Official Sydney and Area Projects Thread

[Architype]

So the CBRM population peaked at 131,507 in 1961. I believe that is bigger than either Moncton or Saint John NB today, and, I would have to check, but maybe bigger than Halifax (city) at that time.

There are lots of mining towns that have gone down the hole (sorry for pun); two in Nfld are Wabana and Buchans. Labrador City peaked as well, but apparently is growing again.

[ErickMontreal]

Originally Posted by Architype

There are lots of mining towns that have gone down the hole (sorry for pun); two in Nfld are Wabana and Buchans. Labrador City peaked as well, but apparently is growing again.

So true, Gagnon in Québec is a ghost town now, in the mid-1980s the Québec Cartier Mining Company was no longer turning a profit. The mines were closed and the town fully dismantled in 1985. All buildings and nearly all of the streets were dismantled. The town's main street remained and is now part of Route 389.

On that road you could reach Manic 5 and Labrodor City (Nfld).

This is not the case of Sydney though. The city will grow again.

[Smevo]

^True, but at the time they were separate towns, and were (still are to a lesser degree) independent of each other on a functional day-to-day basis.

The problem with trying to compare these numbers to any other town is that these are the city/town limits, which instead of going through ammalgamations and major annexations, remained (relatively) static. For example, to try to compare them with NB cities which went through massive amalgamations in the 70's, you'd have to use the UA statistics from Stats Can, which includes these communities the table I posted puts into "Cape Breton County":
Sydney (23,990)
Westmount (~3,000)
Coxheath (~2,500)
Sydney River (~3,200)
Howie Centre(~2,500)
Grand Lake Road (~2,300)
Mira Road (~1,500)
Lingan Road (~400)
Prime Brook (~500)
South Bar (~700)
Giving (2001) Sydney - ~40,600

Glace Bay (16,984)
Reserve Mines (~2,000)
Tower Road (~300)
Dominion (separated town but suburb of GB) (2,144)
Gardiner Mines (~600)
Giving Glace Bay - ~22,000

New Waterford (6,944)
Scotchtown (~1,100)
River Ryan (~1,100)
Lingan (~600)
New Victoria (~1,100)
Giving New Waterford - ~11,000

North Sydney - Sydney Mines (6,158 + 6,982)
Upper North Sydney (~300)
George's River (~700)
Little Bras D'Or (~500)
Bras D'Or (~550)
Florence (~1,700)
Little Pond (~300)
Alder Point (~600)
Giving North Sydney/Sydney Mines - ~17,800

I can't really give a good estimation of what the suburbs were at CB County's peak, but this was just to give an idea of it all. It also probalby seems askew that I would include communities of only a few hundred people, but these communities are direct spillover and either small area or large boundaries with the population being concentrated in a small area.

Anyway, the combined population by these standards in 2001 would have been 91,400 of the 109,330 in CBRM...or 83.6%. The suburbs have grown and lost similar to, but at differing rates and times, their respective urban centres.

Anyway, just a bunch of useless stuff from somebody up way too late.

There was another town which got relegated to "Cape Breton County" in the table called Broughton, which in its peak (around the 1920's or 1930's...it's hard to find good info on it) was estimated to be in the 7,000 people neighbourhood. It's another mining town that became a ghost town, it's town plan is actually my desktop (planned for 12,000)....I know, I'm a geek!

[Architype]

Interesting, when I read something about Broughton before, I actually thought it was a town which was never built. I didn't know it was actually a kind of boom town that died. BTW, the hardest hit mining town in Nfld was Wabana which peaked at around 12 or 14,000. Because it's an island (Bell Isl) you can guess what happened.

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Port users shrug off snub on Atlantic Gateway, keep focus on development

Section: Business

By Nancy King, Cape Breton Post
Being excluded from an Atlantic Gateway-focused trade mission to India this week is disappointing, but isn't distracting a group of area port users from its focus of developing the local port, its spokesperson says.

Peter MacKay, minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is leading the mission, which is due to wrap up today and is intended to promote the region to shippers, business leaders and key government representatives.

In addition to the Port of Halifax and other business interests in the Atlantic region and ministers from all four provinces, Hugh Lynch, chair of Melford International Terminal Inc., is part of the delegation. That company is developing a container terminal on the mainland side of the Strait of Canso.

The Sydney port is also working to position itself to attain a portion of the anticipated boom in container traffic and bulk cargo through activities such as the proposed dredging of Sydney harbour. Initially, there were indications Melford wouldn't be involved with the mission.

"The way it came down, in terms of the participants, wasn't the way I understood it was going to happen," noted Jim Wooder, spokesperson for the Sydney Marine Group. "I think that, given what Sydney represents in the context of a gateway opportunity, clearly we should have been there and I think that Nova Scotia suffers by virtue of not having all of the obvious ports that are relevant . . . represented."

He added the Marine Group is not looking to make a big issue of the omission and it won't affect local port planning.

"I think the fact that people in the community now are aware of the importance of the harbour and would pick up on something like that, it shows that people are getting educated on the file," Wooder said. "We just have to be really aggressive as a region here as to how we come together on this gateway issue."

He added they will be looking to ensure Sydney's needs and input are heard by the federal-provincial gateway council.

The Marine Group announced this week that the environmental assessment of the dredging is now underway, after positive results were received from harbour assessment work carried out earlier this year.

"We're on a path here, it requires certain steps and we've just taken another big one because the Strait Signet survey work has provided us with really great information and we're now moving with confidence into the environmental assessment with the knowledge of what's in the sediments that we're going to be moving and we know where bedrock is . . . it doesn't really matter what's going on in India or the Strait of Canso or Halifax . . . we're in the game, we're moving forward," Wooder said.

The environmental assessment is expected to take six to 12 months to complete.

A recently released ports master plan indicated increased movement of passengers, bulk cargo and a container facility would more than quadruple the port's economic impact.

The Sydney Marine Group is made up of Laurentian Energy Corp., Logistec Stevedoring, Marine Atlantic, Nova Scotia Power, Provincial Energy Ventures, Sydney Steel and Sydney Ports Corp.

Steam will soon be rising from tar ponds site

Section: Cape Breton

People travelling near the Sydney tar ponds over the next few weeks may see some steam rising from the site.

The Sydney Tar Ponds Agency announced Thursday that the cooling pond project is more than 50 per cent complete and contractors are preparing to manage ice that accumulated over the cooling pond this winter.

The method selected is adding Quicklime - a non-combustible and odourless material - to the ice pile over a three-week period. Quicklime was selected as an effective melting agent because it reacts vigorously with water, generating a significant amount of heat to melt the ice, the agency said in a release.

Throughout the melting process, the public will see non-hazardous steam rising from the site. All sediment will be captured and returned to the cooling pond to be solidified and stabilized.

The controlled melting activity will continue only when prevailing weather conditions are acceptable. As with all construction activities, the agency's comprehensive air monitoring program is in effect and will continue as the work proceeds.

Tar ponds cleanup moving into high gear with more than $100M in contracts to be awarded this year

Section: Cape Breton

By Doug MacKenzie, Cape Breton Post
More than $100 million in contracts will be awarded in 2008 as the tar ponds cleanup shifts into full swing.

Vendors and suppliers gathered at the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre Thursday for a Sydney Tar Ponds Agency briefing on project status, construction schedules, forthcoming tenders and construction requirements. The agency held a similar meeting in Port Hawkesbury, Wednesday.

"We want to put information on the street of what type of work is coming up," said agency president Frank Potter. "Contractors will have a chance to prepare and be more aware of the type of work we're talking about. That's one part of it, giving information so they understand what the real nuts and bolts of the components are.

"The other part of it, and the reason we have the Cape Breton Partnership here, is we're trying to encourage partnering here. Some of the contractors here might reach out to someone else they can form a partnership with to bid on a project. Some of the components are going to be smaller, but some are going to have larger dollar values that some of the contractors are not used to bidding on."

One of the parts of the bid process, which is designed to keep business at home, is a split in the evaluation of each bid where 85 per cent is weighted toward cost effectiveness and 15 per cent is focused on economic benefits to the community.

"It's an exercise that took a lot of time, that has a lot of unique features and has implications which go way beyond Cape Breton," said Dan White, economic benefits and planning co-ordinator with the agency. "We worked out some compromises and we have what I think is a pretty good package."

About the only negative issue during Thursday's briefing was the information that bids with a price six per cent or more above the lowest compliant bid will be rejected immediately.

"It was the first time I heard of it," said Carl Baillie, vice-president of Municipal Ready Mix. "We had sat down as a group of contractors and other businessmen in the area and we had worked with the tar ponds agency on an economic benefit package and as far as I knew it was set at the 85/15. This is the first I heard of a six per cent cap on the tender difference. Potentially, there could be an American company come in with a low tender and no local economic benefits in that tender and they would get the job as long as there was no local company within that six per cent."

White was not surprised by the feedback regarding the cap, but felt it wouldn't greatly affect the bid process.

"When you put an economic benefits package in place you're really saying you're going to try to use the project to drive economic development," said White. "The six per cent is there to ensure the project has a way it can control the inputs to that economic development process so that it doesn't run the risk of incurring huge cost overruns for the economic benefits development that aren't anticipated.

"What we've seen to date and part of what influenced the six per cent is that the pricing is very competitive and very close in cases of projects to date so we're thinking that may prevail and if it does then fundamentally what will happen is it will work out well as a policy."

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Sydney Airport lands funds to improve facility

Section: Business

By Doug MacKenzie, Cape Breton Post
Sydney Airport landed $222,800 in government funding Friday for improving airport conditions.

The Sydney site will replace aircraft parking apron panels thanks to the investment by the Government of Canada through the Airports Capital Assistance Program.

"Improving conditions at airports is a priority for this government," said Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, who made the announcement on behalf of Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. "These enhancements will assist in maximizing the efficiency of operations at Sydney Airport."

"The safety of the travelling public continues to be a top priority for our government," said Cannon. "This project will also contribute to maintaining a safe and modern airport facility for the surrounding communities."

Sydney Airport manager Larry MacPherson was pleased with the funding which helps continue work which has been ongoing for the last few year.

"We've been replacing panels for about five years now and we can replace about 35 to 40 panels with this money," said MacPherson. "It's a continuation of the apron on the air side because this is where the planes park and that is where the weight of the planes is located and it has to be a special concrete mix to carry that weight.

"We're very pleased to receive this funding. It allows us to maintain our airport, from a safety perspective, at a very high level."

The Airports Capital Assistance Program finances capital projects related to safety, asset protection and operating cost reduction. Eligible airports must have year-round regularly scheduled passenger service, they must meet Transport Canada airport certification requirements and they cannot be owed and operated by the Government of Canada.

Since its creation, the program has distributed more than $466 million for 562 projects at 164 airports. More than 99 per cent of these were airside safety-related projects such as rehabilitation of runways, taxiways, visual aids and heavy airside mobile equipment.

[Smevo]

Original Photographer: "The Photo Dude"
http://www.pbase.com/thephotodude/nova_scotia_2005

[ErickMontreal]

Cool pics thanks. I would like to visit the city someday.

[Smevo]

Only a 5 to 6 hour drive from where you are...depending on how fast you drive. lol

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Wind turbine project critics still hoping for environmental assessment

Section: Business

By Chris Shannon, Cape Breton Post
The proponent for a wind turbine project in the Loch Loomed area says skeptics and environmentalists should slow down their clamour for proof the project, which will draw water from nearby Lake Uist, is environmentally safe.

"We have no fear of engaging in dialogue with anybody that has concerns," said Cape Breton Explorations Ltd. president Lucerne Lisi.

"It's very important to our project that we listen to concerns, mitigate those concerns, address those concerns and resolve them because it's part of the process."

The Unamaki Institute of Natural Resources, based in Eskasoni, is calling for consultations with the island's First Nations communities.

The Pitu'paq committee, comprising Cape Breton's municipalities, First Nations communities and government agencies, has called for a full panel federal environmental assessment and independent Mi'kmaq environmental assessment.

Laurie Suitor, intergovernmental relations adviser with the Unamaki institute, said Lisi, who is also Cape Breton Explorations chief financial officer, has yet to sit down with aboriginal groups to discuss the company's plan for 44 wind turbines and a hydroelectric plant powered by water from Lake Uist.

"Unfortunately, he hasn't followed up on that to date," Suitor said.

She said an extensive federal review of the project is needed to sort through any potential negative environmental impacts that may arise.

"A full panel federal environmental assessment would bring a lot more scrutiny to the project.

At night, the energy from the wind turbines would power underwater turbines in the lake. The underwater energy would pump water into a highland reservoir.

But the lake empties into Loch Lomond and Grand River and that has Richmond County council and New Waterford and Area Fish and Game Association asking questions. Both have cited concerns from fishermen who believe the turbines could disturb the temperature of Grand River and hurt the salmon population.

William Pembroke, president of the New Waterford association, told the Cape Breton Post last month the association is worried that building a reservoir will cause leaching of methyl-mercury into the water.

Lisi said it's up to the federal government what shape the environmental assessment will take and whatever route that may be, it'll take months of careful study before construction of the turbines begin.

"It's going to take us a year to go through this process," he said. "All we're asking is the community understand that there's no fire burning. We follow a process and the process is slow and we wish it wasn't, but it is."

The project was given the go-ahead last November after the Cape Breton Regional Municipality approved changes to its land use bylaw. Although a majority of Lake Uist is located in Richmond County, the turbines would be built in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

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Random Info for the page:

Population change estimates by year (finally a little supporting statistics that we've turned the corner, notice total decreases becoming less to an eventual small increase in 2003...unfortunately still can't find any data later than that).

*Information from http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/communi...graphics&p=com.

*Migration estimates from "Migration Estimates by Gender" in "Browse Data by Topic", "Demographics" tab.
*Births and Deaths from "Births and Deaths by Gender" in "Browse Data by Subject", "Health" tab.
*All stats for Cape Breton County, (aka Cape Breton Census Agglomeration).

Spreadsheet organized by yours truly.

[Smevo]

What the heck, one more.

1996 and 2001 Ethnic backgrounds broken down by area of the CBRM (I also have it broken down by community, which I used to get to this table).

I'll continue updating these tables as more information becomes available.

Again, all stats from http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/communi...graphics&p=com and communities combined to create the areas showing in the table.

"Ethnic Origin" in "Browse Data by Subject", "Demographics" tab.

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Cape Breton Post

Sydney Mines 20-unit affodable housing complex.

Co-op housing complex still has some openings

Section: Northside/Victoria

By Julie Collins, Cape Breton Post
There are still a few openings for Future Growth Co-op's 20-unit affordable housing complex going up on Pitt Street.

The building will feature four, two-bedroom units and 16, one-bedroom units.

Anyone interested can drop by the New Deal office on Main Street and fill out an application. Emmett O'Connor, chair of New Deal Development, said the work is being completed in phases.

"We brought in our engineer to make sure everything was in good shape before we moved to the next step. A priority was to use quality material and top quality workmanship," he said. "The building is well built, well insulated and centrally located."

He added the complex is less than a quarter-kilometre from the downtown core and is on the Cape Breton Transit bus route. The local ball fields and walking track are only minutes away.

The contractor, Gear Construction of Bras d'Or, has a crew doing the gyprock and another coming behind them doing the drywall.

"The painters won't be far behind."

The $1.2-million complex is one level and includes five to eight subsidized units. It sits on about 4.5 acres of property with plenty of room for future expansion.

"There is a serious need for affordable housing on the Northside," O'Connor said. "It's been a learning curve, but we've had great support from government, our board and staff. Once the building is complete, we'll look at the landscaping, but that won't be until the snow is gone and the ground is dry."

Future Growth will be looking for suggestions for a name for the new complex.

"We'd like a name that will give the building its own identity and welcome all submissions."

[Smevo]

Here's some links to the Northend Secondary Planning Strategy in Sydney. The heritage buildings isn't loading right on my computer, but that's probably just the computer itself (I need a new one ).

Northend Heritage Buildings

Planning Strategy Map

Viewplanes

Norhend Secondary Planning Strategy

I was reading through it and, just when I was getting my hopes up, they got dashed again. Anyway, I'm heading home so I'll get pictures from all said "views", and for any city staff or northenders reading this, I'm taller than the 5'10" criteria, standing 6'3"...sorry to obstruct your view.

[Architype]

They should call that Cholesterol Street, or the Trans-Fat Highway. Every city has one, or several.

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Playing catch-up from my vacation home...sadly, no pictures. I went home with my fiancee, and it's basically impossible to get a picture taking day when that happens. All in all, great trip though with some "on the street" and insider updates which I'll post last.

Commentary on the Vogue situation

Restored Vogue should be centrepiece of revitalization

Section: Comment

Column: Letters to the editor

The Vogue Theatre is going to be torn down. Sydney needs this building.

The Vogue theatre is not a hockey rink, a casino, a warehouse on the waterfront, or an 800-seat theatre 20-plus minutes outside of the downtown core.

This is a downtown in desperate need of revitalization, which would give people a reason to think of Charlotte Street as the heart of the community. I suspect a new office building will not be that reason.

The Vogue is a medium-sized venue that could accommodate a variety of needs within our community. Parents, wouldn't you like to be able to take your family to a movie for less than $60? Perhaps see your children's dance recitals in a beautifully restored theatre?

A nice deck on the green space behind the theatre would be a lovely place for a cafe in the summer. The old pizza shop that is part of the property would make a great art gallery, community room, place for theatre classes for kids and the like.

This is an amazingly creative community and the potential is endless.

I am wondering why the regional council is not acting on this urgent issue. Where are our local representatives? Why are they quietly letting this happen?

We need all the venues we can get. Marty Chernin should tear down another building, one that the people of this community are not longing to see revived to something greater than its original function.

Robin Jensen

Sydney

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Cape Breton Post

Deadline proposal passes, future unclear for Ski Cape Smokey

Section: Business

By Chris Hayes, Cape Breton Post
The future of Ski Cape Smokey in northern Cape Breton remained unclear Friday after a deadline for proposals from potential buyers had passed.

Chairperson Karen Williams planned to consult the board of the Ski Cape Smokey Society about extending the deadline after receiving two proposals. There is a third potential buyer who also requires time to complete their proposal, she said.

"I think we are going to have to extend," she said. "I just want to make sure we have all the options."

She couldn't identify the potential buyers. The deadline had been set for midnight Thursday to give any buyer time to get up and running for the summer, she noted.

"It is going to take a couple of months even to get a sale done, and then to get up and running for a summer operation and to proceed with marketing to get next year going, you are really pushing the envelope."

Ski Cape Smokey, which has been described as one of the best ski hills in Atlantic Canada, has been closed this season and last because of a lack of funds to operate.

The society had asked for proposals from buyers who could turn Ski Cape Smokey into a year-round ski hill and tourist attraction that would be a big economic boost for the area.

Business partners Claire Crimp and Joshua Pierce have confirmed they submitted a proposal to the society's board of directors for a four-season resort that will include lift access, mountain biking, a coffee shop, lounge, hostel, campground and retail shop with bike rentals.

Retooling the tourist trade

Marketing strategy looks at ways to attract more visitors to Cape Breton

Section: Lifestyles

By Chris Shannon, Cape Breton Post
Image is everything, it's said. But even with Cape Breton's rolling highlands, famous French fortress and a bevy of glowing reviews by international publications naming the island a top-notch tourist destination, it hasn't been enough to turn around its slumping fortunes in the tourism industry.

It's actually a problem that is plaguing the industry across Atlantic Canada and in Nova Scotia, in particular. The sector reaps more than a billion dollars a year and includes 6,500 direct businesses supporting nearly 40,000 jobs, making it one of the most important industries in the province and vital to the economy.

Destination Cape Breton Association, along with other regional tourism bodies in the province, has now been tasked with finding a solution to the ongoing malaise that many tourism operators have felt after several years of red ink.

A five-year tourism marketing strategy was launched a month ago and Vibe Creative Group, a consulting firm in Sydney, was awarded a $175,800 contract to meet with members of the tourism industry to study the best ways to attract more visitors to the island. Their research has been funded by all three levels of government.

A management team consisting of 20 representatives from RDAs, First Nations, tourism associations and government will provide guidance to Vibe, said Darlene Sponagle, the project's manager for Destination Cape Breton.

"We're looking for a common vision in how we market Cape Breton Island," she said this week.

"Up until this point, over the last number of years, (a vision for the island) has been sporadic and that has to do with the fact that the resources have not been readily available and there has been leveraging but not to the extent that a collaborative effort would accomplish."

In fact, Cape Breton's tourism revenues have been on a roller-coaster ride since 2000 when revenue for the year stood at $218 million.

After hitting a peak of $235.5 million in revenue in 2002, a marked drop to $211 million in 2003 was followed by three years where tourism profits in Cape Breton rose and then dipped by $7 million. In the last year in which statistics are available, the island recorded $212.5 million in revenue in 2006.

As a region, Cape Breton had 16.3 per cent of Nova Scotia's tourism profit pie in 2006. It was a net loss of nearly two per cent over a seven-year period - the largest drop of any region in the province. The Halifax metro region was at the other end of the scale, however, recording an increase of 2.7 per cent over the same time period, with revenue of $623.6 million in 2006.

Sponagle said in testing a new brand that will better "position Cape Breton Island to the world," the strategy will look at the services and products Cape Breton currently offers, what's successful and what tourists look for in a destination and it'll ask their opinions of Cape Breton.

Using information gathered from interviews, community information sessions and research, including a look at various trends, Vibe Creative Group will make its recommendations by July 31, she said.

"It is our hope that it'll start to be implemented in the fall of this year, in preparation for getting visitors here next spring."

The new reality, however, includes hindrances to growing the industry. From a dollar on par with its American counterpart to ballooning worldwide gas prices and terrorism threats - real or imagined - that linger from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S., it'll be a huge undertaking to turn around the industry.

Geraldine Bourgeois is manager of Les Cabines du Portage, which has been open in Cheticamp for 20 years. She is sceptical Destination Cape Breton will see the results it's hoping for.

"Instead of putting that (government) money on marketing, they're doing more studying, studying and studying," said Bourgeois, who has been a stiff opponent to a proposed marketing levy for Cape Breton, which, if instituted, would add a tax to accommodations that would be used to promote the island.

Bourgeois insists it is the outside forces that will continue to dictate tourism trends in the province.

"The tourists are just not there. They're not coming. It doesn't matter how much promotion you're going to do. How much can we promote Cape Breton?" she said.

"I've seen a decline in the tourists since 9/11. And the dollar is getting stronger, stronger and stronger and that's not helping matters with the U.S. travellers.

"The first thing they'll ask is when is the best time to come. The second question is how much you're paying for gas. And you're not going to lie to them."

She has been so disgruntled with the atmosphere in the industry, Bourgeois pulled her membership from Destination Cape Breton, along with several other operators in the Cheticamp area.

But Sponagle's message concerning the strategy remains firm.

"We have to do what we can control," she said.

"There has to be a focus on what has to be done. For example, what has to be done to get more airlines coming into Sydney or more direct flights because that's a detriment to the industry right now.

"The price of gas, 9/11, those types of things, we can't do anything to change those and that's a trend that's right across the country. It's not just affecting us."

When exactly tourism operators will start to see results and where the money to implement the strategy will come from are two major questions that'll remain unanswered for now, Sponagle said.

It's likely areas closest to Cape Breton will be the first to notice the new marketing campaign and enquire about accommodations and events. But as for finding the money to implement the strategy, that'll be a much trickier situation.

Would it come from the controversial marketing levy, which has been approved by all five Cape Breton municipalities, and is currently awaiting Royal Assent at province house? Sponagle couldn't say.

"One of the things that would be looked at in the development of the marketing strategy is if there is a desire for the marketing levy and how that would proceed if there was going to be one.

"But at this time I can't state that."

*Warning, rant beginning*
Now, before saying this, I realise you can't cover the entire province adequately in a 30second commercial, and I would hate to be the one in charge of trying to do it. That said, however, the one problem I've noticed with NS tourism advertisements is this, instead of playing to their strengths (Louisbourg, CB Highlands, Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Citadel), there have been times where only two or three of these have been featured, and then they throw in the Halifax Casino, Halifax skyline, Keith's brewery and things of that nature, but always centred in the capital city. I have nothing against Halifax, but let's face it, with the international airport being in Halifax, a skillfully placed advertisement there would get people into the city to explore it. You would have a better chance at attracting people in the first place by showing an extra shot of the 5 tourism strenghts, and maybe adding another place in a rotation (Annapolis Valley, Bay of Fundy, South Shore, etc) than you do putting a focus on gambling and drinking. Anyway, that's my little rant for the day.
*end rant, you may now continue browsing normally*

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Cape Breton Post

Behind the big red curtain

Acting chair of board of directors says big changes are in store for the Savoy Theatre

Section: Glace Bay/New Waterford

By Sharon Montgomery,
If you haven't been to the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay recently, you might want to take a peek behind the red curtain.

Paul McNeil, acting chairman of the board of directors, said there are some exciting announcements on the horizon and some changes being made at the theatre.

"People can look out for a major announcement for a very major act at the Savoy, to follow in the footsteps of the White Stripes."

McNeil said they are undergoing some changes at the Savoy, in hopes of bringing more excitement and more people than ever to the Victorian-style theatre.

He said they are pleased to inform the public Stephen MacDonald of Sydney is the new business manager of the Savoy.

"This position is on an interim basis. It is part of a restructuring program the Savoy began in January."

Through the restructuring the Savoy had to lay two workers off. However, within the next few months they hope to hire someone who will be in charge of fundraising.

Donald Ferguson, manager of the Savoy, remains on an approved personal leave of absence.

As well McNeil said they will be meeting with provincial and federal government partners in about a week,

"We are trying to draft a plan for a sustainable Savoy," said McNeil. "Theatres like the Savoy do not make money, but need community support in order to survive."

He said they want the public to use the theatre for a variety of things and to feel at home there.

"The theatre has always filled many needs for the public. Now it can also fill a void left by the closing of the Vogue Theatre."

The board is happy with a growing connection with the young people.

McNeil said the Savoy hit high marks with the under 25 crowd this year, with events such as Battle of the Bands, Guitar Hero and Brian Gallivan's Live Theatre Productions.

The Savoy is also looking at showing more films this year.

During the March break they will target teen viewers with a showing of the film "High School Musical" and will try to draw a young audience to see "Under Dog."

McNeil said the Savoy Theatre society is grateful to local councillor Kevin Saccary and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality for their assistance the past few months.

The Savoy theatre is a non profit society, overseen by a volunteer board of directors. The venue costs more than $1 million a year to operate.

The Savoy is a great venue, as the Vogue could be, but keeping the three boldfaced sections in mind, I highly doubt both could operate simultaneously with very similar business plans in such a small area.
From the Save the Vogue website:
"Our plan would see it as a multi use building. It's main use would once again be as a movie theatre however being a single screen movie house it would be near impossible to get "first run" rights to new movies, however we do feel there is a market for it to rerun older movies from the past 60 plus years of hollywood and independent films."
"Off [sp] course the building would also be available for concerts, plays and other features, much like the Savoy theatre in Glace Bay."
" If we are able to sell all 650 seats we could raise $325,000. The money will be used to purchase the building the and start the repair process. Business loans and government grants will make up the remainder of the funds needed to complete the restoration."
"The CBRM is interested in our idea to save the Vogue however it can not fall back on them for funding, they already run the Savoy at a loss."

To be honest, I'd love to see it saved, and if it was being torn down for a parking lot or had a viable plan that wouldn't drain tax dollars for a second theatre out of the government for years on end, I would be fully behind this group. But given the circumstances, I'm ok to concede this building unsavable, and only hope that the entrance be incorporated into the new office building. I just don't see this plan being viable, and any plan that changes the inside beyond recognition is really not worth saving the structure for. Anyway, that's my opinion, feel free to disagree.

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Watershed advisory groups setting up meetings to map out long-range plans

Section: Northside/Victoria

By Julie Collins, Cape Breton Post
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has begun the process of setting up five community advisory groups to help manage the municipality's watershed areas.

ACAP Cape Breton was asked by the municipality to facilitate the initial presentations and help organize the advisory groups, with the latest presentation scheduled for tonight.

"We've already delivered two presentations in North Sydney with a total of 36 people in attendance," said ACAP executive director Eleanor Anderson. "There will be another meeting (tonight) at the Cape Breton Exhibition at 7 p.m. to get the process underway. Any landowners who may have missed the earlier meetings are welcome to attend."

The advisory groups are required by the Department of Environment and Labour as part of a source water protection plan.

The groups will be made up of landowners from around the watershed areas and will work with municipal watershed manager Britt Roscoe.

The five advisory groups are to be in place and operational by the end of 2008. Along with the landowners, the advisory committees will also include resource people, municipal councillors, stakeholders from the agriculture and forestry sectors and representatives from the provincial departments of Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and Environment and Labour.

The advisory groups may also include special interest groups such as representatives from community associations or commercial or industrial representatives with an interest in the water supply area.

There are 12 sources of water in the regional municipality - eight surface watershed areas (19,500 acres), one wellfield and three small wells.

The municipality sent letters to the 108 landowners in the Pottle Lake watershed, the first of the areas to be organized.

There are five steps to developing a source water protection plan. The first is to form a source water protection advisory groups, which is already underway.

The others are to delineate the source water protection area boundary, identify potential contaminants and assess risk, develop and adopt a source water protection management plan and the final step is to monitor and evaluate that plan.

"Our role at ACAP is to help establish the advisory groups," Anderson said. "Protection of the watershed falls in line with our mandate as an organization."

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Local IT firm opens Prometric test centre

Service provides testing and assessment in 135 countries worldwide

Section: Business

AG Research Inc. has been certified as a Thompson Prometric test centre.

Professional certification is rapidly becoming a requirement in information technology. Companies and their clients want the assurance that workers meet standards in their training and experience and industry certifications provide that benchmark.

Microsoft, a leader in IT certification, provides more than 15 certifications, not to mention what other companies offer. Prometric testing centres provide a place where individuals can go to write exams to obtain these specific certifications and credentials.

After the only testing centre in Cape Breton closed within the past year, individuals wanting to write tests and certifications had to travel to Halifax to the nearest test centre.

Now that AG Research has opened a centre, people can call or go online at www.promtric.com and make an appointment to write their test in Sydney.

"With the industry constantly evolving, it is imperative that employees obtain specific certifications in order to meet industry demands", says Eric Whyte, CEO of AG Research.

Prometric is the recognized global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services. It provides testing and assessment services in 135 countries and is the sole provider of exams for such high calibre clients such as Association of American Medical Colleges, the National Board of Medical Examiners, Johns Hopkins University, the College Board, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. Exclusive clients in the technology market include IBM, Microsoft Learning, Oracle and Sun Microsystems.

AG Research's testing centre will allow professionals in the industry to write exams to obtain IT certifications and will also allow individuals, taking courses online or by correspondence, a certified place to write their academic exams.

"This test centre will benefit both employees and employers," Whyte said, "Employees can more easily gain the skills needed for employment and employers will be able to hire qualified individuals with proven skills represented by their certifications."

Individuals interested in writing a Prometric test should phone (902)562-3202 for more information.

CBRM will soon lose large number of employees to retirement: StatsCan

Section: Cape Breton

By Chris Hayes, CP
Business and industry in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality will lose a growing number of employees to retirement according to information from Statistics Canada Tuesday.

Business leader Owen Fitzgerald sees that trend, which was apparent in 2006 census information that was released by Statistics Canada Tuesday, as a challenge for the region's employers.

"People are going to have to find creative ways to entice people whether it's benefits package or creative work hours," Fitzgerald, president of the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce, said.

Statistics Canada said 13.5 per cent of the workforce of the regional municipality was aged 55 to 64, a 64.6 per cent increase from the number in that age group in the 2001 census.

The median age of a worker was 42.9 in 2006. In 2001, the median age was 40.4.

The aging workforce can also be seen as opportunity, Fitzgerald said.

"There is obviously going to be a shortage of workers in certain areas so maybe that presents an opportunity for young people who have gone out west to come home and work."

Growing demand may force wages up, he suggested.

Provincially, 13.2 per cent of the workforce was in the 55-64 age group and nationally the figure was 12.9 per cent. The labour force of the regional municipality grew by 9.2 per cent to 38,360 in the 2006 census.

More Cape Bretoners were working as the employment rate grew to 44.8 per cent from 40.8 per cent five years earlier and the unemployment rate fell to 16.1 per cent from 19.7 per cent.

The participation rate (measuring the total labour force as a percentage of the population) grew to 53.3 per cent from 50.6 per cent in 2001.

"We are slowly moving in the right direction but there are still certainly challenges we have to look at," Fitzgerald said.

John Whalley, economic development manager of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, saw the employment increase as a good sign although he noted employment levels were the same in 1987.

"It's unchanged basically over 20 years by that measure," he said. "Essentially what we have done is recapture ground that was lost over an extended period of time."

Closing coal mines and the steel industry drained the Cape Breton economy in the late 1990s and into 2001, he said.

The employment rate in Nova Scotia was 57.2 per cent and across Canada it was 62.4 per cent, he noted.

Whalley said each percentage point is worth about 1,000 jobs.

"Essentially to bring the CBRM up to the Nova Scotia average would require the creation of 12,000 to 13,000 jobs to put it into perspective."

The CBRM has the fourth lowest employment rate in the country of all metropolitan census areas, he said.

The employment numbers are still not good, but with a 4% gain in the employment rate, a 3.6% drop in unemployment, with the key qualifier of participation rate growing by 2.7% over the 5 years between censuses, we're heading in the right direction.


Take this next story with a grain of salt (explanation to follow).

StatsCan details education levels in Cape Breton

Section: Cape Breton

By Erin Pottie, Cape Breton Post
Statistics Canada released its educational portrait Tuesday, which shines light into the trends of those living in Cape Breton.

One number which caught the attention of Cape Breton Regional Municipality economic development officer John Whalley was the percentage of people with a university certificate, diploma or degree at bachelor's level or above.

A total of 20.3 per cent of the population in Cape Breton Regional Municipality aged 25-64 have attained a university level education, according to 2006 census. For the entire island, that number is 14.6; while the provincial figure is 20 per cent; and national figures are 22.6 per cent.

"Compared to the Nova Scotia figure it's about 35-40 per cent difference," he said of the overall Cape Breton figure. "We tend to have a greater percentage of our population in trades, or with only a high school diploma or less."

Whalley believes those figures have an impact in developing the economy, and expects numbers may be down due to the lack of graduate programs in Cape Breton and outmigration.

For Dave MacLean, principal at Nova Scotia Community College Marconi Campus, the average number of people with trade certificates is a reflection of Cape Breton culture.

Data shows 16.7 per cent of the Cape Breton population age 25-64, earned a trade certificate, compared to the national average of 12 per cent.

"It's a good statistic for our economy because there is a severe shortage of skilled trades workers. I think a couple of reasons behind it is the blue collar nature of our community - our past anyway, our coal and steel and fishing - and the other thing, especially in the past five or six years there's been a huge demand for trades training across the province."

MacLean says when he arrived at the Sydney campus six years ago, there would be one or two programs filled by July. Currently, there are eight to 10 programs that are full for the upcoming fall semester.

"There's almost a guarantee of immediate work, not necessarily directly in your own community though many, many find work in their own area," MacLean said.

Among those in Cape Breton Regional Municipality who are in the 25-34 age group and have probably entered the workforce, 12.1 per cent studied business, management and public administration. The next most popular field of study was health, recreation, and fitness (11.5 per cent), followed by architecture and engineering (11.3 per cent). Within the municipality, a total of 19.8 per cent have a college diploma; 16.5 per cent earned a trade certificate; 22.8 per cent have nothing higher than a secondary school education and 20.6 per cent didn't earn a high school diploma.

Alright, the explanation is this...there was a point in time in at least Nova Scotia where people in the upper portion of this 25-64 age range did not need a university degree to obtain what is considered a "good job", and instead of going back to obtain/finish these university degrees, many have just worked their way up the ladder and are still considered as having "good jobs". So, while the workforce may not be formally educated to a certain level, they are by no means incapable or less qualified because of it, and are certainly not "dumb" (for lack of a better word) as these reports sometimes suggest to their readers. While this same qualifier works across the country, it could be more significant here because of the higher median age.


Sorry, had to throw it in.

Unique card tournament draws hundreds each year

Section: Comment

Column: Letters to the editor

The World Tarabish Tournament is an annual event every March whose proceeds are turned over to the Lyceum Heritage Society, a non-profit organization that has operated in Sydney for many years. The society, which supports Cape Breton heritage, is located in the north end of Sydney and it is open daily to the public.

The tournament is entering into its 20th year, attracting 400 to 425 participants. Tarabish, a unique and classic card game, has become embedded in the lives of many throughout our Cape Breton communities. There are smaller-scale versions of the tournament held nightly in many communities.

Fred Mills was instrumental in establishing the annual WTT. He began organizing the event more than 20 years ago with true passion for the game and constant pursuit sportsmanship.

Sadly, Fred took ill a few years ago and passed away. Just before Fred's passing he called on York MacEachern, author of the book Tarabish: How the Game is Played, to take on the role as chair for the event. York called on me to be co-chair. York has since retired but he still offers assistance to me and new co-chair Debbie MacIntyre.

To ensure that Fred's legacy lives on we have introduced an annual plaque to honour his memory, The Fred Mills Memorial Plaque. This prestigious award is given to a person who in the view of the committee promotes the game the way Fred did.

The first recipient Fred's wife Ann, and the last year's was Pat Wall, former president of the Sydney Steelworkers Pensioners Club and another true pioneer of Tarabish.

I encourage those who have a passion for the game, an interest in promoting culture and sportsmanship and helping to sponsor a great charity, or in helping to preserve the memory of a great person to come out and support the tournament.

This year's tournament will be held at the Nova Scotia Community College (Marconi Campus) off the Sydney Glace Bay Highway on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m.

John (Jay) Hollohan

Sydney

If you've never heard of it, you're not alone off the island. Find the nearest Cape Bretoner to explain it to you, it's an addictive game. The only problem is finding a fourth.

If I find the link to the "cheat sheet" I made in first year for my New Brunswicker friends, I'll post it here for you all to peruse. It looks complicated, but you catch on quickly.

Here it is...don't mind the website, it was a very bad idea that went too far, with the exception of this tarabish sheet.