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ShelburneCountyTODAY... News Archive

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27feb2009:  $1.4 million for 103 paving near Tusket... The province has awarded a road-paving contract for Yarmouth County worth $1,423,300 to Aberdeen Paving to re-pave a five-kilometer section of Highway 103 east of the Tusket overpass. The project is scheduled for completion this summer.
     The Transportation Department says that this is the 35th road construction tender issued in 2009, compared to 26 at this time last year, and 16 the year before. So far an investment of $63.4 million has been announced for road infrastructure projects, a 54 per cent increase over this same period in 2008.  >>> more 

26feb2009:  Financial Series kicks off with Cash Flow workshop... Sylvia Booth of the Centre for Women in Business and a Certified General Accountant will lead a workshop in "Taking the Mystery Out of Cash Flow" in Barrington on March 3 and Shelburne on March 4. The series is sponsored in part by the Shelburne Community Business Development Corp. Cost is $10, which includes nutrition break. April and May workshops will cover credit and banking issues.  >>> more info  >>> download brochure

26feb2009:  Huskilson acclaimed as Liberal candidate... Lockeport mayor and former MP candidate Darian Huskilson was nominated this week by a unanimous vote of the Shelburne County Liberal Party as the Liberal candidate in the upcoming provincial election.
     Seen by some as one of the brightest young players in the provincial arena, Huskilson is part of a political dynasty of sorts in this area. His uncle Clifford Huskilson was an MLA for the area in the 1990s and his great uncle Harold Huskilson was a kingpin of local politics for decades, serving as MLA and in cabinet. Harold defeated all comers for 20 years and Clifford served six years, part of that as Transportation Minister.
     In his time as mayor of Lockeport, Darian Huskilson has been a vocal advocate for greater cooperation between the municipal units in the county and has served as a director and executive with the regional development authority, where he has publicly insisted on a more open and transparent process in the agency's business dealings.
     In his acceptance speech, Huskilson said that "Shelburne County and rural Nova Scotia needs to stop taking a back seat" in provincial matters. He also stressed that the area needed someone to "stand up" for them in the legislature.
     Party leader Stephen McNeil appeared at the meeting and praised the young candidate for his determination. McNeil also stressed that the current government has done little to lessen the effects of a moribund economy, saying that, since 2003, Nova Scotia has shown the slowest growth of any province in Canada.
     Huskilson was prompted by the leader to develop a strong team around him for the election that is expected by many to be called for the late spring. Current NDP MLA Sterling Belliveau has begun making calls to potential supporters in anticipation of the spring election.

26feb2009:  McNeil touts energy and transportation strategy as critical during Chamber discussion... SWSDA should be audited.... In a round table discussion with directors from the Shelburne and Area Chamber of Commerce, Liberal Party leader Stephen McNeil stressed that the lack of comprehensive energy and transportation strategies by the current government is hampering Nova Scotia's future. He also reiterated his call for a comprehensive audit of the South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA)
     Citing insights from his recent meeting with Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams, McNeil told the Chamber that, unless Nova Scotia develops a realistic and comprehensive "energy security" strategy, we could well be left in the lurch as neighboring provinces develop renewable resources and create energy "corridors" allowing them to move power between provinces and New England states.
     The wide-ranging discussion also focused on the need for a transportation strategy which takes into account the development of an Atlantic Gateway, but also factors in the changing demographics and population shifts of the province. McNeil agreed with most present that the completion of highway 103 as a 100-series highway from Yarmouth to Halifax should be an immediate priority for any government.
    On the matter of a SWSDA audit, the Liberal leader said that, "independent of any suggestion that there is any wrongdoing" at SWSDA, the fact that so many questions have been raised about the agency's business practices and controversial property sales, that there needs to be "complete transparency" at the publicly-funded operation. Both the Liberal and NDP parties have called for thorough audits for SWSDA's operations.

26feb2009:  No fish farm for Queens County, says opposition group... saying the waste from a fish farm would equal the effluent from 10,000 homes, a group called Friends of Port Mouton Bay held a protest in Halifax Wednesday against plans by the province to approve a 29-hectare salmon farm in Queens County... >>> more 

26feb2009:  $3.25 million Bluenose deal signed... Society still waiting for $600,000 from Bluenose Trust... The province extended its contract with the operator of the Bluenose II on Wednesday but is still waiting for a trust chaired by Senator Wilfred Moore to turn over more than $600,000 >>> more 

23feb2009:  Rebels coast to two regional hoop titles...  Shelburne Rebels senior boys team coasted to a second Regional title in as many years as they defeated the Bridgetown Trojans 74-55 in the Division 3 basketball championship Saturday at St. Mary’s Bay Academy in St. Bernard.  >>> story
     The senior girls team, led by scorers Paula Christie and Katie Locke, won their division for the first time in 15 years, beating Digby 82-72, then besting hosts New Germany 61-51.  Upon returning home, the team was greeted with a police and fire escort with the Regional Banner being proudly displayed by the players. The team will next play at the Division III Girls Provincial tournament in Springhill on March 5,6 and 7^.

23feb2009:  D'Entremont named acting finance minister... Argyle MLA Chris D'Entremont was named by Premier Rodney MacDonald as acting Finance Minister, filling in for Michael Baker, who is taking a break from his duties to concentrate on his battle with cancer. The province is preparing for the 2009-10 budget, which is widely expected to provoke an election in the spring. 
     MacDonald told CBC Radio that we can expect departmental budget and program cuts and serious provincial revenue downturns in coming months.

22feb2009:  Shelburne makes strong showing at Local Food Systems Conference... A day-long conference in Yarmouth on the various aspects of supporting sustainable, locally-produced food generated much interest from people in the tri-county area and several attendees from Shelburne. Of particular note to many at the conference was a group of seven eager and active students from Shelburne Regional High.
      The participants from Shelburne included Charlotte Lane chef Roland Glausser, who also  represents Slow Foods Nova Scotia, Elizabeth Rhuland and Cathy Holmes, who are each interested in developing a farmer's market in the area and Cindy Embree, an advocate for highway markets in the county. Barrington Municipal warden Louise Halliday also attended.
     "There was quite a wide variety of people there," said Elizabeth Rhuland, "and it was a great opportunity to network with similarly-minded folks." According to SRHS principal Mary Manning, the school is considering the development of a community garden and the students were energized by the conference and quite animated on the trip back home.

22feb2009:  $540,000 announced by Hurlburt, Kerr for Yarmouth & Argyle soil treatment... In what is now appears a litany of federal and provincial funding announcements for the Yarmouth area, MP Greg Kerr and MLA Richard Hurlburt announced three-party funding for a today for the construction of a contaminated soil treatment facility at the regional solid waste park in South Ohio. >>> more

21feb2009: Pet adoption fair in Woods Harbour, Saturday, Feb 28... >>> see web site

20feb2009: Upgrades for Nova Scotia's "deadliest highway" a priority say Keddy & MacDonald ... Responding to a question by CBC TV's Paul Wynn at a Bridgewater sewage treatment funding news conference, MP Gerald Keddy and Premier Rodney MacDonald told reporters that upgrades and twinning of Highway 103 were priorities.
    Keddy said that the whole highway needed to be considered, not just "one sectyion or the other." The Premier said that 103 upgrade was "a priority" for the Tory government and some announcements would be coming "in due time."
    A Halifax Herald web site story on Saturday resulted in fifty readers' comments, many of them excoriating Keddy and MacDonald for their lack of action in the matter. 10 people died in accidents on 103 in 2008 and 45 have perished and 400 have been injured in the past decade. An online petition demanding action and called Upgrade Highway 103 has more than 3,500 signatures. 

20feb2009: Canadian lobster gear suspected in right whale injuries... floating rope ban by be adopted by DFO.. Canadian fisheries officials may follow the U.S. in banning a common lobster-trapping system that's been implicated in life-threatening entanglements of the endangered North Atlantic right whale, according to reports on Canwest News Service.
     An unprecedented number of North Atlantic right whales have been found tangled in fishing rope this winter off Georgia and Florida – and scientists are searching where the marine giants that summer off New England may have picked up the gear. 
     The Maine Lobsterman's Association has been opposing some provisions of the U.S. ban, citing "burdensome" prohibitions. They also say that "the burden must be shared by Canada and others... who are currently not held accountable for protecting marine mammals"
    The specific feeding regime of right whales makes them susceptible to surface fishing gear entanglements, according to some whale experts. >>> see Herald story

20feb2009: Culture sector growth industry worth $84.6 billion and 1.1 million jobs says Creative Economy Report... A report on building the creative economy in Nova Scotia will be launched at a town hall meeting on Wednesday, March 4, 7 pm, at the Dalhousie Arts Centre by arts group, Nova Scotia CAN. The report's authors say that arts and culture are a way of creating wealth at a time that Nova Scotia desperately needs it. "There has been an unprecedented growth in creative industries in the last 10 years," Leah Hamilton, co-author of the report told The Herald... >>> Herald story    >>> read report

20feb2009: Nova Scotia trying to provoke a trade war over oil and gas drilling?... How provincial greed may force Nova Scotians to pay the price of a possible fisheries trade war, ruined habitat and a firestorm of protest, boycotts and worse... >>> Editorial in NS Today

20feb2009: $1.2 million for Yarmouth & Bridgewater courthouses... The province is giving $2.8 million to 10 Nova Scotia municipalities that house provincially owned courthouses. "It’s a good partnership with the municipalities, that’s what it is," Richard Hurlburt, the municipal relations minister, said Thursday >>> more

20feb2009: No progress on Oceans First Task Force...  Energy Dept disputes SWSDA claim... The Department of Energy-funded group slated to survey regional benefits and liabilities of oil and gas exploration on and near the Georges Bank fishing grounds has yet to have its first meeting, according to members interviewed by SCT. "I haven't heard anything about any meetings," said Dan Earle of the Tusket River Environmental Protection Association.
     The Oceans First Task Force is the creation of former Nova Scotia Energy Minister Richard Hurlburt and South West Shore Development Authority CEO Frank Anderson and is funded by a $150,000 grant from the Department for SWSDA. Hurlburt has been avid proponent of ending the current moratorium on petroleum development on Georges Bank. Anderson told the SWSDA board of directors on Wednesday that the project was still in the "letter-writing" stage and that local municipal units would be receiving letters soon about the progress of the research project.
     With a deadline for a major report on findings from the Task Force due on March 31, it appears doubtful to those familiar with the process that a credible report would surface by that date.  In January and prior to any Task Force meetings, steering committee chairman Clifford Hood announced that the Task Force had concluded that oil and gas exploration and production would not be harmful to fisheries or habitat. "It seems to me," said a consultant and project manager familiar with similar projects, "that this might be a case of $150,000 going down the drain to support a series of foregone conclusions."   
     In January, Anderson told his board that parts of the project would be overseen by SWSDA worker Pam Thibault of Clare and that the Department of Energy was funding researchers from Dalhousie University for the project. A senior official for the department told SCT that Anderson's claim is not true. Neither Thibault or Anderson would speak on record for this story.

18feb2009: SWSDA tosses reporter from meeting... Despite the recent ruling by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court that the South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA) was a public agency according to the laws of the Province and despite protests by several member politicians, CEO Frank Anderson had the Shelburne RCMP escort SCT editor and publisher Timothy Gillespie from the Shelburne meeting of the agency in Shelburne early Wednesday morning.
     Anderson told Gillespie that, despite the court ruling, he considered the meeting a "private" one and not open to the public or the media. In a November, 2008 decision, Supreme Court Justice Suzanne Hood determined that, because its membership is comprised almost exclusively of elected officials and the agency's funding is almost exclusively from public funds, SWSDA is a "municipal body" and should not be exempt from legislation controlling their actions.
   Anderson and SWSDA have a track record of disputing decisions and orders from the courts and other authorities. He refused to comply with a decision by the province's Freedom of Information officer to release his expense records (this prompted the lawsuit before Justice Hood), initially released only a partial version of the records and, with SWSDA, is facing a contempt of court action for allegedly not complying with another judicial order.
    One SWSDA member reported that the board of directors decided at the meeting that the agency was obliged to conform to Freedom of Information requests as "municipal agency", but determined that they were not subject to public meeting legislation. "In light of the court's recent ruling," said an authority on the governing legislation," that is a patently absurd and dangerous conclusion. All of the municipalities which comprise SWSDA are now subject to almost certain legal action in the courts and to all of the costs and bad publicity that will entail." 
    During the standoff prior to the expulsion, a senior regional public employee was heard to say to other SWSDA members, "Everywhere Frank goes, there's a problem". SCT intends to file complaints with the Crown Attorney's Office, RCMP management and Department of Municipal Affairs and other relevant agencies.

2apr2009: SWSDA to Energy Department on Georges Bank report - pound sand... In what some insiders are calling an abuse of his political sway with Cabinet ministers, South West Shore Development Authority CEO Frank Anderson has refused to meet the contractual requirements of the agency's $150,000 Oceans First Task Force project. "He seems to be so tight with the ministers and other Tory power brokers, he can get away with just about anything," said one source. 
     In October, 2008 Anderson received a non-tendered contract from the department, which was then headed up by Minister Richard Hurlburt, major Yarmouth politico and business partner of Anderson. The scope of services included submission of a plan for year two and a comprehensive list of activities and major report to be completed by March 31, 2009. No report has been forthcoming, according to department officials. 
    Anderson has told his SWSDA board of directors recently that he will only complete the year-one tasks due March 31, 2008 by March 31, 2009 and then only if he is fully funded for the second year. The first year "deliverables" included establishing a representative Task Force to undertake an assessment of the benefits and risks of oil and gas exploration and development in the Georges Bank region, currently under a government enforced moratorium. 
     Internal SWSDA documents obtained by SCT indicate that staff is recommending changes to the contractual focus of the Task Force to ostensibly satisfy community, rather than department needs, as dictated by the scope of service. No permission has been sought from or granted by the department to alter the terms of the contract.
    A senior official with the Department of Energy told SCT in January that the Department and Minister were adamant that the deliverables and timeline of the contract be adhered to and that they fully expected the required comprehensive submissions on March 31. The official told SCT late last week that current Energy Minister and Department still expected SWSDA to comply with the terms and timelines for year one of the contract. 
     Of the six substantial requirements for activity on or before March 31, SWSDA has attempted to complete only one - that of submitting an outline for activity for year two funding. The Task Force has not met once and there has been no research or assessment or community input or evaluation required by the contract.
     Recent reports by Anderson to SWSDA board members and interviews with steering committee members indicate that pro-drilling, Yarmouth lawyer and Anderson/Hurlburt ally Clifford Hood is still managing the Task Force behind the scenes. 

Ed. Note: This letter is printed as submitted, with minor spelling and punctuation issues corrected. (editorial clarifications are in parentheses) Raymond Davis is a Shelburne business owner and director of the area’s Chamber of Commerce. He is a former municipal councilor and was confined for a short time in a regional psychiatric institution after losing a police chase and a criminal trial.

Georges Bank , windmills, sewage and streetlights…
An open letter to Shelburne Municipal Council

Submitted by Raymond Davis

Warden and council,  CAO and Clerk…

Sorry I was unable to come to cow (Committee of the whole). I feel since 1994 when CFS Shelburne (military base in Sandy Point)closed Shelburne has been in a recession as a council it is your responsibility to help stimulate the local economy the municipality of Shelburne with a 5 million dollar budget is a medium size business there are 2 very successful medium sized businesses in the municipality Ven Rez and Kenny Ross. I am quite sure the men who run these businesses are not sitting at their desks waiting for things to come to them. They are proactive and aggressive when they become aware of something and go after it with the closure of CFS Shelburne and the SYC Shelburne (Shelburne Youth Centre)has lost 400 jobs at $40,000.00 average per year. That's $16,000,000.00 out of the Shelburne economy - buying cars, homes, groceries.

And other things… I was recently in port hawkesbury they have 5 motels each one having more rooms than we have in total in Shelburne on a Tuesday night they were 75 per cent full because of the economic activity in the area. port hawkesbury has 4000 people eastern Shelburne county 7500 but they have the largest quarry in nova scotia , a pulp mill, call center and more.

1.) it seems pretty apparent there is a good possibility the moratorium is going to be lifted on georges bank.(the provincial and federal government are required to review the oil drilling existing ban, which expires December 31, 2011 .

I had a motion put before the chamber of commerce (February 18) calling on the Municipality and Town of Shelburne be proactive and aggressive and place ads about Shelburne harbour in several off shore publications so people in the industry are aware of Shelburne harbour it is the closet port to georges. People in the industry have to know this.

If you are not proactive and aggressive on this Yarmouth MAY END UP GETTING ALL THIS BUSINESS. In 5 years time the council of the day will be complaining Yarmouth gets everything they will be proactive and aggressive pursuing this business so you have to beat them to the punch.

Clearwater has relocated their entire scallop fleet to Shelburne because of our proximity to georges.  The employees at Shelburne ship repair are all hoping that georges opens up as they see it securing their jobs and possibly an expansion. Recently in the Halifax they had a story about cougar helicopters getting the contract to transport people to the offshore and it created a hundred plus jobs at the airport Yarmouth has a airport for this but the municipality (of Shelburne) has 100 acres on the lake road the old weather station. Where the station was there is an area 500 feet square as flat as desk a perfect site for a helicopter landing site. With all the infrastructure funding money funds for this would be available. I’m sure we could get the cougar contract because we are the closest to georges and its all about saving fuel. Please consider this a helicopter landing site. And the harbour would help secure us getting this offshore business.  We need it. Even as a council you wont to be opposed to exploration on georges. You would be negligent not doing everything to promote Shelburne to get all the business for Shelburne.

Shelburne ship repair would perhaps benefit the most but they are our biggest employer and if the georges bank goes ahead their workforce could possibly double or triple. 

2.) With all the infrastructure money now is the time to service sandy point with a central sewage system last summer Kirk ((Kirk Cox, CAO )and I worked on this a lot we came up with a way to do this borrowing a eighth instead of a third, which of $7.5 million is substantial.

The current sewage plant the municipality has is a disgrace. I know from sampling it from my previous life. The effluent coming (out) is raw sewage – 50,000 gallons plus a day entering the harbour. This plant needs to be replaced. When the feds make it mandatory all sewage must get secondary treatment you will have no choice but replace it. The current plant can never be brought up to secondary standards with all of the current users of the existing plant. And only borrowing a eighth the cost of serving sandy point will be affordable in the 200-to-300 dollar range.

The municipality is in the process of buying 33 acres of land at the industrial park - this is the location to place a new plant. My dream was to place the plant there, tender out to someone to clear cut this area level, it off and install wind mills to power the plant and the excess would pay for all the electricity the municipality uses serving Sandy Point . I am confident will open this area up for residential development with no more need for a septic system. It will also open it up for business. Most land in sandy point either has a view of the harbour or is oceanfront. I would probably open a business across from my house

3.) I talked about it at council Terry McIntyre every time we had budget problems to do it and that is the street lights. The municipality is spending $180,000.00 plus dollars a year on these. Argyle pays for ONE street light. There should only be street lights at intersections, churches, community halls, fire halls and businesses. Cut out all the rest - save 150,000 dollars a year plus and cut your carbon footprint by tons. You have to do it. I have shown you how to save 5 cents on the tax rate which would pay for a helicopter landing site and windmills, as I am confident Kirk can get the windmills 90 per cent (government) funded.

I hope you will seriously consider these things. The only way to reduce the residential tax rate is by increasing the commercial base. At 10 per cent commercial base, we are 30 per cent below the (provincial) average. Guysborough has a residential rate of 65 cents because of the gas plant, so they are running the municipality on 30 cents, as 35 goes to the school board. Cutting out the street lights will enable the municipality to meet or exceed the amount of greenhouse gases the municipality is supposed to reduce by.

Raymond Davis 

7mar2008:Barrington set for "shovel ready" projects...  The Municipality of Barrington seems best poised to benefit from the up-coming stimulus spending by federal and provincial governments, according to interviews with municipal leaders and materials provided to SCT by the various local governments.
     As is usually the case, the towns and municipalities in Shelburne respond to any opportunity in a variety of manners, and the pressure to prepare "shovel-ready" projects for provincial and federal infrastructure funding schemes on the horizon is no exception.
     The Barrington Municipal Council apparently decided to concentrate on two specific projects when discussing infrastructure with Municipal Affairs Minister Richard Hurlburt, a business park in Barrington Passage and the Cape Sable Island sewer system . Public meetings have recently been held regarding the sewer system and the business park development is being overseen by the South West Shore Development Authority through the Yarmouth County Industrial Commission.
     SWSDA has apparently made application to the Province for funding to construct the business park by extending the municipal sewer to the site and putting power and water on the site. Construction on that project is expected in the spring, with an estimated cost of about $ 1,000,000 . The project is being pitched as consistent with the Provincial aim of stimulating the economy by attracting new business to the area and bringing additional local jobs . If the project gets funded, it could be completed before the end of 2010.
     Funding has already been approved through the Building Canada Fund for the CSI sewer project and the Barrington Municipal Council discussed the possibility of additional funding for future phases with the Minister. Other, smaller projects have been considered, but it was thought best to concentrate on only a few projects that could be started soon and produce jobs for local residents, an apt description of "shovel ready" .
     The towns of Lockeport and Clark's Harbour are biding their time and moving at a deliberate pace, according to interviews with SCT. "Our council has had several discussions at the table recently,"  says Lockeport mayor Darian Huskilson. "We want to make sure that what we put forward is well planned and is doable." The Council is expecting to meet soon with Municipal Affairs Minister Richard Hurlburt to discuss in more detail the likely funding scenario the province and federal governments will have in place for their respective stimulus programs.
     Clarks Harbour is taking a similar route, according to clerk Brian Crowell. "The mayor and council have thought a lot about this and it will definitely be the subject of upcoming council meetings," Crowell told SCT.
     The Municipality of Shelburne told SCT in late February that capital priorities for the municipality would be discussed at upcoming committee meetings and that once a list was developed, and Council could ascertain what was affordable, they would seek the support of Richard Hurlburt, Minister of Municipal Affairs. To date, the Municipality has not publicly announced its "shovel ready" priorities. 
    The Town of Shelburne appears to be putting its $5 million "port expansion" plan forward as its shovel ready candidate, although they declined to respond to queries from SCT. The project has been underway for more than five years, but has developed new emphasis under the regime of mayor Alan Delaney and his council.
     In a widely-publicized event, the project to expand the Shelburne Marine Terminal and wharf structures, was assured provincial and federal funding from Frank Anderson, CEO of South West Shore Development Authority. Anderson is also spearheading the $20 million funding search for the more recently-announced expansion of the Yarmouth Waterfront and Harbour.
     Some observers of provincial and regional economic development practices have expressed doubts as to whether it is wise for Shelburne to have "all its eggs" in the port expansion project. The funding formulas being discussed would have the Town butting up $1.6 million for the project, funds that the mayor and councilors readily admit are not available. "One possible outcome," says an observer, "is that, for a number of reasons, the port project is not funded and Shelburne is left with no infrastructure funding."
      The massive - and some say competing - Yarmouth port plan and Anderson's private musings about his dissatisfaction with the funding formula for the Shelburne project may also affect the final outcome.  

22MAR2008: American real estate speculators looking for $6.5 million payoff in Shelburne land deal... two enterprising land speculators from New England have put a recently-purchased former military base on the market for a whopping $ 9,000,000, which would have them making $6,5000,000 profit in less than one year from an initial investment of $800,000.
     In nearly 2008, Jim Kendrick and Mary Barstow purchased the 173-acre former Canadian Forces Station at Sandy Point, in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, which also housed a little-used film sound stage. Kendrick is a former magazine ad salesman from Vermont and Barstow sold candles out of a factory in Pennsylvania. 
     The South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA) and NS Department of Economic Development hold a combined $2.2 million in mortgages on the property. Mary Barstow refused to disclose to SCT on Sunday if or when she advised Frank Anderson or the SWSDA board or the Department of Economic Development or the Municipality of Shelburne about the proposed sale. When questioned previously by SCT about the reasoning behind a stable American company needing so much government-sponsored funding support, Barstow explained that "this is what rich people do, they borrow other people's money".  None of the SWSDA directors contacted by SCT
     Barstow is listed as the agent on the web-based sales site eBay, where the property had two listings, one for $9.275 million (CDN) and one for $8.65 million (CDN).. Both property descriptions contain some erroneous sales information, including proximity to Boston, shoreline, pool facilities and "state-of-the-art" condition of film studio. Kendrick told SCT and other media in early 2008 that the pair would create a "very fine film production facility and all necessary support services," which would be the "cornerstone" of the facility at the site. They also said they would plant 3,000 trees on the site and open a radio station there. Kendrick had offered the local recreation committee the use of the pool at Sea Coast, but then said he did not have the funds to make the necessary repairs. To date, no enhancements have been made at the facilities other than changing furniture in the dormitory rooms, which are now being marketing as a hotel named the Sea Song Inn.
     Kendrick-Barstow also attempted an abortive outdoor theatre on site and a mini-put golf course and grocery market, all of which were seen by most locals as threats to existing marginal businesses and not an improvement to the local economy. The web sites, videos and collateral materials promoting the film studio, hotel, candle company and publishing concerns have been decidedly amateurish and have not generated any visible response. A weekly freebie newspaper called Good Times was published by the pair for some weeks, but suspended publication immediately following allegations that they had improperly lifted advertising materials from a local publication.
     All of the minimal staff, including Scott,  have been laid off since before December and some of the buildings have reportedly been placed in cold storage without draining the water pipes or securing the boilers. 
     “He’s got backers, he’s got a business plan and he’s got a track record of operating successful businesses,” SWSDA CEO Frank Anderson said at the time of the purchase in 2008. Anderson also oversaw the $2 million-plus renovation of the sound stage, which, due to the inability of SWSDA to market it effectively, has remained relatively unused since its creation. “This is going to be good for Shelburne and good for the province," Anderson said of the Kendrick-Barstow purchase. Both Anderson and municipal warden Paulette Scott touted the tax and employment benefits of the project. Scott was hired soon after that by the pair and was forced to resign as warden due to conflict-or-interest allegations from many, including council members.
     Originally, the duo was to be equal partners in the project with Australian film maker Steve Gilmour and his partner Clare Bourke-Jones. Gilmour told SCT that he was enticed into the pact by Shelburne Municipal warden Paulette Scott and development CEO Frank Anderson.
    Gilmour lost out in the deal, he says, when Barstow and Kendrick reneged on an agreement to cover a deposit check for the purchase. Gilmour claims to have been deceived by Anderson and called for the CEO's ouster as head of the agency. 
     "I cannot believe the way I was mistreated and misled by this man," says Gilmour, president of Atlantic Film Studios. Gilmour, a former MP in Australia, was furious that his $2.75 million offer to purchase the property was taken it off the table. Correspondence between Gilmour, his lawyers and Anderson provided to SCT seem to indicate that, on at least one occasion, Anderson disavowed a commitment made to Gilmour  regarding the property.
     "When we first discussed the sale," added Gilmour, "Mr. Anderson told me that there was an offer and deposit in, but that it was weak and not binding." Anderson, according to Gilmour, also told him that the ongoing lawsuit with OPI was "not a problem" and he (Anderson) would sell him OPI's property adjacent to the base for $200,000 and that (then) Provincial Minister of Economic Development Richard Hurlburt "is a close pal of mine and could get you $1-1.5 million dollars". Gilmour has since proceeded to try to produce his film elsewhere.
     According to SWSDA board members, Anderson was given the go-ahead to sell to Kendrick-Barstow after he assured the board that the provincial government would carry a $1.75 million loan on the property. When they were advised that the province had declined, "It was way to late to back out," says a former executive board member. "We had no choice but to have SWSDA offer the mortgage or we might have been sued by the purchasers."
     Anderson also informed the SWSDA board in the fall of 2008 that he had a buyer in line for a discounted sale of the mortgage and that he had provincial approval for the sale. The Department of Economic Development disputed Anderson's claim when contacted by SCT. No discount sale has taken place, but Anderson has assured his board that he will gain approval.
     The last time eBay was in the news regarding a land sale in the area, Antigonish-based Carmen Blinn attempted to sell a $165,000 piece of bog land in Port Clyde for more than $1,000,000. Blinn is engaged in several Supreme Court lawsuits surrounding allegations she used fraudulent methods in subsequent efforts to sell the land. 

NOTE: Within minutes hours of being questioned by SCT about the eBay sales site, the properties were removed by Sea Coast from bidding. The eBay listings can be see and downloaded here: $8.65 million site    $9.25 million site . SWSDA CEO Frank Anderson has refused to comment on record. for this and other stories. 

For other Seacoast Studios news, click HERE

18mar2009: Oceans First Task Force off the rails...  the troubled Oceans First Task Force has hit yet another snag in its bumbling attempt to provide the Nova Scotia Department of Energy with information regarding the benefits and dangers of developing oil and gas production on the sensitive Georges Bank marine habitat.
     The concept for the Task Force was created by South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA) CEO Frank Anderson in 2008 and shopped to business partner and Energy Minister Richard Hurlburt, who approved a $150,000, no-competition, two-year contract to SWSDA. 
     Drill, baby, drill...The contract has many deliverables and timelines, none of which SWSDA and Anderson have met to date. A full report is due March 31, but the hapless Task Force has yet to be formed or to have one meeting. Yarmouth fisheries lawyer and avowed "drill, baby, drill" advocate Clifford Hood resigned as steering committee chair, but is said to be running the project with Anderson behind the scenes.
     Energy department funding held hostage... A meeting scheduled for early this week for the task force was canceled due to lack of participation and Anderson recently told Transcontinental Media that the March 31 report required by the contract would not be forthcoming unless the Department of Energy paid the $75,000 for the second year of the contract. Anderson recently told his SWSDA board the the Department was funding a Dalhousie research project for the Task Force, but a senior department spokesman adamantly denied that assertion.
     The Task Force members include: Anderson, Hood, Hurlburt, SWSDA chair Rod Rose, SWSDA staffer Pam Thibault, Perry Nelson, Perry Nickerson, Hubert Saulnier, Sandy Stoddart, Dan Earle and Everett Titus.
   No room for Shelburne County... despite requests and offers of participation from the Town of Shelburne, Shelburne Chamber of Commerce and Municipality of Barrington, none of the requests have been attended to as yet. SWSDA staff has declined to speak on record for this report. 

5mar2009:Hybrid boat engine research urged... Liberal fisheries critic Harold “Junior” Theriault has called for the federal government to assist Nova Scotia fisherman in switching to cost-cutting hybrid engines. "In these times of economic hardship, everyone is searching for ways to minimize costs and maximize production,” says Theriault. “The fishing industry in Nova Scotia helped to build this country and I believe that we must explore every option necessary to help this vital industry survive this economic downturn - hybrid engines are one of those options.” 
    Terry Brown and Stephen Goreham couldn't agree more with Theriault. "We've been looking at hybrid systems for a couple of years," says Brown, "and we are certain that these engines would save thousands of litres of fuel for each boat every season." Brown was one of the preeminent boat builders in the area for many years and has turned his attention lately to designing and installing commercial and renewable energy systems in the region. He has thoroughly researched the current technologies supporting hybrid engines and has created draft designs of engines for fishing boats. 
     Stephen Goreham operates Goreham's Marine, a family-owned boat building business based on Woods Harbour, has worked with Brown and is eager to install hybrid engines in his boats. "We are now using space-age composite technology and environmentally sound, soy-based resins in our boat production and these hybrids would be another element in reducing both costs and carbon footprints for these boats."
     In a letter sent to Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea Thursday, Theriault advocates using hybrid engines in fishing trawlers and reducing fuel costs by up to 75 gallons per day. “While these boats are mainly in the early stages," Theriault wrote to the minister, " I urge you to explore this option and perhaps identify ways that could help fishermen purchase these kinds of engines. It is this sort of ingenuity that is needed in order to aid the fishing industry in Nova Scotia and indeed, all of Canada.”
     Both Brown and Goreham would welcome an investment by the federal or provincial government in hybrid research for fishing boats. Goreham has long been an advocate of fostering the inventiveness and ingenuity based on the South Shore. "Folks around here have survived and prospered by solving problems and facing challenges. There's no reason why we could not be a centre of innovation for these specialized engines for fishing boats."  

 27feb2009:  Lobster marketing fund announced in Yarmouth... The federal Department of Agriculture and Agri-foods Canada announced a short-term lobster marketing fund of an estimated $455,000 in joint appearances in Yarmouth and New Brunswick. The money was first discussed at the Lobster Roundtable in Dartmouth earlier in the month, though no details about specific spending plans were available then. The Canadian Agriculture and Food International program is providing $328,750 to the Fisheries Council of Canada to kick-start the struggling industry. The Governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island will contribute an additional $126,250 to the project
     Activities will include advertising, media campaigns, retail promotions, chef events, market research and consumer promotion. The monies, according to industry sources, have to be spent by March 31. The announcement was by MP Greg Kerr, acting for Agricultural Minister Jerry Ghiz. MP Gerald Keddy and MLA Chris D'Entremont, who is acting Fisheries Minister, were also there.
       The money will be spent to increase the exposure for Atlantic Canadian lobster at the Boston Seafood Show on March 15-17 and the European Seafood Show in Brussels, April 28-30. Elements of the program are said to include a separate Atlantic Canada Lobster booth for both shows, celebrity chef demonstrations, signature advertising and a media program. In Brussels, there will also be research conducted for the European market.
    The short-term plan is to shore up a lagging lobster industry which has seemed to many to be in a state of crisis since the season opened with wharf prices at $3.00 per pound or less.
    Some of the funds apparently may also be used to pursue non-traditional markets such as Mexico and Russia and to market the lobster as a "small-boat" fish,  caught with relatively benign traps, leaving a small carbon footprint compared to large trawlers and draggers. 
    Carol Spinney of Yarmouth, who has been an active advocate in recent weeks for attention to be paid to the plight of the individual crew members on the lobster boats, is not pleased about the half-million dollars going to trade shows. "What about the men who are actually fishing on the boats, and who may be losing EI benefits and maybe their houses?," Ms. Spinney said. She met Wednesday with Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Ron Chisholm to discuss her concerns. "He didn't say anything to me about this money."
     Jerry Amirault of the Lobster Science Centre in PEI wonders if spending money on trade shows is the best use of limited funding for the industry. The shows attract seafood buyers for the most part, and not consumers. "I would think that the people at the trade show already know about lobsters," he told SCT. "What needs to happen is some mechanism to put pressure to raise the price at the retail level." 
     There seems to be general agreement that the market for lobster in the U.S.A and other "mature" markets is rapidly changing and there are concerns by many that the wharf price for the crustacean my not recover to the $7-8.00 range that has been the norm in past years and has afforded some license owners to generate very attractive incomes. "There seems to be support for some change in the way the industry operates," adds Amirault. "With the perceived crisis, there may be an opportunity to make some necessary and permanent changes."
   Aston Spinney, fisherman and LFA 34 committee member, will be speaking at the Yarmouth event. "Brussels was productive last year, in a way," he said, But we also have to go further afield."  More than one interviewee told SCT that the only lobster seen at the Brussels show were frozen lobster "popsicles", under other seafood in a display. "We've got to make people more aware of our product," adds Spinney, "and we've got to start somewhere."

17feb2009: EDITORIAL: Sometimes bias in the media is a good thing...  >>> hear audio rant I received my second email in a month today complaining that there was bias in my stories on SCT. Geez, do you think? Of course there is bias here. Unlike the more subtle and low-key biases in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Halifax Herald, CBC or the many Transcontinental newspapers, the bias here is clear, unambiguous, unadulterated, purposeful and planned. Despite the grudging respect I have for these obviously disappointed and disillusioned souls, I wish they had taken the time and invested some of their outrage into a closer examination of the web site. If they had, they would know that I do have solid biases. 
     I am biased toward public officials who take their mandate seriously, who have the public spirit and purse in mind in their actions... who believe that their constituents have something to offer them... who are not easily cowed by control-freak mayors or wardens... who are willing to ask awkward or difficult questions and say so if they get a baloney answer... who are willing to risk some precious political capital in taking an unpopular stand and who are willing to say so if they don't completely understand a report, memo, proposal or budget put before them... who invite, rather than distain, citizen involvement in the process of OUR governments. 
     I am biased toward citizens who spend the time, effort and money to take the time and effort to participate in council meetings, committee meetings and public sessions... who make demands on politicians, who request and demand documents supporting or explaining the way politicians and bureaucrats do our business, spend our money and report their activities. 
     I am biased against citizens who turn their backs on public officials and ask no questions about the way our business is done and complain about others who do the opposite... biased against public officials who appear to have no interest in what citizens think about the way OUR business is conducted... who don't take the time and effort to become familiar with their true role as a public official... who are disdainful of citizens who want to participate in their own democracy... I am biased against bureaucrats who constantly mislead the public and its officials... who operate public agencies as though they were their own private businesses, whose expense accounts would make a petty larcenist blanch... who use our money to fly to Norway, Austria and elsewhere, bringing back expensive crystal but no apparent business... who play hide-and-seek with public records, who spend tens of thousands of dollars in tax monies on expensive lawyers paid to cover up their transgressions... Who, with our money and under the watchful eyes of our elected officials, create phony organizations with phony directors and phony bank accounts... who invite into our our communities every grifter, hustler, conman and scheister in North America and tell US that these solid citizens will produce cranberry fields and mink farms, movie studios, luxury resorts and what-not... while these fly-by-nights from Antigonish, Utah, New England and elsewhere suck every last dime of value from the few remaining resources we have, selling the fences and furniture, showing movies in the fog and producing embarrassing videos and calendars... while their erstwhile sponsors party at swanky bars in Halifax and, with our money, engage in fiendish chatter with ill-advised government hacks about how to put hundreds of giant oil and gas-sucking derricks in the middle of one of the world's last clean, clear expanses of accessible ocean and rich fishing habitats... possibly ending what little hope remains for this region to continue to benefit from the centuries of heritage of men fishing the seas for ever-dwindling stocks, whose ancestors may well have been driven from these places by previous generations of more careless bureaucrats. 
     Yes, I guess you could say I am biased.  Timothy Gillespie, editor & publisher  >>> hear audio rant

Shelburne High students tops in Canada with “Racism… Stop It!” video
Ottawa Awards Ceremony next stop

A group of five students from Shelburne Regional High School will soon be on their way to the red carpet in Ottawa to accept their awards and rewards for creating one of the ten best videos in Canada a national anti-racism campaign. The Racism. Stop it! National Video Competition is part of Canada ’s March 21 campaign against racial discrimination and the video is the only winning entry from Atlantic Canada.
     Calling their group pi Productions, Alex Buchanan, Nick Dexter, Kayla Boyd, Federico Sella and Judilee King set about scripting, rehearsing and filming their video, called "Reveal Your Disguise".  The team was mentored by Yarmouth videographers Sandra Phinney and Don Parnell..  The five also enlisted two additional student actors, Jorge Betancur and Blake Perry, for the taping. 
     The 60-second spot features live action, stop motion and special effects. The musical score was also original, created by Alex and performed by Alex and company. The judges apparently loved the song, which has a powerful message and provided the framework for the production.
     One of the most difficult parts of the project, say the students, was cleaning up all of the faux paint on the set, while one of the fun parts was sliding in the paint after the shoot. “We are all so proud of these students,” said principal Mary Manning. “For a smaller, rural school to be among the ten top entries in the entire country shows how much talent and ingenuity our students have.” 
     Students throughout Canada between 12 and 20 years old were eligible to enter the competition and the task for the teams was to create a video about their thoughts on eliminating racism. Each five-member team was responsible for coming up with a concept, creating a story board,  deciding who would be actors in the video, what costumes they would wear, where to film, who would "direct" the video and who would help to edit and mix.
     Of the hundreds of videos submitted, the video from Shelburne High was chosen as one of only ten Canadian winners and will be broadcast on national television, reaching millions of Canadians with a positive message about challenging racism. The winning videos were chosen for their originality, audiovisual quality and the effectiveness of the Racism. Stop It! message.  
     Parnell and Phinney realized last fall that the Department of Canadian Heritage was looking for someone with writing and video experience to mentor students, with the goal being for several teams of students from Tri-counties to create a one minute video on the topic of racism. Their proposal was accepted.
     "We rounded up 13 teams in South West Nova Scotia, including four from Shelburne” says Sandra Phinney. Shelburne. Some teams dropped out, not realizing that the project could take 30 to 50 hours to complete.  “Sure, there's a fun element, but there's a lot of plain hard work too," said Don Parnell.
     The projects involved teachers, principals and heads of community organizations, all very supportive, according to Phinney. “But the real "stars" of the ten local video productions were the students,” she added. “Some spots were challenging to produce,” she added, “but the students also have great capacity for empathy and understanding and a project like this lets them bring out the best in each other."
     March 21 is designated by the United Nations (UN) as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It’s a day observed all around the world to focus attention on the problems of racism and the need to promote racial harmony. Canada was one of the first countries to support the UN initiative and, through the Cultural Diversity section of the Department of Immigration, it launched its first annual campaign against racial discrimination in 1989. In 1996, the Racism. Stop It! National Video Competition became a key event in that campaign.
    The Shelburne High team will be flown expenses paid to Ottawa for the awards ceremony in March, according to principal, Mary Manning and will be given some additional prizes, with a video camera unit going to the school. Most of the previous year’s winners have been student teams from larger schools in major Canadian cities. “The fact that our students live in a small, somewhat isolated coastal town with a population of 2,000,” adds principal Manning, “shows us that accomplishment is not determined by big buildings, big budgets and large populations, but by the quality of the education, the support of the community and the sheer talent of the students.”    >>> see full video and news report here  >>> see full story here

16feb2009:  Stonewalling continues for SWSDA documents... Despite a lengthy and losing battle to keep its public records under wraps and despite a Nova Scotia Supreme Court decision ordering it to make its records available, the South West Shore Development Authority continues to play what one expert called a "bait and switch game" in apparently trying to keep even the most elemental of its records from the prying eyes of the citizens and media in the region.
     After a $50,000-plus, two-year battle to obtain certain expense records of SWSDA CEO Frank Anderson, Shelburne businessman Ed Cayer recently made another request to SWSDA chair Rod Rose for additional information about the operation of the Yarmouth-based agency. Rather than supply the documents, according to Cayer, Rose turned the request over to Kevin D'Entremont, an employee with the Yarmouth Industrial Commission (the commission is one of several regional entities under the apparent full or partial control of SWSDA, including South West Shore Volunteer Services, Yarmouth & Acadian Shores Tourism Association, Play Yarmouth, Yarmouth Development Corporation, Port of Yarmouth, Community Access Program, Oceans First Task Force, Shelburne County Tourism Project, South West Shore Energy Office).
   When the materials from D'Entremont finally arrived, Cayer observed that they did not conform to the request he had made, which was apparently done in strict conformance to the provincial Freedom of Information standards. "What they are doing is wrong," says Cayer, "and I'm going to do whatever I can to see that it is corrected." Cayer has sent a letter of complaint to SWSDA board chair Rod Rose, with copies to the province's Freedom of Information office. It is estimated that Anderson spent $50,000 or more defending against the previous release of his expense records and, if SWSDA continues to rebuff requests for public records, one of more additional lawsuits could ensue, resulting in greater additional cost to the agency. Anderson has been on record to various media that additional staff and legal services would be needed if he was to comply with the court's order to make SWSDA records available, according to the framework outline by Supreme Court Justice Suzanne Hood.
     Anderson is described by D'Entremont as having been given the authority by the board of directors for administering FOIPOP matters. He has regularly forbidden his staff from discussing SWSDA projects or matters with the media, and has a track record of avoiding media interviews for SWSDA and its projects.
     "I can see why he wants some of those records to remain private," said a source familiar with SWSDA's history. The expense records released earlier in the year show Anderson chalking up more than $25,000 in one year in costs for meals, drinks, air fare, hotels, including many tips of from 30% to 60% of various entertainment costs. The records also show Anderson claiming reimbursement for an expensive piece of Austrian crystal. None of the CEO's expense claims indicate what SWSDA business or clients, officials, potential clients or others the expenses relate to.   

11feb2009:  NoRigs3 moves forward in Georges Bank drilling opposition... the group organized ten years ago to protest and oppose oil & gas development on the pristine marine habitat of Georges Bank has resurfaced again with what appears to be renewed vigour. At a meeting in Shelburne Tuesday, the group discussed the various elements of the current and future situation regarding the prime fishing grounds which seem to have been targeted again by oil and gas developers working in concert with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy.
     Citing a three-pronged strategic framework, the group explained that, although they are encouraged by the recent decision in the U.S. Congress to implement a ban on oil and gas in the American portion (80%) of the Bank, they will not be lulled into a sense of security as the run-up to a decision about a renewed Canadian moratorium escalates.
     Considering that development on the prime spawning and fishing grounds could threaten a $300 million American fishery, some at the meeting opined that the Canadian and Nova Scotia governments would be "crazy" to instigate a trade war over such a small portion of the ocean for what might be minor petroleum reserves discovered. 
     One NoRigs3 member who operates a major processing firm in Pubnico said that a ruined Georges Bank would mean that the 700,000 pounds of fish processed there in January alone - and the 50-60 attendant jobs would disappear from the region.
     The group is also determined to focus in the volumes of marine science which indicate some serious risks attendant to seismic testing and petroleum development and production, as well as the continuation of the co-management of the groundfish species which populate the Georges Bank region. 
    "When people in Southwest Nova Scotia get the straight information about how few jobs are created by oil and gas development compared to the utter devastation to the fisheries that could result," one member stated, "they will be able to sort out the facts."
     One of the presentations at the meeting detailed that, of the many commitments made by the Nova Scotia government in 2000 in their "Provincial Position" about preparing for the moratorium review in 2010, not one commitment had been followed through by the government.
     NoRigs3 includes members from throughout Nova Scotia who are fishermen, processors, seafood industry executives, marine scientists and others. 

11feb2009:  eBay land sellers ignore court order to turn over files...   After being told by a Supreme Court judge to turn over records to the defendant in a lawsuit involving possible fraudulent land sales over eBay, Carmen Blinn and her numbered company have ignored the order of Justice Patrick J. Duncan to supply various lists, emails and drawings to SCT publisher Timothy Gillespie by February 8.
    At a hearing in Yarmouth in December, Justice Duncan queried Blinn's lawyer and former Barrington High grad Stephanie Atkinson about her client's refusal to respond to requests by Gillespie for over 11 months for the documents. The judge granted Gillespie every request on his application and in a later decision, granted the publisher full costs in the court action.
     For more than two years, Blinn and Gillespie have been engaged in a lawsuit and counter suit regarding the publishing in SCT of Blinn's eBay antics. In other Supreme Court lawsuits, Blinn and her firm are accused of misleading and fraudulent land sales practices.
      In addition to this action, Blinn and her team of lawyers have lost most of the court actions in the on-going suit, including demands for Blinn to appear at depositions, an attempt to seize Gillespie's hard drive, an attempt to censure Gillespie for contempt of court, an attempt to dismiss Gillespie's defence and counter claim and a summary judgment hearing. Gillespie has represented himself in all actions, including an appeals court hearing.
     Demands for documents clear...     In his rulings, Justice Duncan said that Gillespie's demands for documents "were sufficiently clear" that an application and court hearing "...should not have been necessary." Further, the judge said about Atkinson's claims regarding relevance that "it was readily apparent that the requested materials would meet the test of relevance..."
    Despite being assigned almost one year ago to handle most aspects of the case, and despite being present at most of the examination hearings which gave rise to the current court action, Atkinson was described by the judge as seeming to be "unfamiliar with the discovery evidence of her client."
     The case was originally filed in early 2007 and is likely to go to trial in Halifax or Truro later this year. None of the cases mentioned in this story has gone to trial and no guilt or innocence has been determined by a judge or jury.   

11feb2009:  Oceans First struggling to organize as lawyer remains on board... who is paying for the research?... According to several interviews with current and previous participants in the Oceans First Task Force, the group continues to face large hurdles in organizing itself to fulfill the contract signed with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. The Task Force is apparently the brain child of Frank Anderson, former Yarmouth bank bureaucrat and current CEO of South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA). 
     After meetings with department staff and former Energy Minister - and real estate development partner - Richard Hurlburt, Anderson submitted a proposal to the department for a $150,000, 2-year project to assess benefits and risks of offshore oil & gas development on Georges Bank, one of the world's most productive fishing grounds.
     Despite having a funding commitment for four months and having serious deadlines before them to complete a long list of "deliverables" to the department, Anderson and SWSDA have yet to populate the Task Force and have admittedly spent 40% of its year-one budget on a trip to Norway to meet oil & gas industry proponents, they have yet to hold one meeting or consultation required in the contract.
Stalled in neutral... Yarmouth lawyer Clifford Hood told SCT that he was appointed chairman of the "steering committee" for the task force, despite the absence of such a committee in the contract outline. After news reports of Hood's controversial news release announcing a post-Norway conclusion that "oil and gas can be developed on Georges Bank with minimal effect on the environment," Hood resigned as chairman. Other steering committee members remain disgruntled at the lack of action by SWSDA on the project and one prominent member resigned. Fisherman and processor Bee D'Entremont told SCT that, based on what he saw as a distorted agenda of meetings with pro-development sources in Norway, he has quit the group.   
Somebody is fibbing...      In an email letter to the Shelburne Town Council last week, Anderson announced that Hood would likely continue as a member of the Task Force. Anderson also asserted in his memo that the Department of Energy was paying for Dalhousie University researchers on the project, which a senior department spokesperson has categorically denied, saying that the Department "is not directly funding any research by Dalhousie or the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) related to Georges Bank." Anderson also reported that the Task Force would be chosen by the steering committee, but there have been no meetings of the steering committee yet in 2009.
     SWSDA submitted a required update for the 2009-2010 budget year, but the Department says it has made no decision on further funding. Project manager Pam Thibault and CEO Frank Anderson have both refused to speak on record about the project.

4feb2009:  US Congress to ban Georges Bank oil & gas exploration...  In a clear repudiation of the last-minute decision by the waning Bush administration, a bi-partisan congressional committee has introduced The Georges Bank Preservation Act, a bill which would reinstate the prohibition on drilling for oil or gas on Georges Bank. The US controls 80% of the rich marine habitat and fishing grounds and the Nova Scotia Department of Energy seems poised to promote drilling on the remaining 20%
     Citing its "key importance as a marine habitat and its essential part of the economic engine of New England", Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey filed legislation on Monday which was in part a response to the last-minute plan proposed by the administration of outgoing president George W. Bush that would have opened up Georges Bank to leases for oil and gas drilling. The doors to drilling on Georges Bank were opened when Bush lifted a ban on drilling last summer and the Senate failed to renew a congressional moratorium in October.
     Markey's bill covers Georges Bank and any marine national monument or national marine sanctuary. "The path to economic recovery is not just about the jobs we create; it's also about the jobs we save," Markey said in a statement provided to SCT. "The legislation I have introduced with Congressman Richard Delahunt and our New England colleagues will guarantee that Georges Bank remains home to shellfish, not to Shell Oil." Mark Forest, senior advisor to Congressman Delahunt, told SCT earlier that "There is no indication that the Obama administration wants drilling on Georges Bank."
     Massachusetts Senator John Kerry told media outlets ten days ago that he was teaming up with Senator Edward Kennedy to fight Georges Bank drilling. "Georges Bank is one of the richest fishing grounds in the world and it is absolutely unconscionable to risk its well-being and $350 million in annual catches, for the slim possibility of extracting a tiny amount of oil and gas," Kerry said at the time.
     The language in the bill passed the house in 2008 in a bi-partisan vote of 239 to189.
Selling out our oceans
     The timing of the bill is likely related to the introduction by the US Interior Department one week before President's Bush's exit of a 5-year plan proposal for widespread oil and gas drilling off both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts in areas that have not had energy exploration for decades, including Georges Bank. The plan was lauded by industry groups and vehemently opposed by marine conservation organizations. Jacqueline Savitz of Oceana, a marine protection advocacy group, called the plan an "eleventh hour attempt to sell out our oceans" and urged the Obama administration to reject it. 
     One of the bills sponsors, Congressman Mourice Hinchey from New York, railed recently at a Bush government report that propose drilling on Gearge Bank and several other coastal area. "The five year off-shore drilling plan is nothing short of a slap in the face to the American people.  This administration has consistently operated in the best interests of Big Oil rather than the best interests of the American people.  With just four days left before President Bush leaves office, his administration is trying to sneak through a broad plan that would irresponsibly open up enormous swaths of open water off the coasts of the U.S. for drilling."
Nova Scotia government pushes Georges Bank Drilling
     Meanwhile, the Nova Scotia government appears to be positioning itself to remove the current moratorium in place in Canadian waters. Under the guidance of then-minister Richard Hurlburt, senior Department of Energy staffer Bruce Cameron designed a purported fact-finding trip to Norway so that participants would meet only oil industry representatives, but not fishermen, fisheries executives or environmental groups. Prior to and following the Norway junket, Hurlburt told oil & gas industry executives that he thought drilling on Georges Bank would be compatible with fisheries there and the marine habitat.
     Cameron and Hurlburt are also reported to be the architect of the controversial Oceans First Task Force, an ostensible fact-finding group whose Hurlburt-appointed chairman announced a pro-drilling stance prior to receiving any research or conducting any of the group's required public and industry consultations. The Task Force, managed by the troubled, Yarmouth-based South West Shore Development Authority  (SWSDA) could be seen by some as a device for generating off-shore business development for the Authority's primary client base in Yarmouth. The steering committee for the Task Force was populated by Hurlburt and SWSDA CEO Frank Anderson with their close political and business allies in Yarmouth. 
     Cameron, a former television reporter, and public relations head of the former Nova Scotia Petroleum Directorate (now the Dept of Energy), is thought by some in the fishing and petroleum industries to have a strong pro-drilling stance when it comes to Georges Bank and other marine habitat. Despite being the department's senior Georges Bank expert, Cameron has refused to comment on record about anything related to the Georges Bank, the Task Force or the government-supported Offshore Energy Environmental Research Association, upon whose board and committees Cameron plays a leading role and which sources say is a creation of Cameron himself. 
Broken Promises or failed policy?
     In the news announcements issued by Minister Gordon Balser in 2000, the Nova Scotia government issued a "Provincial Position", which committed the government to an ambitious course of action in determining the future of oil and gas development on Georges Bank. The commitment included further research, coordination of fishing and petroleum industry collaboration, cooperation with the US in considering future moratoria and a program of public awareness of the results of the research. Energy department and other government sources have informed SCT that not one of the commitments from the 2000 Provincial Position has been kept. There is no record of any activity relating to the Position. Not one page of research can be located by the Department for public or industry viewing. From funds collected exclusively via oil and gas lease payments, OEER has recently been awarded a $500,000 grant to conduct Georges Bank research. The probable timeline for the research, according to senior officials with OEER, will not make the results of the research available for Georges Bank Moratorium review process, which begins January, 2010 and must be concluded prior to December, 2011. A senior official with Natural Resources Canada has informed industry colleagues that the Canadian government does not intend to consult with its US counterparts on the moratoria.

4feb2009:  More Joint Stocks Registry shenanigans and financial funny business for development authority....  In what might appear to be an on-going litany of questionable business practices, the South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA) is connected to a recent filing with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies (RJSC) which appears to have several blatant errors.
      The files relate to the registration of a non-profit group named South West Shore Volunteer Services Society, which shows street and mailing addresses shared by SWSDA. The registered agent for the Society is Frank Anderson, who also serves as the CEO for SWSDA. The officers and directors for the Society is almost identical to that of SWSDA, including officers.
      When contacted by SCT regarding his position as treasurer of the Society, Lockeport Mayor Darian Huskilson said, "I've never heard of the organization and certainly never gave my permission to be listed as a director or executive." None of the Society directors contacted by SCT, who are mayors, wardens and councilors with regional municipal bodies,  recalls hearing of the organization and none admitted to knowing they were listed as being officers. Other officers listed include former Shelburne warden Paulette Scott, Barrington Municipal warden Louise Halliday, Shelburne Town councilor Allan Reid and former Yarmouth mayor Charles Crosby.
      In an interview with SCT, warden Halliday expressed surprise at hearing that she was listed on the official Joint Stocks registry as a director of the Society, as she had never heard of the organization before. "This is all new to me," she said of her role as director. "I'll be checking into why I am listed as an officer of a group I've never heard of."
     None of the directors or executive interviewed recalls any regular or annual meetings being held by the Society, any election of officers or any approval of financial statements, all required under the provincial legislation empowering the operation of non-profit societies.
     The latest financial information on file for the Society with RJSC was prepared by Gwenda Wheelans and Jennifer White (Wheelans White) of Yarmouth, who are also the chartered accountants used by SWSDA. Wheelans White state that the material was submitted with no review, audit or attempt to verify the information. The financials appear to be signed by SWSDA chair Rod Rose and former SWSDA secretary and Yarmouth Mayor, Charles Crosby. In an interview, Mr. Crosby said that he was unaware of any role he played with the Society. 
     The Society says that its principal activity is "to provide volunteer services to specific communities of southwest Nova Scotia"  and the filing shows revenue of almost $40,000 for 2007, $12,000 of which are from "municipal grants." When contacted by SCT, neither the Municipalities of Barrington and Shelburne, nor the towns of Shelburne or Lockeport recall supplying any grants or funds to the Society.   In a letter to the Town of Shelburne from SWSDA in October of 2008, Frank Anderson told the Mayor and Council that, due to their refusal to pay SWSDA the requested monies for the Volunteer Services Program, no volunteer services would be provided to Shelburne residents. No mention was made in any correspondence to the Society.
    The only monies supplied for volunteer services were paid directly to SWSDA, based upon written requests from Frank Anderson and direct presentations made by volunteer services administrators, Joan Bower and Brenda Oickle. Ms. Bower told SCT that five years ago "we [SWSDA] registered the Society because we thought it would enable us to raise more donations." Less than 1% of the Society's income in 2007 came from donations. While Ms. Bower, who is a senior development officer with SWSDA and oversees the volunteer program for the agency, said Ms. Oickle is an employee of and is paid by the Society, while Ms.Oickle told SCT that, as far as she knew, "there is no such group as the Society and I've never heard of it" and that she is an employee of SWSDA. 
     The financial filings also list $25,620 in "provincial grants" to the Society. The only department contacted by SCT which shows any funding for volunteer services is the Department of Health, with provided $20,496 to SWSDA in the period listed.  A department spokes person said the department shows no record of ever funding the Society. The total 2007 salaries listed in the filings are $24,000, while office supplies, administration and expenses total more than $12,000. The filings also show unexplained increases of $7,200 (from $0) in administration fees and elimination of telephone costs ($1,000 to 0) from year-to-year. The filings also state that $14, 403 of the Society's asserts were being held by SWSDA "on behalf of the" Society.
     The RJSC records also state that there are "no related registrations" for the Society, while other RJSC filings show relationships with SWSDA (share all directors, plus Frank Anderson),  Yarmouth Industrial Commission (share four directors), Yarmouth Waterfront Authority (share four directors and Anderson).
      SWSDA was recently cited in a news story surrounding the adoption and filing of new by-laws. The secretary of the SWSDA board was registered as having filed a statement with RJSC that all directors had signed the by-law changes. In interviews with SCT, none of the directors contacted recall having signed such a document and the secretary told SCT, that he did not recall signing and filing the document, and  that in any case, SWSDA's CEO "did all of the paperwork."
    IN 2007, 500 Shelburne County tax payers signed a petition requesting an audit of SWSDA's financial dealings and filed a complaint with the Ombudsmans Office. Both the liberal party leader Stephen McNeil and NDP party leader Darrell Dexter called for an audit by the Office of the Auditor General and a more recent demand for an audit was made by NDP candidate Sterling Belliveau.  There has been no response to a request for an interview with Frank Anderson of SWSDA

3feb2009:  Oceans First Task Force questions unanswered after SWSDA meeting...  Most of the municipal leaders who comprise the board of directors of the South West Shore Development Authority have questions and concerns about the status of the controversial Oceans First Task Force being established by SWSDA under contract with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy, according to reports from the most recent SWSDA board meeting last week.
     The Town of Shelburne addressed its concerns in a letter to SWSDA CEO Frank Anderson after reading news reports in the Chronicle Herald about a "secret task force" operating in a "politically poisoned" environment. At the most recent meeting, the task force did not appear on the agenda, except in the correspondence section, which the CEO did not appear to want to address at the meeting.
      After pointed questioning by several municipal leaders, Anderson advised them that the previous steering committee chair had resigned, that the project researcher was being supervised by the SWSDA energy office coordinator, that $33,000 of the first year's $75,000 had been spent since November and that the Task Force, when formed, would include community members from Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby counties. He also said that the steering committee had made recommendations, but did not disclose what they were, to whom they were made and when.
     The questions put to Anderson by the Town of Shelburne remained unanswered and Anderson was informed that written responses were expected presently. "We fully expect to be included in this very important consultation, said Barrington Municipal Warden Louise Halliday. "The process [decisions about oil & gas drilling on Georges Bank] needs to come from the fishermen. They have the most at stake here."
     SWSDA's contract with the department stipulated that they supply a "work plan" for 2009-2010 by January 31. A department spokesman had told SCT earlier that the department expected all timelines in the contract to be met but was unable to confirm Monday whether the plan had been received as required. There has been no response to a request for an interview with Frank Anderson of SWSDA. 

2feb2009:  Port readiness workshop well attended...  Municipal leaders and tourism workers in Shelburne County attended a two-day session this past weekend designed to inform local stakeholders what the benefits and risks might be in trying to attract small cruise ships to the Port of Shelburne.
     Sponsored in part by the local tourism association, the event was supported by all area municipal units and the Chambers of Commerce. Few representatives from the tourism private sector attended, but participants were reported to be enthused about the prospect for cruise ships visiting the area.
     In previous presentations at the Shelburne and Area Chamber of Commerce, it was noted that the costs for preparing a port for cruise ships and attracting them were high, that the risks were substantial and that the time lines were lengthy. At the weekend meeting, facilitators from Aquila Tours in new Brunswick told attendees that, if they proceeded directly, they may expect to see smaller, expedition-sized cruise ships arriving in three to four years. 
     "We did lots of work to see what kinds of products were available in the area and where there were gaps," said Aquila founder and principal Beth Kelley Hatt.  She added that, from what she heard at the session, there were packaging opportunities in the area.
     Many of the participants remained enthusiastic and a report for "go-forward" action from Aquila is expected in about a week's time to give some direction. "I think it is a great first step for us," said Shelburne Town councilor and Elizabeth Rhuland. "There was certainly much positive discussion and a lot for us to consider as we decide how to proceed." Elizabeth has worked extensively in tourism product development and promotion and operated her own tourism packaging and promotion firm.
    Barrington Municipal Council asked councilor Cecil O'Donnell to attend and he told SCT that he found the session quite interesting.  O'Donnell was very supportive of any effort by Shelburne to draw visitors to the port, but also realized that it might be years before any appreciable effect is felt in the Barrington or Cape Sable area from a small cruise ship tourism development based in Shelburne.  

29jan2009: EDITORIAL: When is enough enough when it comes to burning up tax dollars?.... While groups of desperate lobster fishermen and their wives and neighbors are hunkered down in meeting halls trying to sort out some way to get through the coming rough months with little or no income from the lobster fishery, the head of the local development agency and his pals are slugging back pricey scotch and other similar refreshments in Yarmouth, Halifax, Germany, Austria and Norway. At a time when most government agencies are tightening their belts and looking to have their employees use caution and prudence in spending, the Board of Directors for the Yarmouth-based South West Shore Development Authority have seemingly given a blank check to their free-spending CEO.
     In expense records just released as a result of an order from the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, it would seem that part of being the business "rain-maker" for the region means never having to justify more than $25,000 in expenses in just one year and possible $250,000 or more during his tenure there. Remember, this is public agency is funded entirely with our tax dollars and there really should be some accounting and accountability.
     There is no indication on the receipts or the expense record sheets about what business was being done or with whom it was being done during the many trips to Halifax, Las Vegas and various spots in Europe. We do know that the favourite spot for Mr. CEO to entertain was the Old Triangle, the favourite watering hole for the government bureaucrats, ministers ad MLAs and the last known location of Ernie Fage before his booze-fueled hit-and-run escapade.
     No one seems to have signed off on the expenses or questioned why taxpayers are footing any bills for travel for the CEO's wife or for a $350 piece of Austrian Crystal or for tips on meals and booze averaging 25% and reaching 50% and 60%. Even though SWSDA's funding and accounting are project-based and even though every expense sheet has a stamp on it for "project", not one of the hundreds of expenses listed is connected to any of the dozens of projects the agency handles at any given time. Where else in government would you have someone being the final authority on $250,000 of his own expenses?
     It's little wonder now why SWSDA may have recently spent upwards of $50,000 trying to keep $25,000 in expenses secret, even though most taxpayers will find that fact outrageous. What taxpayers should be asking now - as should every member of the board of directors of SWSDA, elected officials for the most part - is whether all of these expenses are really going to create economic development in this area or is the tens of thousands spent on booze and food in tony eateries and lounges just part of a lifestyle which, in these pressing economic times should become a relic? 
     Even though travel and entertainment policies from throughout Nova Scotia are replete with phrases like "subject to review ...verification ...reasonable and necessary ...discretion and good judgment,  not to mention a prohibition of paying for alcohol, my guess is that a close look at the possible $200,000-plus spent on travel and entertainment by the CEO in recent years will show the same unreviewed, indulgent, unfettered and unproductive use of public money.  Heck, if I was him, I'd probably pay another $50,000 of taxpayers money to keep the rest of the receipts secret too. But then, I may just be bitter because I have to pay for my own scotch.       Timothy Gillespie: editor/publisher

17feb2009: Video project gets support... An innovative project by a local videographer has received the support of the local tourism association and is now seeking subjects for a series of short videos featuring Shelburne County people, places and happenings.
     Rick Davis is arguably the most proficient film and video artist working in this region, except that for many years, he has not been doing film or video, but has been managing production facilities and landscaping operations and a number of other enterprises. 
    Feeling the need to get back to creative endeavors, Rick created a concept he calls "Explore Shelburne County." It includes a web site and a series of locally-produced videos which will "promote our county." The project, which is funded by Service Canada, is a collaboration with Discover Shelburne County Tourism Association. 
     Rick is looking for suggestions about video subjects. You can see the web site here.

17feb2009: Halifax-Portland flights approved...  Quebec-based Starlink Aviation has received permission from the Department of Transportation in the U.S. to operate daily flights between Stanfield International Airport in Halifax, Yarmouth International Airport and the Portland International Jetport. Connecting flights are available to 12 U.S. destinations, including New York, Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington. Round trip fares to Portland are $605.00. Flights from Halifax to Yarmouth, which began a week ago, are $392.00, with Yarmouth-to-Portland at $480.00

17feb2009: Lothar's opens for limited schedule...  The eponymous cafe opened last year by one of Shelburne's most popular chefs, Lothar Mayer, has re-opened for the winter season on a limited schedule. Lunch will be served Wednesday through Friday, with no reservations required and dinners are the same days, with reservations needed. The schedule and menu are here.

17feb2009: More marketing support promised to lobster fishermen by provincial and federal ministers.  An Atlantic Canada lobster summit in Dartmouth Friday featured presentations by industry consultants which painted a gloomy short-term future for the lobster industry in Atlantic Canada, but also produced promises that federal and provincial government agencies will lend a hand in trying to strengthen the marketing for locally-caught lobster.
     The development of new lobster products, identification of barriers and difficulties that impede the industry and view of key economic issues facing the industry such as market realities, challenges and opportunities were covered in the day-long event, attended by government reps and fishermen.
     "A number of viable solutions to building a strong lobster industry in the future have been brought to the table, such as co-operation, strong inventory systems, sound marketing and supportive programs as being key," said Ron Chisholm, Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture in a news release following the summit. "To succeed, we must work together." The conference also saw appearances by federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea and fisheries ministers from Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.
    Apparently, $500,000 has been committed by the Fisheries Council of Canada to address the short-term marketing needs of the industry. Calls to the Council were not returned by press time.

17feb2009: EDITORIAL: Sometimes bias in the media is a good thing... I received my second email in a month today complaining that there was bias in my stories on SCT. Jeez, do you think? Of course there is bias here. Unlike the more subtle and low-key biases in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Halifax Herald, CBC or the many Transcontinental newspapers, the bias here is clear, unambiguous, unadulterated, purposeful and planned. >>> full story  >>> hear audio rant

16feb2009:  More swordfish quota says Belliveau... NDP fisheries critic Sterling Belliveau has suggested to federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Minister Gail Shea that her department increase the quota for harpoon swordfishermen in Nova Scotia. Longline fishers have 90% of the current quota and Belliveau says that moving some of that harvest to the more "sustainable" fishery of harpooning would be more productive.
    In a recent story in the Boston Globe, Troy Atkinson, president of the Nova Scotia Swordfishermen's Association said "It's not going to happen," referring to the quota shift and the association's adamant position of not sharing their catch. The regional DFO expert explained to the Globe reporter that the agency cannot simply redistribute quota.
     Overfishing and commercial longlining have apparently led to the decimation of the previously fecund fishery off the coast of New England.  >>> more 

16feb2009:  New Yarmouth Justice Centre opens with flourish by Premier... The long-awaited, new Yarmouth Justice Centre opened Friday in a ceremony featuring Premier Rodney MacDonald... >>> more 

16feb2009:  Major National video prize for Shelburne High students... In a competition usually won by teams from big schools in big cities, five students from Shelburne Regional High School were named Friday as among the ten best videos in the Racism. Stop it! National Video Competition  >>> see full video and news report here  >>> see full story here

16feb2009:  Stonewalling continues for SWSDA documents... Despite a lengthy and losing battle to keep its public records under wraps and despite a Nova Scotia Supreme Court decision ordering it to make its records available, the South West Shore Development Authority continues to play what one expert called a "bait and switch game" in apparently trying to keep even the most elemental of its records from the prying eyes of the citizens and media in the region. >>> full story

16feb2009:  Song enchantment in Shelburne for International Women's Week... Music fans and women's supporters are encouraged to get out their love beads and tie-dyed shirts for this years 5^th annual Song Enchanted Evening celebrating International Women's Week. The celebration is at The Osprey on March 7, and is also a fundraiser for Juniper House, a shelter for abused women and their children.
     Shelburne County songstresses Lisa Buchanan, Pat deMolitor, Merrie Howe, Kathleen Glauser, and Shelly MacIntosh will be together on stage this year to sing songs of the Beatles. Tickets for the 8pm show are at The Whirligig, 875-1117.

11feb2009:  NoRigs3 moves forward in Georges Bank drilling opposition... the group organized ten years ago to protest and oppose oil & gas development on the pristine marine habitat of Georges Bank has resurfaced again with what appears to be renewed vigour. At a meeting in Shelburne Tuesday, the group discussed the various elements of the current and future situation regarding the prime fishing grounds which seem to have been targeted again by oil and gas developers working in concert with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. >>> full story

11feb2009:  eBay land sellers ignore court order to turn over files...   After being told by a Supreme Court judge to turn over records to the defendant in a lawsuit involving possible fraudulent land sales over eBay, Carmen Blinn and her numbered company have ignored the order of Justice Patrick J. Duncan to supply various lists, emails and drawings to SCT publisher Timothy Gillespie by February 8. >>> full story

11feb2009:  Shelburne Chamber warns of email scam....  the Shelburne and Area Chamber of Commerce has warned all of its members that there appears to be an email scam circulating which could cost victims thousands of dollars. After consulting the local RCMP, the Chamber warns businesses of unsolicited emails which suggest that the sender will submit a substantial order and provide a credit card number(s).  
     About a week later the sender will then cancel the order and ask that his credit card charges be reversed.  The catch is that the initial charges on the credit card will not go through but the reversal will go through. "If the email is not addressed to you," the warning says,  more than likely it is a scam.  Recipients of such emails should be very diligent that they have a genuine order.

11feb2009:  Oceans First struggling to organize as lawyer remains on board... who is paying for the research?... According to several interviews with current and previous participants in the Oceans First Task Force, the group continues to face large hurdles in organizing itself to fulfill the contract signed with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. The Task Force is apparently the brain child of Frank Anderson, former Yarmouth bank bureaucrat and current CEO of South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA). >>> full story
   

9feb2009: Lobster crisis "trickle-down", 80 businesses shuttered, decrease in business loans... >>> more 

9feb2009: pols and suits inaugurate Yarmouth-Halifax air service... There were 17 passengers on the first flight for the new regional airline, mostly government and municipal politicians and businesspeople. Yarmouth MLA Richard Hurlburt, among those who it is said worked hard for the return of air service to the Yarmouth airport, was among those on the flight... >>> more

27jan2009:  Shelburne photo gallery now online... The Town of Shelburne announced Monday that photos scenes in and around the Town can be found online and can be view singly or in a slidewhow.

27jan2009:  Five days left for Shelburne pet shelter voting in $10,000 contest... Through Care2.com's "A New Year of Hope for Animals" contest, Beulah Burman Animal Shelter's PET Projects could win a grand prize of $10,000, say the facility operators. Voting is done online and BBMASS is now second in the province in voting. The contest ends Jan 31.

22jan2009: Province sinks $12 million more into ferry service for 2009... $42 million in 30 months... The province's Industrial Expansion Fund will cover financial losses for Bay Ferries Ltd. on its Yarmouth-Maine service to allow the company to maintain the operation for the 2009 season. The total amount of assistance will depend on the financial results of the service, but will not exceed $12 million, according to the release. Bay Ferries has received more than $42 million in government subsidies in the past 30 months. 
     "Without this immediate assistance the service would not be able to continue," said a government news release. Traffic on the ferry is down a whopping 43% over the past five years. In 2008, 85,000 customers used the ferry service. 
     Increase in fuel costs together with economic challenges in the United States and now Canada, plus new passport requirements taking effect June 1 will add to uncertainty over Canada-U.S. travel. A joint federal-provincial study will examine the transportation needs in southwest Nova Scotia to determine long-term decisions about the Yarmouth-to-Maine service. The federal government has committed $1 million for the study.
     The $12 million could amount to a subsidy of $150 or more for each passenger, or 100% of the Yarmouth-Bar Harbour fare and 75% of the Yarmouth-Portland fare, if 2009 tourism numbers follow current trends. The province announced a $4.4 million subsidy for Bay Ferries  In 2007, the government gave Bay Ferries a $2.5 million subsidy to keep it afloat. Since 2006, provincial and federal governments have bailed out the St. John-Digby ferry to the tune $23 million to keep going until 2011.
     Readers of the Chronicle Herald are incensed at the bailout, with some calling it "shameless", "ridiculous" and a great business scheme for the private company.  >>> Herald

21jan2009: Georges Bank Task Force chair resigns.... Amidst recent criticism of the way the government-funded Oceans First Task Force has conducted its business since being created in October, 2008, committee chairman and Yarmouth lawyer Clifford Hood announced he was quitting the panel.
     News stories in Nova Scotia and New England have called into question the secrecy and political maneuvering behind the group, whose contract with the Department of Energy requires them to do an unbiased study of the benefits and risks in oil and gas development off the coast of South West Nova Scotia, including the Georges Bank area.
    Hood, who is a vocal pro-drilling advocate, told the Coast Guard that he was an interim steering committee chairman and that a larger group would be formed. Hood previously told SCT that former Energy Minister and Yarmouth businessman Richard Hurlburt had appointed him permanent chair of the group.
     The Task Force has yet to meet formally, but has issued a news release promoting drilling on Georges Bank and reports indicate that they may have spent upwards of 40% of their year one budget. >>> more on Georges Bank

21jan2009: Shelburne front and centre in infrastructure spending debate... The Chronicle Herald reported Wednesday that the upcoming budget announcements for infrastructure spending in Canada may pit towns like Shelburne against cities like Halifax.
       "If they don’t look at the reality of the situation, given the downloading the federal and provincial governments have done to the municipalities and the drain that we have on our very limited resources, we are going to be left out and the bigger metropolitan areas are going to capture the lion’s share of it," Shelburne Mayor Alan Delaney told Herald reporters  >>> Herald story

6feb2009:  Minister Hurlburt brings home $400,000 in infrastructure projects for Yarmouth County...   New Municipal Affairs Minister Richard Hurlburt (MLA Yarmouth) stopped on his provincial tour of municipalities to announce $340,000 to upgrade the Town of Yarmouth's wastewater treatment system, part of the Provincial Capital Assistance Program 
    Earlier in the day, Argyle MLA Chris D'Entremont, on behalf of the Minister, announced a $60,000 commitment towards the extension of a wastewater line at the Tusket Industrial Park that will serve the remaining lots, as well as improvements to the system's pumping station.

feb62009: African Heritage Month celebrated with TV shows... Eastlink Television will be celebrating the 25th Annual African heritage Month with two special program.  Sherekea! airs Sundays at 8:00 pm in February, while the special Amistad Edition of Eastlink Magazine airs Monday, February 9 night at 7:00pm and Tuesday to Friday that week and Monday, February 16 at 12 noon.
    The Amistad show was filmed in part in Shelburne during the Amistad visit in 2008 as part of the 225th Anniversary of the Landing of the Black Loyalists.
    Sherekea! is hosted by Tracey Jones and is an entertaining exploration of the rich history and culture of the African-Nova Scotian community.

6feb2009: Provincial Tories throw the book at NDP with "code orange" campaign... negative spin on how much NDP “promises” over the last three years would cost. a 65-page document called "The NDP — A Risk You Can’t Afford" was released the day before Tories gather for their annual general meeting in Halifax  >>> more

5feb2009:Facing Lobster Industry Challenges... Editorial: Fisheries Industry Minister Ron Chisholm   >>> more

5feb2009:  US Congress to ban "unconscionable" Georges Bank oil & gas drilling...  In a clear repudiation of the last-minute decision by the waning Bush administration, a bi-partisan congressional committee has introduced a bill which would reinstate the prohibition on drilling for oil or gas on Georges Bank. The US controls 80% of the rich marine habitat and fishing grounds... >>> full story

4feb2009:  More Joint Stocks Registry shenanigans and financial funny business for development authority....  In what might appear to be an on-going litany of questionable business practices, the South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA) is connected to a recent filing with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies (RJSC) which appears to have several blatant errors.
      The files relate to the registration of a non-profit group named South West Shore Volunteer Services Society, which shows street and mailing addresses shared by SWSDA. The registered agent for the Society is Frank Anderson, who also serves as the CEO for SWSDA. The officers and directors for the Society are almost identical to that of SWSDA, including officers. None of the listed officers have heard of the Society... >>> full story

4feb2009:  Minister tours South Shore munis in advance of massive spending...   New Municipal Affairs Minister Richard Hurlburt (MLA Yarmouth) is in the middle of a provincial tour designed to introduce himself to municipal leaders and to caution them to be prepared with "shovel-ready" projects in the impending federal and provincial infrastructure spending increases soon to be announced.
     Hurlburt met with officials with mayors, wardens and councilors from Lockeport, Shelburne and Barrington on Tuesday, despite the inclement driving conditions. "The minister is eager to meet all of the municipal officials with whom he will be working closely over the next months," a department spokesperson told SCT.
     The Town of Shelburne has put forward a $5 million plan to upgrade the government wharf in the town, which would make the facility more inviting for international and short haul shipping and for smaller cruise ships and would provide ample space for an increase in the docking facilities at the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club and Marina.

3feb2009:  Oceans First Task Force questions unanswered after SWSDA meeting...  Most of the municipal leaders who comprise the board of directors of the South West Shore Development Authority have questions and concerns about the status of the controversial Oceans First Task Force being established by SWSDA under contract with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy, according to reports from the most recent SWSDA board meeting last week. >>> full story

2feb2009:  Community lobster fishery meeting slated for Lunenburg... A meeting to talk about the present concerns with the south western Nova Scotia lobster fishery is being held Thursday, February 5, 6:30 pm at the Lunenburg Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, 2nd floor, Theatre Room. 
   Items for discussion will include:  what is taking place to address the fallout from the low lobster prices at the start of the season and how to move forward with sustainability and promotion of the lobster industry. It is a public meeting and organizers invite port reps, harvesters, business community, industry and land workers involved directly or indirectly in the lobster industry

2feb2009:  4th Annual Chocolate Festival celebrates African heritage Month and benefits Black Loyalists...  the 4th Annual Chocolate Festival fundraiser is being held at Birchtown Community Centre on Sunday, February 15 from 1pm to 4pm as a celebration of African Heritage Month and as a benefit for the Black Loyalist Heritage Society.
    The Festival includes the opportunity to purchase and sample delectables at the Centre or to bring them home. for more information, >>> see poster

2feb2009:  Local food meeting slated for Yarmouth...  a community discussion about Local Food Systems in the Tri-Counties  will take place Feb 20 from 9am to 3pm at the Yarmouth Lions Club on Parade Strret.
     Billed as an opportunity to explore what possibilities there are for local food systems and to connect people who have ideas about local and sustainable food, the event is designed to create opportunities for people to move forward together regarding the development of sustainable food systems.
     Shelley Wilson of the Nova Scotia Department of Health says that food security is a growing concern for many people around the world. The Food and Agriculture Organization says that food security exists "when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."
      Part of the discussion is expected to surround the benefits and challenges surrounding the production and purchase of locally grown produce and livestock. Registration is free and includes a delicious lunch caterd by Old World Bakery. RSVP is required to  Ruthie Allen Hamilton by February 13^th by calling 749-1994 or email: thisistheday@ns.sympatico.ca. More information is at 742-3542 ext 462 or on the web at: www.tricountylocalfoodsystem.com

2feb2009:  Year of the Lobster website launched....  provincial enthusiasm for celebrating all things lobster has grown from a declaration two few weeks ago by the Municipality of Barrington that 2009 would be "The Year of the Lobster". 
     Part of the genesis for the council there was to create some "positive press" during difficult times in the lobster industry, which is a mainstay of the Nova Scotian and South West Nova economies. The web site contains listings of all lobster festivals and events, places to eat lobster, history and stories, videos and recipes. 
     The web site can be found at www.BestofNovaScotia.com/lobster

2feb2009:  Port readiness workshop well attended...  Municipal leaders and tourism workers in Shelburne County attended a two-day session this past weekend designed to inform local stakeholders what the benefits and risks might be in trying to attract small cruise ships to the Port of Shelburne. >>> full story

2feb2009:  Shelburne River possible Wilderness Area...   After a consultation process in which respondents overwhelmingly approved the area's inclusion in the Wilderness Areas Protection Act, the province is moving forward to include the Shelburne River and two other areas in the act. Nova Scotians now have an opportunity to comment on a discussion paper on the socioeconomic effects of designating three new wilderness areas, including Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes, between Kearney Lake and Timberlea and Ship Harbour Long Lake, northeast of Musquodoboit Harbour. Written comment will be accepted until Feb. 27 by mail at Nova Scotia Environment, Protected Areas, P.O. Box 442, Halifax, N.S., B3J 2P8, and by e-mail at protectedareas@gov.ns.ca .  see map here

1feb2009:  Shelburne eateries show up as average in online food inspection database...  A new online food service inspection scheme touted by the Nova Scotia government as being surprisingly popular shows Shelburne restaurants near or below average in reported violations.
     Out of 24 locations listed only four were cited, all for minor violations. The provincial average  from a random sampling was 25%. Tim Hortons, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dairy Queen franchises show a surprising number of report violations in January. >>> more

31jan2009:  Community Rural communities strategic plan survey...  A survey is being conducted on behalf of the Coastal Communities Network (CCN) with support from the Rural Secretariat as part a wider study to identify the services and resources needed to assist with strengthening the economic, cultural, environmental and social sustainability of rural communities in Nova Scotia. 
     The project report will provide recommendations on how to address gaps, barriers and obstacles to progress. The results will be used by CCN in developing a long term strategic plan and will include information and recommendations for use by the Rural Secretariat. The online survey can be found here. 

29jan2009:  DFO caused fishermen's debt load, says Theriault.... In a January 28 letter to federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Gail Shea, Digby MLA and former fisherman Harold (Junior) Theriault cautioned that the enormous - and recently unpayable - debt load of some young fisherman is a result of DFO artificially raising the prices of licenses in a short term by up to 150%, bring the cost of a "buy-in" to one million dollars or more.
     This, according to Theriault, was in order to speed up the integration (three-year DFO pilot plan for the integration of commercial groundfish fisheries that supposedly promotes the conservation and sustainability of groundfish stocks) of the local fishery.
     Theriault goes on to say that, if the government stands by to watch young fishermen go into bankruptcy, "it's not going to go over well in coastal communities of Atlantic Canada." He requested a reply and sent copies to MP Greg Kerr and Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Ron Chisholm. 

29jan2009: EDITORIAL: When is enough enough when it comes to burning up tax dollars?.... While groups of desperate lobster fishermen and their wives and neighbors are hunkered down in meetings halls trying to sort out some way to get through the coming rough months with little or no income from the lobster fishery, the head of the local development agency and his pals are slugging back pricey scotch and other similar refreshments on our dime in Yarmouth, Dayton, Halifax, Las Vegas, Germany, Austria and Norway.  >>> more

29jan2009:  Roseway emergency closed parts of 16 days in February... According to a news release from Southwest Health, Roseway Hospital emergency room in Shelburne will be closed a total of 168 hours over 16 days in February, accounting for 25% of the total hours for the month. Lack of physician coverage was given as the reason for closures by the Southwest health communications officer. >>> see closure schedule here

28jan2009:  New Canadian border directive by US could affect lobster & tourism industries...  US homeland security experts have called for increased attention to the Canadian border and the new agency chief has directed her staff to review security at what the Washington Times called "the soft underbelly up north". Every year 35 million vehicles cross the border with the U.S and $460 billion in trade is exchanged per annum, according to the Canadian government. 
     Increased border security measures, include new passports and inspections schemes have affected both tourism and lobster shipping, two of Southwest Nova Scotia's prime industries.   Increased truck delays are the largest problem, says Canada Transport, with delay-related losses approaching $300 million per year. 
     The lobster catch in Nova Scotia exceeds 30 million pounds per year, exports total $400 million  dollars and the primary market for exported lobster is the U.S. Increasing demands by the U.S. on tourism visitors is thought to be a factor in the drop in visits to Nova Scotia in recent years and was cited as a factor in $12 million subsidy recently granted to Bay Ferries, operator of The Cat.. >> more  

29jan2009:  Group forms to solve Yarmouth homeless problem... Tonight, just like any other night, at least 30 people in Yarmouth will not know where they are going to sleep. That number is a conservative count — some people suggest it could be as high as 90.  >>> more

29jan2009:  Queens says no to subdivision paving... Region of Queens Municipal Council has decided to advise the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal the Region will opt out of cost sharing for subdivision street paving in 2009-10....  >>> more

Internet workshops planned for Shelburne... the Community Business Development Centre in Shelburne is sponsoring a low-cost workshop for local businesses focused around using 21st century technology to market and promote their businesses.
     The workshop, called WEB WORKS: Using the Internet to Grow Your Business in Troubled Times, is a three-hour session designed for business or organization owners and managers who are interested in taking advantage of the relatively inexpensive electronic marketing methods available on the internet and through email.
      The session led by SCT editor/publisher Timothy Gillespie, a 30-year veteran in the advertising and marketing arena. The workshop is Friday, February 13 from 9:00am to 12 noon and costs $10, including nutritional break. For registration and information, call 875-1133 >>> download flyer here

28jan2009:  Black Bull to shutter White Rock mine in Shelco... In what Shelburne mayor Al Delaney called a "blow to the town", Black Bull Resources announced Tuesday they would mothball the quartz mine in East Kemptville and "hunker down" until the market improved.
     The firm sold only $29,000 of product in 4th quarter 2008 and suffered losses nearing $900,000. December's payroll was seven, down from a high of 20. The mine closed in 2006 and re-opened in 2007. Delaney told the Herald Chronicle that the shutdown would have a larger ripple effect here than in a large city.

28jan2009:  Advocacy group vies for hiway 103 upgrades near Chester...  Disputing announcements that the upgrades for the Port Joli-to-Summerville portion of highway 103 was slated for an upgrade soon, a group comprised of relatives of crash victims from a section near Hubbards, issued a news release on Tuesday calling on government to fix the more easterly portion first.
    Saying that the 58 deaths in that section are equivalent to all of the politicians on the south shore, member Bruce Hetherington called for a twinning of the Hubbards section before work is done in Queens and Shelburne counties.

27jan2009:  $1.6 million to be asked from Shelburne for its "shovel ready" port plan?... Getting short term infrastructure money for its $5 million port plan may be rougher than anticipated, according to interviews given Monday by Industry Minister Jim Prentice after the Throne Speech in Ottawa. 
     Prentice told CBC that the government would expect a one-third each from communities and the province any municipal projects in the expected $13 billion dollar spending to be announced Tuesday. At the announcement last week the CEO of SWSDA said that he would be willing to seek funding for the project after Shelburne got buy-in from other area municipal units.

27jan2009:  Organize! says Belliveau to worried lobster committee...  More than 40 people attended a meeting in Barrington Thursday to discuss forming a grassroots support network for the lobster fishery in Southwest Nova Scotia. According to a Facebook page [I love Lobster] for the group, the purpose is to "help secure aid for our fishing communities and to promote lobster in order that our industry can be lucrative and sustainable and help sustain our communities and way of life."
     Organized by Cape Island businesswoman and former political candidate Wanda Atkinson, the meeting heard details of the enormous fear felt by some fishing families as they risk losing their homes and other assets due to the sudden economic downturn. Responding to questions about how to pressure various government agencies to consider adjusting license fees, boat loans and EI benefits, MLA Sterling Belliveau said that the best thing people could do is to is to get highly organized and to speak to the government with one, strong voice.
     "I've got people calling me every day," said Belliveau, "with stories about how bad things are getting for them and asking what help I can give them"  The former fisherman and municipal warden sounded genuinely worried about what might be in store for the fishing industry in the region. "People should be asking why we have no fish cannery in the county."
     In addition to pressing financial matters, much of the evenings discussion centered around the prospect of more engagement by the fishermen in marketing and promoting the lobster catch themselves. There were discussions about a web site, email listserve and promotional license plates. LFA 34 exec Wayne Spinney emphasized that the group needed to be certain to include fishermen from the Yarmouth and Digby areas. 
     The audience included at least two representatives of LFA 34, a major buyer, deck hands and former fishermen, business people and current, former and prospective area politicians. Four directors of the Shelburne and Area Chamber of Commerce attended and the Yarmouth chamber sent their regrets.
    In addition to SCT, the meeting saw reporters from CJLS, the Coast Guard and Chronicle Herald. A core group of volunteers agreed to construct a "mission statement" to present at the next meeting, which takes place in Yarmouth on Thursday, January 29 at 6:30pm at the Yarmouth Wesleyan Church. Questions about the group can go to Wanda at wandalobster@hotmail.com

21jan2009:Shelburne Muni rec news now online... the 2009 newsletter from the Municipality of Shelburne recreation department is now online in viewable or downloadable form.

21jan2009: Georges Bank web site launched... a web site designed as resource guide for the upcoming debate on oil and gas drilling on Georges Bank has been launched by Nova Scotia Today, an online  sister publication of SCT. Georges Bank 2012 includes links to news stories, government agencies, science, environmental, fishing and oil and gas groups and related resources.
     Between January 5 and June 1, 2010, the Nova Scotia and Canadian governments are required to review the prospect of ending or extending the oil and gas drilling  moratorium which has been in place since1988. 

21jan2009: Expense claim holdout gives in... in one of the longest-running provincial battles for information about the expenses of a public official, the lawyers for South West Shore Development Authority CEO Frank Anderson have agreed to turn over the expense claim documents demanded in a Supreme Court judges order from November, 2008.
     In 2006, Adelard (Ed) Cayer made a request for the expense claims of Anderson, whose entire SWSDA budget comes from the tax-supported public sector, and was denied by the SWSDA chief. An appeal to the Nova Scotia Freedom of Information Commissioner was upheld, as was a subsequent appeal to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. Anderson's defence to date is estimated to have cost taxpayers and municipal governments in Nova Scotia upwards of $50,000. 
     In November, 2008, Justice Suzanne Hood ordered that Anderson's turn over the records he sought in his application, but Cayer only received an edited expense report, but no receipts. "I asked for the full record and the justice said to remit it," says Cayer. It was only after a lengthy post-order correspondence that law firm McInness Cooper agreed to turn over the pertinent receipts.
    SWSDA and Anderson have been engaged with Cayer's Ocean Produce International for ten years in a multi-million dollar civil suit which is set to go to trial in January of 2010. SWSDA is facing a contempt of court hearing regarding a side issue to that case, involving allegations that Anderson and his staff they did not adequately account for funds from the sale of the former Shelburne Boy's School. The larger suit is estimated to have cost taxpayers $500,000 or more to date.
     Cayer says that he is still contemplating further legal or administrative action regarding the edits made by the lawyers on the expense claims.

20jan2009: Province mulls Georges Bank drilling... if the Nova Scotia government and its energy ministry has its way, there will soon be drilling rigs in the Gulf of Maine and southern New England’s commercial fishery could feel the effect... >>> Providence Journal Opinion 

20jan2009: $2 million goes to Yarmouth air service...  Yarmouth MLA Richard Hurlburt announced Tuesday that a commitment of $2 million over five years will be made through the Industrial Expansion Fund and will be jointly administered by the Yarmouth International Airport Corporation and the Department of Economic and Rural Development. 
     The fund is designed to The fund will operate for five years to help establish two daily flights each from Yarmouth to Halifax and Yarmouth to Portland, Maine, starting in February. The service will be run by Quebec-based Starlink Aviation and will employ an 18-seat turbo prop aircraft
     The five-year funding comes from a pool designed to assist industries involved in innovative research and technology, according to a government press release. 
     The investment is based in part on the projections of income of $4.5 to $6.5 million per year from 10-15,000 passengers from the Halifax-Yarmouth flights and 15-20,000 from the Halifax-Portland leg, according to Jeffrey Monroe, manager of the Yarmouth International Airport.
     Monroe told SCT that up to eight jobs in Yarmouth and 3-4 jobs in Halifax would be created from the service.

20jan2009: Yarmouth priest named in molestation suits...  Rev. Adolphe LeBlanc has been dead for decades but men are coming forward to say he abused them when they were boys growing up in small Nova Scotia parishes.
     A law firm that has sued about 100 Roman Catholic dioceses across the country on behalf of clients who say they were sexually abused is now is now suing the Archdiocese of Halifax and the Diocese of Yarmouth for alleged molestations by Fr. Leblanc which occurred in the Yarmouth Diocese between 1940 and 1960, when the alleged victims would have been 11 to 15 years old.  >>> Herald

19jan2009: What the Nova Scotia government has planned for Cape cod... If they have their way, the current Nova Scotia government will put an end to the twenty-six year, cooperative ban on oil and gas drilling off the Cape Cod coast on the Georges Bank.    >>> more from Cape Cod Today

19jan2009: $5 million port plan being floated...  Shelburne mayor Al Delaney made a pitch to federal, provincials and local officials for $5 million in funding for enhancements to the Port of Shelburne, the Coast Guard reports. 
     South Shore MP Gerald Keddy said that, if funding was committed, it wouldn't "happen overnight", but would like be done in stages. Southwest Shore Development Authority Frank Anderson told the group that he would be willing to seek funding for the project after Shelburne got buy-in from other area municipal units.  >>> full story  >>> Herald story

19jan2009: My way on the highway... MLAs demand action in 103... NDP legislators Vicki Conrad (Queens Co) and Sterling Belliveau (Shelburne Co) issues a joint news release demanding that the Highway 103 bypass between Sable River and Broad River be included in the infrastructure spending being discussed by the provincial and federal governments.
      Conrad also took a shot at South Shore MP Gerald Keddy and his attempts to move the project forward, which some in the area say are considerable.  "Talk is cheap and federal money is available through the Building Canada Fund as well as a federal-provincial infrastructure agreement. Why is this area being neglected?”

19jan2009: MacDonnell Group adds BC Maritime staffer to security division... MacDonnell Maritime Security announced Monday that security specialist Orville A. Nickel has been hired to oversee all marine security training in British Columbia.
     "We are excited to have Orv on board," said MacDonnell director of marketing & business development, Damian Stoilov in a news release. "His background in security training and risk management in both the public and private sector is impressive."
    The MacDonnell Group recent purchased the former Boys School in Shelburne and has plans to operate a security guard training program there.

15jan2009: Big cuts coming to Chronicle Herald newsroom?... 103 news staff in Nova Scotia are worried about their jobs as Chronicle Herald management has announced that they are seeking a $1.5 million cut in newsrooms costs immediately. According to CBC, the union was told Wednesday that cuts would come via buyouts and layoffs.
     Journalism professor Stephen Kimber said on CBC Thursday that someone at the paper must get a grip on web-based news service fore the paper to survive.
    The Transcontinental-owned Halifax Daily News folded one year ago. The Herald is independently owned.

13jan2009: EDITORIAL: Mea culpa mi amore… or, Sometimes NOT saying you’re sorry is the hardest word. For you regular readers, you will know that yesterday I published a heartfelt apology for errors I hade made in a story published in December. For those of you who didn’t read the apology here it is. Thinking I’ve done the right thing, it’s all over, everyone is happy, I go about my business. But no, too easy… too easy. Now I get calls saying I shouldn’t hadda otta dunnit, the apology that is. That I was a wuss for caving to the “man.” Man! A man can’t win fer tryin. >>> read full story   NEW! hear the rant on mp3

13jan2009:  Shelco tourism plan now a go... after a strong pitch from Lockeport town councilor and tourism booster Howard Rozel, Clarks Harbour town council voted Monday to reverse course and support a plan for a tourism coordinator for Shelburne County.
     The plan is a project of South West Shore Development Authority, who will oversee the fundraising for the project and will provide oversight and administration for work done. 
     Clark's Harbour committed to the final 5% of the $39,0000 project. Previously, Lockeport had agreed to its $2,000 share, providing the funds would come from the now-depleted funds from the sale of the Shelburne Youth Centre.

13jan2009:  Tri-county board pleased with biggest score increase in provincial math testing... The Tri-County Regional School Board says there is still work to do, but it is pleased with the progress that’s been made in early mathematics in its elementary schools over the past year. >>> more

12jan2009:  SWSDA lawsuit dismissed... a lawsuit filed by a high-end real estate firm against the South West Shore Development Authority has been dismissed.
  Claussen Walters & Associates sued the development authority last April for $275,000, money it said it was owed as commission for its role in the sale of the former naval station in Sandy Point, just outside Shelburne. >>> more

12jan2009:  Call for lobster task force group...  NDP Fisheries Critic and Shelburne MLA, Sterling Belliveau, called on Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries to endorse the establishment of an all- party task force to address the many issues and concerns surrounding the embattled lobster industry.
    Minister Ron Chisholm and his Atlantic counterparts are scheduled to meet with the federal fisheries minister this Friday and Belliveau says, " it is imperative that the Minister stress the serious economic situation fishermen across Nova Scotia and the Atlantic provinces are facing,” 
    Saying a task force or a working group must be established, the former fisherman cited the government of Maine, who he says has taken a leadership role by calling for a review of the lobster fishery there.      
     Liberal fisheries critic Harold "Junior" Theriault of Digby has also called on Chisholm to act, saying in early December that "the government sat idle and simply watched as the Southwest Nova Scotia lobster fishery spiraled into crisis."
     Minister Chisholm, when contacted by SCT, said he was aware of the very difficult economic challenges facing the lobster industry in Nova Scotia. "The department will continue to work with industry to address current issues," he said. " I am confident that the industry can get through these tough economic times."
   He added that ongoing conversations with federal fisheries minister Shea and his Atlantic counterparts continue and that they will "continue to work with all stakeholders to strengthen and grow the lobster fishery.