field a school, community project

JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

FLORENCE — Many hands make less work and there were volunteers aplenty helping to build the community sports field next to Dr. T. L. Sullivan Junior High School in Florence.

“This development is for the greater Northside community,” said Sullivan principal Bruce MacDonald, who has made the project one of his last official acts before heading for Breton Education Centre in New Waterford for the coming school year. “All the communities that feed into this school should avail themselves to this field.”

Preliminary construction started last fall and MacDonald and his crew of volunteers including teachers and students, were back at it in May before school closed.

“All the engineering work is done, the top soil is in place and we should be finished laying the sod this week,” MacDonald said. “This new field is a welcome addition to the school property and for the community.”

The school raised funds for the project and was able to obtain a few grants from the province. The Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board also kicked in some funding and local contractors supported the project, which cost in the area of $100,000 to build.

The walking track around the perimeter of the field is ready for use. The field, which is fenced and secure, will eventually have lighting.

“We’ve had tremendous help from a host of volunteers including students, teachers and people from the community. Mark Boudreau of Larand Construction contributed a significant amount of equipment and time to the project,” he said.

“There is more emphasis today on physical active living, not just for young people, but for all ages. That is the whole focus of this project, to promote physical fitness.”

The weather over the next few days is expected to be sunny with temperatures expected to reach 26°C.

“We are in for a few hot days and are working on ways to have the field watered so we don’t lose any sods.”

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=278023&sc=621

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/marine%20atlantic.JPG
Marine Atlantic chairman Rob Crosbie says a new fleet renewal strategy is being put together for the federal government which would cost at least $400 million and take many years to complete. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post file photo (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=278023&sc=621)

Marine Atlantic says $400 million fleet renewal plan likely next month

The Canadian Press

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. (CP) — The newly reappointed chairman of Marine Atlantic hopes to present a fleet renewal strategy to the federal government next month — but it’s pricey.

The ferry service between Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia has come under criticism the past couple of years from passengers upset with delays.

Chairman Rob Crosbie says the newest ferry in the fleet, Atlantic Vision, would have solved the problem with capacity but its own mechanical problems have hampered the service.

Crosbie says a new fleet renewal strategy is being put together for the federal government which would cost at least $400 million and take many years to complete.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams says if that’s the price tag needed for the province’s link to the mainland, so be it.

In the meantime, Williams says the Crown corporation should start concentrating on customer service while they wait for word from Ottawa.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=277640&sc=147

ECMA announces submission deadlines for 2010 event in Sydney

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Award and showcase submissions are now being accepted for the 2010 East Coast Music Awards, Festival & Conference taking place in Sydney, March 4-7.

The ECMA will present 32 music awards, 17 industry awards and five honorary awards this year. All East Coast artists who have released recordings between June 1, 2008 and Oct. 1, 2009 are eligible to submit to be considered for an East Coast Music Award. All submissions for music and industry awards must be received by Oct. 1.

Submissions are also being accepted until Oct.1 for the Stompin’ Tom Award, recognizing musicians who have made a long-term contribution to the East Coast music industry.

The 2010 event in Cape Breton will also feature the return of the following showcase stages: Rock Stage, Roots Room, Rising Star Stage, Concert Series, Songwriter’s Circle, Bluebird North Showcase and the ECMA Partnered Stages. Submission deadline on all showcase stages is Sept. 16. Artists and groups of all genres are encouraged to apply.

The deadline for several other ECMA programs and showcases are also coming up next month. Submissions are due by Sept. 16 for the Soundwaves Program, designed to connect artists with the ECMA host community through performances in schools and community venues months leading up to the event, as well the discovery stage, a two-day, 12-hour per day musical extravaganza during the ECMA weekend, which is open to all genres of emerging artists.

For more information go to www.ecma.ca.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=278170&sc=152

Neil MacNeil named new CEO of J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport has chosen a Cape Breton native as its new chief executive officer.

A selection committee chose Neil MacNeil out of over 50 applicants, seven of which were interviewed.

John MacKinnon, chair of the selection committee and vice-chair of the airport authority, said the airport’s board of directors were unanimous in their decision.

“We are excited to secure a candidate with Mr. MacNeil's background in the transportation and economic development fields and we look forward to working along with him to promote the airport and the community,” said MacKinnon, in a release.

In his last position, MacNeil was general manager of TIKN Management Inc. in Ottawa, Ont. He has also held various roles with Transport Canada, served as director of Economic Development and Tourism for the City of Saint John, N.B. and is a former Canadian Navy ship officer.

MacNeil’s portfolio also includes a stint as assistant to the minister of transport from 1980 to 1983, and CEO of both Canada Ports Corporation and Ridley Terminal Inc. from 1997 to 1998 — all within Ottawa.

MacNeil also spent a short period of time as a policy advisor to the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

MacNeil is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University with a bachelor of arts degree and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Dalhousie University.

He will replace former CEO Larry MacPherson, who announced his retirement in June.

MacNeil will begin his duties with the airport authority on Wednesday. He is expected to work under MacPherson, who will finish up his duties in September.

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Argyle Street bridge closed

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A short section of Argyle Street between George and Crescent streets became closed to vehicular traffic Wednesday after which an excavator began tearing up pavement and concrete on the bridge spanning the brook that runs into Wentworth Park.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s engineering technologist in charge of the work wasn’t immediately available for comment, Wednesday.

A worker at the site said the project includes replacing asphalt, concrete sidewalks and catch basins on the bridge, and not the bridge structure. He added that the work could take approximately two weeks.

This is a picture of the bridge structure my buddy "SB" took last year. Not bad for almost 90-year old concrete.
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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=281361&sc=152

Real estate website helps prospective homebuyers with market information

BY CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A Glace Bay native and his two-man team of web developers have been working to create their own niche in the online Canadian real estate market.

Sandy Ward, the chief executive officer of Homezilla.ca, said his website is a one-stop shop for homebuyers to find neighbourhood information.

Prospective buyers can enter an address and find the closest schools, parks, restaurants, bars and demographic information in the vicinity of the home they may want to purchase.

“If people start researching a home 12 months before they actually buy, we’re enabling those people during that year of research to do it faster and easier,” Ward said Wednesday from Cape Breton University, where he’s looking at renting office space for his Internet venture.

Homezilla went live in October 2008 and has been integrating real estate listings for some time. While it has listings for communities across the country, the company is using Vancouver and Nova Scotia as test locations for adding new information to the website.

However, most of Homezilla’s web traffic — about 80,000 visitors a day — come from Ontario, Ward noted.

Up until last month, fellow Cape Bretoners Lawrence Jewells and Robert Myers have been working on website development from their own homes.
Ward, whose job it is to attract real estate companies to work with his company, is based out of Toronto.

He said real estate agents will find the website useful because it’ll answer questions that they likely wouldn’t have at their fingertips: Where is the closest school? What’s the average income of a particular neighbourhood? What’s the population of the area?

“It better enables real estate agents, real estate companies to target their homebuyer,” said Ward, a former engineer manager at Yahoo! Canada.

“(It’s about) giving this data away for free and then collecting all this data completely anonymous, but then selling that data to mortgage companies, mortgage insurance companies and real estate companies for their use.”

The company already has several Cape Breton real estate companies onboard including Catherine E Harvey Realties, Century 21 Bayside Real Estate, Cape Breton-Canso Realty, W. Black and Son Real Estate, Royal Lepage Brennan Realty and Yazer Realty.

Ward said Homezilla is currently looking to hire a business or political science intern as the process of developing the website continues.

[gregnl]

Wow This City Is Growing New Development And Stores If St.john Nb Dont Watch Out Cbrm Might Become A Bigger City

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=282054&sc=145

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Work continued on the first of three phases of the water diversion project of the coke ovens brook and wash brook into the north pond of the tar ponds. Officials from the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency hand-delivered responses to questions posed by some residents of north end Sydney, Friday. Residents on Intercolonial Street in particular had concerns of air quality monitoring procedures as the cleanup proceeds near their homes. Submitted by Owen Fitzgerald (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=282054&sc=145)

Tar ponds agency answers 49 questions posed by Sydney residents

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A group of residents in north end Sydney finally have answers to a list of 49 questions it posed to the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, many of which concern air quality and safety measures on the cleanup site.

Agency officials hand delivered the responses to residents, many of whom live on Intercolonial Street, adjacent to the tar ponds.

Wayne McKay, a spokesperson for the residents, said Friday he’s glad to finally have the answers to questions that have been gnawing at residents for months.

McKay had yet to hear any feedback from the people he represents, but he did say some of the answers were satisfactory, while other answers required more information because of the technical nature of the responses.

A major concern in the north end is the process of air monitoring and how quickly that information is passed on to the community.

The tar ponds agency said in its response to several questions that it would implement “mitigative measures” that would “ensure the safety of workers, residents and the environment is maintained.”

“I know there’s been large clouds of dust coming out of the site because things haven’t been watered down properly, so there may be some questions that arise out of what they’re actually doing with the mitigative procedures,” McKay said.

The agency said to suppress unacceptable levels of suspended particulate it would use an odour suppressant foam, watering material or a work stoppage.

In the case of an emergency on site, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality would be in charge of leading a large-scale evacuation of the neighbourhood, the agency said.

“The real-time monitoring only happens right on the work site. It doesn’t happen off the work site, so those monitors are every six days for a 24-hour period, which they stated, but the residents aren’t comfortable with that,” McKay said.

Residents on Intercolonial Street became worried earlier this year upon learning the tar ponds agency sent a letter to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in August 2008 requesting a delay in the construction of a playground project on the other side of Intercolonial Street.

The letter stated that “this current land use does not create a concern with respect to exposure to air contaminants.”

The agency said additional studies would be required to demonstrate whether or not there are risks to users of the park, if it was completed and open to the public while the tar ponds cleanup remained in high gear.

Those studies, the letter read, would result in additional cost and delay for the (tar ponds cleanup) project.

McKay said it was this letter that had many residents in the neighbourhood thinking if a park was potentially too dangerous for the public to use on a daily basis, then residents who live on the other side of the street may have legitimate contamination fears.

“(Residents) had the question of, ‘How is it possible that there may be a risk to children and people in the park and there’s no risk on the other side of the street?’

“(Residents) just couldn’t understand that and it’s kind of a question I still have.”

He expected residents to meet to review the agency’s responses before possibly sending back followup questions to officials at the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency.

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Motorists lead stop and go life

The Cape Breton Post

Lloyd Hall, project engineer on this summer’s reconstruction job on Highway 4, hopes to have work wrapped up by November. That will be just in time for — you guessed it — winter!

Driving in Canada can be quite an adventure, and a year-round one. In eastern Nova Scotia, even when we escape relatively unscathed from winter snowfall, the roads are often treacherous because of a typical temperature range just around freezing on many days.

When spring comes, there’s the challenge of frost-heaved pavement and potholes on secondary roads and urban streets. Later, the construction crews fan out with guerilla-like precision with the aim of making life as difficult as possible for the motoring public — or so it sometimes seems.

Late in fall you have a chance to pass over some smooth new pavement before hunkering down for the sleet and freezing rain. Next spring the new roadway is still there to be enjoyed, of course, but the construction crews will have set up camp somewhere else — perhaps just a few kilometres along on the same road — with the apparent purpose of ensuring that your trip is not unencumbered.

This has been the situation for several seasons along the heavily travelled Highway 4 from St. Peters to Sydney. Anyone who has travelled the route in recent years would readily agree it has been in dire need of repaving and rebuilding. The work has been stretched out over several years at a spending pace of roughly $4 million a year, and that’s been a source of some frustration.

The multi-year approach means there’s construction, with attendant traffic delays, somewhere on the route every summer. It’s been especially bad at times this season because of a major rebuild and realignment along 6.5 kilometres of the highway between Big Pond and Ben Eoin. The public was amply warned that delays of 45 minutes could be expected on days when blasting was underway but many who commute along the route have no alternative.

Chambers of commerce in the Sydney and Strait areas, together with the community-based Route 4 Highway Committee, have pressed the province to speed up the job and finish it no later than 2012. The best the previous government would pledge was to complete the entire route from St. Peters to Sydney River in 2013.

That was part of an aggressive highway refurbishing and construction program of the previous Conservative government and it remains to be seen what adjustments the new NDP administration will make in those plans.

The new Highway 4, whenever it’s finally completed, will be a strong asset for the island. Tortuous twists and turns are being removed, replaced by gentler curves and less perpendicular hills while the scenic lakeside character of the route is preserved.

Interested groups and the public need to keep up the pressure to get the job done. Unfortunately, motorists will have to put up with a few more summers of hot, annoying waits before the road is brought up to modern standard.

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Wow This City Is Growing New Development And Stores If St.john Nb Dont Watch Out Cbrm Might Become A Bigger City

Welcome gregnl.

While I'm of the opinion that we are most definitely growing again (a point that's still debated), I doubt we'll be taking over SJ anytime soon, not to mention that in most ways we're three cities and a town (or two cities and two towns, depending on your cutoff) within a single municipal boundary (and metro), where SJ is one central city with far-flung suburbs.

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Road work continued on Highway 125 this week as part of a twinning project from Balls Creek to Sydney River. The project began in May. Greg McNeil - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=283980&sc=145)

Highway twinning project moving along quickly

LAURA JEAN GRANT
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — There has been lots of construction activity along sections of Highway 125 this summer and residents can expect that to continue for several years.

The twinning of Highway 125 from Balls Creek to Sydney River — which is estimated to cost approximately $7.3 million — began in May and work is progressing nicely, according to Lloyd Hall, a project engineer with the provincial Department of Transportation.

“It’s moving along very quickly. We haven’t really had any problems. There’s a few soft spots in the road that we had to dig out and replace with heavy stone but other than that everything else has been going great,” he said.

It’s a busy construction site with about five Department of Transportation staff, an estimated 15-20 employees from the project’s contractor, Alva Construction, and anywhere between 20 and 40 private trucks, on the site at any given time. Crews are working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Hall said work associated with the current tender is expected to be complete by the end of September, at which point the new section of road will be gravelled. Another tender, for realignment and paving work, will then have to be issued by the Transportation Department.

“Whenever the next tender comes out for paving of that project we’ll have to realign the ramps so that everything lines up with the twinning,” he explained.

But the work won’t end at Sydney River.

Patricia Jriege, spokesperson with the Department of Transportation, said the long-term vision is to have the highway twinned all the way to Grand Lake Road by 2015.

“The next phase of twinning Highway 125 will be from Kings Road to Grand Lake Road. We expect to call a tender for this section late next year in 2010 and anticipate that construction would then begin in 2011 and that phase of construction should take three to four years to complete,” she said. “Then once that’s done then the twinning project for Highway 125 would be complete.”


I'd be very surprised to see it finished to GLR by 2015, but I'm hoping it is. I think they already have a tender called for the roundabout at Alexandra St, so I'll be keeping my eye out for tenders for the twinning work next year. I'm scared to see how traffic will be affected through there during construction though, considering they're jersey-barrier twinning that section. I'm expecting major tie-ups for most if not all of the duration of the work, it will be well worth it though.


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=283974&sc=152

No decision made yet on possible start date for Donkin mine reopening

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The company seeking to reopen the Donkin coal mine is continuing with the exploration stage and is currently “liaising with key stakeholders,” says Val Istomin, the project manager for Xstrata Coal Donkin Management.

However, Istomin cautions the global recession has had an affect on the world price for coal.

“Given the impact of the global financial crisis upon thermal coal prices, we are closely monitoring the market to determine future customer demand and no decisions have been made regarding a potential start date for the next stage,” said Istomin, responding to an e-mail query by the Post.

He said “various approvals” are needed before the project can move ahead.
The exploration phase is intended to determine if a longwall coal mine would be a commercially viable venture.

Meanwhile, Erdene Resource Development Corp., a Halifax company with a 25 per cent stake in the project with partner Xstrata, said last month it was continuing to work on a $3 million feasibility study for the coal mine.

The company said some tenders have been “provisionally” awarded and there are requests for pricing on items and major contracts associated with the project.

Erdene is expected to conclude its feasibility study once Xstrata is able to secure long-term domestic and international sales agreements.

According to the province, the Donkin mine project is expected to take three years.

The site will be prepared in the first year, followed by coal extraction, using continuous mining, in the second and third years.

As part of the process, Xstrata has established a community liaison committee that will communicate with the public.

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CBRM resubmits $23-million stimulus plan to Ottawa

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — This fall residents in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality could see plenty of road work and upgrades to other essential municipal infrastructure if Ottawa approves the newly resubmitted $23-million stimulus plan.

It’s a big if considering the construction season is quickly coming to an end, says the CBRM’s acting director of engineering and public works Wayne MacDonald.

The municipality’s first application — based mostly on roadwork — was estimated to cost $12 million, but was rejected by the federal government because it wasn’t considered to be a long-term investment for the CBRM.

MacDonald said the CBRM submitted a second, more extensive, application last week totalling about $23 million, which would be cost-shared among the three levels of government.

It included a more detailed description of work on the water, wastewater and storm sewer systems in the municipality.

“The second application grows from the original plan to include ... the water, storm sewer, and wastewater components that weren’t really described in the first application because originally we were told there were no real restrictions, so I didn’t see a need to explain every detail about what each project entailed,” MacDonald said.

The province had approved the CBRM’s first application, and it also approved this amended infrastructure plan, he said.

But without a timeline coming from the office of John Baird, the minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, MacDonald said projects can’t move ahead.

However, he noted the public works department has a plan to begin work as soon as they’ve been given the green light.

But time is of the essence.

“You’ll see machines moving all across CBRM,” he said.

“Because of the underground infrastructure, there’s a lot of digging up and replacing pipes. That work is certainly time consuming ... but we won’t be opening up any projects that we’re not confident we can complete.

“We’re in September and there’s not much more time left. You may get a few weeks in November, and that’s it for this year.”

The stimulus funding is part of the Build Canada Fund, which was designed to help municipalities rebuild crumbling infrastructure.

Adding the stimulus cash as part of the fund was a way for the government to speed up the timeframe in which municipalities received the money to start projects, MacDonald said.

If approved, each level of government will be responsible for about $8 million in spending over a two-year period. Municipalities must be able to complete the projects by March 2011 to qualify.

MacDonald said money had been set aside in the municipal budget for the fund but it’s unclear whether that will entirely cover the CBRM’s share.

“There might be a small amount needed to cover off this year’s costs.

“Depending on how it rolls out, there is an opportunity that if we didn’t have our share, we could lower our amount and increase the amount of federal funding up to 50 per cent. There are ways and means to do that.”

The Halifax Regional Municipality had its first application to build a multi-surface ice rink in Bedford turned down as well. And Friday, the HRM learned its second application totalling more than $20 million, which consisted mostly of extensive roadwork, was also rejected.

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Ottawa, N.S. announce nearly $100 million for infrastructure projects

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Dozens of projects across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality will benefit from a Sunday afternoon government funding announcement.

Bill Estabrooks, provincial minister of transportation and infrastructure renewal, and Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced the almost $100 million Ottawa and Nova Scotia will contribute to infrastructure projects across the province.

The money will be used on construction and rehabilitation projects on highways and bridges, including 20 projects in the CBRM, which will receive money from the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund.

Projects include upgrades to Point Pleasant Park in Halifax Regional Municipality and water main upgrades to Victoria Road in Whitney Pier.
Federal funding for these projects totals $15.1 million with a matching contribution from the province and the municipalities.

The roundabout and ramp modifications on Alexandra Street in Sydney are also among 71 highway and municipal projects to get federal funding.

The $4-billion ISF is part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. The fund invests in provincial, territorial and municipal construction-ready infrastructure rehabilitation projects being built during this year’s and next year’s construction seasons.

In addition to the announced projects, the provincial and federal governments have set aside an additional $4 million each in funding for water and wastewater projects across the province.

Specific projects will be identified following discussions with municipalities.

Yay, the first noticeable sign of the SR to GLR twinning looks like it will be in place by the time I get home again. :D


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=285897&sc=149

Cape Breton Cancer Centre expansion generating excitement

GREG MCNEIL
The Cape Breton Post

By Greg McNeil
Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — In time concrete footings and mechanical fabrication near the Cape Breton Regional Hospital will become much needed support for local cancer patients.

For now, the signs of construction are all that is visible of the anticipated expansion of the Cape Breton Cancer Centre.

Although construction is only in its early stages, Greg Boone, spokesperson for the Cape Breton District Health Authority, said the community is getting excited about the project.

“There has been a lot of time, energy and expertise put into the project at the local level,” said Boone.

“And it continues to be put into the project. That adds to the excitement and the anticipation. The cancer centre plays an important role in the overall level of programs and services that we provide in the district.”

The expansion actually began with an official sod turning in April with then Premier Rodney MacDonald. Since then important equipment has been added to the centre such as a CT simulator and work to accommodate it.

The most recent activity began in late August and initially included locating the underground services, excavating for the foundation and installing fencing around the work area.

“Usually these types of projects would work in phases. When we are expanding an existing service, program or facility, we are still continuing to provide patient care. The goal is to minimize the disruption to patients and staff as much as possible. That is the challenge related to this type of project.”

Co-operation from the public has been encouraging during construction, he said.

This includes modification of the ambulance emergency entrance and exit to suit the fencing set up for construction. Signage and ramps were installed to accommodate the change.

Currently traffic on the existing roadway at the front of the hospital is not being affected. The contractor is using a new temporary access to the construction site which helps reduce any additional congestion.

Boone said the district also continues to be encouraged and impressed by support from the major capital campaign underway by the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation to raise expansion funds.

“It is a reflection of the generosity of Cape Bretoners who stepped up to contribute to the construction of the original centre. The support continues and the community embraces it.”

Donors who have contributed to the foundation were recognized during a Sunday afternoon luncheon at the regional hospital cafeteria.

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Council votes against governance plan

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Only Mayor John Morgan and Coun. Jim MacLeod voted Tuesday to adopt a plan for self-governance recommended by Cape Breton Regional Municipality staff.

Coun. Ray Paruch was among the 15 councillors who voted against the plan.
“There’s got to be a better way rather than separating from the province of Nova Scotia,” said Paruch, after hearing Cape Breton University professor Tom Urbaniak voice concerns that to transfer all authority to the region “should be greeted with skepticism and perhaps and even trepidation.”

During the monthly council meeting, the municipality’s economic development manager John Whalley presented the findings of his Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, which was released in July.

The report was commissioned as part of a federal gas tax transfer agreement requirement. The five-year agreement, which expires next year, requires all Canadian municipalities to submit a draft plan by the end of the year. A final report must be completed by March 31, 2010.

The report argues that the region must be served by one government to be sustainable, stating that the CBRM has not been sustainable for the past five decades.

In other words, the CBRM should become its own province in all but name. It also suggests eliminating arm’s-length bodies such as the CBU board of governors and the Cape Breton District Health Authority, which would instead be run under direct control of regional politicians.

“The CBRM report offers no road map to address the urgent social, economic, infrastructure and ecological needs of this region,” said Urbaniak. “It does not advise local leaders how to gather the wisdom and creativity of our communities in order to take interim and concrete steps, knowing that self-government for the CBRM would be the culmination of a lengthy and complicated negotiation.”

Morgan said the report was a preliminary step in self-governance and did not detail how it would be implemented.

“This issue won’t die here,” said Morgan. “It can’t die with these people around this table because the facts of the report were true. The community will continue to implode, and feel-good statements — even plans that are not implemented by a provincial government — they will not change the circumstances. So it will inevitably come back again and again until there’s substantive change in the region.”

Morgan said another option is the CBRM’s lawsuit against the province in the Supreme Court of Canada.

In late August, the Department of Justice filed a response to the Supreme Court of Canada lawsuit.

The municipality argues that under Section 36 of the Constitution Act, the province is obligated to provide a reasonably comparable level of services to residents for comparable taxation, and that the province has underfunded CBRM by $20 million a year, dating back to municipal amalgamation in 1995.

“Right now the only thing that we have to hang our hats on is that litigation, if we can be successful with that,” said Morgan. “But if not, all indications (are) that it has to come back to us governing ourselves, because otherwise our resources will continue to be drained away from this region.”

To date there has been no precedent set on the argument under Section 36 in the Supreme Court of Canada.

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Councillor says report didn’t consider opinions of council

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Regional councillor Dave LeBlanc said he couldn’t support a municipal staff document advocating self-governance which left the opinions of council out of the equation.

“I think if there had of been a debate on the subject at some point, maybe there would have been a different feeling,” he said Wednesday, the day after council rejected the report by a vote of 15-2. “I really can’t say — but there was no debate on it.”

LeBlanc seconded the motion by Coun. Ray Paruch to reject the report which suggests Cape Breton seek to take on many of the powers of a province.

Only Mayor John Morgan and Coun. Jim MacLeod favoured the accompanying recommendation to hold a plebiscite on the proposal.

“It’s quite obvious that the mayor and most of council are on different sides of this issue,” said LeBlanc.

“We’re on different sides of this issue, yes, but I don’t see it as us against him. We just disagree.”

Cape Breton University professor Tom Urbaniak, who was given an impromptu opportunity to speak during the council meeting, said that while the report recognizes a need for a comprehensive plan it is too abstract.

“I don’t envy the people who are serving in elected office now,” he said in a later interview.

“This is not the end of the story; this is only the beginning of what has to be a significant renewal in this community. The province should also not be let off the hook. Really, there is a need for significant change.

“The decentralization of services has been referenced. It’s unacceptable that the second largest urban region in Nova Scotia is not the headquarters for any department or agency.”

LeBlanc noted that councillors were offered two-hour sessions last week to discuss the report with its author, CBRM economic development manager John Whalley. LeBlanc said he doesn’t think self-governance is a plebiscite issue.

“I think there’s a plebiscite that’s held every four years and it’s called an election,” explained LeBlanc, who thinks council should keep “hammering away” at the financial and economic issues with provincial and federal governments.

On Tuesday, Morgan said Premier Darrell Dexter seems more open than his predecessors to a discussion with CBRM.

“But at the same time I think you’d have to really stretch things to say that he’s identified the severity of the circumstances in Cape Breton, or that’s he’s identified any intention to take substantive action toward the region,” the mayor added.

“I still hope that he will.”

Morgan said that regardless of whether council agrees on self-governance, it does seem to agree that the region is not sustainable under present circumstances.

In the Integrated Community Sustainability report, Whalley asserts that the region has not been sustainable for five decades.


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=286884&sc=151

Project process needs fixing

The Cape Breton Post

So, here’s a question about municipal infrastructure projects triggered by economic stimulus spending on the part of senior governments. If the cost is supposed to be shared equally three ways, how come Ottawa, most removed from the scene, gets to make the project-by-project calls all by itself, without explanation?

Shouldn’t 33 cents on the dollar entitle the federal government to a 33 per cent say, if it insists on having a hand in deciding between similar projects in Sydney versus Glace Bay, or Louisbourg versus North Sydney?

As Cape Breton-Canso Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner describes the process, it’s up to Ottawa to play Santa Claus, picking from lists according to who’s been naughty or nice — or whatever other criteria are brought to bear. “Everyone is putting in all the projects, hoping for the federal government to make the decisions. And sometimes when someone else is making the decisions they are not necessarily the ones you want to see made.”

There have been process difficulties with these shared-cost programs since Ottawa announced its infrastructure push in the January budget. Applicants got mixed signals on what types of work would be funded, resulting in unexpected rejections or weeks of delays.

Back in the spring, Cape Breton University cried foul after its proposed Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment failed to make the cut. Later, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s $12 million infrastructure list was rejected and had to be resubmitted in elaborated form, but now Ottawa has approved $11.3 million from a new list while nearly excluding the entire east division of the municipality, from New Waterford to Louisbourg.

Regional councillors from those districts are upset, and Glace Bay Liberal MLA Dave Wilson is, to use his vernacular, “pissed.” They have cause to be puzzled and disgruntled. “This whole thing smacks of politics to me,” Wilson adds. Federally, the whole of Cape Breton is represented by Liberals, but provincially the region is divvied up among all three parties.

Without adopting any conspiracy theories, however, it looks like the process is simply unworkable and the surprising thing is that here we are in September, having missed the 2009 summer construction season, and no one seems to understand how these decisions are being made or by whom.

Shouldn’t the governments that are paying two-thirds of the cost put their foot down and insist that the municipalities that originate the projects and will have to carry them out at least be consulted about which items on submitted lists should be approved?

Why, in particular, has the provincial government been so passive in this process, or has it really been pulling strings and pinning any unpopular results on an impenetrable federal bureaucracy?

Growing pains are to be expected, and three-level programs are never simple to manage. But this is ridiculous and unacceptable. Clarity and transparency are needed.

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Cape Breton University president John Harker, left, and Joe Shannon, chair of the CBU endowment campaign, unveil a wall bearing the names of campaign donors who have increased the size of the endowment fund from $7 million in 2005 to $15 million today. Nancy King - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=287636&sc=145)

CBU honours donors, launches campaign to assist student athletes

NANCY KING
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A marble wall bearing the names of donors who have helped Cape Breton University double its endowment fund was unveiled Friday, while a new effort to assist student athletes was officially launched.

Staff, donors and others gathered at the university’s great hall, where the wall was unveiled by CBU president John Harker and businessman and endowment campaign chair Joe Shannon.

“This wall will be a living wall, we are going to continue campaigning, continue to try and protect the future with our present efforts,” Harker said.

When the Future First Campaign was launched in 2005, CBU’s endowment fund was $7 million, and it could offer about $350,000-$400,000 a year in scholarships and bursaries.

The intention of the campaign was to double the endowment fund within five years — something that was actually achieved in the first 10 months. As a result, last year CBU offered $1.4 million in scholarships and bursaries, despite the economic downturn.

Shannon said he’s not bothered when students decide they want to leave the island in order to pursue educational opportunities, but he is bothered when students who want to stay at home are lured off-island by more lucrative offers, something CBU couldn’t compete with prior to the endowment campaign.

With the success of the Future First endowment campaign, CBU is also launching a new effort, the Creating Champions Campaign, to raise $2 million to support scholarships and bursaries for student athletes.

Part of that effort is a memorial scholarship for Connor Timmons, a former CBU soccer player from South Bar who was killed earlier this year in a car accident.

Shannon noted athletics are important to university life, and the new athletic endowment campaign is a significant step for CBU.

“We don’t want any other universities taking students from us, and we don’t want them taking our trophies from us,” he said.

Timmons was remembered not only as a talented athlete and good student, but as someone who was passionate about helping others and who left an impact on all who met him.

“When young people know that we’re out there supporting them, that we’re encouraging them, they begin to believe in their own worth.”

“They begin to develop their own gifts and talents and to share those with communities, and then everyone benefits,” said Ness Timmons, Connor’s father, who is a soccer coach at CBU.

“It’s a wonderful way to continue his dream of helping others to realize their dreams,” added Jari-Ann Timmons, Connor’s mother.

Glen LeBlanc, chief financial officer with Bell Aliant, who has agreed to chair the athletic endowment fund, kicked it off by making a $10,000 personal donation on behalf of his family.

LeBlanc, a former member of the university’s men’s soccer team, called the campaign the next phase in supporting the growth and pursuit of excellence at CBU. He noted sports can instil in young people the skills they need to achieve success, and by supporting their education, the university is building future leaders.

Athletic accomplishments can help in student recruitment and in building brand recognition for CBU, he said.

Kari Everett, a member of the women’s basketball team and a scholarship recipient, noted the award relieved financial strain for her, allowing her to concentrate on her athletics and academics.

It has also given her the freedom to spend part of her time in the summers volunteering, rather than working full-time.

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Aboriginal company awarded contract for tar ponds material processing facility

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — An aboriginal company has been awarded a $3.1-million contract to operate and maintain a material processing facility for the Sydney tar ponds and coke ovens cleanup.

Mikjikj Enterprises Ltd. of Eskasoni, in a joint venture with Harbour Tech Services Inc. of Sydney, was awarded the multi-year contract as part of the aboriginal set-aside signed in 2008 by federal and provincial governments and Membertou on behalf of all First Nations communities in Cape Breton.

The facility will begin operations in October and run until the cleanup is complete. The contract will employ five people, who will also be responsible for decommissioning the building.

“You’ll have different contractors come in and they’ll make sure that once they leave the building that they’re cleaned before they go on public streets,” said Tanya Collier-MacDonald of the role of the contract workers.

She said employees will also maintain the building’s amenities block where contract workers will get showered and change into their street clothes.

Set-aside contracts have allowed companies with majority aboriginal ownership and control to benefit from the cleanup work.

Aboriginal companies must have at least 51 per cent aboriginal ownership and control for eligibility and if there are more than five full-time employees, one-third must be aboriginal.

Local company Joneljim Construction began building the $8.7-million material processing facility in 2008. All construction vehicles entering or leaving the site will pass through the building. Also, material and debris from remediation will be graded, sorted, and washed in the facility.

In January 2007, the government of Canada and province of Nova Scotia committed $400 million to ensure the tar ponds and coke ovens cleanup is completed by 2014.

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Capers debut new digs this weekend
Opposition comes from N.B. universities

The Cape Breton Post

By Greg MacVicar
Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Cape Breton University Capers soccer teams will be showing off their brand spanking new artificial turf field this weekend as they host a pair of New Brunswick squads in the Capers’ respective home openers.

“We’re really excited with that,” said Capers men’s head coach Robbie Chiasson. “The field is in great condition and they’ve done a great job with allowing us to get on there and train and play. We couldn’t be happier.”

The turf field is one of the first components completed at the $8 million-plus Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex under development behind CBU.

The Capers teams will host the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds, Saturday, with the women taking to the field at 3 p.m., followed by the men at 5:15 p.m. Sunday, the CBU squads will host the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues, with the ladies first at 1 p.m. and the men playing at 3:15 p.m.

The Capers women, ranked No. 7 in the country, hold a record of 2-1-1, for seven points, after two weekends of play, good enough for the No. 2 spot of 10 teams in Atlantic University Sport standings.

The CBU squad split a close pair of 1-0 matches against the Memorial Sea-Hawks in Newfoundland last weekend. The weekend before, Sept.
12-13, they blanked the St. Mary’s Huskies 3-0 after playing to a 0-0 draw against the Dalhousie Tigers in their season opener.

“We faced some stiff competition right away and we knew the first two weekends would really give us a good indication of where we were going to fit this year and we’re pleased with the play,” said Ness Timmons, head coach of the Capers women. “The starters are raring to go after being away for the last two weeks. They’ve been dying to get home and settle into a game.”

Timmons added that the Capers could be a little stronger offensively.

“Our defence has been very solid,” he said. “We’ve only allowed one goal in four games. We’re comfortable at the back. But I think we could score some more goals.”

Fifth-year Caper Jessica MacDermid played nets in the squad’s first three games this season and rookie Mara Kremenovic fulfilled goaltending duties in the fourth match.

“We had to have somebody in here soon to groom for the future, Timmons said of Kremenovic, a native of Thunder Bay, Ont. “She’s a former provincial player for Ontario. And she’s a quality keeper.”

Timmons said the last-place UNB women (0-4-0) will be hungry for points and the third-place Moncton squad (2-1-1), with whom the Capers are tied for points at seven, have improved over last season and should prove to be balanced competition.

The CBU men’s squad have a record of 1-1-2, for five points, placing them sixth of 10 AUS teams. The Capers posted a 4-1 victory and a 2-2 tie versus the Sea-Hawks in Mount Pearl, N.L. last weekend. Sept. 13, the Cape Breton men played to 0-0 tie against St. Mary’s after getting nipped 1-0 by Dalhousie in their 2009 season opener, Sept. 12.

“Last Sunday we reached a level we were really happy with,” Chiasson said of the 4-1 victory. “We were dominant and everything started to click.
We’ve probably been the more dominant team in all the games we played.
But it’s been a matter of finishing. If we can start putting some wins on the column, we’ll be much happier.”

He said the first-place UNB men (2-0-2) and the eighth-place Moncton team (1-3-0) have polar playing styles.

“They’re two completely different teams,” he said. “UNB is traditionally a big, strong team that you have to battle with physically. And Moncton is more of a finesse, highly skilled team. So, you kind of take a completely different strategy against both. But we’re dictating our play to them regardless of who we play.”

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Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway Peter MacKay, left, and Wayne Follett, president and CEO of Marine Atlantic, visited the site where a newly designed $9.5-million docking facility will be built at Marine Atlantic’s North Sydney terminal, Thursday. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=289341&sc=145)

Marine Atlantic lands double dock

JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

NORTH SYDNEY — Ottawa is pumping $9.5 million through its Infrastructure Stimulus Fund into improvements to Marine Atlantic’s docking facilities in North Sydney.

Customers, employees and union representatives were on hand for Thursday’s announcement by Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Gateway Peter MacKay.

Dock repairs to the North Sydney terminal include adding a second level to the alternate dock.

“Not only will a second dock level and safety structure result in local jobs in the short term, but the improvements will cut ferry wait times over the long term and enhance ferry services,” MacKay said. “This type of infrastructure has an immediate impact on the local economy.”

The construction phase, which is expected to take about a year, could employ more than 100 people.

MacKay added that the ferry service running between Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia supports tourism and business operations and allows for efficient travel between the two provinces.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister John Baird was scheduled to attend Thursday’s announcement but was called away.

Wayne Follett, Marine Atlantic president and CEO, said building the second level of the alternate dock is a strategic investment that will help meet customers’ expectations.

“Our ships are all bi-level and the ability to load and unload two simultaneously will augment our capacity and reduce turnaround times, something we really need at Marine Atlantic,” Follett said.

Marine Atlantic currently has one bi-level dock and an alternate dock. At times, ships have had to wait in the channel causing delays and extended turnaround times.

Most of the design work is complete and Follett expects to soon proceed with the tendering process.

“We’ll award this contract, if not before Christmas, than in the winter and will ensure the work is complete prior to the 2011 season.”

Rob Crosbie, chairman of Marine Atlantic’s board of directors, said companies that import and export goods to Newfoundland and Labrador depend on the ferry service.

“It’s no secret that Marine Atlantic’s fleet and shore infrastructure is in need of re-investment,” Crosbie said. “We are pleased that the Government of Canada is supporting this upgrade to our infrastructure. This investment, along with recent investments in a second dock in Port aux Basques and the charter of the MV Atlantic Vision, are of considerable assistance as we strive to meet the growing traffic demands and improving reliability and service levels to meet these demands by Marine Atlantic’s customer base.”

North Sydney-area Counc. Gordon MacLeod said the ferry service between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland needs many things, but a second docking facility is a priority.

“This is good for the Northside and for this province because it shows the long-term commitment the federal government has to this service,” MacLeod said. “It is tremendous that the federal government recognizes this service as a continuation of the Trans-Canada (Highway) and are willing to put those kind of dollars in place to improve the ferry service.”



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No mere mortar
Fortress of Louisbourg gets 251-year-old, 11,000-lb mortar

NANCY KING
The Cape Breton Post

LOUISBOURG — Officials at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site are celebrating the return of a 251-year-old mortar that guarded the town during two sieges.

With its bed, the mortar, now on display in the lower level of the visitor reception centre, weighs more than 11,000 pounds.

“I often marvel that there was the capability to make such things, bring them over here and then when (they) are here, transport them in an age when you’re basically depending on people power and animal power,” said historian Sandy Balcom.

Following the second siege of Louisbourg 1758, the British removed two matching large iron mortars, a type of 18th-century artillery, which had been cast in France. There would have been nine other mortars of similar size at the fortress, and five smaller ones, as well as other types of artillery.

Louisbourg played an important role in the early history of Canada, twice coming under siege from the British, Balcom said, with the second siege in 1758 being particularly significant as it opened the seaway that the British used to attack Quebec the following year.

“The capture of Louisbourg is a very significant event in the Seven Years War, which has a lot to do with Canada’s formation and this piece was here at that siege, it actually was used in the defence of Louisbourg, so you can come here and look at this piece and just imagine the events that it’s been a witness to,” Balcom said.

It’s unclear where else the mortar may have gone during that war, he added. The mortars ended up in Halifax for many years, where they were found on either side of the entrance to the Halifax Citadel.

One of the matching pair of mortars was later transferred to the Canadian War Museum. The second mortar was moved to Royal Artillery Park near the Halifax Citadel, and was recently on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to mark the 250th anniversary of Louisbourg’s second siege.

It is now at Louisbourg on a long-term loan from the Department of National Defence.

Balcom said, given the artifact’s age, it is in excellent condition, and items like it are rare.

The term of the loan is for five years, but Balcom said he’s hopeful that once officials see “how appropriate it is here,” that it will be extended into the distant future.




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Work halted at former steel plant site

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Remediation work at the former Sydney steel plant site has been halted following a strong odour that wafted through a Whitney Pier neighbourhood this week.

The provincial Crown corporation Nova Scotia Lands Inc., which is responsible for remediating and redeveloping the remainder of the steel plant properties, was told to cease work at an area known as the “high dump” until a plan for odour control and improvements to air monitoring is submitted to the provincial Department of Environment.

“With the incident yesterday we just want to be cautious going forward,” said Jason Catoul, an inspector specialist from Nova Scotia Environment.
“They do have approval for the work that’s going on onsite but because of the concern that was raised yesterday and the odour that was created, we’ve asked for, and they’ve agreed to submit, a more detailed work plan.”

At least four complaints were reported Wednesday by residents living on the east side of the former Sysco site, including Dominion Street resident Kelly Grant.

Grant was working in his yard when he noticed a strange smell and said it appeared almost as a haze over the area.

Gary Campbell, president of Nova Scotia Lands Inc. said Wednesday, workers were solidifying coal tar byproduct shipped over from Newfoundland and a combination of winds and wind direction and warm temperatures caused an odour to travel the area.

Campbell said the coal tar that workers are processing are remnants of Cape Breton’s once booming steel industry. The material had originally been sent to Newfoundland to power a paper mill that has since shut down.

“There was about a tanker load of it and there’s another about half a load yet to come,” said Campbell. “If we ship material away and it can’t be used... if they don’t have a way to use it... then it would be sent back here.”

To allow the liquid to flow from the tanker truck it had to be warmed, said Campbell. That heat, plus mixing material with other solidifying materials such as fly ash can create more heat, which can cause an odour, said Campbell.

About half-a-day or a full-day of work is left to complete the coal tar solidification.

Approximately 30,000 litres of the byproduct will be treated onsite with another 15,000 litres to be shipped from Newfoundland.

Environment officials said Nova Scotia Lands Inc. does have an air monitoring program but no exceedance was recorded Wednesday at the fence line of the property.



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CBRM to hold special meeting after rejection of staff-written report

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Cape Breton Regional Municipality council will gather for a special meeting following the overwhelming rejection of a staff-written report.

Municipal clerk Bernie White said council will meet to discuss a draft sustainability plan to be submitted to the federal government by the end of 2009.

As part of a five-year gas tax transfer agreement, which expires next year, all Canadian municipalities must submit a final report by March 31, 2010.

During a regularly scheduled meeting last Tuesday, council rejected recommendations found in the report by a vote of 15-2.

Only Mayor John Morgan and Coun. Jim MacLeod favoured the recommendations, which included holding a plebiscite to decide whether or not to proceed with plans for self-governance.

The report also suggests eliminating arm’s-length bodies such as the Cape Breton University board of governors and the Cape Breton District Health Authority, which would instead be run by regional politicians.

“The council is meeting now to come together before the deadline, I guess, to come up with a go-forward plan as to what they wish to have incorporated from a council’s perspective as well,” said White.

On the day following the council vote, regional councillor Dave LeBlanc told the Cape Breton Post he could not support a document that left out the option of councillors.

He also noted the report was never debated in a formal setting and that councillors were never asked to provide their opinion.

LeBlanc said instead, he wants council to work with the province and keep “hammering away” at getting a better equalization deal.

The special meeting of council is scheduled for a possible date of Sept. 30, beginning at 10 a.m. in council chambers.

Also on the agenda is a discussion of minor referrals from the CBRM’s water utility committee.

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Cape Breton software company receives $400,000-plus grant

BY NANCY KING
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A Cape Breton software development and consulting company will receive more than $400,000 to expand its educational games and simulations product line.

The funding is intended to help Sydney-based MediaSpark Inc. develop new products to benefit educators and entrepreneurs. The funding announcement was made Friday by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology).

MediaSpark CEO Mathew Georghiou said the $438,478 contribution from the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) will go to support research and development, producing new products as well as existing products.

“It’s all around our GoVenture educational games and simulations,” he said.

The growing company recently hired five new people, bringing its staff level to about 17, which Georghiou said was partially due to the NRC grant.

MediaSpark is a leader in educational games and simulations and has won awards and attracted customers from around the world. The company’s focus is in the areas of business, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education.

Nearly all of the company’s revenues come from outside of Canada, Georghiou noted. Operating from Sydney can be challenging, but the ability to obtain research and development funding from NRC is helpful.

“This project will allow a Cape Breton company to bring new software to market that will help businesses, trainers and educators, which will be good for the local economy,” MacKay said in a news release.

Georghiou said that the NRC’s local representative Dave Martell has been extremely helpful to MediaSpark and to other entrepreneurs in the area.

“Investing in science and technology is critical for developing highly skilled people and improving the long-term competitiveness of Canadian firms,” said NRC president Dr. Pierre Coulombe.

NRC-IRAP provides a range of technical and business-oriented advisory services along with financial support services to qualified innovative Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises.




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All about Membertou, business hall of famers, and chit chat

Fred Jackson
The Cape Breton Post

When Joe Shannon introduced Membertou Chief Terry Paul during the induction ceremonies of the Cape Breton Business Hall of Fame dinner last week, he accurately portrayed the accomplishments of a community leader.

Shannon, also a member of the Cape Breton Business Hall of Fame who has a long list of accomplishments, didn’t have a speaking note when he spoke about Paul’s achievements.

Earlier this month the Membertou chief was recognized by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality for 25 years in elected office. This is an enormous feat and I had an interesting chat with Paul following the hall of fame induction.

There’s no question Paul is a humble individual who is a good listener. Just like a great coach who surrounds himself with the best people, Paul is quick to tell you the success of Membertou has been a team effort.

During the event, the mood was high and people were talking about the potential expansion that is planned for Membertou. A 33,000 square-foot, $3.5-million business centre is planned to open next May. There’s also talk about a hotel and hockey arena.

Living up to its name

Membertou is certainly living up to its name. Membertou is named after Henri Membertou who died Sept. 18, 1611 who was Grand Chief of the Mi’kmaq First Nations tribe situated near Port Royal, site of the first French settlement in Acadia. Membertou was said to be a tall, strong man when he first met Jacques Cartier, which would mean that he was probably born in the early years of the 16th century. Records show that he lived to be 100 years old.

Next year is the 400th anniversary of Membertou’s baptism. On June 24, 1610, (Saint John the Baptist Day), Membertou became the first native leader to be baptised by the French, as a sign of alliance and good faith.
Jessé Fléché, a priest, also baptized all 21 members of Membertou’s immediate family. It was then that Membertou was given the baptismal name Henri, after the late king of France, Henri IV.

Did you know

Membertou First Nation was created in 1925 when the native people were forced off their land, which was originally on Kings Road, and was known as the Kings Road Reserve.

Some of the last people to move to Membertou from the Kings Road Reserve were Noel Moore, Louis Smith and John McEwan.

The first chief of the new reserve in Membertou was Ben Christmas, who tried to keep his people on the original Kings Road Reserve.

More on hall of fame

The 2009 inductees into the Cape Breton Business Hall of Fame all had their unique ways of doing business and this was highlighted and evident during the induction ceremony. The awards recognize the accomplishments and contributions of outstanding business leaders to perpetuate and inspire the values of entrepreneurial spirit, personal integrity and community leadership.

Nelson Latimer, Marjorie Fougere, Terry Paul, Jim Wilkie and the late Greg Lynch certainly lived up to those standards. It was a wonderful event but organizers certainly should look at ways of reducing the length of the proceedings. It was a little too long, but the night belongs to the inductees and I’m sure organizers will review the time element.

Chit chat

Sidney Bruce Meloney, 84, a former member of the Cape Breton Business Hall of Fame, died this week. Meloney, who was inducted into the hall of fame last year, had an outstanding business carreer and was a community volunteer. After the Second World War, Meloney joined the family shoe retail business and spent over 50 successful years operating stores in North Sydney and Sydney. My condolences to the Meloney family.

Raise-a-Reader, the Cape Breton Post-sponsored fundraiser which is part of a national effort by Canwest Global Communications Corp. to improve reading levels throughout the country, was a major success across Cape Breton. The Raise-a-Reader program has raised $12.7 million for literacy organizations across Canada since it began in 2002.

An amazing $6,996 was raised across Cape Breton and Canwest has added another $6,000 for a total of $12,996. This is great news and this money will be awarded in 2010.

Two employees from the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office in Membertou are in the Northwest Territories attending a national aboriginal training conference with the Aboriginal Skills Employment Partnership.

Sixteen aboriginal communities from across Canada will be delivering this unique aboriginal training program and they are there to learn and share best practices when it comes to economic development, training and economic partnerships. Owen Fitzgerald, executive director of the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office and Alyssia Jeddore, training support-job coach are attending the conference in Yellowknife. This is certainly a worthwhile program.

Farside of me

For the believer, there is no question; for the non-believer, there is no answer.

Famous quotation

Money is like muck, not good except it be spread.
Francis Bacon

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CBU professor attends historic UN meeting

TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A Cape Breton University professor continued her work on children’s rights with a quick breakfast meeting at the United Nations in New York last week.

Dr. Katherine Covell, a psychology professor and co-director of the Children’s Rights Centre at CBU, attended a meeting with foreign ministers where the UN special representative to the secretary-general on violence against children was introduced.

One of the meeting’s hosts was U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Covell, the North American representative on the UN’s international non-governmental organization advisory council, helped push for the special representative’s appointment, which is expected to lead to promotion and protection of children’s rights and foster international attention on the need to combat violence against women and girls.

The university professor flew out Thursday, attended the breakfast meeting Friday and was back in Cape Breton later that day.

“It was a chance to recommit, to meet people that are working in the same area . . . and it was a chance for further advocacy,” Covell said Tuesday.

“We congratulate Katherine on her participation in such a historic event,” said CBU president John Harker. “Her work with the United Nations in studying violence against children throughout the world continues to help influence change and we are delighted to have her continuing her research at CBU.”

Covell and CBU political science professor Dr. Brian Howe conduct public education on children’s rights and have co-authored numerous articles and two books on the subject. Their book The Challenge of Children’s Rights for Canada has been shortlisted for several awards, including the Donald Smiley Prize and the Canadian Policy Research Foundation’s outstanding research contribution award.

Their latest book, Children, Families and Violence, was published this year.



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Cape Breton business nominated for national tourism award

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A Cape Breton business has been nominated for a national tourism award.

The Cambridge Suites Hotel in Sydney is up for the CTHRC Award for Excellence in Human Resources Development, along with the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Ont. and D.P. Murphy Inc., of Charlottetown, PEI.

A total of 42 businesses, people and events have been nominated by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada for the 2009 National Awards for Tourism Excellence, presented by The Globe and Mail. Three finalists were named in each of the 14 award categories which include business of the year, marketing campaign of the year, employee of the year and event of the year.

“These finalists exemplify the spirit of excellence in the tourism industry,” said Randy Williams, TIAC’s president and CEO, in a release. “They have demonstrated leadership, innovation, and a commitment to the highest levels of service and TIAC and the entire tourism industry celebrates their outstanding achievement.”

The awards, developed in 2003, are designed to allow Canada’s tourism industry to recognize those people, places, organizations and events that have gone above and beyond to offer a superior tourism experience to travellers in Canada.

The awards will be presented at a gala dinner Nov. 3 during Canada’s Tourism Leadership Summit in Saint John, New Brunswick.

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Committee formed to draft sustainability plan for regional municipality

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Six councillors, the chief administrative officer and two senior staff will comprise a committee which will draft a plan for sustainability in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

During a special council meeting Wednesday, 15 councillors voted in favour of creating the committee, two weeks after those same councillors rejected a staff-written report that included plans for regional self-governance.

Only Mayor John Morgan dismissed the idea, while Coun. Jim MacLeod was absent for a medical appointment.

“The issue is not creating plans, we have all the plans,” said Morgan, following the meeting. “The issue really is a distraction and attempt to really whitewash what is going on in the community.

“Unfortunately what has happened is year after year, of government after government, this community has been victimized by a provincial government and a provincial bureaucracy.”

Marginal and incremental changes will not impact the region’s future, as they often require approval from the province, said Morgan. Instead he suggested “dramatic changes” as necessary.

Coun. Kim Desveaux, who put forward the motion, said the group will meet no less than three times over the next 10 days to prepare a step-by-step outline for the Integrative Community Sustainability Plan. The draft will be presented to council for final input and approval within two weeks.

“Gathering community input and planning for the future is not just an important process, it is our responsibility,” Desveaux told council. “The discussion should not be limited to who prepared the plan and why, but it should be viewed as a positive step for the CBRM.”

As part of a five-year gas tax agreement with the federal government, the CBRM, along with all Canadian municipalities, must submit a draft report by the end of the year and a final report by March 31, 2010.

CBRM’s first draft, penned by its economic development manager, was voted down 15-2 and criticized for not including the opinions of regional councillors.

The report also lacked real details, according to Cape Breton University political science professor Tom Urbaniak, whose opinions had a profound effect on council.

“We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” said Urbaniak, following council’s decision Wednesday. “We can still be tough with the province, we still have some legitimate grievances we have to take up with them, but there are things we can do as local leaders.”

Urbaniak said he’s concerned the mayor’s plans may translate into missed opportunities for the CBRM.

“Simply saying that defacto separation is the only solution without any parallel or interim measures — that’s dangerous for this community and that’s extraordinarily dispirited,” he said.

A second motion to compose a letter on behalf of council, seeking to discuss sustainability and equalization with the province, was accepted unanimously.

Regional councillors included on the sustainability committee are Darren Bruckschwaiger, Derek Mombourquette, Kim Desveaux, Ray Paruch, Clarence Prince and Gordon MacLeod.



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Local owner and operator of Brett’s Pet Depot, on Grand Lake Road in Sydney, Brett Matheson, centre, and employees Barbara Larick, left, and Amy Hatcher, right, take time to show affection to some puppies in the store, Wednesday. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=291142&sc=152)

Brett’s Pet Depot celebrates grand opening Saturday

BY SHARON MONTGOMERY-DUPE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Brett Matheson can tell you that owning a pet shop means there’s rarely a dull moment in a typical work day.

“All of a sudden I saw a ferret leisurely walking down the aisle,” he says, recalling a recent incident. “I ran to get him and then noticed all the ferrets were gone, all scattered throughout the store.”

Matheson opened Brett’s Pet Depot a few months ago, with the grand opening slated for Saturday. He admits owning a pet store can sometimes mean plenty of exercise.

“A Cuban anole reptile escaped one day, we had a few chinchillas running around before and had a cockatoo fly around the store for two hours before we got him. Every one was always found, safe and sound.”

Brett’s Pet Depot, located at 456 Grand Lake Road, is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for six days and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

As well as a wide selection of high quality pet food, the store carries everything from natural treats, cages, bedding, strollers, dog houses and toys to clothing, grooming supplies and remedies. It even offers grooming.

It is also the perfect place to shop for the pampered pet.

“We have heated dog beds that plug in, and even heated water bowls for dogs that are kept outside in the wintertime, to keep their water from freezing.”

“We carry booster seats, designer pet carriers, extravagant kitty condos — there is really nothing we don’t have.”

Matheson, who owns three dogs, two cats and some fish, said there are several reasons he decided to open a pet shop, including seeing a 10-year dream come true.

“I am a huge animal advocate, I just love animals. I figured, how can I go wrong having a career with something that I love?”

Brett’s Pet Depot offers everything from puppies to kittens, reptiles, birds, small animals like rabbits, chinchillas, rats, mice, guinea pigs and even hedgehogs.

As well as having kittens and puppies checked by veterinarians, Matheson said they also deal first-hand with breeders.

“We can tell people where (their pets) come from, history and even pictures of the parents in most cases.”

Matheson said there have been many unforgettable and heart-warming moments for staff at the store.

“We had a woman who came in one day who had two chows, one had recently died. We just happened to have one in; she spent time with him, then left the store crying.

“She came back the next day and bought him.”

They have also had puppies become major attractions, including a rare Shar-pei.

“The people who came in to see this dog — and take pictures -— was unbelievable.”

A resident of Whitney Pier bought the dog, which has since been named Phoebe.

Saturday’s grand opening begins at 9 a.m. and will features a radio station remote, Klutzy the Clown and plenty of give-aways.

“There is one company giving me 200 free 5 lb. bags of dog food to give away.”

Barbara Larick, one of the store’s four employees, said they do get unusual requests, including people looking for monkeys. She said they also have regular customers who get attached to a certain animal.

“We have a woman who comes in every single day — she hasn’t missed a day — to pet a bulldog puppy we have here.”

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A Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board bus travels down Wallaces Road in Glace Bay, Friday. East Division councillors are fighting for a share of federal government stimulus funding and say this road is a priority since the new Oceanview Junior High School is scheduled to open in the fall of 2010. Sharon Montgomery-Dupe - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=291785&sc=145)

Lack of stimulus money in East Division upsets councillors

SHARON MONTGOMERY-DUPE
The Cape Breton Post

GLACE BAY — East Division councillors say all they want is a fair piece of the pie.

According to District 5 Coun. Darren Bruckschwaiger, East Division was recognized by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality staff as the area most in need of infrastructure through the stimulus package, but it was the only area ignored.

“To show how bad the rollout of the stimulus money was, in North Division
every project applied for — $5.4 million — was approved and in Sydney, 66.5 per cent of the projects, about $5.4 million, were approved.

“Roughly $10 million of the $23.7 million applied for in the CBRM was for East Division.

“The only thing approved was two streets in New Waterford for $800,000. We only got eight per cent of what was applied for in this area.”

The federal government’s stimulus package is designed to improve infrastructure and kick-start the economy. Projects are funded by all three levels of government.

Rodger Cuzner, MP for Cape Breton-Canso, says he has presented Minister John Baird with a list of the projects in East Division, including nine in areas of Glace Bay and Dominion.

Municipal councillors have agreed that Wallaces Road, where a new junior high school is being built, is the priority for the area.

Cuzner said he has talked to both Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Baird, the minister of transport, infrastructure and communities, several times.

“Minister Baird has indicated he will do what he can to pull a few of these Glace Bay projects over the fence,” said Cuzner. “I have faith in that and I will give him an opportunity to address the issue.”

Cuzner said Baird continues to stress that a prioritized list was never received from the CBRM or the province of Nova Scotia.

“It sort of then falls on (to) the federal bureaucracy to make the selections. (Baird) has been consistent in making that point and that there is no politics at all in this.

“I will continue to work with him and hopefully we will be able to get some of these projects looked at.”

District 3 Coun. Lee McNeil says residents are upset.

“I’m getting phone calls, stopped when out shopping, people are not happy.
To see Glace Bay get absolutely nothing is ridiculous and we are not going to stand for it.”

The CBRM’s first application for stimulus package money, an estimated $12 million, was rejected by the federal government because it wasn’t considered to be a long-term investment in the municipality. The CBRM submitted a second, more extensive application totalling about $23 million, including a more detailed description of the work.

The federal government approved $11.3 million for projects in the CBRM.
District 4 Coun. George MacDonald agrees Wallaces Road is the priority.

“The roads are atrocious, there are no sidewalks and a new sewer is needed. The water pressure there is terrible. All the councillors out here got together and decided that was our number one priority.”

MacDonald said the infrastructure situation is expected to be brought up at the Oct. 20 council meeting.

However MacDonald said even if the federal government increases funding for the CBRM, there is concern about acquiring provincial money.

“The province had Ok’d all those (projects) prior to the provincial budget.
Now the budget has gone through. It’s just another complication.”

Glace Bay MLA Dave Wilson said Bill Estabrooks, minister of transportation and infrastructure renewal, was asked in the legislature for a list of priority projects under the stimulus package.

“He said he hasn’t seen a priority list,” said Wilson. “There are a lot of projects that simply won’t get done this year because time is running out.”


Wallace's Rd is the main route for much of the New Aberdeen neighbourhood of Glace Bay to reach downtown Glace Bay, as well as to reach Main St to connect to Hwy 4 to Sydney. It is also the road on which Oceanview Jr. High will be built.



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Cape Breton energy service company wins provincial entrepreneur award

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — An energy services company based in Sydney’s Harbourside Commercial Park was a winner at the 2009 Atlantic Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards ceremony in Halifax, Thursday.

Offshore Technologies Services Ltd. (OTS) was contending for the award in the professional/financial services category against three other companies from Atlantic Canada.

OTS president and general manager Rodney Colbourne said it was gratifying to accept the award along with his business partners Steve Green and Steve MacDougall.

“It was quite an honour with the other delegates and the other nominees that were there from all over Atlantic Canada,” Colbourne said.

“It was quite a bit of exposure for us at that level of event. It puts the name out there more than it has been, and even though it’s been doing well, it’s probably the best form of marketing you can have.”

OTS also has an office in Fort McMurray, Alta., and recently opened another office in St. John’s, N.L.

The company, which was incorporated in 2005, is a provider of technical and professional services to companies across the country. It focuses on the commissioning of energy projects, as well as offering support in the areas of project management and operational and training assistance.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=291761&sc=152

ECBC survives federal review, will assume Devco’s assets

The Cape Breton Post

OTTAWA — Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC) has survived a federal review of its mandate and will now assume all assets and liabilities of another island-based Crown corporation.

The Cape Breton Development Corporation, also known as Devco, will be dissolved by the end of the year and its remaining obligations assumed by ECBC.

“This integration of the two Crown corporations will streamline operations by having one strong federal organization providing leadership in the economic development of Cape Breton,” said Peter MacKay, minister of National Defence and minister for the Atlantic Gateway.

Created in 1967, Devco’s approach to economic development on the island included a coal division with a mandate to phase out uneconomic coal operations and an industrial development division mandated to diversify the economy outside of coal.

However, in 2000, the corporation was ordered to dissolve the last of its operating coal mines.

MacKay said island residents should rest assured that the decision to integrate the two corporations would not compromise ongoing remediation work at former Devco sites or weaken federal support for the obligations due former employees and their families.

The announcement, made Friday, comes after a mandate review of ECBC.

“ECBC's long record of success in helping Cape Bretoners address economic challenges and seize economic opportunities is why the corporation has enjoyed strong support from the people of this region,” said MacKay.

Ross McCurdy, Devco’s president and CEO, said Friday that staff can be proud that they carried out their duties in a way that benefited the community.

“The Cape Breton Development Corporation, although gone after Dec. 31, 2009, will live on in our memories through the legacy it leaves,” he said.

He said that legacy is far-reaching and includes remediation of former mine sites and conveying these lands for new community opportunity.

The corporation, he said, has played a leading role in promoting Cape Breton’s vast, clean energy potential and supporting the establishment of an Energy and Environment Research Centre at CBU.

“While this chapter of our history is coming to a close, we are proud of our many accomplishments and honoured to leave such a positive legacy in our community,” said McCurdy.

Among other things, the ECBC review concluded:

• The ECBC mandate should be reconfirmed.
• The corporation’s mandate continues to be relevant given the current economic and demographic conditions in Cape Breton.
• The ECBC brand is strong and the corporation has the respect and confidence of the community it serves.
• The community wants ECBC to take an even stronger leadership role in commercial and community economic development.
• While the corporation is efficient and cost-effective in delivering programs, it could further enhance its effectiveness by strengthening performance indicators to better evaluate its strategic directions.

The review also suggested that efficiencies could be gained by integrating Devco with ECBC.

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Councillors beginning task of creating sustainability plan

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A council committee began the “renewal of an old process” Monday in order to secure a new five-year gas tax agreement with the federal government.

The first draft of the Integrated Community Sustainability plan was voted down decisively during last month’s Cape Breton Regional Municipality council meeting.

The author of the report, economic development manager John Whalley, included plans for regional self-governance and the separation of the region from the province. Councillors criticized the report for not including their opinions.

The only proponents of the study were Mayor John Morgan and Coun. Jim MacLeod.

Monday, Coun. Darren Bruckschwaiger called the original document a “power grab.”

He said the municipality now has an opportunity to work collaboratively with community and business groups to present a well thought out plan encompassing regional development, environmental concerns, social issues and a cultural identity to the provincial government.

“We just can’t be hollering for money. We have to come forward with our own ideas,” Bruckschwaiger told the newly formed committee. “We have to do this with a united community . . . to bring this (plan) together as a sustainable plan.”

The committee views the dredging of Sydney harbour to allow for the construction of a container terminal, and a cross-island twined highway, as essential.

Much of the groundwork has already been laid with the Sydney Ports harbour master plan, a municipal report on population projections, as well as a transit study and active transportation committee that’s underway.

CBRM chief administrative officer Jerry Ryan said one thing never attempted by the municipality has been the development of a recreation plan. He noted that the municipality has usually taken a passive stance on recreation by reacting to public sentiment, and that’s something the committee might want to address.

The committee will meet again Wednesday morning in council chambers.

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Company with copper in Coxheath closing $1.35M investment deal

BY TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Silvore Fox Minerals Corp. is planning to close a $1.35-million investment deal that could result in increased mining activity in the area as early as the new year, said CEO Harry Cabrita.

Silvore Fox owns the historic Coxheath underground copper mine property, which was mined as early as 1883, and has a joint-venture operation at the Oceanview property near Gabarus.

The junior mining and exploration company announced the proposed $1.35-million investment from China Nonferrous Metals Exploration Corp. on its website Sept. 29.

“It’s a monumental transaction for the company,” said Cabrita, adding the deal is expected to close on or before Nov. 9. “The Coxheath deposit is our flagship property. Our plans are to develop our Coxheath property further and I see something happening there fairly quickly . . . it will see some activity in 2010.”

Cabrita said Silvore Fox has already spent over half a million dollars on geophysical work, 3-D modelling and drilling at Coxheath, and has found extensive deposits of copper, as well as silver, molybdenum and gold. Cabrita said details are still being worked out, but the company plans to start limited drilling at the Oceanview property — where it has identified deposits of silver, tin, cobalt and gold — and will send the results to a laboratory while moving drilling over to Coxheath.

China Nonferrous Metals Exploration Corp. is a Canadian company majority-owned by Chinese shareholders. The investment deal is still subject to regulatory and Silvore Fox shareholder approvals.

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Contractors with MB2/Beaver Marine Joint Venture continue work Wednesday on a pumping station where the Wash Brook enters the south tar pond near Prince Street in Sydney. The $37.6-million contract to divert water around the tar ponds is nearing completion. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=293062&sc=145)

Tar ponds almost ready for the big cleanup job

TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Contractors are currently finishing work needed to divert Coke Ovens Brook and Wash Brook around the tar ponds, preparing to drain the ponds for the biggest job of all: stabilization and solidification using cement.

Donnie Burke, the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency’s project director, said Wednesday that temporary pumping stations are moving water from the brooks into ditches alongside the tar ponds and that four-foot-high pipes are in place to carry the water — which includes storm sewer drainage from heavy rains — out to Sydney harbour while the main contractor works on the tar ponds sludge.

The $37.6-million diversion contract is being completed by MB2/Beaver Marine Joint Venture.

Burke said the main contractor, Nordly’s Environmental, is expected to begin work on the $52-million solidification contract in about two weeks, refining its mix recipe and methods that will turn the sludge into a solid mass.

After that, work will shut down for the winter and will resume in the spring, when the company will begin solidification on a staged basis, moving from the south pond at Prince Street to the north pond up to the harbour over the next several years.

The solidified tar ponds will eventually be capped and covered for future use.

“This fall, they’re just going to go in there and kind of hone their skills,” said Burke, adding that Nordly’s Environmental has proven its ability to meet specifications, but needs to develop its process further onsite.

“It is a performance-based specification ... if they don’t (meet specs), they don’t get paid,” said Burke. “If something happens and these guys screw up a little bit ... we can shut them down.”

“As long as they meet the specifications, that’s all we’re concerned about,” added agency spokesperson Tanya Collier MacDonald. “How they get there is up to them.”

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Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, from left, Deputy Premier Frank Corbett, and ABU chancellor Annette Verschuren speak after announcing that the two levels of government will invest $15 million into a centre at the university that will research green energy and environmental remediation. Nancy King - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=293594&sc=145)

CBU's Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment gets funding

Breaking News

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY - Cape Breton University has received a whopping $15 million in funding to create a centre for sustainable energy and environmental energy technologies.

Peter MacKay, minister of National Defence and the Atlantic Gateway, made the announcement today on campus.

The Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment (CSEE) will receive a total of $4.5 million from Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation and $3 million through Industry Canada.

“Investments through our government's economic action plan continue to provide timely and targeted stimulus to communities across Canada,” said MacKay.

As well, the province is investing $2.5 million in infrastructure funding and $5 million in low-interest loans to help build the centre.

"Cape Breton University is uniquely situated to help solve the world's two major environmental challenges: cleaning up industrial pollution and finding sustainable energy sources," said deputy premier Frank Corbett, on behalf of Education Minister Marilyn More.

The centre will be a cutting-edge and fully green facility to allow researchers and experts from around the world to explore sustainable energy and environmental energy technologies.

The centre’s role is twofold: to complement and work with the scientific community and commercial partners to help foster and develop sustainable energy and environmental technological breakthroughs and to develop the skills and training these industry sectors require.

Further details in Saturday’s Cape Breton Post.


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Grand Narrows rail bridge now open

Breaking News

The Cape Breton Post

Boaters and others will be surprised to learn that the rail bridge at Grand Narrows is now open. RailAmerica officials stated earlier in the week that the bridge was to be closed indefinitely for repairs causing concern among local and visiting boaters. This was quickly followed by a second statement indicating the rail bridge would reopen on Oct. 19. Owned by Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway (CBNS), the repairs included replacing a defective gear that is prevented the bridge from opening and closing.


The full story
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Navigable waterway closed to allow for rail bridge repairs

BY JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

GRAND NARROWS — The rail bridge in Grand Narrows owned by Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway (CBNS) has been temporarily closed to marine traffic due to emergency repairs.

The swing bridge, which crosses Barra Strait, has a defective gear that is preventing the bridge from opening and closing.

Early indications were that the rail bridge could be closed indefinitely, trapping a number of boats off Grand Narrows, called the Big Lake. The closure also impedes boats that travel from the United States and pass through Grand Narrows on their way to Newfoundland.

A repair team has visited the site and located a replacement part. CBNS estimates the bridge could open as early as Monday, Oct. 19.

“This is fantastic news,” said Michael Drinnan of Baddeck Marina. “The three contacts we had with the railway earlier in the week indicated the closure would be indefinite. This is a complete reversal to what we were being told.”

Drinnan said there is still boat traffic on the Bras d’Or Lakes this time of year.

“This means some of our boaters won’t be stranded and will allow vessels to stop in Baddeck on their way to Newfoundland.”

The alternate route for boaters is through St. Peter’s Channel under the Seal Island bridge.

CBNS regrets any inconvenience this non-scheduled closure of the bridge may cause to boaters.

According to CBNS spokesperson Donia Crime, the Canadian Coast Guard was contacted regarding the bridge on Monday, Oct. 5, and is aware of the temporary closing.

The Canadian Coast Guard can provide boaters with details regarding alternative waterways and direct the ship’s captain to the appropriate nautical charts.

CBNS is a shortline railroad that operates 245 miles of track from Truro to Sydney. The railroad is owned by RailAmerica Inc.

Ken Jardine of the Cape Breton Railway Victims Association, which represents landowners along the railway tracks in Cape Breton, said he has been receiving calls about the closure.

“They (CBNS) could have given better notice, at least a week’s notice so people could make plans prior to the closure.”



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Pioneer Coal donates $100,000 to cancer centre

The Cape Breton Post

NORTH SYDNEY — And the donations continue to roll in.

John Chisholm, president of Pioneer Coal Ltd., is the latest to announce a major donation of $100,000 to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation's Cape Breton Cares campaign.

The donation was formally made Thursday at the Northern Yacht Club in North Sydney.

“I have worked with many people who relied on the cancer centre for treatment, all of whom expressed that they received first-class treatment and care,” said Chisholm.

“I have many family members from Cape Breton, including my wife. It is a sad reality, but you never know when you or someone you love will need treatment. I want to help ensure and enhance cancer care for the future.”

The Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation is currently leading the $3.6-million Cape Breton Cares campaign in support of cancer and neonatal care in Cape Breton — the community's portion of the total $9.875-million project.

Of the $3.6 million, $3 million is needed to expand the cancer centre and purchase much needed state-of-the-art surgical and diagnostic equipment.

“We are extremely grateful to Mr. Chisholm and Pioneer Coal. Last year alone, more than 30,000 patient visits were made to the cancer centre. For these patients, this gift will help provide critical care — thank you,” said Barbara Stead-Coyle, chief executive officer with the foundation.

In appreciation of the donation, a waiting room in the Cape Breton Cancer Centre will be named by Pioneer Coal.

“I extend a huge thank you to Pioneer Coal and Mr. Chisholm for this very generous gift,” said campaign chair Irving Schwartz.

Pioneer Coal Ltd. has been in operation since 1980 and specializes in coal mining and exploration services. Though employment varies dependant on the number projects underway, on average Pioneer Coal provides employment for 150 people, approximately 50 of whom are Cape Bretoners.


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Province could make Baille Ard provincial park

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Baille Ard ball is back in the province’s court.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has been working back-and-forth with the provincial government for months in its attempt to acquire the Baille Ard Land Assembly from the province.

The province said it has no plans to develop the 216 acres of undeveloped woodland anytime soon but that it wants to keep it because the minimal amount of land the province has banked for affordable low-income housing in the Sydney area obliges the government to keep it for this purpose.

The Baille Ard Trail, which is nestled among subdivisions in south end Sydney, boasts a 3.6-kilometre trail system that has been developed over 15 years and it now covers 53 acres of land.

Speaking with the province’s housing authority, CBRM planner Malcolm Gillis said he believes the government will at some point in the future develop the land assembly for residential use, but until then the province “is prepared to expand the jurisdiction of the lease agreement with the CBRM to include lands encompassing the expanded trail network,” he said.

“If the province won’t/can’t convey the requested land to the CBRM to allow the regional municipality to dedicate it as municipal parkland, the province could consider dedicating the requested lands as a provincial park,” Gillis wrote in his recommendation to the planning advisory committee, Thursday.

“There is apparent evidence that the province has shown a willingness to do just that within the Halifax metro area.” The committee voted unanimously to advise council to pressure provincial politicians to have the land designated as a provincial park.


Man, I wish I could get home for this. I've been trying to go to these and the CIS championships for years, to no avail.

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From left, Phil Currie, executive director of Atlantic University Sport, John Lynn, CEO of Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., Kirk MacRae, local Subway restaurant franchisee, and John Ryan, AUS president and athletic director for Cape Breton University, are pictured with the Read Cup, the AUS men’s basketball championship trophy, after a press conference at Centre 200 in Sydney, Thursday. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=293501&sc=146)

‘March madness’ in Cape Breton
2010 men’s basketball championship coming to Centre 200

The Cape Breton Post

By T.J. Colello
Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The executive director of Atlantic University Sport says with the 2010 Subway Final 6 AUS Men’s Basketball Championship slated for Centre 200 in March, it could result in the event coming to Sydney and other venues in the coming years.

“If we have a very successful year in 2010, it provides us with a pretty solid argument internally to maybe keep the event here for maybe two more years beyond that when we host the national championship in Halifax in 2011 and 2012,” said Phil Currie. “I think it would make sense to make it a little semi-permanent and look at other markets beyond that around the Maritimes.

“Just the community’s commitment to the facility, I think is also a big part of it,” Currie added. “If we were to be able to stay here for a year or two beyond 2010, those renovations would be finished here and I think that lends a whole bunch more not just to this event, but to any event that’s taking place at Centre 200.”

The AUS, Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., Subway and Cape Breton University made the official announcement, Thursday, that the men’s championship will be held in Sydney March 12-14 and will leave Halifax for the first time in 28 years. The tournament is usually held at the Metro Centre in Halifax, but the 2010 Tim Hortons Brier men’s national curling championship bumped the hoops out of their usually venue.

Organizers expect the event to fill 1,200 hotel rooms in the area, from both the participating teams and fans alike. “Come home to Cape Breton” is the marketing campaign for the event, encouraging Cape Bretoners living away and CBU alumni to return for the games.

It will also be the second time in three weeks there will be a high-profile tournament played on Cape Breton soil, as the Capers women host the 2010 conference championship at CBU’s Sullivan Field House, Feb. 26-28. Sydney was chosen for the men’s tournament because of the facility, its size and its proximity to accommodations, entertainment and other amenities.

“Representing the 11-member universities, we did have a lot of decision making to do,” said John Ryan, CBU athletics director and president of the AUS. “We did look at different markets in Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton, but as Phil mentioned, this made the most sense.”

Capers head coach Jim Charters said not having to travel for the AUS championship will be an advantage for his club, as will the raucous fan support he expects in the stands. Centre 200 will have a maximum capacity for 5,500 fans each game.

“It’s a chance for us to showcase our product,” he said. “We’ve been in the national top 10 the last five years, we have some quality players and teams and it’ll be a chance to be on a bigger stage and show the local community the kind of product we have.”

Ticket packages go on sale at the Centre 200 box office starting Oct. 19.
The five-game packages will be $15 for youth, $30 for students and seniors and $50 for adults, which does not include box-office charges. Individual tickets will go on sale in the weeks prior to the tournament.



I'm going to have to update the first page soon...
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Membertou wants land rezoned for hotel

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Membertou First Nation is requesting the Cape Breton Regional Municipality rezone a parcel of land adjacent the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre to allow construction of a 130-room hotel under the Hilton brand.

Council will be asked at its monthly meeting Oct. 20 to approve a public participation process to collect community input on the proposed development.

The lawyer representing the Membertou Development Corp. and band council told the CBRM planning advisory committee the hotel would be connected to the convention centre via pedway across its parking lot.

Gary Corsano said even if the municipality turned down the rezoning request the hotel can still be built within Membertou’s boundaries.

Although financing for the $15-million project becomes easier if Membertou builds the hotel on property the First Nation acquired from the CBRM in 2005, and which continues to fall under municipal jurisdiction, he said.

“It will provide newly assessed commercial property value to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and it will probably employ somewhere in the area of 50-plus individuals,” Corsano said, Thursday.

He said the hotel, which will be managed by Hilton-owned Hampton Inn Hotel and Suites, would compliment the trade and convention centre, but also attract more conventions and large-scale events to the area while not detracting from hotels in downtown Sydney.

The CBRM planning department cautioned the committee that it has no legal obligation to enter into a process to amend the municipal planning strategy with Membertou.

Planner Malcolm Gillis said in his issue paper councillors will want to consider this request very carefully.

“Existing policy direction could be so accepted by its constituents that to open the matter for debate could bring about a storm of protest,” Gillis said.

He said residents who use the trail system behind Rotary Drive, the administration and parents of students at Shipyard Elementary School, and those residents living on side streets off Alexandra Street, would likely have a particular interest in the scope of this proposed development.

Corsano said Membertou is also addressing traffic concerns. The hotel would be accessed by the existing Towerview Drive and the yet-to-be-built connector road, which will be built between Membertou and Mira Road.

If the CBRM grants the rezoning request, construction will begin this April, with an expected opening date in April 2011.


"The CBRM planning department cautioned the committee that it has no legal obligation to enter into a process to amend the municipal planning strategy with Membertou.

Planner Malcolm Gillis said in his issue paper councillors will want to consider this request very carefully.

“Existing policy direction could be so accepted by its constituents that to open the matter for debate could bring about a storm of protest,” Gillis said.

-Some things are starting to make sense to me now. Let me break it down for you, oh wise planning department, you either get the tax dollars or you don't. If Membertou doesn't build it on your tax land, they'll build it on theirs, plain and simple. Either way, I think the hotel will be a great addition.

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=293708&sc=145

CBRM looking into possibility of rerouting oil truck traffic

BY CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Cape Breton Regional Municipality will be looking into possible changes to the route oil trucks take to and from the Imperial Oil bulk fuel storage facility in the north end.

For years residents living along north George Street have complained about the noise and amount of traffic the facility generates on a daily basis.

Now the CBRM planning department will be looking into diverting truck traffic
away from residents’ front doorsteps.

Planner Malcolm Gillis said the CBRM has no legal authority to “squeeze out” Imperial Oil from its current facility since it’s been zoned heavy industrial for decades.

The company could renovate its existing infrastructure or even add bulk oil tanks within its property, Gillis said. But Imperial Oil would not be allowed to expand beyond the land it currently occupies.

The CBRM planning advisory committee recommended Thursday that council seek additional information on rerouting truck traffic along the tar ponds where the railway shunting yard sits.

While municipal planners looked at that possible 700-metre route during the development of the north end Sydney secondary planning strategy, most residents living east of George Street panned the idea during the public consultation process a few years ago.

“While this alternative route would not only alleviate the noise and traffic volumes along George Street and the Esplanade, most residences east of George Street would notice an improvement, there would be pockets of residences that would notice a significant increase in the noise” but not the traffic because it would be a dedicated street, Gillis said in his report to the committee.

The North End Improvement Society had been pushing the municipality to force Imperial Oil to relocate elsewhere, however Gillis said that could cost the company as much as $50 million and is not an option for the oil giant.

Another alternative delivery route would eliminate traffic problems altogether by constructing a bridge over the mouth of Muggah Creek and a
two-kilometre road that would connect to the Sydney Port Access Road.

Sydney Tar Ponds Agency officials “have confirmed (that option) was deemed outside the project scope, and as such the barrier across the mouth of Muggah Creek is not designed to accommodate public traffic,” Gillis said.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=293707&sc=145

Cleaner, greener research promised

BY NANCY KING
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — In what was called an event that will transform Cape Breton University, the federal and provincial governments announced a combined $15 million in funding Friday to support development of a centre to research green energy and environmental remediation.

Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation is putting $4.5 million into the Centre for Sustainability in Energy and Environment, with another $3 million in federal funding coming through Industry Canada.

The province is investing $2.5 million in infrastructure funding and $5 million in low-interest loans.

The centre will focus on mine-water cleanup, how to extract cleaner energy from coal, green energy technology and environmental remediation. It will also include an aboriginal science education program.

Construction is expected to begin soon, and should be completed in spring, 2011.

Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, said there is a growing awareness of environmental and energy matters and there are opportunities to encourage sustainable development, and Cape Breton Island is uniquely positioned to address environmental and energy challenges.

He noted more than $750 million has been committed to remediating former industrial sites in Cape Breton and the island’s geography and geology offer a range of research opportunities for sustainable energy. The new centre will draw from the island’s industrial past, its natural resources and CBU’s research and teaching capabilities.

“These are perhaps, arguably, two of the world’s biggest challenges, so having that kind of a foundation here, attracting people and academic and business settings and looking for projects and better understanding of remediation, I believe all of this is going to be of great economic advantage to the region, to the province and nationally,” he said.

Deputy Premier Frank Corbett said the provincial funding is well spent, and the centre is an exciting project for the province and a catalyst for knowledge-based jobs and economic development.

“It’s a good investment because of green energy, of the reality of the coal history that we have here and the ability to turn what’s traditionally seen as a dirty energy source into a clean energy source, that’s very important, plus the other things we will learn cleaning up the coal sites, cleaning up the tar ponds, the Sysco sites, this is a real win-win situation,” he said.

CBU president John Harker said the centre will help contribute to necessary economic progress in the Atlantic region.

CBU chancellor Annette Verschuren noted she worked for Devco for 11 years, serving as director of long-range planning, and during that time was involved in some projects she didn’t see as being sustainable. CBU’s project offers a chance to take experience the region has in reclamation and opportunities presented by the coal fields and develop sustainability, and its impact will be felt beyond Cape Breton, she said.

“This is a living laboratory ... we have the coal mines, we have alternative energy, we have wind on this island, we have lots of examples of reclamation projects and opportunity and so it’s a great place to invest our research money in to drive change,” she said.

While Verschuren noted the launch of the project took a little longer than CBU had hoped — it had pushed for a funding commitment last spring — she said the timing is right.

Verschuren said they will launch a private-sector fundraising campaign as well, with a $5-million goal. She has already made the first contribution to that effort, with a $500,000 personal contribution.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=293663&sc=152

Local port authorities to attend trade show in New Orleans

BY TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Two Cape Breton port authorities are sending delegates to a New Orleans breakbulk conference next week on an international trade mission designed to drum up business back home.

The Sydney Ports Corp. and Strait of Canso Superport are both expected to attend the conference in Louisiana, which runs Oct. 13-15.

Don Rowe, Sydney Ports Corp. general manager, said no one expects to return with signed business deals. The goal is to make contacts that could lead to increased shipping traffic, through a trade show and meetings with cargo companies.

A plan to dredge Sydney harbour to accommodate larger ships and a proposal to build a container terminal here are still in the works, but Rowe said Sydney used to handle breakbulk cargo and could still do so with little investment.

“While all of this work is going on in the port of Sydney, the dredging plan and the development of the terminal, we still have to look at all of the things we’ve been able to handle here at the port and that includes breakbulk,” he said. “There’s opportunities out there for us to develop our port and see what we can do.”

Breakbulk cargo usually contains materials that aren’t shipped in containers. It comes in by water and is transferred to trucks and railcars for shipping elsewhere.

“We handled a lot of breakbulk for Devco, for Sydney Steel,” said Rowe. “We haven’t done any here for some time, since they closed the coal mines and the steel mill.”

Rowe said depending on the nature of the cargo, Sydney’s port facilities could handle some breakbulk work right away, but might need to add wharf and storage facilities at some point.

No one from the Strait of Canso Superport Corp. was available for comment Thursday.

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is contributing $89,000 towards the trade mission, which includes representatives from 10 ports in Atlantic Canada, but Rowe said participants pay their own way to New Orleans.


I'm just posting a part of this one, the full commentary can be found in the link.
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=293660&sc=150

Priests step up to the pulpit, tar ponds by the numbers, and chit-chat

FRED JACKSON
The Cape Breton Post

...

Tar ponds by the numbers
Dan White, a Sydney consultant, in his address to the Sydney Rotary Club this week, gave a detailed update on the economic impact the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Remediation Project is having on Cape Breton. The statistics are impressive. The $400 million project is scheduled to be completed in 2014, and about 34 contracts valued at $94 million have been awarded to 19 firms in the April 2008 to March 2009 period. Seventeen of those firms are located in Cape Breton.
Here are some more numbers:
• Peak direct project employment of 520 persons;
• $71.2 million in project expenditures to March 2009 (18 per cent of budget);
• 61 per cent average Cape Breton content;
• Estimated 383 full-time equivalent jobs.
This is great news and there will be plenty of other spinoffs as result of this project, such as business and recreation facilities and a clean environment.

...

Discussions are being held to expand and renovate the Sydney Shopping Street on Prince Street, which houses Zellers, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys and Smitty’s Restaurant as well as several retail outlets. The plans are exciting and will have an impact on the area.

Anybody have info on the plans for SSC? My best guess - and that's all it is, given the state of the mall, is that they're going to pull a "Fredericton Mall (now Uptown Centre)" and make it another strip mall/mini power centre, similar to Prince Street Plaza (which I believe either Crombie also owns or Empire does), though possibly slightly larger.

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=293951&sc=152

Technology competition attracts 21 Cape Breton submissions

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Twenty one local entrepreneurs will compete for the regional prize in the latest edition of a provincial technology competition.

The Cape Breton entrepreneurs are part of 133 submissions from across the province as part of the InNOVAcorp I-3 Technology Start-Up competition
The idea, innovation and implementation contest was designed by the provincial Crown corporation to give high-potential early stage companies a chance for success through investment and business mentorship.

“We exceeded the number of submissions received in the 2007-08 I-3 competition,” said Dan MacDonald, president and CEO of InNOVAcorp, in a press release.

“Based on the inquiries and the general buzz leading up to the deadline, we are very much looking forward to the next step in the process.”

Judges will now evaluate each entry based on the quality and significance of the business idea, the addressable market and strategy, the strength of the management team, and financial viability.

A short list of five submissions from each zone will be announced Oct. 22 and move forward to round two. The short listed businesses will have until Nov.
19 to submit a full business plan.

First and second place winners from each zone get an award package worth $100,000 and $40,000 respectively.

A provincial winner selected from the first place zone winners is also given a $100,000 HPi Microfund investment.

Darren Gallop of Sydney, president of both Marcato Digital Solutions and Company House Records, was named a Cape Breton zone winner in December 2007.

Gallop received $100,000 in cash and services that helped him create a web-based software system for music industry professionals.

During that competition, their were 17 Cape Breton entries and a total of 121 in the five geographic zones across Nova Scotia.

Visit www.innovacorp.ca (http://www.innovacorp.ca) for more information.

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Doing some catch-up. Here's a little snippit to start...

Full column here:
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=295314&sc=150

Halloween history, trestle turmoil and chit-chat

FRED JACKSON
The Cape Breton Post

...

Deputy premier Frank Corbett was a busy man last Friday. The deputy premier and MLA for Cape Breton Centre attended the $15 million federal-provincial funding announcement for the Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment at Cape Breton University. Corbett also met with several groups about potential events for Cape Breton. He is a capable politician.
It was also a big week for a sports announcement. The 2010 Atlantic University Sports men’s basketball championship will be held at Centre 200. This event will have an economic impact. And look for another major sporting announcement shortly. It appears to be exciting times in the Cape Breton sports arena.
Master Meats, destroyed by fire earlier this year, is scheduled to reopen in early November, according to co-owner Derek Dupe.

...

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=295537&sc=145

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/rossmccurdy.JPG
President and CEO Ross McCurdy says Cape Breton Development Corp. — also known as Devco — is ready to be dissolved and taken over by Enterprise Cape Breton Corp. Tom Ayers - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=295537&sc=145)

Devco ready to dissolve

TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Almost a decade after the federal government announced the winding down of the Cape Breton Development Corp., the Crown corporation is ready to be dissolved.

The assets and liabilities of Devco, created in 1967 to phase out uneconomic coal mine operations and develop other industries, will be assumed by Enterprise Cape Breton Corp. by Dec. 31.

A majority of the specialized staff are expected to be absorbed by ECBC, but Devco president and CEO Ross McCurdy figures he’ll be out of a job.

“By moving the Crown corporations together, my particular role will be eliminated, and I’m fine with that,” McCurdy said in an interview in his office at Silicon Island.

“I’m delighted that we’re actually at a stage where things have advanced well enough for this marriage with ECBC to happen.”

Devco officially began winding down in 2000 and closed its last coal mine a year later. Since then, it has spent millions of dollars remediating high-risk lands and managing mine water. That work is about two-thirds complete, said McCurdy, and will continue under ECBC.

However, the largest slice of Devco’s budget involves payments to former miners and widows for early retirements, pensions and workers compensation benefits.

McCurdy said those payments are mandated by the federal government and will continue under ECBC, with early retirement benefits ending as recipients reach age 65.

Monitoring of mine sites and managing mine water treatment will likely go on much longer.

“The activities of Devco will carry on, certainly some of them, for another 40 years,” said McCurdy. “But the heavy lifting is complete and when the heavy lifting is complete, that’s the right time to dissolve the corporation.”

Devco owned about 11,000 acres of land and has sold or conveyed some of that land already.

“We have about 7,500 acres that we still own and I would say about 40 per cent of that is still under remediation,” said McCurdy.

Devco has 15 full-time staff and one contract employee, most have whom administer the financial programs for former miners and spouses and manage contracts to remediate properties.

“I would think that most people will continue to be connected to the program,” McCurdy said. “A lot of the Devco staff are highly skilled in unique areas and we wouldn’t want to lose that.”

The land is divided into more than 700 properties grouped in 13 geographic areas, mostly related to the former collieries, some of which began producing coal more than 100 years ago.

McCurdy said Devco’s annual budget is roughly $70 million. About $3 million goes toward staff salaries and administration, roughly $17 million is paid out in remediation contracts — a majority of those going to Cape Breton companies — and about $50 million covers the financial obligations to former employees.

McCurdy said the transition to ECBC control should go smoothly, because Devco has been winding down for years and both Crown corporations have worked closely together on numerous projects, including the new Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment at Cape Breton University, as well as the creation of a mine water research chair at CBU.

Devco’s plans include selling or conveying remediated land to benefit the community, some of which is already in the works, such as the Rails to Trails plan proposed in the Glace Bay area.

“I’d say the thing we can be most proud of is the legacy that we’re leaving to the community,” said McCurdy.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=295538&sc=145

ECBC ready to expand

TOM AYERS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Enterprise Cape Breton Corp. CEO John Lynn sees the impending takeover of the Cape Breton Development Corp. as a coming-of-age story.

ECBC was born out of Devco’s industrial development division, he said in a recent interview at his office in Silicon Island, and has matured to the point where the progeny is ready to assume responsibility for its progenitor.

“Said another way, the child of the corporation is now becoming the parent,” he said.

The end result, Lynn said, is that Cape Breton will be represented by a single Crown corporation with a strong mandate for economic development and the proper tools to do the job.

ECBC will assume Devco’s liabilities, continuing to remediate former coal mine sites and administering financial benefits to former employees, but Devco’s assets complement ECBC’s mandate, giving the Crown corporation the backing it needs to aggressively market the island and grow its economy, said Lynn.

For example, ECBC could use the land to attract commercial or industrial development, or it could be used in development of green energy alternatives.

And ECBC will work closely with the Centre for Sustainable Energy and the Environment at Cape Breton University “so that the science that’s conducted by the centre can leverage the activities of the Crown corporation,” Lynn said.

The best part, he added, is that a recent mandate review and special audit by the federal government left the Crown corporation — and its decision-making power — centred in Cape Breton.

“The beauty of this decision is we have a residual, strong Crown corporation ... with a local board of directors that are properly motivated to direct the activities of the Crown corporation,” Lynn said. “We think this is the best possible outcome for Cape Breton.”

Most Devco employees will be transferred to ECBC, but it’s not likely all of the jobs will be preserved.

“The majority of the staff of the Cape Breton Development Corp. that carry out specialized technical activities will come across to Enterprise Cape Breton Corp.,” said Lynn. “It is impossible in a corporate restructuring that there is no change. But the amount of the impact on people will be minimal.”

The dissolution and absorption of Devco is underway, he added, but the detailed plan will be presented to ECBC’s board of directors in November.

“Now we have to get down to work on putting the two Crown corporations together and working for the broader benefit of Cape Breton and Nova Scotia,” he said .


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=295549&sc=149

Proposed trail on agenda for two public meetings

SHARON MONTGOMERY-DUPE
The Cape Breton Post

GLACE BAY — Councillors in Glace Bay and Dominion are encouraging residents to attend public meetings this week to discuss the possible conversion of the former Devco Rail Line between Gardiner Road and Brookside Street into a managed public trail.

District 5 Coun. Darren Bruckschwaiger said although plans include for the trail to extend to Louisbourg, in their area it starts at the Gardiner Road and through to Brookside Street, Glace Bay.

“There are more concerns about that particular area because it is more suburban.”

Bruckschwaiger, along with Couns. George MacDonald and Lee McNeil, sent letters to residents living — or having property — along the area of the proposed trail.

“We want them to show up and ask questions, and bring any concerns or ideas they might have.”

The meeting are scheduled for Wednesday at the Bayplex in Glace Bay and Thursday at the Royal Canadian Legion in Dominion. Both will take place from 7-9 p.m.

Bruckschwaiger said some ideas for the trail include walking, bicycles, ATVs and dirt bikes.

“These are all things that were discussed in pre-planning meetings held last spring at the Bayplex.

“At those meetings there were different concerns. Some people thought ATVs shouldn’t be there, some felt they should be. This meeting is an opportunity for people to hear all sides and ask questions.”

After the meeting people in the buffer zone area will receive questionnaires from the CBRM Active Transportation Committee.

“I heard from people who may be intimidated going to such a meeting who want to have input.

“For me it is going to come down to the residential taxpayer who is living next to that property. I am going to be listening very carefully to those residents in particular.

“I had many complaints regarding ATVs travelling all hours of the night causing damage to properties, including from a woman on King’s Road whose cat was run over right in her backyard.”

District 3 Coun. McNeil also encourages residents to attend.

“Their voice is what matters to me. Come out and give your input and voice your opinions. What is most important is to get the feedback from the people, what their wishes are.”

McNeil has also heard concerns pertaining to ATV or dirt bike use on the trails.

“There is one family where the trail is next to their property line. They can’t barbecue or even enjoy the summer outside because of the dust.”

District 4 Coun. MacDonald said the public has been kept informed including a public forum last fall. Using public input, a tentative plan has been put in place.

“The CBRM is trying to get a final consensus from the people. It is one time where I have seen where residents are going to have lots of input. They will certainly play a part in the final determination on how the trail is going to be used.”

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=295903&sc=145

‘Squeaky wheel’ gets the infrastructure funding

SHARON MONTGOMERY
The Cape Breton Post

GLACE BAY — A total of $92 million in funding infrastructure improvements in Nova Scotia was announced Monday — and this time Glace Bay made the list.

Cape Breton Regional Municipality Coun. Darren Bruckschwaiger said the announcement by all three levels of government included $5.5 million for road
and sewer improvements in Glace Bay.

“Defence Minister Peter MacKay called me at 8:20 a.m. (Monday),” said Bruckschwaiger, who represents District 5. “He was in Halifax for the announcement and wanted to tell me a lot of the projects in Glace Bay have been approved.”

The announcement was made by Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Bill Estabrooks, federal Minister of Transport and Infrastructure John Baird, MacKay and Halifax Regional Municipality Mayor Peter Kelly.

A total of $55 million was announced for a library in Halifax, $31.6 million for roads provincewide, and $5.5 million for waste water projects in the Glace Bay area.

Bruckschwaiger said street improvements approved in Glace Bay include Station Street, MacIntyre’s Lane, Wallace’s Road, West Avenue, Bruce Street, Mitchell Avenue, Hickman Street and Brookside Street.

The councillors had been up in arms for the past several weeks after the East Division, which includes Glace Bay, received $800,000 for infrastructure improvements. Area councillors complained that although CBRM staff had stated the area needed the most upgrades, North Division and Central Division were given $5.4 million for upgrades.

District 4 Coun. George MacDonald also described Monday’s announcement as good news for Glace Bay.

“We are a lot better off than we were last week.”

He said they will continue to fight to get the other projects completed.

“We will continue fighting for those projects because sometimes there are other sources of funding we can tap into.”

District 3 Coun. Lee McNeil said the funding will help residents of Wallace’s Road, where a new junior high school is being built.

“This work is going to enhance that area. For years that work was needed there. This is long overdo.”

Rodger Cuzner, MP for Cape Breton-Canso, said it would have been easy to “have gone ballistic and made a big political show” after the Glace Bay area was short-changed during the last round of infrastructure funding announcements.

“However I approached the ministers responsible and I appreciate their help on the outcome,” he said.

Glace Bay MLA Dave Wilson raised the matter in question period last week.

“At the time (Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal) Minister Estabrooks said he would be taking it up with the federal minister Baird and Deputy Premier Frank Corbett. I am glad that everybody has spoken up on behalf of Glace Bay and area because that infrastructure was needed. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I guess this is the case here.”

The $31 million for provincial roads includes Route 255 from Homeville/Round Island east to Mira Gut Bridge, Route 305 to Kings Road, Cabot Trail from East Big Interval Road southerly.

Corbett said paving will include Gardiner Road from Trunk 4 to Trunk 28 for 3.9 kilometres.

“Ministers Estabrooks and Jennex are helping our government keep our commitments to Nova Scotians,” he said. “This work will go a long way to helping build our communities.”

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=296591&sc=152

Cape Breton businesses off to Brazil on trade mission

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Representatives of four Cape Breton businesses are off to Brazil for a trade mission in a bid to create new business opportunities.

The trip coincides with the Rio de Janeiro stop of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race during which Cape Breton Island – Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece Clipper placed fourth.

Organized by Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, Nova Scotia Business Inc. and the World Trade Centre Atlantic Canada, the Cape Breton reps will have meetings in both Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo.

Island participants are Marcato Digital Solutions, Protocase, Premium Seafoods, and the Strait of Canso Superport.

Darren Gallop, president and founder of Marcato Digital Solutions, a Sydney-based firm that builds web-based software systems for the music industry, sees tremendous potential in the mission.

“The Brazilian market is one of the top 10 music markets in the world and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to gain access to it,” said Gallop.

“We just completed a deal with an Austrian company to franchise our technologies in German-speaking countries and, through this Brazil mission, we hope to achieve a similar arrangement for Portuguese-speaking markets.”

Premium Seafoods, of Arichat, has 25 years experience in the seafood industry but has not yet done business in Brazil.

“We decided to take part in this trade mission to make connections that will allow us to enter and compete in this new market,” said Edgar Samson, company president.

“Brazil is one of the growing markets most talked about by seafood experts and we see an opportunity to market lobster, shrimp, crab and ocean perch.”

The backdrop of the trade mission is the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, in which Cape Breton has the only Canadian entry in the race.

“The Clipper initiative is allowing us to bring Cape Breton Island and some of its companies to a global audience. Valuable contacts have already been made in Hull and La Rochelle and we believe this trade mission to Brazil will lay the foundation for expanding our business opportunities with Brazil,” said Marlene Usher, executive director general of Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation.

The mission begins Sunday in Rio de Janeiro and ends next Friday in Sao Paolo. Each participating company will be involved in a number of one-on-one meetings with Brazilian firms which are being selected by the World Trade Centre in Sao Paolo and the Canadian Consulate.

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http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=297213&sc=152

Cape Breton entrepreneurs compete for $100,000 prize

The Cape Breton Post

MEMBERTOU — Entrepreneurs in Cape Breton are in the running for InNOVAcorp’s I-3 Technology Start-Up Competition.

“At this point in the competition, we have identified the 25 most compelling companies,” Dan MacDonald, president and CEO of InNOVAcorp, said in a news release. “We are very pleased with the quantity and quality of the submissions and look forward to getting a more in-depth look at them in round two.”

The 25 companies invited to compete in round two of the competition include five from Cape Breton Island.

Billdidit Inc., run by Joe Menchefski and Bill Coady of Sydney, produces drum accessories including the Coady clutch, the world’s first passive hi-hat drop clutch which allows drummers to engage and disengage their hi-hats during live performances.

Fireblade Dairy Services, owned by Chris van den Heuvel of Port Hood, offers interactive business metric dashboarding technology.

Corrine McIsaac of New Waterford operates Health Tech Outcome, an e-health solutions company specializing in improving health care and reducing costs.

Jema, which is operated by Brennan O’Leary of North West Arm, is a consumer products manufacturer that integrates toys and apparel with an online gaming experience.

Ed Fedora and Paul Graham of Sydney operate Prescribed Solutions Consulting Inc., which is a drug benefits management program.

Entrepreneurs selected to move on to round two of the competition are required to submit a full business plan by Nov. 19 to be reviewed by the six-person judging committees in each zone. The three companies in each zone selected to move on in the competition will be announced on Dec. 8.

Each first-place zone winner will receive a $100,000 award package and each second place zone winner will receive a $40,000 award package of seed investment, cash, and in-kind contributions for development of their startup ventures. Award packages will include business building services in the form of marketing, accounting, sales, and legal expertise from the I-3 competition partners.

At the end of the competition, one provincial winner will be selected from among the five first place zone winners, and awarded a $100,000 seed investment from InNOVAcorp’s HPi™ Microfund.

In total, the competition attracted 133 formal submissions from across Nova Scotia, far exceeding InNOVAcorp’s goal of 100 submissions.

For more information on the I-3 Technology Start-Up Competition, visit www.innovacorp.ca.


Another snippit...
Full column here:
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=297202&sc=150

Vatican has an obligation, Cape Breton comedy, and chit-chat

FRED JACKSON
The Cape Breton Post

...

Look for another new development for the downtown Sydney area. A modern fitness centre is in plans for the old Ron May site on Prince Street.

Veteran real estate owner Roy Milley says the local market has not been affected by the downturn in the economy. This week Milley told me that closed sales in the local market exceeded $60 million for the year to date. That’s phenomenal and great sign.

...

I guess that means SDM is out for that site...they must be part of the renovations of Sydney Shopping Centre, which I still haven't heard anything about beyond what I posted here.

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Just thought I'd post this from the letter's section since the idea was brought up as a possibility (although seen as a very remote possibility) in the submissions for the active transportation plan a while back. As unlikely as it is, I still think it's a good idea, especially if the service expands to include a Sydney-to-Northside link as well.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=297196&sc=595

Cross-harbour ferry should be revived as public alternative

The Cape Breton Post

I want to raise a conversation on improved Sydney area transit, specifically between Sydney and Westmount. Since there is no bus service from the Sydney River bridge through Westmount and beyond, why not reinstate a passenger ferry boat?

For the past several months, I’ve been researching the history of the defunct Sydney and Westmount ferry company. I’ve learned that it existed for more than 40 years.

My grandfather, Ashley Aitken, was the last captain on the service. A number of interesting finds have been discovered.

Crossing the harbour on the Mary took only within three minutes between company wharves.

Who would benefit from a ferry service? First, seniors. Today’s healthy and active seniors could enjoy a walk to a Westmount-side terminal, cross the harbour, then walk down Charlotte Street to pay bills, shop, have lunch.
When finished, they could return to Westmount the same way.

This new transit mode could save car travel time, plus gas consumption.

University students of the Westmount side could benefit by boarding a ferry at 7:30 a.m. to make the 8 a.m. Glace Bay bus passing through Charlotte Street. Cape Breton University is part of the Glace Bay route.

When a person doesn’t own a car, a ferry service to Westmount would dismiss the need of thumbing a ride from the Westmount corner at the bridge.

Ross Aitkens
Sydney

One way I could see it working is to have a "park-and-ride" system at the Westmount terminal (with the same plus a bus stop at the Northside terminal if the service expands to include it), and move the downtown bus-connection stop from it's current location at George St to the new Sydney terminal. I don't see park-and-ride being necessary on the Sydney side if the service becomes a reality.

[Smevo]

Last thing for the night. This was posted in the thread in the main Canada forum, but I figured I'd copy it over here since Sydney's now included in the streetview list.

Source: http://maps.google.ca/help/maps/streetview/where-is-street-view.html (http://maps.google.ca/help/maps/streetview/where-is-street-view.html)

Where are our vehicles currently driving?

This information shows a sample of the areas in which our cars are currently operating. We try to make sure the information is accurate and kept up to date, but because of factors outside our control (weather, road closures, etc), it is always possible that our cars may not be operating, or be operating in areas that are not listed. In these circumstances, we'll try to update the list as soon as we can. Please also be aware that where the list specifies a particular city, this may include smaller cities and towns that are within driving distance.

Province City

Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prarie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer

British Columbia: Cranbrook, Gold River, Kamloops, Kimberly, Merritt, Pemberton, Port Hardy, Prince George, Prince Rupert , Revelstoke, Vancouver

Manitoba: Brandon, Dauphin, Grand Rapids, Snow Lake, Swan River, The Pas, Thompson

New Brunswick: Bathurst, Campbelton, Caraquet, Edmondston, Grand Falls, Miramichi, Plaster River

Newfoundland: Bay Roberts, Bonavista, Carbonear, Channel-Port-aux Basques, Corner Brook, Deer Lake, Gander, Harbor Grace, St. Johns, Stephenville

Northwest Territories: Inuvik

Nova Scotia: Amherst, Antigonish, Guysborough, Halifax, New Glasgow, Port Hawkesbury, Sydney

Ontario: Baysville, Brighton, Chapleau, Niagra Falls, North Bay, Norwich, Ottawa, Pembroke, Port Colborne, Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catherines, St. Marys, St. Thomas, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Trenton, Welland

Prince Edward Island: Charlotteton, Mimigenash, Mt. Pleasant, Summerside

Quebec: Alma, Baie-Saint-Paul, Beauceville, Cowansville, Gaspe, La Baie, Macamic, Malartic, Montreal, Plessisville, Quebec, Rimouski, Sainte Marie, Saint-Prosper, Sherbrook, Thetford Mines, Waterloo

Saskatchewan: Canora, North Battleford, Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current

Yukon Territory: Dawson, Haines Junction, Mayo, Ross River, Watson Lake, Whitehorse

[Dmajackson]

Smevo,

You don't happen to know what is currently the tallest building under construction in the Sydney do you?

[Smevo]

Under construction? Probably about 2-storeys, unless the university is building something taller. I don't know if their new residence is under construction or not yet, but they usually run about 4-storeys. I haven't heard about Microtel starting yet (assuming around 4-storeys) or the new senior's complex...again in the 4-storey range. Membertou's hotel might be in the 4-5 storey range (they have a couple huge - in length - 4 storey apartment buildings near the Convention centre which look newly finished, but are finished nonetheless). The Vogue office building is 3-storeys, but was finishing up when I was home in the summer so is probably complete now.

Tallest thing proposed right now is Spanish Gates (~7 storeys), but we haven't seen any movement on that since the North-End Viewplanes were established.

Not too exciting on the height front, but plenty of volume for a city turning out of its worst decline ever.

[Davey Boy Smith]

The Vogue building is just finishing up final details but is not opened yet. The exterior is mostly finished.

The YMCA expansion is somewhat on hold as the old building tear down is listed as TBA. I hear rumblings that it is because of something found (possibly asbestos) in the old building.

Some ground work has occurred at the old Ron May site but no official announcement of any building there.

[Dmajackson]

Thanks you two. :)

I'll list the Vogue as under construction for now until the YMCA or other news is announced.

[Smevo]

A part of the YMCA expansion is already done, but it's happening in phases. It's the second phase that Davey_Boy_Smith was referring to, which involved tearing down the 1940's section (1945 I think) which leads into the next phase of the front (Charlotte St side) expansion. Given the age, nothing that was found in the building materials which could cause a delay would surprise me. Anyway, since the Vogue is still doing it final touches, I guess it would still be the tallest under construction from the sound of it.

Time for the silly question: are you doing a "tallest u/c" thread for the region?

[Dmajackson]

Time for the silly question: are you doing a "tallest u/c" thread for the region?

No all of this is for "Your City's Tallest U/C" thread in the Canada section.

The problem with a top ten list for Atlantic Canada is it would be Halifax dominated since the highest elsewhere (Moncton, SJ, Sydney, ect) is 5 stories right now.

[Smevo]

^Very true.

It didn't really occur to me to put anything in that thread because there's nothing really that tall going on here. It would've been nice if The Dorchester was able to start at its 10-storey proposal, but after the northenders got their input, it was shrunk and then faded into the abyss of "what's going on with that thing now?" I'm hoping the 7-storey Spanish Gates version hasn't been cancelled, because I know Chernin was all set to proceed (sales benchmarks, financing in place, just needed final approval from the city) before the viewplanes were put in place.

[Dmajackson]

^Very true.

It didn't really occur to me to put anything in that thread because there's nothing really that tall going on here. It would've been nice if The Dorchester was able to start at its 10-storey proposal, but after the northenders got their input, it was shrunk and then faded into the abyss of "what's going on with that thing now?" I'm hoping the 7-storey Spanish Gates version hasn't been cancelled, because I know Chernin was all set to proceed (sales benchmarks, financing in place, just needed final approval from the city) before the viewplanes were put in place.

To be honest I felt bad for CBRM putting that as the tallest going up (it put you in last place) but I was trying to get all of the cities across Canada onto the list. I really hope you do get a good mid-rise underway since you rival Moncton and SJ in population.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=298127&sc=152

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/cruiseshipsoct27.jpg
Cruise ship Crown Princess, foreground, was docked at Sydney Marine Terminal, Tuesday, and the Balmoral was anchored in the harbour, shunting passengers ashore. Chris Hayes - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=298127&sc=152)

Successful cruise ship season, claim port officials
Last visit of season takes place today

BY CHRIS HAYES
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Cruise ship Norwegian Jewel, which is expected to tie up at Sydney Marine Terminal today, will be the last visit in what port officials consider a successful 2009 season.

Ships made 44 visits this year, bringing an unofficial count of some 62,340 passengers and 26,160 crew, said Bernadette MacNeil, the manager of marketing and administration for the Sydney Ports Corp.

“We are very pleased with our numbers,” she said Tuesday.

The ports corporation estimates only 33 per cent of crew disembark.

Four cruise ship visits by some of the largest vessels on 2009 schedule — Crown Princess on two occasions, Eurodam and Costa Atlantica — carrying an additional total of 10,044 passengers, were cancelled because of high winds or, in one instance, a medical emergency involving a passenger.

“That’s a very, very large ship the Crown Princess and they haven’t been here before this year so they are not familiar with our port and that makes a difference too in their decision-making, whether to come into dockside or not on those blustery days when we have the wind blowing and heavy rain.”

The ports corporation would have exceeded its budgeted estimate for passenger numbers otherwise, she said.

Cruise ships are arriving at Sydney Marine Terminal above the 80 per cent load factor that is anticipated by the ports corporation during its budget planning, she said.

“They are coming in way above that, which speaks very well to the destination, that the ships are coming in full.”

The ports corporation has 42 ship visits on the 2010 schedule at this date including larger vessels like the Eurodam, Crown Princess, Costa Atlantica, Norwegian Jewel and the Posia, making its first stop in Sydney.

“It’s the passenger count we look at for the impact, obviously,” MacNeil said. “And it’s important to note we have the major lines coming in.”

MacNeil estimated the passenger numbers will be comparable to the 2009 season.

The cruise ship season for 2010 will start on April 20 with the Costa Atlantica and end on Oct. 25 with the Posia.

[Smevo]

Off topic, but...

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=298816&sc=147

Bruce Aitken to perform in DrumBeat Fest for Michael J. Fox Foundation

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Cape Breton drummer Bruce Aitken will be part of a webcast performance aimed at raising money for Parkinson’s disease research.

Each year, New Jersey native drummer, educator, author, publisher and producer Bill Meligari, known in the music industry as Tiger Bill, brings together some of the world’s best drum talent in a show designed to educate and entertain drummers of all ages and experience levels, while raising funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Featured artists performing at the DrumBeat Fest this year include Aitken, founder of the Cape Breton International Drum Festival; the award-winning drummer for Shadows Fall, Jason Bittner; composer, producer, drummer, author and educator Terry Silverlight who has played on dozens of gold and platinum recordings and composed music for hundreds of major network TV shows; educator and recording artist Wes Crawford; educator, percussionist and drum instrumentalist Scott Pellegrom; eight-year-old drum phenom Michael Manasseh; and Tiger Bill Meligari himself, who is recognized as one of world’s fastest drummers.

This year, the DrumBeat Fest is being distributed as a four-hour and 30-minute online webcast, which can be viewed around the globe by anyone with a computer, Internet connection, and a ticket. The webcast will be online Saturday and ticket purchasers will be able to view it as many times as they like during the month of November.

For the latest artist lineup, ticket information and further details visit TigerBill.com or DrummersWishList.com.

In addition to the webcast, there will also be an online auction where people will have the chance to bid on some unique drum products that have been donated by sponsors of the event, including items signed by the original artists. Bidding for the online auction is open now.

All proceeds from webcast ticket sales and the auction will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research in memory of Bill’s father, who lost his battle with the disease.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=299070&sc=151

Fall festival a fine creation

The Cape Breton Post

We report on it periodically as plans are developed and revealed. We do advance stories and wrap-ups. And we cover the actual series of events with interviews and colourful photos. But against all that is the natural tendency for familiarity to breed non-chalance. Just as a Cape Bretoner can drive through the spectacular fall colours of the Margarees and almost not see what’s there, so the Celtic Colours International Festival has come and gone for another year and in a peculiar way has gone unnoticed.

How easy it is to take things for granted, to fail to see achievement right in front of us. Celtic Colours, which completed its 13th season earlier this month, has grown into as sophisticated a presentation of folk musical and artistic traditions as can be found anywhere. Politicians and marketers have debased the term “world-class” but here is something worthy of the name in its true sense.

Operating with a small paid staff and as many as 1,500 volunteers, the festival continues to extend its reputation around the world while selling between 18,000 and 19,000 tickets and generating some $5 million annually in the island economy. Visitors show up from Thailand, Australia, Chile, Cuba, all of the United States and across Canada — and, of course, from the British Isles.

The festival aims to balance attendance about evenly between Cape Bretoners and visitors from off-island. Maintaining a home-grown audience is considered essential to ensuring the continuity of the festival into the future.

So is the cultivation of ties with distinct but related folk traditions elsewhere in North America, Europe and even other parts of the world. This year the focus was on Ireland, where the revival of Celtic traditions such as bagpiping parallels the comeback from near extinction of fiddle-playing and related cultural practices in Cape Breton. Some two dozen Irish artists were flown in to mark the Cape Breton-Ireland Musical Bridge theme that launched the festival with the opening concert in Port Hawkesbury.

The use of scattered venues, from small community halls to the premier concert facilities of the island, is a unique feature of a festival that thrives on the unique. Every year there’s something spectacularly original, like The Fiddle Tree concert featuring the music and instruments of Cape Breton luthier Otis Tom and the Suite Silver Dart honouring 100 years of Canadian aviation.

This year the 425 artists gave 45 evening concerts besides participating in many of the 40 cultural events each day. Community events — meals, dances, lectures, and so on — numbered a record 292 over the nine days.

The guiding standard, in the words of artistic director Joella Foulds, is quality and authenticity. Worries that only remnants of Celtic musical traditions could survive through commercial adulteration can be put aside thanks to a splendid marriage of contemporary entertainment values and enlivened traditions going back centuries.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=300968&sc=152

Province approves $1M loan to Harbourside Commercial Park

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Nova Scotia has approved a $1-million loan to Harbourside Commercial Park, a Crown corporation that will gain control of the remediated Sydney Steel properties.

The loan, from the province’s Industrial Expansion Fund, will allow Harbourside to purchase land from Sysco to develop phase two of the marine park.

"The Harbourside Commercial Park is a key driver for economic development in Cape Breton Regional Municipality," said Percy Paris, Minister of Economic and Rural Development, in a media release, Thursday. "Since the marine park opened in 2007, it has attracted 18 new businesses, created jobs and lead to improvements in roadways and other local infrastructure."

Harbourside Commercial Park Inc. was established by the province in August 2006 to manage commercial development of remediated areas of the former steel plant site.

In 2007, the province announced $10 million in financing to Harbourside to purchase a portion of Sysco assets, Sydney Pier and to build and market the business park.

Since then, tenants like Protocase, a design and manufacturing company for the electronics industry, have brought their business to the new space. Protocase customers include NASA, Boeing, Google, Microsoft and Apple.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=301883&sc=149

Civic centre project moving ahead

BY JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

NORTH SYDNEY — The two tenders received for the building construction of the Northside Civic Centre have been rejected because they were over budget.

A new tender will be issued within three weeks, with a closing date the second week of January.

The tender for earthwork will be issued today and close on Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
The tender opening, which is open to the public, will take place at the Civic Centre in Sydney.

The earthworks contract includes mass excavations and grading the site to the elevations required for the building, access roads and site drainage structure.

Leo Steele, chairman of the Northside Civic Centre Society, said one important aspect of the project is to properly control surface water discharges from the site.

“This water will be directed through ditches, sediment ponds and piping to the recently constructed storm sewer systems installed as part of the upgrades to King Street.”

Steele expects the site work should start within three weeks.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality is working on the entrance to the site from the new intersection at Baird and King streets.

“Keeping public access to the Carmen Young walking track while site work and construction is ongoing is a priority,” Steele said.

The civic centre will feature an NHL-sized ice surface, heated seating for 1,000, seven dressing rooms, walking track, administration, first aid room, minor hockey office, skate sharpening facilities, a canteen and seating area.
The facility will also include two community meeting rooms, with the upstairs room overlooking the ice surface.

The $12-million civic centre project will be financed by the three levels of government. The federal government will provide $4 million through Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., and the provincial government will provide $4 million from the Department of Health Promotion and Protection. There is also $2.5 million in funding contributed by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and $1.5 million raised from the community.

The society is a registered charity; any donations made prior to Dec. 31 will receive income tax receipts.

The grand opening of the Northside Civic Centre is slated for the fall of 2010.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=302143&sc=145

CBRM considers amalgamating fire stations

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A multi-million-dollar downtown facility could replace the Sydney fire department’s three aging stations.

Risk Management Services, the only accredited organization in Canada to review and grade the quality of public fire protection, concluded in its report to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s protective services committee Tuesday that an amalgamated fire station could lower the overall maintenance and operational budget, free up staff to work on fire prevention programs, and allow firefighters to respond to emergencies together.

The downside was the cost.

No price tag was fixed to the report. Brent Denny, the deputy fire chief, said the facility could cost $5-6 million.

“It’s an opportunity to look at where we are, look at what the best approach is for the future, and if the outcome is that it is going to be one station, then we’ll certainly work with the union,” Denny said.

Municipal staff have been instructed to review the report and return to committee next month with a recommendation.

A review of the cost of cleaning the Ashby fire station, which has been closed due to mould since Sept. 22, is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Central station on the Esplanade needs repairs to the facade, and the Whitney Pier station is old and in need of “easy fixes,” Denny said.

The cost of exterior and interior repairs to all three stations versus the construction of a state-of-the-art fire station that will house more than 60 firefighters will be a business decision, Denny said.

“It may, in the long run, be a better approach to go to a new facility.”

The firefighters’ union is concerned with moving the firefighters into one building.

Allan MacLeod, president of Local 2779 International Association of Fire Fighters, said he doesn’t want to see staff reductions if the municipality moves ahead with a merged station in downtown Sydney.

“Our prime concern is we don’t want to see anybody go home. We want to maintain our staffing levels and we want to protect the community we serve,” MacLeod said.

“In that report it stated we could have reduced numbers in that one building.
We don’t want to see that. If anything, we want to see more people in our buildings.”

He said all three stations are well positioned for good response times.

One of the authors of the report, John Redden, said a fire department should have a commercial coverage radius of five kilometres and within eight kilometres in residential neighbourhoods.

“In most cases, even with the delays that cause costs to go up like traffic congestion, you still have a good response coverage for a number of different areas,” Redden said.

A decision will have to come quickly. CBRM chief administrative officer Jerry Ryan said if council decided to build a new fire station it would need to be included in the capital budget, and staff wants to complete that process by the end of December. Ryan said it’s a question of whether the municipality can afford it.

“It gets much more acceptable if indeed we can find other levels of funding,” he said, adding that two-thirds funding through a federal government could ease the financial burden.

He said a merged fire station wouldn’t result in layoffs.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=302314&sc=152

Travel guide names Cabot Trail as one of world’s top 10 cycle trips

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The world’s largest travel guide book and digital media publisher has named Cape Breton’s famed Cabot Trail as one of the top 10 trips that every cyclist should make.

Lonely Planet describes Cape Breton as offering the “whole package” in terms of what visitors can experience while travelling the island. The island ride is the only Canadian location to make the top 10 list.

“This justifiably renowned cycling route is best-known for the scenery — breathtaking rocky coastlines, the crystal clear Bras d'Or inland sea and the soaring ridges of the Cape Breton Highlands — especially in their autumn colours,” notes the company in its description of the trial.

“But adventure-seekers will also be satisfied as gently rolling hills become invigorating mountains with some tough climbs and heart-thumping descents. Combined with local wildlife (such as beavers, moose and deer), quaint fishing villages, an intriguing Gaelic culture grown from French-Scottish roots and plenty of fresh ocean breezes, Cape Breton is the whole package.”

Also making the list were Otago Peninsula, New Zealand; Friuli-Venezia, Italy; Isle of Wight, England; West Coast Tasmania, Australia; Luberon and Mont Ventoux, France; San Juan Islands, Washington, U.S.; County Clare, Ireland; La Farola, Cuba; National Highway 1, Veitnam.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=302668&sc=145

Municipality to apply for stimulus money for road on behalf of Membertou

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Cape Breton Regional Municipality will submit a federal infrastructure stimulus application on behalf of the Membertou First Nation to begin construction of a road linking Alexandra and George streets.

The so-called Membertou Connector Road, at a cost of $3.6 million, is billed as an alternate route into the native reserve, which will open a new corridor for commercial development.

CBRM director of engineering and public works Wayne MacDonald said at a public services committee meeting Thursday Membertou will put up one-third of the cost of the project including any cost overruns, with the remaining two-thirds coming from the provincial and federal governments.

MacDonald said the CBRM will not need to put up any money to fund the project. He said the only way Membertou could apply for stimulus funding was through a joint application with the municipality.

Membertou has also decided to keep ownership of the two-lane street once it’s complete, leaving the aboriginal community responsible for maintenance of the road, he added.

“The intention right now, with regard to maintenance, as with other roads in Membertou, we have a service agreement with them if they wish for us to maintain them. They, of course, have the option to maintain it themselves.”

The road will begin at the intersection of Alexandra Street and Churchill Drive and continue a weaving path through the eastern edges of Membertou and will end at Terry Way in front of the Health Park building next to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.

An extensive feasibility study, environmental assessment and tendering process have already been completed, and a contractor has been selected to do the work.

Coun. George MacDonald voiced concern that support for the Membertou connector road might keep the federal government from approving other projects through the stimulus fund.

However, Wayne MacDonald said the CBRM has already applied for more projects than it has time to build under the fund.

“The rules with the stimulus fund is that the work has to be completed by March 2011,” he said.

“We have next year’s construction window to get through everything we’ve applied for, and I think we’ll be lucky to get that finished for ourselves. I don’t think we’ll be looking for additional funding.”

Membertou Chief Terry Paul wasn’t immediately available for comment, Thursday.


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=302658&sc=152

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/cookiedough.jpg
Lorne MacDougall was on clean-up detail at the site of a new Cape Breton business, Classic Frozen Foods in Sydport Industrial Park, as owners prepare for the plant to open, Tuesday. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=302658&sc=152)


Classic Frozen Foods looking to fill niche in Cape Breton marketplace

BY CHRIS HAYES
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY —A new company is getting ready to open in Cape Breton with what it sees as a recipe for success — selling frozen uncooked cookies and muffins, as well as cooked cheesecakes.

Classic Frozen Foods hopes to be open for business at the Sydport Industrial Park by December.

Company owner Wayne MacDonald, a Sydney River native who has lived in British Columbia for the past 35 years, sees a promising wholesale market for the frozen cookies and muffins which are baked from scratch, shaped, flash-frozen and packaged at the Sydport location.

The target market includes grocery stores, restaurants and institutions like nursing homes but MacDonald figured the frozen treats will also be a popular fundraising item for schools and other groups.

Many companies don’t mix their own products anymore, he noted.

“They just want to use bake-off products, so they use companies like mine which are normally in Eastern Canada and Western Canada that they buy from. They would just basically put them in the oven and bake them off at the store level. We are going to cater to all those type of companies.”

“There is definitely a market there.”

Classic Frozen Foods will start out with about three different kinds of cookies (chocolate chunk, oatmeal raisin and ginger) and five different muffins (bran, blueberry, carrot, chocolate chip and oatmeal) with plans to expand the product line. The company will also offer cooked cheesecakes.

MacDonald, who described the products as “gourmet,” expects to employ seven to 10 people to start and a larger number working full-time as the company grows.

“It depends on how the orders come in. I don’t expect it to be full-time for a few months.”

His daughter, Kelly MacDonald, is a partner.

Spokesman Greg MacLeod, of the BCA Group which helped MacDonald acquire the building and assets, said Classic Frozen Food is the only company in Atlantic Canada that produces frozen dough products.

MacLeod said too many food products are imported into Cape Breton and most of the food in fast food restaurants is cooked somewhere else, such as muffins and donuts.

“They are cooked and frozen in Montreal and thawed and eaten in Cape Breton,” he said in a release. “Some of the large guest homes for seniors also import frozen meals. BCA would like to see more development in the local food industry. This is one of the few parts of the economy that resists contraction.”

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=302955&sc=145

Feds bring stimulus dollars to Cape Breton

JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY MINES — Federal funding announced in the Northside community Friday will go a long way in getting people of all ages away from their electronics and on to sports fields and into recreation facilities.

The federal government, through Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., is investing $755,000 in eight community and recreational infrastructure projects.

In making the announcement, Keith Ashfield, the minister of state for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, said Cape Breton is truly a community on the move with its natural beauty, unique music, culture and friendly people.

“It’s recognized worldwide as a very special place,” he said. “At the same time, this island has had its fair share of economic challenges. The government of Canada is pleased to work with local residents to help build stronger communities and stimulate economic growth.”

The investment is being made through either the government’s Community Adjustment Fund or the Recreational Infrastructure Canada program, part of the stimulus initiative under the government’s economic action plan. The total cost of these projects represents a total investment of more than $1.34 million.

Two projects are receiving CAF funding valued at $563,571. In addition, six projects are receiving a total of $192,251 under RInC.

Ashfield noted that these projects are in addition to the 28 Cape Breton Island RInC and CAF projects that have been announced over the last three months representing a total federal government investment of more than $7.2 million.

“Our government recognizes the importance of enhancing community infrastructure and quality of life,” he said. “These projects are located in
communities across the island including right here at Memorial high (school).

It will receive funding to refurbish its outdoor recreational facilities and convert a general purpose field into a regulation size soccer and a walking track that will be made fully accessible to the general public.”

Ashfield said there are all kinds of potential impacts that will draw people to communities.

“The thing about infrastructure projects is if you have nice rinks and sports fields, you can attract people to live and work here, it’s good for the economic growth of the region.”

Memorial Grade 11 student Dylan Tobin said not being able to go outside for sports is frustrating for the students.

“Having proper outdoor recreational facilities will make it so much easier. We will be able to have practice right after school instead of having to find a drive and go elsewhere.”

Tobin stressed that sports is a big part of school life, adding everyone loves to either watch or play sports rather than go home and do nothing.

Referring to earlier funding of $4 million in federal funding for the new Northside Civic Centre, Ashfield said construction of the state of the art facility will take time.

“In the meantime, we are announcing funding to allow the North Sydney Forum Society to repair the roof, enabling the forum to continue operation until the new civic centre is completed.”

Ashfield said Canada’s economic action plan is providing timely, targeted stimulus to communities across Cape Breton by supporting the upgrade and renewal of community facilities.

“Our government has invested significant resources to strengthen Canada’s economic position,” he said. “These investments are not only supporting jobs now, but will make us more competitive in the future. They are important as Canadians continue to see stabilization and the early beginnings of an economic recovery.”

Deputy Mayor Darren Bruckschwaiger of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality said the CBRM has had major funding announcements in all communities.

“Next year, if someone has any business plans, I would suggest you get into the construction business because we need you,” he said. “I don’t know if we have enough companies to roll out the work that has to happen in the CBRM next year.”


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303040&sc=145

Police advise motorists of Olympic Torch related traffic delays on Monday

Breaking News
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — In anticipation of large crowds expected to witness the Olympic flame’s crossing of Cape Breton, Monday several traffic adjustments will be made across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

The Olympic torch relay will begin at the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal in North Sydney Monday at 8 a.m. and continue through Sydney Mines, North Sydney, Membertou, Glace Bay, Dominion, New Waterford and Sydney, before leaving the CBRM.

To ensure safety of the runners carrying the Olympic Flame, police will delay traffic for about 10 minutes as the torch relay moves through each of these areas.

In addition to these temporary delays, three areas within the CBRM will be completely closed to traffic to ensure the safety of the runners and members of the public attending community celebrations.

In North Sydney, Pleasant Street, through to Purves Street at Convent Street will be closed to all traffic from 6-9 a.m.

There will be two street closures in the Sydney area, including Maillard Street from Membertou Street to the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre from 6-11 a.m.

A second street closure in Sydney includes the Esplanade at Nepean Street through to Otarion Drive at George Street.

This area will be closed to all traffic from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Someone go out and get pictures. I can even host them if you need me to (PM me if you do need me to).

[Smevo]

Sorry for posting this out of order. I remembered seeing this story, but accidentally skipped past it while trying to catch up. :shrug:

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=301306&sc=145

Provincial, federal money announced to complete twinning

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The provincial and federal governments announced Friday that together they will contribute $30 million to complete the twinning of Highway 125 from Sydney River to Grand Lake Road.

Federal Transport Minister John Baird and Deputy Premier Frank Corbett made the announcement in Halifax, along with $4.5 million in infrastructure spending on the Hume River bridge near Wagmatcook, and another $14 million for the East River bridge in Sheet Harbour.

Spending on the twinning of Highway 125 will be split evenly among the two levels of government.

The provincial funds of up to $15.3 million will be matched by Ottawa through its Building Canada Fund — the stimulus strategy implemented earlier this year by the Conservative government to combat the recession.
A date to begin construction wasn’t made public Friday.

Corbett said twinning the highway has been at the top of the province’s infrastructure priority list.

“The (Highway) 125 as it relates to volume and to safety has been a priority for our government and I would dare say the previous government, because there was a fair amount of accidents and fatalities on that road,” he said.

The funding is conditional on the projects meeting federal funding requirements and on the province signing contribution agreements with Ottawa.

But despite that caveat, Corbett said the dollars committed by the federal government Friday is “solid money.”

Corbett acknowledged, however, that the project likely wouldn’t have gone forward without the stimulus money from Ottawa.

“Because the federal stimulus dollars are there it allowed us to get in at a rate that they probably wouldn’t have funded this project 18 months ago. But we have those dollars for us to do that (with), so we’re more than happy to take advantage of that.”

Mayor John Morgan of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, said he’s very happy to hear the NDP government will be twinning the highway, also known as the Sydney bypass, at a time when the municipality is developing its port.

“It was a major bit of infrastructure that wasn’t stated as part of the port to port infrastructure (plan) but it was necessary in order to have easy access to main arterial highways,” he said.

“With the other piece (of twinned highway) being completed from Sydney River to North Sydney, you’re going to have a very efficient corridor going right into Grand Lake Road.”

There's only two things I'm going to say:
1) It's about time
2) Set a start/completion date already

I italicized a section, it speaks for itself.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303137&sc=145

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/OlympicTorch.jpg
Kelly Simpson holds an Olympic torch similar to those that will be carried across Cape Breton today as part of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic torch relay. Simpson, a member of the torch relay media relations team, was in Sydney Saturday for a media briefing on the Cape Breton portion of the torch relay. Greg McNeil - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303137&sc=145)

Olympic torch touches down today

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Expect a different international athlete for Cape Breton’s 2010 Vancouver Olympic torch relay.

Short-track speedskater Ikue Teshigawara of Gifu, Japan, will carry the Olympic flame in Port Hawkesbury on Tuesday. The torch arrives in North Sydney today.

Teshigawara participated in 11 consecutive world championships from 1993 to 2004 and has competed in three Olympic Games including Nagano in 1998, Salt Lake City in 2002 and Turin in 2006.

Teshigawara replaces retired short-track speedskater Yang Yang of China, who earned two gold, two silver and one bronze medal during her Olympic career. Yang visited Cape Breton in August to explore the relay route.

“It was literally just a scheduling change and they brought Ikue in instead,” said Holly Dunn, communications for the Canadian Tourism Commission. “Yang Yang’s actually going to be in Summerside, P.E.I., now. They just shuffled people’s schedules around.”

Yang and Teshigawara are two of 15 international torchbearers taking part 45,000-kilometre torch relay across Canada as part of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

In Cape Breton, Olympic organizers are hosting community celebrations in Sydney and in Port Hawkesbury today.

Special Olympian, Lynette Sampson, who has been named Sydney’s celebration torchbearer, will light the community cauldron at the Big Fiddle today between 11:30 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. Parking will be at Victoria Park.

During this time, three Grade 6 classes from the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board will have a Cape Breton Post photo op with the Olympic flame and two Olympic mascots.

As part of a contest sponsored by the board, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the Cape Breton Post Newspapers in Education program, students were invited to work as a team to create a poster celebrating the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and the arrival of the Olympic torch to Cape Breton.

Grade 6 students at Marion Bridge Elementary, Rankin School of the Narrows and MacDonald Elementary have been selected as the top entries.

“They’re very excited,” said Marion Bridge teacher Susan Morrison of her 14-student class. “They all came up with their own design and then they picked something from each person’s (poster)... they also wrote a persuasive letter to their principal asking if they could go the ceremony.”

The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is preparing to cheer on the torchbearers today at 2:30 p.m. with refreshments and costumed animators.
Admission to the site will be free all day.

In Port Hawkesbury, Tamarac Education Centre vice-principal and community volunteer Dave MacIsaac will carry the flame to the celebration at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, arriving at the event tonight from 7-8 p.m.

Celebration community events are free and open to the public.


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303138&sc=145

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/ymcademo.jpg
Workers look on as machine operators demolish a section of the YMCA on Charlotte in Sydney, Sunday. The demolition caused damage to the newly constructed phase one building, resulting in a temporary closure of that structure until the damage can be properly assessed. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303138&sc=145)

New YMCA building damaged during demolition

ERIN POTTIE
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The new YMCA of Cape Breton building will remain closed after it was damaged during the demolition of the old building Sunday.

YMCA of Cape Breton CEO Andre Gallant said a wall collapsed, sending bricks and rubble from the 1940s section of the building on Charlotte Street crashing into the side of the new building.

The damaged section, which was completed in July as part of a $12.3-million redevelopment project, houses the YMCA’s fitness and recreation facilities, including a gymnasium, conditioning centre and fitness studio. Gallant said all sections of the YMCA will remain closed until structural engineers can assess the damage.

“From the inside you can certainly see damaged drywall, I mean there’s large cracks in it, you can see insulation protruding through,” he said. “There was a set of doors that were smashed inwards and had to be removed and are boarded up with plywood from the inside now. So there is visible damage on the inside, but like I said, hopefully it’s cosmetic.”

Gallant said the damages will be processed through project insurance, however the setback will delay the beginning of phase two of the three-phase project.

Phase two includes the addition of a new child-care centre, employment centre and community meeting rooms at the former 1940s site.

“It’s still going to happen, it’s just setting us back,” said Gallant. “We’re not sure how long it’s setting us back, time is pretty important, we’re heading into winter season.”

The biggest impact of the damage will be on health, fitness and recreation users.

Gallant said employment services and administration offices will likely reopen soon because the offices in the 1979 structure were not damaged. The YMCA’s preschool and aquatics programs also operate off-site and are not
affected.

YMCA officials said they took extra precautions by scheduling the demolition for Sunday and by closing the building to ensure public safety. In preparation for the demolition, the Subway restaurant and apartments next to the YMCA were also vacated.

Demolition and replacement of the 1940s section and a renovation of a 1979 section is expected provide 60,000 square feet of revitalized space.

Renovations at the YMCA in Sydney began in June 2008 and are expected to last two years.

Further information about the closure will be available at www.cbymca.com.

I'm hoping the demolition contractor pays for the repairs needed to the new section. If not, expect a lawsuit to come out of this, it would be basically automatic up here in Calgary.


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303058&sc=151

Harbour plan at critical point

The Cape Breton Post

The big idea of launching Sydney Harbour into a new era of shipping, putting it among the major ports on the east coast of North America, is approaching a critical decision point. The Sydney Marine Group, along with the Sydney Ports Corporation, has issued a request for proposals from companies interested in dredging 8.5 kilometres of the harbour’s outer channel to a depth of 17 metres, deep enough to handle the biggest container ships in the world.

Pre-qualified bidders won’t be starting from a blank sheet. The method has been selected and the constraints are laid out in an environmental assessment that received conditional regulatory approval in May. Most of the material vacuumed off the bottom to deepen the channel will be deposited within a rock enclosure at Sydport, forming the footprint for the proposed container terminal.

The dredging and the terminal are not one project. Other port users, current and future, including the Donkin coal mine if it goes ahead, would also benefit from a deeper channel. But the tie-in between the dredging and in-filling at Sydport suggests how intimately the channel and the future container terminal are related in the concept for developing Sydney Harbour commercially.

The call for proposals closes at the end of January and the hope is to award a contract for the 10-week project toward the end of first quarter of 2010.
Governments have yet to commit major funding to the estimated $30 million project although everything is moving ahead on the assumption that the approval will come.

Everybody in port promotion in Nova Scotia likes to emphasize that whatever happens over the next few years, as Sydney Harbour, the Strait of Canso and Halifax all jockey to advance their interests, it will be the result of business decisions by international shipping companies and private investors in port infrastructure.

Government always has a role in such matters, of course, regardless of which ports we’re talking about. Sydney Harbour’s dependence at the moment on government investment, in one-time channel dredging, just happens to be front-end and obvious, a prerequisite to everything that follows. The channel project doesn’t guarantee a new future for the Sydney area as a growing east coast port but failure to proceed guarantees the big idea dies on the table.

Harbour dredging has been on the wish list for a long time, and according to some sources it very nearly happened back in those halcyon days when the federal government still believed in Devco. But never has the business case for dredging been put together with such care and with such a broad coalition of community and business interests.

There is no sure thing in economic development but the ports master plan is a credible game-changer for Cape Breton that deserves the relatively modest public investment required to give it a chance.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303741&sc=145

Cape Breton Regional Police look to build one central $21-million headquarters
Burke: "Our existing facilities are not adequate for policing"

Breaking News

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

The Cape Breton Regional Police Service wants to centralize its police officers under one roof in the regional municipality.

Police Chief Myles Burke presented a plan to the police commission Tuesday to construct an estimated $21-million headquarters, and close the existing police stations in North Sydney and Glace Bay.

Burke said the existing facilities were never meant for policing and will soon need upgrades if council decides against building a new central complex.

He didn’t disclose where the proposed headquarters would be located, but he noted two sites have been reviewed by an architect.

CBRM chief administrative officer Jerry Ryan said Burke’s proposal is possible but council would have to act quickly to ensure two-thirds of the funding could be covered by the federal stimulus fund, which stipulates all construction must be completed by March 2011.

Ryan said CBRM’s contribution of $7 million could be reduced to $3.5 million if “other sources” of funding are identified.

However, director of finance Marie Walsh cautioned the municipality’s ability to borrow might be stymied by the size of the debt ratio to its operating budget.

For more details see Wednesday’s edition of the Cape Breton Post.


http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303464&sc=145

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/sydneytorch.jpg
Special Olympian Lynette Sampson of Sydney River holds the Olympic torch high for a large crowd gathered at the Sydney waterfront for a celebration in the Cape Breton leg of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic torch relay, Monday. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303464&sc=145)

Olympic spirit sweeps Cape Breton

LAURA JEAN GRANT
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Anne Keylor and her daughter Kelly Warner feel like a little piece of them will be in Vancouver this February after witnessing Monday’s 2010 Olympic Torch Relay through Cape Breton.

The Glace Bay residents saw the Olympic flame in their hometown and then travelled to Sydney for the community celebration event as the torch relay wound its way across the island, visiting 16 communities from North Sydney to Port Hawkesbury.

“The whole Olympic spirit is captured in that flame. (The torch relay) makes you part of the Games. I love it,” said Keylor. “If you can’t be there in Vancouver, you can be there in spirit.”

Keylor and Warner weren’t the only two feeling the Olympic spirit as thousands of Cape Bretoners lined streets and attended community celebrations to catch a glimpse of the flame, which is making its way across Canada as part of the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history.

Kim Simon of Milford, N.S. was the first person to take up the torch in Cape Breton early Monday morning near the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal in North Sydney. Simon’s family, which included her mother Jessie Whalen, a native of Pleasant Bay, was there to cheer her on.

“I’m so excited, nervous excited, but really happy to be number one,” Simon said moments before taking off down Purves Street in North Sydney.

Up the road in Sydney Mines, students from Jubilee Elementary lined the street to watch history in the making. Among them was 10-year-old Kayla Lannigan, a Grade 5 student at the school, who was sporting a little bit of Olympic history for the occasion.

“This is the outfit that daddy wore in 1988,” she said, explaining that her father, Bill Lannigan, was a torchbearer when the flame last travelled to Cape Breton before the Calgary Olympics. She said she wanted to wear the jacket and pants to show her support for the 2009 torchbearers.

The relay also brought back fond memories for Bill, who described it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.

From Sydney Mines, the torch relay went to Membertou where 14-year-old Dakota Christmas carried the flame from the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre to the local school.

“It’s awesome and an honour to be nominated and selected,” he said.

Watching on the sidelines were many of his classmates, as well as his sister, Stephanie Christmas.

“I was proud. It’s something I’ll never forget. It was awesome to see for sure,” she said.

In Dominion, torchbearer Renee Pertus, 20, of Sydney, passed the flame to Trina Doucette of Ingonish.

“It was amazing, so much fun. It’s a rush,” said Pertus.

“It’s kinda like over-the-moon excitement. I can’t really describe it,” added Doucette.

Watching the relay from his front deck was Charlie Myles of Dominion, who said it was a beautiful sight.

“It was very nice. We got a couple pictures of it,” he said.

A couple of hours later, the flame and the party moved to Sydney where a community celebration was held outside the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion.

Lynette Sampson of Sydney River had the honour of carrying the flame to the stage, describing it as a thrill of a lifetime.

“My heart lit up when the torch lit up,” she said. “I’m going to be proud of what I did today. It’s an honour.”

Chris Shauf, media spokesperson for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, said torchbearers across the country — as selected by relay sponsors Coca-Cola and RBC — are not necessarily running in their home communities.
He explained that each torchbearer had input on where they would run and many chose areas they feel a special connection to or where they have family ties.

Shauf said the aim of the torch relay is to connect with as many Canadians as possible and to “cast a light on the people and places of Canada.”

From Sydney, the flame travelled to Baddeck, Wagmatcook, Whycocomagh, Waycobah, Mabou, Port Hood, Judique and Port Hawkesbury, where another community celebration was held Monday evening. The flame travelled a total of 489 km Monday, by car or in the hands of one of the 132 torchbearers.

The Olympic flame will officially leave the island today around 10:50 a.m. when the torch relay is set to cross the Canso Causeway and make its way to Truro.

[Smevo]

I forgot to post one thing, here's the plan for the twinning from Sydney River to Grand Lake Rd. We already knew it would be jersey-barriered, and about the roundabout at Alexandra St (which will need a new, longer overpass over the highway), and the new overpass at George St was pretty obvious.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_125_(Nova_Scotia)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/HIGHWAY_125.jpg
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_125_(Nova_Scotia))

Note two things though, the proposed roundabout at George St and the new interchange (probably going to be numbered 8A) at Cow Bay Rd with an extension of Upper Prince St meeting up with Cow Bay Rd. You can see the new Membertou Access Rd as well if you look closely. This is going to be a big project with a lot of headaches during construction, but it will be well worth it in the end.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303860&sc=145

Police chief wants new headquarters

CHRIS SHANNON
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — The Cape Breton Regional Police Service wants to centralize its police officers under one roof.

Chief Myles Burke presented a plan to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s board of police commissioners Tuesday to build an estimated $21-million headquarters, and close the existing police stations in New Waterford, North Sydney, Glace Bay and Sydney.

Community policing office “storefronts” would be expanded and other offices opened in business districts where the public would have regular access to beat cops.

Burke said the existing facilities will soon need upgrades if council decides against building a new police headquarters.

“We do not need to continue with large buildings that are very, very inefficient, that are costly to maintain and at the end of the day are not designed for policing,” he told the police commission.

He said East Division in Glace Bay is in the worst shape, with officers only able to occupy about 60 per cent of the building due to its crumbling infrastructure and poor ventilation system.

More than $400,000 was used to fix a leaky roof, heating system and other issues a few years ago when a deal to move to a downtown Glace Bay office building fell through, Burke said.

“The interior environment of all our five sites is compromised by their age and quality. Standards are already (below) what one should expect. It’s impacting on our effectiveness and our staff.”

He didn’t say where the proposed headquarters might be located because of the potential controversy it could create, but he noted two sites have been reviewed by an architect.

Burke said response times wouldn’t be affected.

CBRM chief administrative officer Jerry Ryan said Burke’s proposal is possible but council would have to act quickly to ensure two-thirds of the funding could be covered by the federal stimulus fund, which stipulates all construction must be completed by March 2011.

Ryan said CBRM’s contribution of $7 million could be reduced to $3.5 million over 10 years if “other sources” of funding are identified.

“It will take a number of weeks before the application gets considered by the feds and the province. In the interim, we’ll be doing our capital budget and looking at the impact that it’ll have, if indeed it gets approved,” Ryan said.

However, director of finance Marie Walsh cautioned the municipality’s ability to borrow may be stymied by the size of the debt ratio to its total annual revenue.

The project plan will be debated by council in December.

Burke said there would be a 40 to 50 per cent cost savings in building operations with a new, central facility.

According to the police service’s needs analysis study, renovations and expansions of current police facilities would actually cost about $1.5 million more than building a completely new police headquarters from the ground up.

The CBRM is already looking at funding the construction of a multi-million dollar fire station, which would centralize the three fire stations in the Sydney fire department. A decision on that is also expected next month.




http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303853&sc=152

PostNet offers wide range of business services at new Sydney outlet

The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — It’s described as the “total package” business centre and on Friday a new PostNet outlet will open in Cape Breton.

PostNet franchises offer a wide range of services from graphic design to mailing and courier services to digital printing.

“With the help of its partners, PostNet can handle everything from designing a brochure to developing targeted mailing lists and electronic send outs, explains owner Greg Popwell, who also operates Printer Works.

Offering three shipping partners, Popwell said PostNet is able to ship anywhere from across the province to around the world including next day shipping to Toronto, Montreal and St. John's.

The business, he said, also offers a complete digital storefront, allowing customers to upload files for printing. PostNet can design and print everything from business cards, letterhead, brochures, flyers, booklets, binding and more.

“With superb technology we are able to provide wide format printing such as engineering drawings, posters and banners with the highest quality and resolution,” said Popwell, noting the service even includes secure shredding consoles.

“Small businesses and families need to know that their private documents can be destroyed and recycled in a manner that leaves them protected similar to a big corporation in a way that is more cost-effective,” he said.

The opening of the Sydney outlet is scheduled for Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 337 Welton St. (Bell Plaza).

“We welcome our current and future customers alike as well as the general public to kick off this exciting business expansion,” said Popwell.

PostNet now boasts more than 900 franchises throughout North America and around the globe.



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=303856&sc=149

Open house will give people chance to decide details of heritage trail

BY NANCY KING
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — Partners behind a proposed trail celebrating an important piece of Sydney’s history are about to give the public a picture of what they have planned, and offer an opportunity for input.

An open house for the Whitney Pier community heritage trail project will take place Thursday at the Whitney Pier Museum. Representatives of the Whitney Pier Historical Society, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and CBCL Ltd. will all be on hand to answer questions about the project.

CBRM planner Rick McCready noted that the provincial Crown agency Nova Scotia Lands and the municipality have partnered to fund a study underway by a landscape architect from CBCL to identify a final route for the trail and provide some drawings depicting what it will look like when it’s complete. The consultant will also prepare detailed tender documents.

The open house will offer people a chance to see what is currently proposed and to offer some feedback.

“At this point, the open house really is for the consultants, they’ll have some maps and they’ll show where they’re suggesting the trail should be built, and they’ll also give people some idea of how it could be constructed, and so on,” McCready said. “But the plans aren’t really done, they’re just very preliminary. The idea is to show them to people and get some feedback, and then we’ll finalize the plans.”

The Whitney Pier Historical Society is also playing a very important role in the project, he added.

The trail presents an opportunity to interpret the history of the area, McCready said, noting it’s to be located on a slope overlooking the former steel plant site

“The steel plant was really the focal point not only of Whitney Pier but all of Sydney for nearly a century,” he said. “It is a good opportunity to interpret the history of steel making on the site and the relationship between the steel industry and the community — Whitney Pier in particular, but all of Sydney as well. Really, Whitney Pier grew up because the steel plant was there and people came from all over the world to live in Whitney Pier because of the presence of the steel plant.”

McCready said the trail would also serve another purpose. He noted there is also a tunnel underneath the railway track that will be linked to the trail and that creates an opportunity for a continuous pathway from Whitney Pier into downtown Sydney, which would be complete once the new Ferry Street bridge is finished.

Creating a pedestrian and cycling link to downtown supports the region’s active transportation strategy, he added.

How much the trail will cost to build will depend on what comes out of the study. For example, McCready said, if the decision is made to have a paved pathway, with many interpretative panels and lighting, it would be more expensive than a simple gravel pathway. Funding for trail construction isn’t finalized yet, but he added the partners are hopeful the necessary approvals will fall into place next year.

The open house will take place Thursday from 4-7:30 p.m. at the Whitney Pier Museum. Two 30-minute presentations providing detailed descriptions of the trail design take place at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

My suggestion on the surface of the trail, recycled asphalt. It still might be more expensive than gravel, but it's cheaper than "paving".

[Smevo]

Of course...
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=304196&sc=152

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/eelfishermenjc.JPG
Albert Capstick and his fishing partner, Eileen Robillard, hold one of the nets they use for fishing eels near the Barrachois inlet. Julie Collins - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=304196&sc=152)

Eel fisherman concerned dredging will affect his livelihood

BY JULIE COLLINS
The Cape Breton Post

NORTH SYDNEY — A local eel fishermen has vowed to stop a major project considered the key to development of Sydney harbour unless he receives compensation for loss of his fishing ground.

“Now that they’ve called for tenders for dredging, I’m going to remind them of my rights,” said Albert (Abby) Capstick of North Sydney. “They can’t dredge the harbour until this area where the terminal is going to go is prepared. All the material coming out of the harbour is going to be dumped near Barrachois Creek and I fish 50 feet from that shore. In fact, I have a licence to fish all tidal waters in Cape Breton and Victoria counties.”

The Sydney Marine Group and Sydney Ports Corporation issued proposals for the dredging of the outer channel of Sydney harbour for the deepening of the 8.5-kilometre entrance channel.

The process is the next step in developing the port as a major commercial cargo and passenger centre as part of the Atlantic Gateway.

Bids close at the end of January.

“Time is of the essence, and no one is talking to me,” Capstick said. “This project will take away my workplace. If no one talks to me, I’m going to be going fishing in the spring and they can’t touch my gear, it’s illegal under the Fisheries Act.”

James Wooder of the Sydney Marine Group said the plan isn’t to fill in the Barrachois Inlet.

“So, as far as I am aware, Mr. Capstick’s ability to fish will not be compromised. Mr. Capstick has attended all the information sessions, has made his representation to (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) where his concerns were considered during the environmental assessment when the regulators gave us conditional approval. ”

Wooder said there’s no question that the project will include putting a rail line across the Barrachois inlet.

“The final design of that is yet to be determined, but there’s no question that we’re not going to block it off so the tide doesn’t flow in and out. (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) wouldn’t allow us to do this.”

Wooder said the proponents will continue to work with the regulators and will get final approvals to proceed.



Owen's tooting his horn (and those of his friends)...
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=304193&sc=595

Improvements to Highway 4 worth the disruption

The Cape Breton Post

When driving through Ben Eoin on Saturday, I was very impressed with the amount and speed of the work under way on this portion of Highway 4.

This is one of the two primary arteries between the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the Canso Causeway, and the community has fought hard to get it upgraded in a timely fashion.

In December 2007, the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce joined with other community groups in calling for the timely upgrade of Highway 4. This community coalition claimed that much of Highway 4 was in a state of disrepair to the point of being a safety hazard and a roadblock to economic growth.

The progress we now see is a great example of how much our community can accomplish when we work together for a good cause. When the business community, citizen groups and our political leaders can work together, there is much we can accomplish. We are seeing the results in Ben Eoin.

The traffic delays caused by the construction were certainly an inconvenience for many but I'm sure people will find that short-term inconvenience well worth it. What a difference in this highway!

This portion of the upgrade was a real challenge as construction crews had to cut into a mountain of rock. Already, at least half of this section of highway in Ben Eoin has been paved. Hopefully the weather co-operates so crews can get the rest paved before snow flies.

I hope the provincial government will continue this pace of work and complete the upgrade of Highway 4 all the way to St. Peter’s.

In response to the calls from the community coalition, in December 2007 the government of the day promised to complete this job by 2013 (Cape Breton Post, Dec. 8, 2007). Hopefully the new provincial government will stick to this deadline.

There are still dangerously narrow and windy sections to this highway that are in serious disrepair. But today I am thankful for the progress being made.
I give special credit to MLA Alfie MacLeod for the effort he made in addressing the concerns of the Highway 4 community coalition.

Owen Fitzgerald
past president,
Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce

Although Owen may be giving more credit to some than they deserve, he is right. The delays on this stretch of highway are well worth it, and there is more to be done but every bit counts.

[Smevo]

http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=304647&sc=145

http://www.capebretonpost.com/photos/TheCapeBretonPost/stories/TarPondssol.jpg
Trucks carry cement to the Sydney tar ponds site where it is mixed with an excavator bucket into the sediment as part of the solidification and stabilization process, Thursday. Greg McNeil - Cape Breton Post (http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=304647&sc=145)

Important step in tar ponds cleanup officially begins

GREG MCNEIL
The Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY — A key step in the tar ponds cleanup is now underway.

The solidification and stabilization process officially began Thursday following a media launch.

“It will be just like making a cake at home,” said Donnie Burke, project director for the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency.

“We are adding the ingredients and we are putting the bucket into the sludge with the cement and mixing it all up to a homogeneous mixture. Then we leave it there to set.”

The contractors for the $50-million project are Nordly’s Environmental (owned by J&T van Zutphen Construction Inc. of Southwest Mabou) and ECC of Marlborough, Massachusetts.

They’ll mix cement, water and other ingredients into the contaminated material to contain and immobilize the hazardous contaminants.

Burke said this part of the cleanup should give the public the sense that the remediation work has finally begun.

“I grew up in this area and went through school, as probably a lot of people have, wondering if this is ever going to happen. It has been a big month for us in the fact that it is happening and we are seeing it happening.”

Before the project went to tender, a pilot project was also carried out. The information learned during the pilot was supplied to bidders.

“It is pretty when you look out, but when you look close, it is some pretty nasty stuff,” said Vince van Zutphen, president of Nordly’s Environmental.

“There is always an ooze of oil products coming out of it that have been going in the harbour forever. Three years from now, hopefully, it will look like a park here.”

He said controlling dust is the biggest challenge of the project.

“Productivity and quality, I think we have under control, but the dust can be a real issue depending which way the wind blows on any given day and the moisture conditions.”

Van Zutphen said there have been no issues, to date.

“We haven’t been coming close to our limits on dust, but this is not the dry time of year. Summer season will probably be our biggest challenge.”

Burke said dust can be one way material can get off the site.

“That is one of the biggest controls and measures that you’ll see on the project ... the fact we are compensating for these areas.”

Solidification and stabilization work is expected to be completed by March 2014.