NOVA SCOTIA- Nouvelle-Écosse
I KNOW U WANT 2 BE CANADIAN PLEASE-
Canadian, Please! 3,827,757 VIEWS
this was on myspace profile since 2007- over 875 friends... nova0000scotia- had a great Canadian site 4 Canada and Nato troops- love this is so adorable...
YOU MAY BE A CANADIAN IF...
You Might Be Canadian If...
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You bring a portable TV on a camping trip so that you don't miss Hockey Night.
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You can repeat the entire Molson's Canadian 'The Rant'.
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You know all the words to "If I had a million dollars" by The Barenaked Ladies, including the inter-stanza banter between Steven and Ed.
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You dismiss all beers under 6% as "for children and the elderly."
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You hum David Foster's '88 Calgary Olympics theme in the shower.
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You know that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) don't always look like that.
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You make up patriotic lyrics to go along with David Foster's '88 Calgary Olympics theme.
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You cried when Gus "drowned" on Road To Avonlea.
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You remember when Alanis Morrissette was "Too Hot To Hold".
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You think there isn't enough of Peter Gzowski to go around.
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You think it's normal to have a grain elevator in your backyard.
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You watch MuchMusic constantly, in the hopes of occasional fleeting glimpses of The Tragically Hip.
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You have an Inuit carving by your bedside with the rationale, "what's good enough protection for the Prime Minister, is good enough for me!"
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You can sing "O' Canada" in French and actually know what the words mean.
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You send angry letters to the CBC demanding the return of the Hinterland Who's Who spots so you can finally find out what happens to the arctic ptarmigan in winter.
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You participate in Participaction!
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You think Peter Mansbridge is sexy.
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You think Lloyd Robertson is sexy.
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You think Peter Kent is sexy.
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You think Matt Damon is so-so.
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You stood in line for hours for Another Roadside Attraction tickets.
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You killed your best friend for Another Roadside Attraction tickets.
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You think Great Big Sea isn't Atlantic-centric enough.
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Your backpack has more than one Canadian flag iron-on (and you always have room for more).
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You know the names of all the guys in Sloan.
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You have been on Speaker's Corner. Bonus points if they edited out your carefully prepared rant against the Harris government.
" You know the French equivalents of "free", "prize" and "no sugar added", thanks to your extensive education in bilingual cereal packaging.
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You still haven't taken down your "NON" posters from the 95 Referendum.
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You know more than 3 guys named Gordon.
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You think Ashley MacIssac isn't Celtic enough.
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You remember "Jodie" from Today's Special and wonder why you keep seeing her reading news on the CBC.
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You can do the hand actions to Sharon, Lois and Bram's "Skin-a-marinki-dinki-do".
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You know why "killerwhaletank" is funny.
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You can eat more than one maple sugar candy without feeling nauseous.
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You had a crush on Joey Jeremiah from Degrassi Junior High.
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You know that a "Premier" isn't a baby born a few months early.
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You actually watch The Gemini Awards, The Genie Awards, and The Juno Awards. You wonder why Stompin' Tom doesn't get his own category in all three. You scream passionately at the television when your favourite Canadian performers are overlooked by their respective academies.
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You think -10 C is mild weather.
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You have twins named Donovan and Bailey.
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You have twins named Wayne and Gretzky (alternately Gordie and Howe).
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You know the ingredients for poutine.
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You know what happens in the Evergreen Forest when Bert Raccoon wakes up.
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You dressed as Bruno Gerussi for Halloween. You spent hours sifting through garbage on the beach to prepare for the role.
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You substitute beer for water when cooking.
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You carry empty beer cans from your camping trips home with you in your backpack so you can recycle them when you reach civilization.
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You know that the 'Extra Creamy' in Kraft Extra Creamy Dinner is 'add more milk.'
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You prefer Elvis Stojko when he has 'hockey hair' - a.k.a. 'the mullet' or 'the shorty-longback'.
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You brag about the sweet herb in BC.
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You know the chorus of "The Log Driver's Waltz" and are particularly fond of the 'burling down and down' bit.
" You steal stationery from your Government of Canada co-operative education placement because you figure you can find lots of uses for paper with 'Human Resources Development Canada/Développement des Ressources Humaines Canada' written at the top.
" You have daydreams that film-maker Don McKellar, and Hugh Dillon from The Headstones, skinned and ate Regis Philbin.
" You recognize: CPP, RSP, and CCM.
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You know what "Canuba" is. You think it's pretty damn funny.
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Your gravy boat is shaped like the Bluenose.
" You refuse to consume chocolate that doesn't come in either Smarties, Coffee Crisp, or Laura Secord format.
" You die a little inside if you can't get your Tim's double-double every morning.
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You know the difference between real snow and "television" snow -- the white stuff that passes for snow on tv and in films. You scream, "For Christsake! That should be sticking to their pants!" and "Lookit, it's not melting! That's *so* not snow!" when watching 'Winter' scenes.
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Someone accidently stepped on your foot. You apologize.
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You stepped on someone's foot. You apologize, then apologize for making them apologize.
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You know Casey and Finnegan are NOT a Celtic rock band or imported beer.
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You know who Foster Hewitt is.
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You can spot MEC from a kilometre away, even if the little white tag is hidden.
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You're either out to bingo or getting stinko (and you think no more of Inco) on a Sudbury Saturday night.
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You've actually said, "Stay where yer at, 'till I gets where yer to."
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You pity people who haven't tasted a "beavertail".
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Complete the phrase: "The good old ____ game is the best ____ you can ____."
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You've got some rocks and you've got to leave an important message -- Lucky you know how to build an innukshuk!
" You have at least one ROOTS sweatshirt that always smells like cigarettes and beer.
" You find it difficult to explain "milk in a bag" to non-Canadians, and even more difficult to describe the "snippy-thing" used on bag corners. (Bonus points if your collected snippy-things are stuck to your fridge.)
" You're pretty sure you can see Alex Trebek smirking when Jeopardy contestants get the "Canada questions" wrong. Even if you weren't sure of the answer yourself, you consider yourself a hundred times smarter than the idiots who always guess, "What is .. uh, Toronto?"
" Your Saturday nights in the Atlantic provinces include eating beans and brown bread as you watch Hockey Night in Canada.
" You know that the Canadian Alliance is just the Reform Party with better hair.
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You know that, contrary to general belief, the Inuit have about the same amount of words for snow as do English speakers. Your favourite Inuit word for 'snow' is "navcaq" (snow formation about to collapse).
" Your local zoo is mainly flamingoes, giraffes and sad elephants freezing their asses off against a backdrop of pine trees, grey skies, and precambrian shield formations.
" You wonder why squirrels and seagulls somehow manage to get in every zoo exhibit (including the parking lot and squirrel and seagull exhibits).
" You live in a "beach town" and have to eat your brothers and sisters to stay alive during the winter months.
" You wonder why Esther Canadas has been blessed with both beauty and the coolest name on the planet -- although Canuck cutie Shalom Harlow could wipe the floor with her.
" You're such a hardcore Canadian punk you used ketchup-flavoured potato chip 'residue' to dye your hair. You know it's kind of gross, but at least you smell good.
" You don't consider a date truly romantic until you've slow danced to Blue Rodeo's "Five Days in May". You accept "Lost Together" as a second option.
" You're not offended by the term "HOMO MILK"
" You understand the phrase "Could you pass me a serviette, I just dropped my poutine, on the chesterfield."
" You eat chocolate bars, not candy bars.
" You drink Pop, not Soda.
" You only know three spices: Salt, pepper and ketchup
" You know that a Mickey and 24's mean, "party at the camp, eh!!!"
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You don't care about the fuss with Cuba. It's a cheap place to go for your holidays (not vacation), with good cigars and no Americans.
" You know that a pike is a type of fish, not part of a highway
" You drive on a highway, not a freeway
" You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
" You know that Casey and Finnegan were not part of a Celtic musical group.
" You cried when you heard that "Mr Dress Up" died recently.
" You brag to Americans: Shania Twain, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion & more, are Canadians.
" You know that the C.E.O. of American Airlines is a Canadian!
" You know what a toque is.
" You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
" You know that the last letter of the English alphabet is always pronounced "Zed"
" You live in a house with no front step, but the door is one meter up from the ground.
" Your local newspaper covers the national news on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
" You know that the four seasons means: winter, still winter, almost winter, and road work/construction.
" You know that when it's 25 degrees outside, it's a warm day.
" You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
" You know how to pronounce and spell "Saskatchewan"
" You perk up when you hear the theme song from "Hockey Night in Canada."
" You are in grade 12, not the 12th grade.
" "Eh?" is a very important part of your vocabulary, and is more polite than, "Huh?"
" You call it a BUN not a "Roll"
" Its called a WASHROOM not a lavatory or powder room or rest room.
" You've ever had your tongue frozen to something.
" You know that in Canada the mosquitoes have landing lights
" You have more kilometers on your snow blower than your car.
" You have 10 favourite recipes for moose meat.
" You know that Canadian Tire on any Saturday is busier than the toy stores before Christmas.
" You've taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard.
" Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled in with snow.
" You owe more money on your snowmobile than on your car.
" At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles a meat processing plant.
" The most effective mosquito repellent is a shotgun.
" Your snow blower gets stuck on the roof.
" You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.
" You head south to go to your cottage.
" You frequently clean grease off your barbeque so the bears won't prowl on your deck.
" You know which leaves make for good toilet paper.
" The major parish fund-raiser isn't bingo, it's sausage making.
" You find -40C a little chilly.
" The trunk of your car doubles as a freezer.
" You attend a formal in your best clothes, your finest jeweler and your Sorrels.
" You can play road hockey on skates.
" The municipality buys a Zamboni before a bus.
" You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
You may be a little too Canadian if...
" You wonder why there isn't a 5 dollar coin, as you can only use more change.
" You spend hours in the dark making scale models of the Avro Arrow and cursing the Diefenbaker government.
" You have memorized the Heritage Foundation's Heritage Moments, including your favourites, "Burnt Toast!", "You know I canna read a word...",
" "One day we have tar paper roof!" and "Kanata".
" You advocate the abolition of responsible government in favour of monarchist rule.
" You think there isn't enough Queen on our currency.
" Your graduation formal dress was made of flannel.
" You use a red pen on your non-Canadian textbooks and fill in the missing 'u's from labor, honor, and color.
" You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada. You make a mental note to talk about it at work the next day.
" You automatically read 'Z' as 'Zed' and don't give a damn that it doesn't rhyme with "now I know my abcs".
" You are moved to tears by those Bell Canada phone commercials they show around Remembrance Day, where the grandson calls his granddad from Dieppe. You understand the manipulative nature of the advertisement, but continue to be moved, nonetheless.
" You stay up until midnight (the end of some television station broadcasting hours) to hear the Canadian national anthem.
" You get up at 5:00 am (the beginning of broadcasting hours) to hear the Canadian national anthem.
" You spit angrily when Americans say "ruff" instead of the correct "roof".
" When abroad, you have a cold fear that somebody might mistake you for an American. You make a point of deliberately being kind to locals just to make it clear you are a Canadian.
You are too Canadian if...
" You've ever said, 'I need more flannel clothing.'
" You understand everything in this list, and email it to all your friends.
" You read rather than scanned this list.
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BRILLIANT- BEST EVER SEEN- God bless our Korea Vets- during Korea Vet Year Canada- the battles are so authenthic.... and this video is real raw and righteous... on this day- OUR CANADA
My Last Post - Canada Tribute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ7vM5PxfRQ
A tribute for Canadian Soldiers from WW1 till present day conflicts.Boer
I made this video not to glorify war or acts of defense against defiance.
I made it so that my home country of "Canada" ( that has been at the brunt of many a poor joke militarily wise ) can see that I am so very proud of her Canadian military personnel...past and present.
Canadian soldiers do kicks ass.
Winston Churchill once said:
"If I had Canadian Soldiers, American Technology and British Officers, I would rule the world."
I have family and friends past and present that have served in her military, and I'm
proud to be associated with with and everyone of them.
When the diplomatic ways fail and all avenues of a civilized means are done...Canada kicks ass just as well as anyone else
Boer War 2
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Canada National Anthem - O Canada - (Bilingual) - w/Lyrics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UOuX7HIc10
The Canadian National Anthem: O Canada
O Canada! Our home and native land
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see the rise,
The true north strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada!
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
La Version Français - O'Canada was originally composed in French
O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est un épopée
Des plus brilliants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
The Canadian national anthem was composed in 1880 by Calixa Lavalee. However "God Save The Queen" (and "Maple Leaf Forever," unofficially) was used in Canada until the late 1970's when "O Canada" took its place.
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Fathers of Confederation
The fathers of confederation are a group of men that worked towards confederation and helped build this great country. Here's a list of the main contributors to confederation. Check back soon for a biography of each father of confederation.
" Andrew Archibald Macdonald
" Charles Fisher
" Colonel John Hamilton Gray
" Edward Palmer
" Edward Whelan
" George Brown
" Georges-Étienne Cartier
" John Hamilton Gray
" John Mercer Johnson
" John William Ritchie
" Johnathan McCully
" Peter Mitchell
" Robert Barry Dickey
" Robert Duncan Wilmot
" Sir Adams George Archibald
" Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt
" Sir Ambrose Shea
" Sir Charles Tupper
" Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché
" Sir Hector-Louis Langevin
" Sir John Alexander Macdonald
" Sir Oliver Mowat
" Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley
" Thomas D'Arcy McGee
" Thomas Heath Haviland
" William Alexander Henry
" William Henry Pope
" William Henry Steeves
" William McDougall
" William Pearce Howland
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Some Canadian humour for or troops and friends..
"About Canada"
These questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Website and obviously the answers came from a fellow Canuck.
Q. I have never seen it warm on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
A.We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.
Q.Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street?(USA)
A. Depends how much you've been drinking.
Q:I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A:Sure, it's only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.
Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? (Sweden)
A:So its true what they say about Swedes.
Q:It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed Beaver. (Italy)
A:Let's not touch this one.
Q:Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (UK)
A:What did your last slave die of ?
:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada?(USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North . . . oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.
Q:Which direction is North in Canada? (USA)
A:Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
Q:Can I bring cutlery into Canada? (UK)
A:Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is....oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
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The original name for Canada, dreamed up by a parliamentary committee in London, was "Cold North Dominion," but that waas too long, so they abbreviated it C.N.D. The King's Royal Governor presented the new name to the inhabitants, and they didn't say a word. Just looked at him.
"Well, what do you think?" asked the Royal Governor?
"C., eh?" said the first fellow, and just looked at the Governor.
"N., eh?" says the second guy.
"D., eh?" says a third one. Then silence.
"Hey," says the Governor. "I like that. It's a helluva lot easier to pronounce when you spell it that way."
So that's how Canada got its name.
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Every nation in attendance at an international symposium on elephants had to deliver a report on the animals.
France's report: "The Love Life of an Elephant."
America saw the economic values in: "Raising Elephants for Fun and Profit."
Great Britain had their own unique view: "The Elephant and the British Empire."
The Canadian report was, of course, typically Canadian... "The Elephant: A Federal or Provincial Responsibility?"
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In Canada we have two Seasons...six months of winter and six months of poor snowmobile weather
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CANADIANS IN HELL
Two guys from Toronto die and wake up in hell.
The next day the devil stops in to check on them and sees them dressed in parkas, mittens and toques warming themselves around the fire. The devil asks them, "What are you doing? Isn't it hot enough for you?"
The two guys reply, "Well, you know, we're from Canada, the land of snow and ice and cold. We're just happy for a chance to warm up a little bit, eh."
The devil decides that these two aren't miserable enough and turns up the heat.
The next morning he stops in again and there they are, still dressed in parkas, toques and mittens. The devil asks them again, "It's awfully hot down here, can't you guys feel it?"
Again the two guys reply, "Well, like we told ya yesterday, we're from Canada, the land of snow and ice and cold. We're just happy for a chance to warm up a little bit, eh."
This gets the devil a little steamed up and he decides to fix these two guys. He cranks the heat up as high as it will go. The people are wailing and screaming everywhere. He stops by the room with the two guys from Canada and finds them in light jackets and bucket hats, grilling sausage and drinking beer.
The devil is astonished, "Everyone down here is in abject misery, and you two seem to be enjoying yourselves."
The two Canadians reply, "Well, ya know, we don't get too much warm weather up there in Toronto so we've just got to have a cook-out when the weather's THIS nice."
The devil is absolutely furious, he can hardly see straight. Finally he comes up with the answer. The two guys love the heat because they have been cold all their lives. The devil decides to turn all the heat off in hell.
The next morning, the temperature is below zero, icicles are hanging everywhere; people are shivering so bad that they are unable to do anything but wail, moan and gnash their teeth.
The devil smiles and heads for the room with the two Canadians.
He gets there and finds them back in their parkas, toques, and mittens. NOW they are jumping up and down, cheering, yelling and screaming like mad men!!!
The devil is dumbfounded, "I don't understand, when I turn up the heat you're happy. Now it's freezing cold and you're still happy. What is wrong with you two???"
The Torontonians look at the devil in surprise, "Well, don't you know? If Hell freezes over, it must mean the Leafs have won the Stanley Cup."
Why it's great to be Canadian!
It's great to be Canadian for many reasons. Canada has been continuously declared to be amoung the best countries to live by the United Nations. Perhaps the following or some of the reasons why.
We are proud to be Canadian!
We're awfully nice to strangers,
Our manners be our curse,
(We're just to darn nice...)
It's cool in many ways to be Canadian,
(It's cool 'cause it's cold up here,)
We won't say that we're better,
(No!)
It's just that we're less worse.
by "Proud to be Canadian" Arrogant Worms
Here are reasons why it's so great to be Canadian! And Canadians are proud of
" Smarties.
" Crispy Crunch.
" Coffee Crisp.
" The footballs and fields are bigger, and we have one less Down.
" Lacrosse is Canadian.
" Hockey is Canadian.
" Basketball is Canadian.
" The biggest flags ever seen/flown at any Olympics were Canadian... The second time it was smuggled in because they made a rule against it cause of the first time.
" Mr. Dress-up can kick Mr. Rogers ass.
" Much Music kicks MTV's ass.
" Maple syrup kicks Mrs. Butterworths ass (...don't know about Aunt Jemima though).
" Tim Horton's kicks Dunkin Donuts ass.
" Waaaay better beer commercials/contests and beer company give a ways. Example: the Molson Canadian House Party...where you get to keep the house. Trashed or not.
" In the war of 1812, we pushed the Americans so far back... passed their 'White House', burned it...and most of Washington. We got bored because they ran away so we came home and partied. Go figure.
" Canada has the largest French population that never surrendered to Germany.
" The largest English population that never ever surrendered or withdrew during any war.
" The only person who was arrested in our civil war was an American mercenary, who slept in and missed the whole thing... but showed up just in time to get caught.
" We knew plaid was cool far before Seattle caught on.
" The Hudson's Bay Company once owned over 10% of the earths surface and is still around as the worlds oldest company.
" The average dog sled team can kill and devour a full grown human in under 3 minutes.
" We still know what to do with all the parts of a buffalo.
" The Canadian Civil War was a bar fight that lasted a little over an hour.
" We don't marry our kin-folk.
" We invented ski-doos, jet-skis, velcro, zippers, the long distance and short wave radios that save countless lives each year. Oh yeah...and the handles on beer cases big enough to fit your hands with mitts on.
" We can hum the tune to 'Definition'.
" We all know that a scale that measures boiling water at 212 degrees and freezes at 32 is asinine.
" We've ALL have frozen our tongues to something metal and lived to tell about it.
" We can out drink Americans in a heart beat!!
" Our elections take only one day.
Errors
" Some lists slaim the the Zamboni was invented in Canada. However, Frank J. Zamboni is no Canadian and the Zamboni was invented in California
"
Life In Canada: (obviously... older... smokes and drugstores are not in fashion)
" Pizza gets to your house faster than an ambulance
" There are handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
" Drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
" People order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a diet coke.
" Banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to the counter.
" We leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
" We use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.
" We buy hot dogs in packages of 12 and buns in packages of 8.
" We use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "Poli" in Latin meaning "many" and "tics" meaning "bloodsucking creatures".
" We have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.
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OUR CANADA TROOPS
heroes /heroes / heroes
‘Something named for Craig’
Dartmouth park to be renamed in navy diver’s honour
CITY HALL REPORTER LAURA FRASER lfraser@herald.ca @CH_ljfraser
Tie Blake would always glide back into his dad’s strong palm on the swings at Montebello Park in Dartmouth, a memory imprinted on the nine-year-old boy who wanted the city to rename a piece of land to honour Craig Blake, his father and the first Canadian sailor killed in the Afghanistan conflict.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Blake died in an explosion from a roadside bomb outside Kandahar on May 3, 2010. He was 37; his sons were 14 and six at the time.
Tie returned from school one day two years ago and told his mother he had learned the municipality will name parks and other landmarks in honour of extraordinary people. He felt his dad — a navy clearance diver and minor hockey coach of the year — should be one of them, said Priscilla, Blake’s widow.
"When they were talking about it in school, Tie thought of his dad right away," Priscilla said. "He came home and said we shou ld get something named for Craig."
The family worked on the application together, going through memories of Blake’s time as a soldier — he had enlisted at 18 — and as the hockey coach the kids in the neighbourhood admired.
Blake’s career had been spent as a navy clearance diver, but he found hims elf on land in Afghanistan because of his experience in b omb disp osal.
When they were talking about it in school, Tie thought of his dad right away.
Priscilla Blake Her husband, Petty Officer 2nd Class Craig Blake, was killed in Afghanistan in 2010
photo
Priscilla Blake sits with her two sons, Cain and Tie, at the Dartmouth park soon to be renamed in honour of her husband Craig, a Canadian naval clearance diver, who was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2010. TED PRITCHARD • Staff
Park a place ‘where it’s just nice to be’
Council approved putting Blake’s name among the candidates for future naming sites last August, but it wasn’t until this week that they voted to rename Montebello Park in Dartmouth in his memory.
The park cradles countless memories for the family, Priscilla said. It’s there that Blake first let go of Cain’s bicycle seat, watching his son pedal away, where the hockey coach and triathlete would throw the football around with his boys and kids in the neighbourhood, and where he would watch his youngest on the playground.
"I think when we go there and we walk through it and Tie swings on the swings or Cain goes with his buddies and plays tennis, I think there’s always that memory in the back of our mind of doing stuff with Craig there," Priscilla said.
"It’s one of those places where it’s just nice to be and remember."
Priscilla, her sons and their councillor, Darren Fisher, talked about different spots and how they related to her late husband.
When they hit on Montebello Park, Fisher said the response from the community was nearly unanimous. Hundreds of emails flooded his inbox since the site was put forward last winter.
"The minute I put it on Facebook, it just went crazy," the Harbourview-Burnside-Dartmouth East councillor said.
"I was receiving emails and messages from people that were just so excited about the possibility, people that knew him and people who didn’t know him. This guy was a coach of the year for the Dartmouth Whalers. This guy was a triathlete. This guy was somebody the community looked up to."
The community’s support of the name change to Craig Blake Memorial Park acts as an extension of the care shown to the family in the past three years.
The first Christmas on their own, the Blakes opened the door and found gifts on the front step. No one ever took credit.
"Craig had been a hockey coach and he knew everyone from school and from hockey, and it was quite shocking to everyone, I think, when Craig passed away," Priscilla said. "It’s been overwhelming, the support."
PHOTO
Members of the Shannon Park Huskies peewee hockey team gather on May 14, 2010, to look at photographs and flowers placed in memory of their fallen hockey coach, Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake, following the memorial service for the member of the fleet dive unit at 12 Wing Shearwater. Blake, a demolitions expert, was killed by an explosion on May 3, 2010, in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan. TIM KROCHAK • Staff
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A Solitary Life
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office.
He never owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He had no credentials but Himself.
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves.
His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying -- and that was His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as that One Solitary Life.
by James A. Francis
Une Vie Solitaire voici un homme qui était né dans un village obscur, l'enfant d'une femme de paysan. Il a grandi dans un autre village obscur. Il a travaillé dans un magasin de charpentier jusqu'à ce qu'Il était trente, et alors depuis trois ans Il était un prédicateur itinérant. Il n'a jamais écrit un livre. Il n'a jamais tenu un bureau.
Il n'a jamais possédé une maison. Il n'a jamais réglé le pied dans une grande ville. Il n'a jamais voyagé deux cent miles du lieu où Il était né. Il n'a pas eu de qualification mais Se.
Pendant que toujours un jeune homme, la marée d'opinion populaire L'est retourné contre. Ses amis se sont sauvé. Un d'eux L'a nié. Il a été remis à Ses ennemis. Il a traversé la moquerie d'un procès. Il a été cloué sur une croix entre deux vole.
Ses bourreaux ont joué pour le seul morceau de propriété qu'Il a eu sur la terre pendant qu'Il mourait -- et cela était Son manteau. Quand Il était mort, Il a été descendu et posé dans une tombe empruntée par la pitié d'un ami.
Dix-neuf siècles larges sont venus et allé et aujourd'hui Il est la pièce centrale de la race humaine et le dirigeant de progrès. Je suis éloigné dans la marque quand je dis que toutes les armées qui jamais ont marché, et toutes les marines qui jamais ont été construites, et tous les parlements qui jamais se sont assis, et tous les rois qui jamais ont régné, ne monte pas a affecté la vie d'homme sur cette terre aussi puissamment que qu'Un Solitaire Vie.
par James A. Francis
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FIELD OF HONOUR
From Another River to Cross, Written and Copyrighted by R.G. Sawdon
I t was a late January day when I visited the Canadian War cemetery at Beny- sur-Mer in France. It is not far inland from Juno Beach in Normandy, France. The sky was overcast. It was chilly and blustery. Gusts of wind stirred the branches of the Canadian maple trees, growing in a row along the perimeter of the cemetery, the buds of which were swelling with new spring leaves. Intermittently cold drops of light rain touched my face.
A low wall, constructed of light-brown bricks, fronted this hallow place. As I walked through the entrance , I sensed that I was treading on consecrated ground. All around there seemed to be an aura of peace and serenity, but, at the same time, in my mind, I heard the sounds of battle, perhaps the din of many battles in one. I could hear the thunder of artillery, the sputtering of machine guns, the siren-like noise of "moaning minnie" mortar bombs, the clanking of prowling tanks and the swoosh of out going and the whistle of incoming artillery shells landing with sharp explosions.
I passed through the sanctuary, a place where one could sit and ponder the events of those long-ago days. I stepped into the cemetery proper. I stopped and gazed, in awe, at the scene before me, the tall cross of remembrance in the center surrounded by row upon row of headstones. The grounds had been immaculately cared for, the grass cut and trimmed around each plot where roses and other small neatly shaped plants grew. I continued on, my head bowed with great melancholy. I noticed the ages shown on the stones were, for the most part, in the 17 to early 20's range. How young we were back then, so long-ago - another life time, part dream, part nightmare.
W hen I reached plot 9, I walked along row D until I came to grave 7, the grave of my brother. I stood and viewed the etchings on the head stone which consisted of the maple leaf and the words: H39159 Sapper J. E. Sawdon-Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers-6th of June, 1944, age 22 - (engraved cross and the words): "Yea though I walk through the Valley of Death I will feel no evil". I knelt at the side of Jim's grave, emotions rising within me, tears in my eyes, as I prayed for a few moments.
J im was one of 359 (this number may vary depending on the source of the information) Canadians who fell on D-Day, their blood soaked into the sand and the soil of France on that historic day. Brave men gave the greatest gift it is possible to give to their fellow-men and to their country, their lives.
J im was the eldest (age 22) of three brothers, including my self ( the youngest of the three), on active service with the Canadian Army. Another brother was too young for active service. Jim was a member of the 6th field Company of the Royal Canadian Engineers. He landed on Juno Beach, June 6, 1944 with men of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. His task was to clear the beach of obstacles. While doing this he was instantly killed by machine gun and mortar fire. Perhaps his height of six feet, five inches made him an easy target.
W hile kneeling at Jim's grave, my thoughts went back to my school days. I recalled that Jim was a great baseball player and excelled as a pitcher. During practice I would catch for him. "Pitch the ball down the alley", I would call to him. He would blaze in a strike leaving the palm of my hand stinging with pain even though I caught the ball in a well-padded mitt. My fondest memory of him was when I watched him pitch in a senior game. He struck out the opposing players one after another. He pitched a perfect game.
A s I left the cemetery it struck me that its location was isolated on top of a hill, but in close proximity to the village of Beny-sur Mer. Then I reflected that this is as it should be, a place where tranquillity may prevail. Before leaving I looked back at the array of headstones. I thought to myself: "What a waste of lives". Then I quickly realized that this great loss was not in vain. It had to be done. A brutal regime was attempting to take over the world and had to be stopped so that freedom could live again.
A s a tribute to all who rest at Beny-sur- Mer and other war cemeteries I end this narrative with a few words composed by Sir Walter Scott:
Soldier rest! Thy warfare o'er
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Dream of battled fields no more.
Days of danger, nights of waking
Foot note: From "Commemorative Information-Commonwealth War Graves Commission".
It was on the coast just to the north that the 3rd Canadian Division landed on June 6th, 1944; on that day, 335 officers and men of that division were killed in action or died of wounds. In this cemetery are the graves of Canadians who gave their lives in the landings in Normandy and in the earlier stages of the subsequent campaign. Canadians who died during the final stages of the fighting in Normandy are buried in Bretteville-sur- Laize Canadian War Cemetery
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Korean War veterans honoured
STAFF REPORTER MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE mlightstone@herald.ca @CH_Lightstone
Canadian veterans who served in the Korean War were remembered at a ceremony Wednesday in Halifax.
Elderly vets, their relatives, military personnel and others gathered inside a hospital for a p oignant memorial s ervice on a somewhat grey afternoon.
The event at the Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Building drew more than 120 people and took place three days before the 60th anniversary of the end of the war.
Attendees heard a lone bugler play the Last Post, observed a moment of silence, sang hymns and listened to clergymen recite prayers.
Later, speakers made heartfelt remarks and wreaths were placed on a table covered by white cloth that was positioned in front of the flags of Canada and Nova Scotia and the Union Jack.
Don Allen, president of the local branch of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada, said 26 nations took part in the three-year war before a peace pact was signed on July 27, 1953.
"The armistice is still in effect today — the longest ever," he told the crowd.
More than 26,000 Canadians were sent to fight in Korea; Veterans Affairs Canada said 516 of them died.
Allen said he’s not fond of the Korean War being referred to, at times, as a "conflict" or a United Nations "police action."
It was a battle in which many were killed, he said.
"When I hear the (words) conflict and police action, why, I just scratch my head," Allen said.
Sen. Michael MacDonald said Canadians who fought in the war s erved their country with distinction. He thanked veterans for their contributions.
"Today, we remember them," MacDonald said.
"We pay tribute to the many lives forever changed by the Korean War."
MacDonald said "the legacy of these men and women lives on."
Last month, legislation covering a national day of remembrance for Korean War vets passed in Ottawa .
It created Korean War Veterans Day, to be held each year on July 27.
photo
Sgt. Patricia Foley of the 36 Canadian Brigade Group bugles the Last Post at the star t of the commemorative ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, at Camp Hill Veterans Memorial in Halifax on Wednesday.
TIM KROCHAK • Staff
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Underground carvings memorialize Canadian soldiers
Elite WAFF Vet Club
CTV.ca News Staff
A long-forgotten subterranean memorial to Canadian soldiers who fought in the First World War will soon see the light of day, thanks to the efforts of a London, Ont.-based group
The unusual memorial was made by the soldiers themselves as they slept, ate and waited in a cave in northern France. They were eventually called to fight at nearby Vimy Ridge, in what would become one of the greatest victories in Canadian military history.
The cave, which is accessible through a small hole in a farmer's field, has been sealed off and largely forgotten since the 1917 battle. British experts reopened the cave five years ago, working to preserve carvings made by soldiers along the cave walls.
Now a Canadian group called the Canadigm Team has joined them to document and to make exact replicas of hundreds of pieces of graffiti, which they plan to show across the country.
"It's important to remember the battle. But also, these are Canadians," said Zenon Andrusyszyn, a visual artist who's directing the group.
Andrusyszyn and his colleagues say the etchings by long-dead soldiers must be remembered, as they're slowly deteriorating. So they've been working to document subterranean pre-battle, First World War-era hideouts in France and are researching dozens of soldiers' stories in preparation for the centenary of Canada's victory at Vimy Ridge.
Canadigm's inaugural exhibit, titled The Souterrain Impressions, will open in the fall of 2013 and will tour across Canada for the next four years, leading up to the 100th anniversary of the battle.
CTV News was recently given access to the cave, revealing carvings that until recently were unknown to all but a select group, which included the former head of the Canadian Armed Forces.
"This is unique," said retired General Rick Hillier, the honourary chair of the Vimy Foundation. "It's part of our legacy, part of our history."
The cave itself was carved into an ancient chalk quarry. It's a labyrinth of corridors and open spaces that was once lined with hundreds of bunk beds. While the young soldiers lay there, they carved.
Alec Ambler, a young stone mason, signed his work and went on to survive the war. Many others weren't so lucky.
A soldier names Elroy Lacey drew animals he remembered from his farm in Dunwich, Ont. He was later killed in the fighting. Another carver, Grant Phelps, was a railway worker from St. Thomas, Ont. He was hit by shrapnel in the opening moments of the Vimy Ridge battle and succumbed to his wounds hours later.
Eventually the fighting ended and the cave was abandoned. But there is also some graffiti in the cave dating to 1940, as Belgian refugees hid from the fighting in the next world war.
http://news.sympatico.ctv.ca/home/underground_carvings_memorialize_canadian_soldiers/c3de1d7c
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NATO- MILITARY-
ISAF: NATO forces in Afghanistan
"Let’s make a judgment — what the insurgents do versus what we do. I want peace. I want schools and paved roads, electricity. Now what do they do? They blow up the roads. They blow up the schools. They commit suicide in our mosques." -Col. Hayatullah Aqtash, Afghan National Army
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/world/asia/afghans-see-their-army-woo-them-with-piety.html?_r=0
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COMMENT:
So proud.... our men who did come home alive to Canada's victory- saw a ruined impoverished country in victory of freedom.... we used, reused and used everything again and again.... our communities built us.... and even political divisions in the family never stopped friday nite cards/hockey and sunday school, choir and church on sunday's... girls helped embroider flourbags.... boys built chest and chairs 4 the new brides... we knit, crochet, baked, cooked, cleaned and raked, worked the fields, shucked shellfish, mended and took care of younger brothers and sisters... and never said a damm word against an elder - ever..... we had nothing... and many of us were treated badly as kids.... but we took it and rose above it.... went 2 school and built families, communities, church and our homeland... not 2 bad.... and 2day we think of Sicily... and the enormous cost of victories of war.... and sacrifices... and loss- hugs and love- thx 4 the share
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-nouvelles/news-nouvelles-eng.asp?id=4907
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VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
READER’S CORNER
Salute to Tattoo
For 24 years, I’ve been travelling to Halifax from Germany because of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, and every year I bring more friends with me.
What makes this Tattoo so unique is its mission: "To present a world-class international, cultural event that will stimulate Canadian patriotism, educate youth, recognize our country’s debt to the Canadian Forces and the RCMP, attract tourists to Nova Scotia and strengthen international relations . . ."
Every year, the Tattoo manages to display both the madness of war and the readiness, by the military and the p olice, to defend shared values — all this embedded in a professional Broadwaystyle show for the whole family.
Next to the tribute to the Battle of the Atlantic, this year the "hallelujah scene" commemorating the deaths of 20 children and six teachers at the Sandy Hook school in Connecticut cer tainly was the most emotional, and on first sight, surprising act. This scene brought forward a new aspect to what makes a nation: community or friendship, cons ciousness o f common values and sacrifices, empathy and compassion.
The Tattoo really is a treasure and an outstanding ambassador for Canada. I hope Nova Scotians are aware of what they have. As far as I am concerned, I shall b e back to Halifax in July 2014! Dirk Reimers, state secretary of the City State of Hamburg (retired), managing director of the German National Foundation .
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NOVA SCOTIA ECONOMY- CANADA ECONOMY
Global firms flocking to N.S.
Financial expert says province leads North America as preferred destination
REMO ZACCAGNA BUSINESS REPORTER
r zaccagna@herald.ca @CH_RemoZaccagna Nova Scotia is becoming a favourite landing spot for international companies, says a leading financial organization.
According to fDI Intelligence , a division o f the Financial Times Ltd. , the province attracted more foreign direct investment to its shores p er capita than any other North American jurisdiction .
The arrival o f IBM with its data analytics centre, Admiral Insurance , and Stream represented three of the four largest job-creating projects in the country in 2012, said Henry Loewendahl, North American vice-president for fDI Intelligence.
Most of the recent foreign direct investment is coming from the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, he said.
One reason the province is proving to be more popular with business-process- outsourcing companies is attributed to a high concentration of university students "and the lack of competition or the relatively weaker lower level of competition for skills and for p eople compared to other cities in Canada, which have a much tighter and more competitive labour markets," Loewendahl said in a telephone interview Tuesday from Toronto.
Over the years, Halifax has boasted a cost advantage of as much as 20 per cent over many Nor th American cities, and it is that track record that companies have responded to, he said.
"When Canada had a much bigger cost advantage against the U.S., a lot of companies put their BPO operations in Canada.
"And so a lot of the investments taking place in Nova Scotia are actually by companies who already have a presence there. So they already have that kind of critical mass in the s ector, knowledge, exp erience and skills from the previous track record of attracting these kind of investments."
The province also benefits from Nova Scotia Business Inc.’s private-sector focus, he said.
"I think, just from my experience, it may be an advantage because they’re able to have more freedom, more flexibility. They can respond quicker to privates ector needs." An Admiral Insurance representative said in a news release the company made the right decision setting up in Halifax.
"Admiral Administration just celebrated its first anniversary of opening its operations in Halifax and the first year has been a great success," said Ben Pershick, managing director, Admiral Administration Canada.
"We have grown from a staff of five to 30 in a very short period of time, with minimal recruitment costs."
But the presence of these companies also benefit small local
firms.
DSM Telecommunications Inc. has installed its cloud-based business telephone system at Admiral’s offices, and is planning to use that as a starting point for additional business with other firms.
"We use them as a reference quite often," said president Dan Merzetti. "We are constantly signing new clients to our s ervice."
Merzetti said that his firm bene- fits because international companies are already accustomed to using leading-edge technology.
"A lot of them are used to an advanced type of phone service, and we provide it."
Loewendahl said the years following 2010 have been "pretty bad years" for foreign direct investment globally, "but Canada and the U.S. have weathered the storm b etter than most other places in the world."
However, with the American economy rebounding, "that should have a positive impact on investment into Canada, as well as into Nova Scotia."
Additionally, he expects to see an added fo cus on growth in the manufacturing, heavy industry and software-investment sectors.
"Maybe for the larger-scale operations, and maybe those which are more kind of outsourcing arrangements, then Nova Scotia could definitely be in the game to attract some of those projects.
"We expect there to be a lot of much bigger capital investment projects, which we haven’t necessarily s een for quite a while, coming into Canada and the U.S. in the next couple of years, especially from European and Asian countries."
Premier Dar rell Dexter speaks with IBM Canada president John Lutz prior to an announcement of a new IBM data analytics centre for Halifax. fDI Intelligence named the province as one of the favourite landing spots for inter national companies. CHRISTIAN LAFORCE • Staff
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CANADIANS SHOPPING.... r second only 2 Germany in organizing our economy in the black- only 2 on the planet... NOT 2 BAD EH?
Shoppers spark steep sales hike
Economists stunned as Canadian retail sector registers May increase of 1.9%
JULIAN BELTRAME THE CANADIAN PRESS
O T TAWA — Canadian consumers went on a shopping spree in May, triggering a stunning jump in retail sales that will almost certainly help boost second-quarter economic growth beyond expectations.
The raw numbers surprised economists who had exp ected a modest 0.4 per cent bump. Instead, Statistics Canada said the retail sector boosted sales five times that by 1.9 per cent during the month to $40.4 billion.
Particularly meaningful for gross domestic product growth, sales in volume terms als o expanded by 1.9 per cent, meaning the increase was not related to currency fluctuations. "It’s hard to say what happ ened, everything went right it seems," said Jimmy Jean, an economist with Desjardins Capital Markets.
"We’re probably seeing a little bit of catch-up because since 2011 sales have been almost flat. In the first quarter we had consumer spending rising 0.9 per cent (annualized). It was one of the weakest numbers since the recession."
For the second quarter which began in April, however, retail sales are tacking at an eight per cent clip in volume terms.
Jean said the report puts in jeopardy the Bank of Canada’s bleak expectation for a meagre one per cent growth number in the second quarter. For GDP to drop that low after the first quarter’s 2.5 per cent expansion — and given relatively rosy numbers since — the bank would need to be proven prescient in estimating a 1.3-point hit from the Alberta floods and Quebec construction strike in June.
Other economists als o doubted the quarter would show such weakness. CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld, who is rarely counted among the bu lls on growth, believes the retail number likely means his 1.6 per cent forecast is likely a couple of ticks too low.
"With sales up 1.9 per cent in real terms, forecasts for May GDP will be revised higher, as will our forecast for Q2," he said in a note to clients.
The Canadian dollar strengthened on the retail sales news, rising 0.32 of a cent to 96.99 US in early morning trading .
The Statistics Canada report showed strength throughout the retail sector and included a minor upward revision on April sales to 0.2 per cent.
The big contributor was motor vehicle and parts dealers, which saw sales pick up 4.3 per cent in dollar terms.
"Sales were up at new car dealers (+3.3 per cent) for a fifth consecutive month, mainly because of higher sales of light trucks," Statistics Canada reported.
Retail sales at dealers for other types of motorized vehicles, such as RVs, motorcycles and boats, was up 13.1 per cent — more than offsetting a decline in April.
Sales at food and beverage stores rose 1.1 per cent overall as sales of alcoholic beverages increased in sync with the delayed start to the National Hockey League playoffs. Sales at supermarkets and other grocery stores rose 0.7 per cent following declines in March and April.
Beer, wine and liquor store sales increased 2.2 per cent, following declines the three previous months.
Overall, sales increased in nine of 11 sectors and in all 10 provinces. The two sectors that fell were at electronics and appliance stores (down 0.8 per cent) and miscellaneous store retailers (down 0.5 per cent).
While May may be an aberration , economists cautioned the Bank of Canada will likely need to keep a close eye on household borrowing given the recent turnaround in the housing s ector and now strong retail sector.
The central bank has expressed some relief in the downward track of household borrowing since last summer, when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tightened mortgage rules. But the last two months have seen a levelling off and even reversal of the downward slide in the housing market , with sales, starts and prices all rebounding somewhat.
In last week’s interest rate announcement , central bank governor Stephen Poloz cited the constructive evolution on household imbalances as one o f the factors for continuing to keep the monetary policy rate at the superlow level of one per cent.
We’re probably seeing a little bit of catch-up because since 2011 sales have been almost flat.
Jimmy Jean Economist, Desjardins Capital Markets
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U.S. gas price woes pale beside N.S. hikes
Nova Scotia isn’t the only place with high gasoline prices, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
Drivers in the United States have reportedly been experiencing "sticker shock" at the cost of filling up. The national average price in the U.S. for regular unleaded gasoline last Friday was US$3.67 a gallon.
That’s nothing compared to the price drivers in Nova Scotia pay, which is the equivalent of about $5.30 a U.S. gallon, based on last week’s regulated price.
Since the end of June, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, which sets the price of gasoline in the province, has increased the minimum retail price for selfservice regular unleaded gas by more than eight per cent, rising to 139.8 cents per litre Friday from 128.6 cents per litre June 28.
It’s difficult to figure out what the review board might do from week to week because it has both an "interrupter," which allows it to change the price if there are dramatic swings in the market price ahead o f the normal price setting day of Friday, and "forward averaging."
Forward averaging allows the board to speculate whether or not the market price for gas oline could continue to rise even after the official regulated price for Nova Scotia has been set. What the forward averaging amount may be is unpredictable, thus making the Nova Scotia method of setting gasoline prices difficult to duplicate.
For most of us, it’s still too early to try and guess what the review board might do this week, but gas price prognosticator George Murphy is willing to bet the Nova Scotia regulator will reduce the price per litre by "a sole penny" when the calculation is made at the end o f this week.
Murphy, who is both an NDP member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly and researcher for the Consumer Group for Fair Gas Prices, says the reason for the expected reduction is a sharp drop in demand, which signals consumer dissatisfaction with the pump price.
The climb in the price of gasoline in the U.S. is due to some familiar reasons. Every summer, it is a fact that more driving is done when there is fine weather. More driving creates more demand for gasoline.
This year, there is also concern political unrest in Egypt could p otentially disrupt oil shipments through the Su ez Canal. Add to that unexp ected interruptions in U.S. oil production and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pushing up the price of crude oil, and it is a perfect storm .
In Canada, the decline in the value of the loonie verses the U.S. dollar has als o added to the price we pay for gasoline.
Dan McTeague, a former Liberal MP from Ontario who runs the website Tomorrow’s Gas Price Today, said in his regular web video presentation last week that since commo dities are priced in U.S. funds, the decline in the Canadian currency "probably accounts for nearly half o f the increase in the price of gasoline that you have seen in the last four or five weeks."
Halifax oil company executive Dave Collins says there has been an underlying financial trade that has added some US$10 to the price of crude in recent weeks.
In an email, Collins, vice-president with Wilson Fu els, explained that commodity traders felt the difference between Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate crude was too high.
"They b ought WTI, hence raising its price, and sold Brent, lowering its price. The difference between Brent and WTI was US$15 per barrel and now it is essentially flat."
Another factor in determining the price of gasoline, says Collins, may be the U.S. renewable fuels mandate, which is artificially raising prices as refiners are required to buy "renewable identification numbers" to prove their environmental obligations.
As a consequence, he says, most U.S. refiners are affected. The added cost of purchasing the numb ers is simply added to the price o f fu el.
Bottom line, it looks like the Nova Scotia gasoline price could go down by a penny this week, unless of course the regulator determines the price shou ld increase or perhaps stay the same
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NOVA SCOTIA- QUEBEC
Fir m on track to reboot mine
THE CHRONICLE HERALD
A Quebec mining company is on schedule to restart its Dufferin gold mine near Sheet Harbour on the Eastern Shore by late 2013.
Officials with Ressources Appalaches Inc. anticipate it will receive, in the next few weeks, a production permit from the province, "which represents the final permitting stage required to start gold production."
The company has a $10-million, two-stage loan agreement with Lascaux Resource Capital Partners, LLC of New York, with a $7.5 million second round of investment in August contingent on the industrial approval.
In the interim, work is ongoing to prepare the site for production, the company said recently in a news release.
"Our mine engineering team will be finalizing the mining plan, including the scheduling of the first veins where we expect to begin mining operations," the releas e said.
"Our administrative staff will be forging ahead with the selection and ultimately hiring process of the remaining personnel required to resume gold production by late 2013."
The R imouski company has also completed soft-starts and testing o f all crushing circuit comp onents.
It continuing underground restoration to the second level with water, air and dewatering service lines, which are now operational. It has also completed work on the primary and s econdary underground ventilation systems.
In addition, they have acquired and delivered the heavy equipment and material required for site preparation.
Twenty-one of 60 positions are currently filled, including underground miners, millwright and site services staff.
They are currently going through more than 460 applications to fill the remaining positions.
We love our dogs and cats and pets in Nova Scotia- and we r crazy about our kids- all of 'em
Shelter on dog days of summer
Market, vet offer kennels so canines stay cool — out of parked cars
BILL POWER BUSINESS REPORTER
bpower@herald.ca @CH_HeraldPower
The general manager at
Masstown Market near Truro had to stop and do the math Tu esday when asked how many dogs have been accommodated at kennels the business op ened on site in the spring .
"There seems to be dogs in the kennels every time I pass by at any time of the day," Laurie Jennings said of one of the latest additions to the growing family business.
"If I had to guess, I’d say somewhere between a dozen and 30 dogs a day."
Providing temporary accommodations for travelling canines and for those owned by regular visitors to the location near Exit 12, just off Highway 104, is good for business, Jennings said.
"Staff were worried about dogs in cars on hot days," Jennings said. "We also wanted a friendly way to keep visiting dogs away from eating areas."
The two covered kennels were installed at Masstown Market in the spring after a staffer suggested the concept .
Weeks later, the dogs-in-cars controversy went national when a Walmart employee in Ontario claimed she lost her job after alerting police about a dog in a hot car in the parking lot o f the store where she worked.
The controversy took a tragic turn in Nova Scotia on Sunday after a dog died in a vehicle in Wolfville in nearly 30 C temperatures.
Jennings said word of the two dog kennels has circulated quickly among travellers.
He said many people treat their dogs as part of the family and bring them along on trips to the cottage, visits with relatives and recreational outings.
Customers appreciate a place to accommodate their pets, he said.
"Our business has really flourished as a regular stopping point for people headed and returning from destinations all over the Maritimes, and it is a year-round thing. We wanted to do something so customers would feel comfortable spending some time at the market , knowing their dogs were comfortable in the kennel."
Despite publicity ab out the potentially fatal result of leaving dogs in cars on hot days, staff at the Russell Lake Animal Hospital continued to spot worrisome situations at the strip mall housing the business at 250 Baker Dr.
Veterinarian Adva Barkai-Ronayne said the business responded Monday by putting a sign in the window advertising the availability of kennels.
Customers can drop off their dog at the hospital while they’re at the mall in exchange for a suggested minimum $5 donation to charity.
"Nobody has taken us up on the offer as yet," Barkai-Ronayne said. "But lots of people are talking about it, and this is the important thing. Most pet fatalities relating to hot cars occur in parking lots for malls and gro cery stores."
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VANCOUVER - ONE BILLION RISING- breaking the chains- putting victim's first
MacKay vows to help victims of crime
The new federal justice minister says many victims of crime continue to feel re-victimized by the courts, and more needs to be done to help them get on with their lives.
Peter MacKay was in Vancouver today, meeting with police, lawyers and victims of crime to discuss the government’s plan to introduce a victims’ bill of rights this fall.
MacKay said that while the government has made progress addressing the needs o f victims, a bill o f rights will help thos e within the criminal justice system better protect thos e rights. (CP)
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ONE BILLION RISING- HEALING THE CHAINS- of abuse of young boys and young men- the miracles of training service dogs 4 disabled and homes by young incarcerated youth- 2nd chances- it's time...
ONE BILLION RISING- breaking the chains of abuse...
An inmate rehab project with some (fur r y) legs
IDLE NO MORE CANADA- Shania Twain was adopted by her stepfather Ojibway Jerry Twain and grew up on the reserve as non-status indian.... Shania always said Jerry Twain (and she adored Grandpa Twain) treated respectfully and loved Shania's mother Sharon so much..
..... but Shania said the enormous abuse among the Reservations should shame all of Canada.... and men need counselling and respect as much as women...
Shania Twain - Black Eyes, Blue Tears - Live!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Fd5Q2-VC0
CLAIRE McILVEEN
cmcilveen@herald.ca @CH_cmcIlveen
Claire McIlveen is a columnist and editorial writer
An inmate rehab project with some (fur r y) legs
It’s curious that the province’s opposition parties, those serial seekers of the second chance, are poking fun at a program to rehabilitate jail inmates.
The Tories and Liberals have heaped scorn on a project to teach inmates how to train dogs at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.
The program started as a pilot a year ago and the government said last week it will fund it to the tune of $60,000 for the coming year.
"I can’t imagine what they’d be training the dogs to do," said Tory MLA Allan MacMaster when the pilot was first announced. "Are they going to be doing tricks for the prisoners or something?"
Well, no.
Under the program, a professional dog trainer is teaching corrections officers how to work with a dozen inmates to train dogs from the SPCA. The agency gets adoptable dogs, the officers get administrative experience and the inmates learn animal training skills they can use upon release, says the province.
As a former reporter who did a stint covering court, I think it’s money well sp ent .
Reporting on the justice system taught me that some people catch no breaks in life.
The names, faces and crimes o f the guilty are gone from my memory, but I will never forget the histories of parental neglect, abuse, addiction, intellectual disability or severe mental health problems that accompanied almost every kid who appeared before the courts.
Some would argue that plenty of people have unhappy childhoods and turn out fine.
That’s true. Maybe some people are stronger, smarter or more resilient than others.
Or they meet someone who sees the good in them.
One man I know b ecame a ward of the province at age six and had a history o f lighting fires, tor turing small animals and breaking and entering . His life was turned around by a youth worker who became the father figure he never had.
That’s what a program like this can do: foster ties between guards and inmates, teach inmates that practice, patience and respect are keys to discipline, bring some canine love into their lives, inspire hop e.
At least one veteran corrections officer at the jail is on board.
"Initial evaluation of the program has been very positive," said Capt. John Landry, a guard at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility.
"The staff at the facility report improved offender behaviour and reduced tension in the day rooms where the program is held, which is a win-win for the o ffenders, the staff and the puppies."
For staff, it’s about better working conditions.
For a 19-year-old with a history of neglect, it’s the chance for one-on-one attention from a standup adult, a whole lot of puppy love and a new direction for his life.
As a society, we have a responsibility to try to rehabilitate inmates, particularly young ones.
And if the rehabilitation argument isn’t persuasive, perhaps the financial one is.
The costs of incarceration in Canada are staggering. While provincial jails are cheaper, it costs about $114,000 a year to keep someone in federal penitentiary in Canada .
Over 30 years, that adds up to $3.4 million.
If even one kid learns marketable skills and makes connections that put him on a better path when he gets out of jail, that $60,000 a year will turn out to be some bargain.
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ONE BILLION RISING- breaking the chains of abuse
Suits over alleged crimes can proceed in Canada
TORONTO (CP) — Three lawsuits against a Canadian mining company over alleged shootings and gang rapes at a Guatemalan project will be allowed to proceed in Canada following a ruling that makes it possible for firms to face liability at home for incidents that occur overseas.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs, 13 Mayan Guatemalans, said the decision is a "wake-up call" for Canadian firms about responsibilities at foreign mining projects.
"This step in the case uses existing legal rules that have not been applied in this way before," lawyer Murray Klippenstein said Tuesday. "Mining companies, and maybe other companies operating abroad, need to take a very, very, serious look at the possibility or likelihood that shenanigans abroad that they thought would never result in liability may result in accountability in Canadian cour ts."
The suits allege security personnel and members of the police and military, attacked and raped 11 women in 2007 who were forcibly removed from their village in relation to the Fenix project.
Two related suits seek to hold HudBay Minerals Inc. and a subsidiary resp onsible for the later killing of community leader Adolfo Ich over a land dispute and the shooting and paralysis of local resident German Chub.
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ONE BILLION RISING- BREAKING THE CHAINS - of abuse
Premiers: Probe women’s fate
Leaders back inquir y into missing, murdered First Nations people
MARIA BABBAGE THE CANADIAN PRESS
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont . — Provincial and territorial leaders threw their support Wednesday behind a national public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls, ratcheting up the pressure on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to follow suit .
There was support for an inquiry among the premiers who met with aboriginal leaders Wednesday ahead of the Council of the Federation meeting, said Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who will chair the premiers’ summit Thursday.
She said violence against aboriginal women is a very important issue that has touched every Canadian juris diction and is extremely important to all the leaders who attended the meeting.
Alberta Premier Alison Redford and Newfoundland Premier Kathy Dunderdale were absent, but Wynne said that doesn’t mean they don’t support an inquiry.
"There were reasons why they couldn’t be at the table, but certainly I will b e sp eaking to them and asking them if they wou ld b e able to support the NAO’s call for an inquiry."
But Michele Audette, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, said she views their absence as a message.
"It’s probably for me, my perception or interpretation, that they’re sending a message saying they’re not in support for this national public inquiry," she said.
Redford was in Toronto on Wednesday for a meeting with the Insurance Bureau of Canada and various CEOs of insurance companies in Toronto, trying to garner support for the southern Alberta communities devastated by flooding .
First Nations’ calls for a public inquiry on violence against aboriginal women have garnered support across the country in recent years.
Aboriginal leaders praised the attending premiers for supporting the caus e, hailed as a major step in their crusade for an inquiry, which has been endorsed by Amnesty International Canada.
"This is an important expression of support," said Shawn Atleo, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada has been saying for 13 years that there’s a rise in missing aboriginal women, Audette said. The organization has documented about 582 cases of missing or murdered women and girls.
Audette said she’ll phone the federal government Thursday and push for a letter from the premiers to be sent to Harper and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt. She’ll also be reaching out to the two missing premiers to see if they’ll support an inquiry.
"We did a major, major step today — or a major moccasin step, I always say," she said.
Violence against aboriginal women is a "huge" issue in Manitoba, which has a lot of missing people, said Premier Greg Selinger.
"It speaks to the most vulnerable p eople in our community and when they go missing, we are all worse off," he said.
"And we want to make sure they’re safe and our streets are safe and our neighbourhoods are safe and young women are safe regardless of who they are."
It’s a big problem in the North too, particularly in small, isolated communities where women can’t get help, said Northwest Territories Premier Bob MacLeod.
"I think this gives a statement that this is a serious problem and that all of the premiers want to see something done," he said.
Others issues discussed at the premiers’ meeting with aboriginal groups included improvements in education for aboriginal students on and off reserve.
Funding for students on reserve is up to $3,500 less per pupil than students off reserve, Wynne said.
But Wynne and Atleo say they’re not looking for Ottawa to hand over the responsibility to the provinces. They’d rather see the government work with the provinces and aboriginal communities to help stu dents su cceed, said Wynne.
"The kinds of solutions that are working in P.E.I., that are working in British Columbia, that are going to work in Quebec and Ontario may be slightly different," she said. "But what we need is the federal government at the table as a full partner in terms of funding their resp onsibilities and at the same time, recognizing that provincial governments bring huge expertise in education."
PHOTO
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, centre, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, right, and Nova Scotia Premier Darryl Dexter listen to Elder Walter Cooke conduct the opening prayer for premiers from across the countr y and National Aboriginal Organization leaders during a meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., on Wednesday. AARON LYNETT • CP
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Canada’s grocers beat some EU figures
Ear nings margins of giants like Loblaws, Sobeys also improving compared to U.S.
ALEXANDRA POSADZKI THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Canadian supermarkets exceed their U.S. and European counterparts when it comes to profit margins and credit metrics, according to a Moody’s analysis released Tuesday.
The big three Canadian grocers — Loblaw Companies Ltd ., Empire’s Sobeys and Metro Inc. — are seeing an improving trend in their earnings margins while four European peers are watching them shrink and margins are flat at two comparable U.S. companies.
The Canadian grocers also operate with lower leverage, or borrowed money, than their international peers, Moody’s said.
"While we do not rate any of the Canadian sup ermarkets, we are nevertheless asked for our views on the sector, especially given Loblaw’s July 15 announcement that it would acquire Sh oppers Drug Mart Corp ., Canada’s No. 1 pharmacy retailer, for $12.4 billion and Sobeys’ pending acquisition o f Canada Sa feway for $5.8 billion," Moody’s said.
"Our main finding is that although the Canadians are smaller and less diverse, they have good margins and superior credit metrics."
It says Loblaw’s leverage will rise following the Shoppers deal, which will b e paid in cash and stock, but should come down within two years.
Comparable European supermarkets — which include Tesco PLC , Carrefour S.A. , Koninklijke Ahold N.V. and Delhaize Group — are much larger and more geographically diverse than Canadian and U.S. grocery chains.
Moody’s says scale is positive for credit quality because it gives the stores bargaining power when dealing with suppliers, and increases their ability to leverage costs.
But the exposure of European supermarkets to non-food products, such as clothing and consumer electronics, has left them vulnerable to economic conditions, which have been poor lately.
This has left European grocers lagging b ehind their American and Canadian counter par ts in terms of same-store sales growth.
Economic improvement in North America has boosted samestore sales growth, especially at Kroger , which has maintained growth at three per cent — compared with 1.5 per cent at Sobeys, 1.1 per cent at Metro and less than 0.5 per cent at Loblaw.
Loblaw should see some improvement in its sales growth after its acquisition of Shoppers, Moody’s says.
"The transformational acquisition is complementary to Loblaw and will expand its reach in health and wellness," the report says.
Moody’s says Loblaw’s profit margin has also lagged those of its Canadian peers, mainly because of competition from Wal-Mart and C ostco in Ontario.
It estimates Metro is the leader among the Canadian grocers in terms of profit margin, at nine per cent of earnings before certain items, compared with 7.5 per cent at Sobeys and 7.0 per cent at Loblaw.
An expansion into Quebec by Walmar t and Target cou ld squeeze Metro’s profit margins but Moody’s adds that: "We think the Canadian supermarkets’ margins are somewhat protected to the downside by ongoing cost reduction measures, tight inventory management, improving store offerings and an increased focus on loyalty programs."
"We expect the impact of rising competition to be manageable for the Canadians and that their aggregate margins will be better than those of the Europeans in the medium term ."
photo
The three major Canadian grocers Loblaw, Empire’s Sobeys and Metro are doing much better than American and European counterpar ts when it comes to profit margins, says an analysis by Moody’s released Tuesday. TED PRITCHARD • Staff
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C.B. oyster farms may see new life
Atlantic group to visit U.S. to lear n how business booms despite presence of parasite
BILL POWER BUSINESS REPORTER
bpower@herald.ca @CH_HeraldPower
Proponents hoping to revive oyster farming in Cape Breton are headed s outh for advice.
The diminished state o f the industry in the Bras d’Or Lake area will top the agenda, as a delegation of 15 farmers, researchers and government officials from Atlantic Canada heads to New England this Sunday.
They are participating in a week-long investigation of the success of oyster farming in the northeastern United States, despite the prevalence of the oyster disease known as MSX.
"The MSX parasite wiped out much of the oyster farming industry in the Bras d’Or Lake area just as it was achieving commercial viability in the late 1990s," Bruce Hancock, executive director of the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia, said Tuesday.
The fledgling industry took another tumble last August, when MSX was detected in Aspy Bay, leading to the well-publiciz ed loss of about 90 per cent of the oyster stocks being farmed by Alex and Susan Dunphy, the only commercial producers in the bay.
"While the Cape Breton industry has been all but lost, oyster farming continues to thrive in New England where they’ve taken a different approach to the MSX disease," said Hancock.
The Dunphys have been frustrated by federal and provincial regulators in their efforts to import from New England a species of oyster seed that resists MSX disease.
"MSX disease may currently be a Cape Breton issue, but the industry throughout Atlantic Canada has reason to be concerned about any spread of the disease in the region and how regulators respond," Hancock said.
The approach in Canada has been to shut down areas where the disease has been detected, while in the United States oyster farmers have successfully turned to a MSX-resistant species, he said.
The Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia, together with the P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance, is leading the mission to learn more about how the U.S. industry continues farm, despite the presence of the disease.
"We need government to work with industry to allow us to access the tools that are out there to revitalize our oyster industry and protect the producers we still have operating," Hancock said.
MSX disease has no effect on humans, but is deadly to oysters.
"The states along the Eastern Seaboard use a non-reproducing, disease-tolerant seed that can grow faster and reach market size before the disease can kill the oysters," Hancock said.
The mission inclu des stops in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island with visits to farms and tours of research facilities.
The Dunphys applied to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency last fall to import MSX-resistant sterile oyster seed from Maine. The agency issued the Dunphys an import permit for the seed in April, but they are still waiting for required approval from Fisheries and Oceans Canada .
Hancock said the future of the Dunphys’ oyster farm is at risk, while oysters are fetching between 50 cents and one dollar each for farmers elsewhere in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
While the Cape Breton industry has been all but lost, oyster farming continues to thrive in New England where they’ve taken a different approach to the MSX disease.
Br uce Hancock Aquaculture Association of N.S. executive director
PHOTO
In a bid to revive oyster farming on the Bras d’Or Lake, a delegation of far mers, researchers and gover nment officials will travel to New England this Sunday to seek advice.
PETER PARSONS • Staff
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CHINA LOVES OUR NOVA SCOTIA LOBSTERS- and they know we love and appreciate our China Asia folks..... magnificant history... art... literature... and food baby...
China getting hungry for N.S. lobster
February 20, 2013 - 8:39pm By CHRIS LAMBIE Business Reporter
Exporter says Chinese market has surpassed Europe, with about one million kilograms
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The year of the snake has been good to Nova Scotia so far, with an estimated million kilograms of our lobster shipped to China since the start of January to celebrate the country’s new year.
Michael Wolthers, a freight forwarder with Kintetsu World Express (Canada) Inc., said Wednesday that Chinese demand for the tasty Canadian crustaceans has eclipsed the European market.
"We had a phenomenal amount of business through January into early February shipping lobsters to China," said Wolthers, Kintetsu’s manager for the region.
He estimates Kintetsu and four competitors have shipped a total of about a million kilograms of lobster to China already this year.
"It is at least as large as Europe at Christmas," Wolthers said. "China is by far a bigger market than Europe is now."
His company, which moves about 30 per cent of the province’s lobster, has already shipped about 300,000 kilograms of lobster to China this year.
"The last two weeks of January (we were shipping lobster) at a blistering pace," Wolthers said.
"We put three trucks a week on the road, loaded with anywhere between nine and 10 tons each heading for Toronto to make connections out of Toronto on direct Air Canada flights, for the most part, to China. We were flying it out of here as much as we could. There was way more than we could. Ultimately, out of Halifax, in a containerized service, there’s four flights a week."
He said the service out of Halifax is also Air Canada, but it’s limited to about 50 tons a week.
"It just wasn’t enough," Wolthers said.
The truck-and-plane option still had lobsters landing in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai within about 43 hours, he said.
"There’s still strong demand in China," Wolthers said. "We’re still probably shipping close to (30,000 to 35,000 kilograms) a week to China right now."
By comparison, in the entire year of 2009, Wolthers shipped 339,000 kilograms of lobsters to China. That’s only 39,000 more kilograms than he’s already done this year.
"That’s how much the market has changed," said Wolthers, adding he now ships an average of 100,000 kilograms of lobster a month to China.
Rodger Cameron does so much business with China that he hired a man who speaks Mandarin and reads Cantonese about a year and a half ago to work at his Halls Harbour lobster pound.
"When the Australian rock lobster came under pressure, being in short supply, it caused the Chinese buyers to look elsewhere for an alternate product," said the president of Cameron Seafoods (2005) Ltd.
China’s flourishing economy and growing middle class has a lot of Chinese "eating more affluent-type foods," he said.
"The two things sort of happened at once," Cameron said. "Their economy took off, plus the Australian lobster
supply was depleted."
Dealing with the Chinese market presents challenges, he said.
"Their cultural differences are tremendous," Cameron said. "After being in the business here for 20 years, they’re probably the toughest group to deal with price-wise in negotiations."
He gets enquiries from China on a daily basis. But he’s taking his time growing that market because lobsters need to be high quality to survive the trip.
"Probably 70 per cent of the catch might be fit to go there. So as my business increases, I have to find a home for the other 30 per cent," Cameron said.
"Generally, we would send those to New Brunswick or other processing companies to just freeze them or turn them into meat. That’s generally a losing proposition, especially now at, say, a $5 (per pound) boat price. That’s a big-time losing proposition."
(clambie@herald.ca)
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