8may08: Shelburne a "Banana Republic" according to new film studio owners... in a May 5 news release, Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow touted the fact that Americans were finally taking over the "crown jewel" of Nova Scotia film studios, located in what they described as "Canada's Banana Republic"  (the disambiguative phrase is described by wikipedia as "a pejorative term for a country with a kleptocratic government, often with a primitive economy and sometimes a puppet state of a major power".)
     Some local citizens are none too pleased with the demeaning description, and one ventured to say that the implications for the mayor and warden overseeing kleptocracies are not good either. "It's great when folks from away come in and insult us all right off," groused one businessman. 
      When interviewed about whether he saw any relevance in calling Shelburne a Banana Republic, inferring a puppet state, Shelburne mayor P.G. Comeau told SCT, "They were obviously referring to the Municipality of Shelburne."
     The news release also described a hotel on the site, which the facility's promotional video says has 60 rooms. The property has not previously been licensed as a hotel and the Province of Nova Scotia has no record of an application being made to operate a hotel or food service at the former military base. One local tourism operator chafed at the addition of 60 unlicensed rooms to the struggling tourism picture. "We're all hurting already, now this."
     Mary Barstow described the long-dormant property as "alive and thriving" and portrayed Shelburne as an "historic village". At a recent presentation to Municipal Council, Barstow and Kendrick made no mention of the film studio, but told council that a mini-golf and drive-in theatre would be built there, as would a candle factory. The $15 million film scheduled to begin shooting May 1 has yet to materialize. sct 

Banana notes... 
-     One reader suggests that SeaCoast meant to say "Banana Belt"
-     A concerned taxpayer writes to say that, since former warden Paulette Scott is now the marketing & sales person for the outfit, she might have written the release, based on her experience as warden.

8may08: Embree takes over as Shelburne warden in fractious council meeting punctuated by outbursts, epithets and crying jags... reports from the most recent Shelburne Municipal Council meeting describe the session as "wild and crazy", among other things. 
     Former warden Paulette Scott quit her honorific post citing the appearance of conflict with her new job as executive assistant to Mary Barstow, one of the new owners of Seacoast Studios, located at the former military facility at Sandy Point. 
     Upon Sherm Embree's election as warden, councilman Raymond Davis apparently launched into a series of interruptions and tirades against Embree, finally storming out of the room saying "kiss my #@s!" Former warden Pat Nickerson broke down weeping and the meeting was adjourned temporarily. Nickerson told SCT previously that Davis had driven her to day-long bouts of crying with vicious personal attacks against her and her family.
     When SCT called Davis for comments, we were told that he was "away for  awhile" and is not expected to return soon. sct

8may08: Shelburne's auction season begins Saturday on the waterfront... B&W Auctions has announced the first auction of the season at the Cox Warehouse on Dock Street this coming Saturday. Viewing is at 9:00 am with bidding slated for 10:00am.
     29 box lots and 300 items are expected, including furniture, folk art, bed sets, oil lamps, prints, etc. Visit B&W web here sct

25apr08:  Warden tells Herald "no conflict"... says that "nasty" people have wrong idea.  Paulette Scott denied any conflict of interest in her position as warden and employee at SeaCoast Entertainment in a Herald story on Friday's front page business section. Councilor Terry McIntyre is quoted as being shocked and several of her councilors have urged her to resign.
     Scott has been heard privately to be blaming the entire problem surrounding the conflict issue on SCT, telling some that "most people don't care about the issue."

25apr08: Etube, brute... Sea City concert venue and hotel debuts with You Tube videos... Shelburne's newest concert venue, Sea City, launched a series of promotional videos on the internet channel You Tube this past week. Using still photos and hand-held video, the new owners of the former Canadian Forces Station have produced short promo videos for the concert venue, film studios, conference centre and hotel. As a nice touch, Sea Coast Studios American owners put a red maple leaf on the entry sign. See the videos here.

24apr08:  No to warden's job, says Nickerson... Shelburne deputy warden Pat Nickerson told SCT today that she will not consider taking over as warden when Paulette Scott vacates the position on Monday, due to concerns by council and ratepayers that Scott is in conflict of interest vis-a-vis a new position.
    Saying she has been the target of a campaign of "vicious and untrue personal and professional attacks" by another councilor, Nickerson said that she was not one to "back away from civic responsibility", but that she was not inclined to suffer the personal pain of the unwarranted attacks. Councilman Raymond Davis has been waging a behind-the-scenes campaign to have Scott remain as warden, saying others were not fit for the position.
     As of 5pm Thursday, Scott had not resigned, but if she officially tenders her resignation to the clerk prior to Monday's meeting, there could be a vote for warden at that time. If not, the council would have to wait until a future meeting to elect a warden. Scott has said publicly that she is quitting as warden "because it is the right thing", but privately she is blaming the local media for the conflict of interest situation.

24apr08:  Power play... Brooklyn, South Shore Power sold... AbitibiBowater announced April 22 the purchase of Brooklyn Power Corporation and South Shore Power Services Incorporated by Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited. >>> more

23APR08:  Shelburne Warden to resign over conflict of interest issues... "right thing to do"... in an unannounced closed-door session on Tuesday evening, Municipality of Shelburne warden Paulette Scott informed her council that on Monday, she would announce the end of her tenure as warden of the municipality.
     Recently, Scott was at the centre of a controversy regarding her being hired for an executive position by Seacoast Entertainments, the firm which has recently purchased the former Sandy Point Canadian forces site. Scott is also vice-chair of the regional development authority, which owned the property.
     Just days ago, Scott told SCT that there was "absolutely no conflict" in taking the job and no matter what pressure was put upon her, she was "...taking the job and staying on as warden." Tuesday she apparently told her council colleagues that she was stepping down because it was "the right thing to do."
     Deputy warden Pat Nickerson is likely to serve as warden until the October elections, but councilor Raymond Davis opposes such a move, saying he has three votes for his plan. "I would like to see Paulette stay on as warden," Davis added, "and give up her post on SWSDA." Davis has been the SWSDA alternate for several years and, according to him, he is "fully up to speed on all of the issues" before the body.
     Davis opined that Scott was the only viable warden on council and iterate a variety of professional and personal issues which would make him and other councilors inappropriate candidates for the position.  

23apr08: Seacoast property sale and mortgage finalized for former Canadian Forces site... two-years of no payments part of the deal...  The South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA) has taken a first mortgage for $1.75 million on the recent $2.75 million sale of the former Canadian Forces Station (the base) at Sandy Point, according to documents filed with the registrars office in Shelburne.
     The mortgage is payment and interest-free until May 1, 2010, after which an interest rate of five per cent per annum for eight years and has payments of $22,000 per month attached to it. Seacoast Entertainment Arts, owned by American investors Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow, is the mortgagee on the property. 
     Seacoast recently received more than 200 applications for employment at "Sea City" and Seacoast Film Production Studios, after announcing plans to solicit producers for filming at the site and to create a business "incubator" there, housing a variety of businesses, including candle making, fish hatching, food services, tourism accommodations and a variety of retail operations.
     Of the the $1 million cash received by SWSDA in the deal, there is a court order to hold aside $520,000, there is a $400,000 plus mortgage from the province and there has also been much discussion in the community of a 10% broker's fee promised for the sale.  

24apr08: Seacoast principals to appear before Muni Council... Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow have been requested by Shelburne Municipal Council to make a presentation at Monday's council meeting in chambers. The American pair were the successful bidders for the Shelburne sound stage at Sandy Point, which they have renamed Seacoast Film Production Studios.
     They have recently announced the hiring of municipal warden Paulette Scott as executive assistant to Ms. Barstow

22apr08: Sandy Point Lighthouse gets funding...  South Shore MP Gerald Keddy, SWSDA CEO Frank Anderson and others announced Tuesday a successful funding application for funding to ACOA (Keddy is also parliamentary secretary to the ACOA minister) and others for support to repair the ailing Sandy Point Lighthouse near Shelburne.
     ACOA is investing $ 38,274, Nova Scotia Economic Development is contributing $20,000, the Municipality of the District of Shelburne is contributing $10,000, and the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society is contributing
$6,600 toward the upgrades and improvements.
     Substantial work has been done over the winter on the concrete base for the maritime icon and the project will also include new railing and interpretive panels. Joan Bower of the South West Shore Development Authority was instrumental in a two-year campaign to raise funds for the project.

22apr08: Film producer Gilmour decamps to Ontario...  Saying that the lack of representation of Nova Scotia at the recent locations expo in California was the "last straw", Australian film producer Steve Gilmour told SCT he was moving to Ontario to try to get his film shot there.
     "No wonder Nova Scotia is down in productions currently if we leave our hands up in the air in surrender saying the competition is too much and too big, so we won't even try."
     Gilmour's production of Moon Harvest was originally to have been shot at the sound stage at Sandy Point, but that changed with the collapse of an arrangement with Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow, who subsequently bought the property.

22apr08: Earth day big deal for Barrington schools... the 38th annual celebration of Earth Day will get lots of attention Tuesday among the students and staff of the Barrington area "family of schools", as Barrington High School, Forest Ridge Academy, Cape Sable Island Elementary and Evelyn Richardson Memorial Elementary School (ERMES) head out into the hills and dales in search of ways to celebrate "mother earth."
    The day of beach sweeps, trail clean-ups and other pro-environment activity allows students to focus on the need to regard the natural world as valuable. At ERMES in Shag Harbour, staff and students will be visiting the western branch of the Barrington River for trash sweeps, geocaching and water and vegetation assessments.
    Tests for water salinity will allow students to monitor the possible effects of road salt on the environment and vegetation assessments will afford the students a benchmark for further monitoring at a later date.

22apr08: Budget talks begin for Shelburne municipality... the yearly budget sessions for councilors at the Municipality of Shelburne begin Tuesday night (6:00pm at muni council chambers), with additional sessions slated for April 30 and May 14 and 21.
     The great furor stirred by last year's sessions is not expected, as the draft budget appears not to contain any items which would drastically raise tax rates. 
    Some of the items slated for discussion include additional recreation staff, cost-sharing for tourism and economic development staff, fire protection funding, office repairs, economic development financing and election costs. One controversial item is certain to be the return of increased salaries for warden and council. 

22apr08: Digby ferry crisis looming for SouWest Nova Scotia... ‘no-speak’ rhetoric from government officials to blame for funding logjam, says Digby Courier... >>> more  No "no from MacKay on help from feds >>> more  $44 million building boom not accessible with ferry gone... >>> more  No time to waste >>> editorial

22apr08: "New world vibe" central to new Nova Scotia tourism brand... seaside trails and cottage licensing go by the wayside... "Old world charm. New world vibe. Shaped by the Sea. The spirit of our people."  These are the four attributes of Nova Scotia’s new " brand"...  >>> more

22apr08: Shrinking slate for Shelburne Mayor's race.... local businessman and former Chamber of Commerce head Ed Cayer has informed SCT that, despite suggestions that he may enter the fray, he will definitely not be a candidate in the October election for mayor of Shelburne, "or any other elected office".
     Citing the need for fresh, young ideas and people, his attention needed on the on-going litigation with SWSDA and his desire to ask questions of the candidates, Cayer also cited several private initiatives he has underway which will garner his attention.
     Mayor Comeau has committed to re-offer and other possible candidates include town councilors Al Delaney and Tony Mahaney and former port manager Donnie Acker.  
     Common wisdom in the 2004 election said that Comeau was re-elected in part due to the fact that there were several candidates splitting the votes.

22apr08: Shelburne County support sought for new Yarmouth arts centre... the backers of the new arts centre planned for Yarmouth have sent out news releases seeking public input and support from Shelburne and Yarmouth counties and the Clare area at the May 5 public sessions in Yarmouth... >>> more

22apr08: Major entertainment complex for Bowood unveiled... the Bowood project developed by Ralston Macdonnell has unveiled a sweeping plan to create an multi-faceted entertainment complex at the former Boy's School in Shelburne. The plan, according to the facility's web site and a recent presentation by project director Stephen Antle, is to house events, live shows, corporate business meetings, seminars, workshops, promotional events, fundraisers and recreational activities at the Sandy Point location. 
     Named Bowood's Eventex, the entertainment company is overseen by Antle, former producer of the very successful Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso and promises to specialize in live entertainment, exhibition and cultural productions. The complex houses several performance venues with a combined capacity over 1,000 and will be the home soon for shows by Bruce Guthro, Charlie Acourt and the Hupman Brothers (May 26), Dwight D'Eon (May 10) and comic Jimmy Flynn (June 7)
     Antle recently told a Chamber of Commerce gathering that, rather than compete with the Osprey Arts Centre, Bowood/Eventex would concentrate on shows that were not offered at or not suitable for the arts centre.  

It's true... it's true... this job's for you... Shelburne warden goes to work for new base owner... stepping into yet another firestorm of conflict-of-interest allegations, Municipality of Shelburne warden Paulette Scott has accepted a job as executive assistant to the chief operating officer of Seacoast Entertainment Arts, Inc., the company which recently purchased the former Canadian Forces Station at Sandy Point (the base).
     Scott is also vice-chair on the executive of South West Shore Development Authority, (SWSDA) who sold the base to Seacoast, which is helmed by the American team of Mary Barstow and Jim Kendrick. Scott told SCT that, although she did not have a title yet, she would be overseeing all "economic development" at the facility.
     With now-departed CAO Reg Ridgely, Scott was intimately involved for months in the recent machinations to sell the property. Scott says her involvement did not include any negotiations with Kendrick and partner Mary Barstow, but Australian film producer Steve Gilmour says that is simply not the case.  
     "She met with Jim, Mary, me and my partner Clare (Bourke-Jones) at least twice," says Gilmour, who exited the deal prior to closing. Gilmour says that he was told by Ridgely that there were several other meetings at Municipal offices with the pair. Scott and Ridgely were reported at the time to have suggested that Kendrick and Barstow encamp in offices supplied by the municipality, but current CAO Kirk Cox nixed the idea. 
     Scott told SCT that she sees "no conflict whatsoever" in taking a position at a firm which just bought property from an organization on which she sits as an executive as part of a deal that she helped orchestrate. "Think about it," says a local expert in economic development and government process, "she helps negotiate a deal for a couple of American investors, then votes to sell the property at a bargain-basement price, then votes to have her agency carry 60% of the selling price. It's a no-brainer"  
     Scott told her councilors at a closed-door council meeting this past week, which she described as a "personnel" discussion, which, according to provincial law, are designed to discuss issues surrounding employees, not government officials. Some on her council are disturbed at what they consider improper, if not unethical, behaviour, and some, like councilor Raymond Davis, see "nothing wrong whatsoever". Councilor Terry McIntyre says he definitely does not approve of the move.
    According to Kendrick, the purchase and sale agreement with SWSDA had always committed SWSDA to ensuring $1.75 million of the purchase price. "Paulette never told us that when she reported to council," adds McIntyre. "I was very surprised to hear about it."  SWSDA treasurer and Lockeport mayor Darian Huskilson says he was also not informed of the $1.75 million guarantee and thinks the SWSDA board should have been informed. 
     The minutes of the SWSDA meeting cinching the $1.75 million agreement read "It was moved... and seconded... to accept the terms to facilitate the sale of the Shelburne Base as negotiated."  
     Scott says that on April 28, she will reveal to the public all of the details of her employment. "I realize that some on my council do not approve," says Scott. "and that I may take a pounding from the public for it, but I am keeping this job." Note:  Shelburne Municipal Council recently opposed a recommendation that conflict-of-interest legislation for municipal bodies be amended to allow challenges by citizens without going to Supreme Court.
     Scott was at the centre of another conflict of interest outcry when she went to work as a public relations worker for the proposed controversial El Paso natural gas project. There have been several out front and back-channel attempts by the Municipality to get Scott a hefty increase in her warden's pay and to find her a job. According to informed sources, former CAO Reg Ridgely spent considerable effort both trying to find her a job and badgering council members to increase her pay. Note: Councilor Raymond Davis informed SCT that he was the one behind the move to increase Scott's income and brought such a motion to council, where it was defeated.
     Several months ago, Scott put her name forward as an employee of SWSDA, where she also sits as vice chair. The plan was apparently scotched when calls of concern were made to SWSDA officials. More recently, the warden paraded in downtown Shelburne wearing a sandwich board trumpeting the base sale and appeared on the front page of the Coast Guard with Kendrick and Barstow.    sct 19apr08

Base fix-ups and developments underway... in an exclusive interview with SCT, Jim Kendrick described the flurry of activity his Seacoast Entertainment firm has been engaged in since taking over the sound stage property in Sandy Point. COO Mary Barstow's Victorian candle factory is packed and ready to ship, as is Barstow's "logo ware" firm. The radio station idea is on hold, says CEO Kendrick, but a sound recording studio is underway, as is a video recording and distribution operation
     "The $15 million film coming May 1 is on track," says Kendrick and the pool needed for water scenes is being retrofitted at present. High speed satellite internet is operating throughout the facility and accommodations are being upgraded for use by film companies and tourists.
     The recent job fair netted 200-plus resume's, from which 3 people have been hired, including municipal warden Paulette Scott. "We are very impressed with the talent pool here," added Kendrick. There are two 'co-ventures" underway, one of which involves the renovation and rehab of the large kitchen there.
     The facility, according to Kendrick could become a local "enterprise incubation centre". Kendrick's US-based Seacoast Entertainment Arts operation will be moved to Shelburne, he says. The firm has a website which promises services such as websites, magazines, newspapers, TV production & distribution, music production/recording/distribution, artist management, concert promotion, digital video/editing, advertising/marketing, commercials/jingles and screenwriting. http://www.seacoastentertainmentarts.com/  sct18apr08

Butt out of base business, or, pound sand about where the money comes from... the matter of where the funding is coming from to finance the $2.75 million purchase of the former CFS Shelburne and sound stage is still a murky mystery, despite this reporter's efforts to get some clarity.
     According to new owner Jim Kendrick, the purchase a sale agreement for the sound stage at Sandy Point included a provision that required owner SWSDA to finance $1.75 million of the purchase. There have been reports that SWSDA has been "shopping" a grant or loan to Kendrick and Barstow out of an economic development fund which houses millions of dollars in "forgiveable" loans. 
     Mary Barstow told SCT that both partners were very "financially stable". When asked why they would then get a government loan or grant or mortgage, she said that was what rich people did, they got mortgages. Barstow refused to divulge whether the $1.7 million from the government would be a mortgage, grant or loan. 
     Kendrick said that the deed is scheduled to be registered today. This reporter quipped that "sounds like they found the money", at which point Kendrick launched into a tirade saying that his was a "real deal", not some "f*&%king fantasy world...", and, he added, that if the reporter "played loose and fast" with him, he would "fix you, you motherf*#@ker."  
     When asked whether the $1.7 million will be a loan or grant or mortgage, and what agency or department was funding the deal, Barstow refused to answer, saying if we wanted to know, "call the government." sct18apr08

Things get ugly in Shellywood??... Australian film producer Steve Gilmour and screenwriter/producer Clare Bourke-Jones are stunned by revelations that former business associates Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow may be trying to torpedo a film project which has been years in the making.
     "We couldn't be more shocked at what we are reading and hearing," says Gilmour, who publicly congratulated the American pair in their successful bid for the base and sound stage property at Sandy Point. "It is simply outrageous what they are doing, and we have instructed our lawyers to take appropriate action regarding this obvious slander," says the outraged Aussie.
     Gilmour and Bourke-Jones received a copy of an email purportedly sent on April 16 to a literary and film agency in Toronto which was signed by James Kendrick of SEA Seacoast Entertainment Arts and using the email address of Kendrick. The email is disparaging of Gilmour and claims he is being hunted by the RCMP.
     Another Sheburne-based business person says that Kendrick made the same assertion to her personally some weeks ago. In a meeting earlier in the month, Kendrick and Mary Barstow reportedly made similar assertions to two other local business people.  
     "I've put my heart and soul into this project," says Bourke-Jones of her Moon Harvest film, "and to have people we once trusted try to scuttle it in such an ugly and venal way is heartbreaking."  The Toronto agency, according to Bourke-Jones, represents several key players in Moon Harvest.
     When contacted about the emails, Kendrick said that he did not recall sending an email to a business in Toronto, but was "so upset at one point about lies being reported about me, I may have sent something like that." Kendrick then named a litany of alleged bad debts by Gilmour, but when pressed further, he said he had no personal knowledge about the debts or the assertions about the RCMP. 
     Kendrick added that Barstow's blackberry device which housed some of his emails was apparently missing or stolen two weeks ago. He says also that his email log doesn't show such an email and the email could be a fake.      
     Gilmour's attorney says the RCMP has assured him there is no file open on Gilmour.  Canadian slander law differs from the American version in that, once a claim of slander is made, it is presumed to be true. sct18apr08