Official Sydney and Area Projects Thread

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Highway and harbour on gateway wish list

Premier says twinning Trans-Canada and dredging harbour are among priorities

Section: Front

By Nancy King, Cape Breton Post
Twinning the Trans-Canada Highway to Cape Breton and dredging Sydney harbour are among priorities identified by Premier Rodney MacDonald, as the province looks to position itself as a transport gateway for North America.

MacDonald outlined potential infrastructure projects in Halifax, Wednesday, before members of the Nova Scotia Chambers of Commerce, which he said would cost more than $300 million.

"We're looking at a combination of private sector funding, public sector funding from different levels of government, including of course accessing the gateway and borders crossing funding from the federal government," he told the Cape Breton Post.

"Every project won't be done at once, necessarily, but it's our intention to move forward on these projects."

The dredging project and the twinning of Highway 104 between Antigonish and Port Hawkesbury would improve the efficiency of transporting goods to or from the Strait or Sydney ports, MacDonald said.

"The twinning of the highway from Antigonish to the Strait is not only good news from the ports' perspective, both in the Strait and Sydney, but certainly safer for our travellers and such, and something that all Cape Bretoners have been looking for, for a very long time," he said.

In identifying the priorities, the province talked to a number of groups, MacDonald said, including groups representing port users at the Strait of Canso, Sydney and Halifax, as well as the Halifax and Nova Scotia chambers of commerce, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, Atlantic Institute for Market Studies and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

With any of the projects, there will also have to be private sector investment first to spur on the developments.

MacDonald noted proponents behind the $300-million Melford International Terminal container terminal and rail intermodal facility on the mainland side of the Strait of Canso are banking solely on private investment to fund the project. The highway twinning will help support that initiative.

"That shows the private sector's commitment to that project and also the need to make the highway safer and to enable that product to get to market more quickly, so that means taking a look at our 100-series highways, it means taking a look at centres of logistics," MacDonald said.

His government has committed to completing highway twinning, where possible, by 2020, he said, and they intend to proceed as soon as money becomes available. Work on the design has already begun, he added.

If the Donkin mine is ultimately reopened, dredging of the outer channel will be required for Sydney harbour to accommodate the large vessels that would transport the coal. An environmental assessment of the project is now underway.

"We have (the dredging) on our list," MacDonald said. "Certainly, it's a request that we have in with the federal government and we'll move forward on any projects that we can get funding for at the present time," he said.

Owen Fitzgerald, president of the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce, said the group was pleased the premier included the dredging in the list of priorities, noting it's key to opening the harbour to new opportunities and acting on the ports master plan.

MacDonald also identified an international marketing strategy, a multi-transportation corridor to ocean terminal in Halifax, a logistics park adjacent to Burnside Industrial Park, and a refrigerated terminal at Halifax's Stanfield International Airport. More research and development is also needed, he said.

MacDonald said the projects serve as a preliminary snapshot of provincial priorities, but added that others have also been identified.

[Smevo]

Now it's time for the insider and street news...

- Burnac is getting involved in a land dispute over a piece of land it thought it had title to, but aparently title is held by a family. Not sure where the land sits on the Power Centre scheme, but if it doesn't affect this phase of expansion, it would be affecting the next phase which would connect the power centre to the east traffic lights of Mayflower Mall.

- As far as the mall is concerned, word from one of the vendors is that Burnac sold Mayflower Mall and it is now owned by a pension fund (not sure which one). All the stores that were confirmed still are, but this may or may not affect the rumoured expansion which Burnac seemed to be all for when it owned the mall. I'll try to keep details coming when possible. Construction seems near completed on the Michael's location, and is well underway on the Marks Work Wearhouse location.

- Dominion treatment plant construction is stopped for now due to the eagle's mating season. The access road has the gravel surface completed however, and they will be starting construction on the rest of the project after the mating period has passed...eagle's are prone to take flight due to loud noises during mating season.

- There's a new building being constructed on Welton St/Grand Lake Rd in the area of Breton Toyota/former county Incinerator land. I'm not sure what it is going to be, but it is a commercial building of sorts. Hopefully DaveyBoySmith can give more details?

- Also there's another commercial building under construction at the Balls Creek exit of Hwy 125. There was a rezoning request turned down in 2005 for the land on which an industrial equipment dealer wanted to build a showroom, but it looks like they may have won an appeal. Again, no firm details.

- On the residential front, subdivisions continue to take off with a small one in South Bar selling all seven lots very quickly (they first advertised it in the summer), and it looks like the road for a second one near the former South Bar elementary has been cut through, with a backhoe on site. I've heard others are doing well also, but the other one I saw first hand was Hampton Estates in Sydney River with the roads for Phase 2 already cut through and surfaced, and lots 29-55(?) ready to be sold...most Phase 1 lots are sold and houses are being built as quickly as the small skilled labour force and do it...there are noticable delays on construction projects starting because of the state of skilled labour in the area.

Anyway, that's all I can remember right now that hasn't appeared in news stories. I didn't get any photos, but I'll be back in late June which is a much nicer time to get photos anyway.

[Davey Boy Smith]

The new building on Welton Street is going to be a car dealership (Kia I think). It is going to be owned by the MacDonald's, who own Breton Toyota and a few other dealerships in the area.

[Smevo]

Thanks! I'm assuming they're closing the Kia Automall on Prince/Dodd, or is that Mazda again. To be honest, I don't even notice what it is when I drive by beyond being a car dealership, which has been there as long as I can remember. The MacDonald's own basically every dealer in the area, even some with other family names as the dealership names, though I wouldn't know which ones.


If there's anything else I miss, feel free to pipe in. I'm only working off the newspaper up here, and only get "real" updates when I get home which doesn't happen as much as it used to.

[Smevo]

These photos were taken by Adam MacIsaac
http://www.pbase.com/adam21/_around_...mmer_and_sept_
http://www.pbase.com/adam21/spring_2003
http://www.pbase.com/adam21/cape_bre..._2007&page=all

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Vogue Theatre will be demolished, but new owner hopes to display memorabilia

Section: Business

By Chris Hayes, Cape Breton Post
Businessman Martin Chernin hopes to maintain some of the art deco memorabilia from the old Vogue Theatre in a new office building which is to be built on the site.

Chernin said Thursday he has instructed his architect to see if there is memorabilia that could perhaps make a Vogue wall in the lobby of the new building, which could be under construction on the Charlotte Street site in downtown Sydney by April.

"There are a few things there, like the chandelier in the main lobby, might be able to be used. It's up to the architect if he sees how he can incorporate it. I'm sure he will come up with something imaginative."

The Vogue was purchased by Harbour Royale Developments, a company which includes Chernin and another local businessman, Hugh Tweedie. Chernin said the new office building which will replace the Vogue will cost more than $3.5 million and include about 20,000 square feet of space.

Local residents on an Internet site and a Facebook group had launched a campaign to save the theatre from the wrecking ball. Last month, after Chernin revealed he was buying the theatre to replace it with an office building, about a dozen people showed up at a meeting of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality's council to say the Vogue should remain as an art deco cultural icon.

Sydney resident Jason Morrison, who started the sites, said Thursday the group still hopes to persuade Chernin to either maintain the old theatre or sell it to someone who will.

"Our second option was if we can at least convince him to save the lobby section of the building and somehow incorporate the whole lobby into his new building where it could be an entranceway or second entranceway.

Chernin said Thursday the theatre, which has been empty for nine years and without heat for five, is in very rough shape with deteriorating walls and ceilings.

"You can well imagine what happens to the roof and inside and everything else," he said.

Chernin said those who wanted the Vogue maintained are entitled to their opinion but nobody did anything to save the building for nine years.

He also noted the Sydney area has a multi-screen movie theatre and a number of other performance venues and he doubts a reopened Vogue could survive the competition.

"That's my opinion but everybody else has their own opinion."

CBRM committee supports provincial academy to train firefighters

Section: Cape Breton

By Chris Shannon, Cape Breton Post
A provincial academy to train firefighters has been given the thumbs up by a Cape Breton Regional Municipality committee.

The CBRM's protective services committee reviewed a document prepared by the Nova Scotia Fire Service training committee this week that looked at better ways to train firefighters across the province.

Among its recommendations is the creation of a Nova Scotia Fire and Emergency Training Academy, which would fall under the office of the fire marshal in the Department of Environment and Labour.

Depending on whether the 41-year-old Nova Scotia Fire School in Waverly, outside Dartmouth, can be used as part of the facility, or if a completely new complex is needed, the construction costs of the academy could range from $5 million to $8 million.

There would also be four satellite campuses built in Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Northeastern Nova Scotia and in the CBRM to serve the estimated 7,550 firefighters at 289 fire departments in the province. Construction of these facilities is estimated at $5.5 million.

Coun. Wes Stubbert said he'd like to see paid and volunteer firefighters attend training sessions in Sydney twice a year and be duly compensated $50 a day to encourage week-long participation.

"The staggering cost now of sending firefighters to Halifax (with) overnight lodging, meals, travel expenses, wages and so on, it's just prohibitive for many (volunteer fire) departments," Stubbert said.

Bernie MacKinnon, the CBRM's director of fire and emergency services, said right now most firefighters get on-the-job training by responding to 911 calls.

MacKinnon, who's chair of the Nova Scotia Fire Service advisory committee, said firefighters should learn their skills by way of simulation exercises instead of using real-life situations as their training ground.

The provincial fire service training committee would like to see the recommendations in the document implemented over a five-year period. Yearly operating costs of the firefighters' training strategy could hit almost $5 million.

Labour Minister Mark Parent said Thursday while there is a legitimate concern that many firefighters aren't getting proper training, it's too expensive to build additional training centres outside Halifax.

Parent has asked the Labour Department to look into other ways of providing the training, including mobile burn units at a cost of about $5 million.

The units would simulate the conditions firefighters face in dealing with burning buildings.

[Davey Boy Smith]

I believe the old Kia AutoMall is going to remain a car dealership (Mazda maybe?). Yeah, the MacDonald's own a lot of the different dealerships in the area for sure.

I would also like to mention that the facade program in downtown Sydney continues with the Black Diamond Pub on Townsend Street being currently done. I believe more is to done in the spring.

[Smevo]

^yes, and you just reminded me it's extended into Whitney Pier with a few businesses being done including Borden's Barber Shop/Ursula's Hair Salon and Henry Street Pub.

[Architype]

The Atlantic Gateway idea should be good for Cape Breton. Don't forget it's been the Gateway to Nfld since 1898 too.

[Smevo]

^Indeed, and since it seems we're actually on the radar for it now, it should be good. I'd still rather they upgrade and use rail lines than depend on the highways, however the highway twinning is an absolute must regardless. I can't count how many close calls happen in any given trip for me on the 104/105/#4 because of the older design of the highway causing people to take more risks as soon as they get a bit of a passing lane.

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Board will monitor Environment Department on tar ponds cleanup

Section: Cape Breton

By Doug MacKenzie,
A three-member board has already begun work monitoring and reporting on how the Department of the Environment and Labour is performing as the primary regulator of the Sydney tar ponds and coke ovens clean-up project.

"I want Nova Scotians to know that the department takes its role as regulator very seriously," said Minister of Environment and Labour Mark Parent. "I welcome the opinions of the board to assure the public that my department is closely monitoring the clean-up project."

The creation of the remediation monitoring board was announced in January 2007 when an environmental assessment approval was granted to the Sydney Tar Ponds to move forward with the cleanup.

Selected to the board were chair Sinclair Dewis, retired from Environment Canada after 35 years, Edwin MacLellan, an engineering professor at Cape Breton University and Colin Hines, principal with Atlantic Environmental Training and On-Site Services Inc.

"It's a huge project and it was certainly a big one for my department to take on," said Parent. "It was difficult (to find the right people), but we are very pleased with the people we have.

"I am pleased to have highly qualified individuals that have experience in environmental auditing, emergency response, risk management and contaminated site remediation."

The board will submit an annual report to the minister of environment and labour with copies of the report being made available to the public.

"We will be monitoring the department throughout the cleanup and (will) prepare an annual report highlighting the department's regulatory performance," said Dewis. "We look forward to advising the minister on the effectiveness of his department as a regulator on this clean-up project."

Five staff have already been hired to help the department with the regulatory role and two more be added shortly.

Staff are involved in all aspects of the project, through technical review, compliance audits, use of third-party expertise and co-ordination with various federal and provincial regulatory bodies.

This is a commentary that touches on a few topics.

Cape Breton put in context

Section: Comment

New statistics strengthen the perception that the old industrial area of Cape Breton is coming to share more of the concerns of the province at large about the future. The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has weathered the worse of the turn-of-the-century industrial collapse. Recent evidence for this comes from two sources, an updated population study for CBRM and new analyses of workforce demographics released this week by Statistics Canada.

On population, the analyst who in 2004 projected a precipitous decline for the region to 76,000 people by 2021 has revised the figure to just under 93,000. That's still a significant drop from the 2006 census figure of nearly 106,000, and the picture darkens when population ages are factored in, but by comparison it looks like a much more manageable situation.

From another angle, a new batch of figures mined from the 2006 census shows CBRM improving on workforce measures, including an employment rate that grew by four points over five years to 44.8, an unemployment rate that fell 3.6 points to 16.1, and a participation rate that grew marginally. The labour force grew by 9.2 per cent in that period to 38,360. Of course, all of those percentages compare poorly to the province as a whole, which in turn trails the country on the same measures. But the air of crisis is easing as it becomes clearer that many of Cape Breton's problems, particularly all that is summed up in the phrase aging population, are also those of the province, the Atlantic region, and indeed the country.

Cape Breton's cachet as the basket case of Canada has lost its edge, but in any case the special pleading, for what it was worth, had pretty much run its course as a political hobby-horse even if municipal politicians still flog it. None of this should obscure that Cape Breton remains in a uniquely serious predicament with continuing out-migration and a rapidly aging population. While Cape Breton needs to look at itself more in the larger context of the province, there may be some advantages in trailing the pack. Statistics such as a median age 45.2 years for those working in health care point to looming staffing issues in that sector, but more generally there's still a lot of slack in the labour force, as indicated by a comparatively low 53.3 per cent participation rate.

CBRM's economic development manager John Whalley notes that the region would need some 12,000 additional jobs just to come up to the provincial employment level. But if that were an actual target one would have to ask how these new workers would actually be found and matched to the required skills. By looking carefully at such issues as barriers to labour force participation, Cape Breton may be able to ease the worker shortages that the age trends tell us are coming.

Finally, here are two notes on national numbers.

The median age of farmers in Canada is nearly 52, and 42 per cent of them are 55 or older. While the heavy thinkers panic over a pending shortage of information technology workers, who's going to feed us?

And the unemployment rate among those who took education studies as a post-secondary degree was three per cent, lowest rate for any field of study. That's a counterpoint to the view that Nova Scotia is awash in an excessive, unemployable surplus of teachers.

Letter to the editor re: the Vogue controversy

Outrage, yes - but not over and old theatre

Section: Comment

Column: Letters to the editor

Outrage, anyone? Well, yes, now that the cartoon asks (March 1), I will take a cup - with two lumps of anger, please, and perhaps a teaspoon of irritation.

When a man freezes to death in an unheated porch because he has nowhere else to go, I am outraged. When another man faces amputation of a limb because a thicket behind a shopping mall is what he calls home, I am doubly outraged. When I read in the paper that there is a corpse-manufacturing facility, otherwise known as a drug house, operating on Grandview Street, I am angry. When a man who justifiably punches his daughter's abuser in the face is punished by law, I am irritated, to say the least.

As to the Vogue Theatre, I am sad. It was a beautiful art deco theatre, of which I have fond memories, and I deeply regret that it will soon be demolished. But in the grand scheme of things, the fact that Marty Chernin is going to make lawful use of property that he owns does not make so much as a blip on my personal outrage meter. Thank you for asking.

Wendy Wishart

MacMillan Road, Sydney

Letter from the editor

Premier's infrastructure plan has Cape Breton playing a part in Atlantic Gateway

Section: Comment

Column: Fred Jackson

By Fred Jackson,
When premier Rodney MacDonald rolled out a $300-million wish list this week aimed at transforming Nova Scotia into Canada's gateway on the Atlantic coast, it created a buzz among Cape Breton community and business leaders.

Twinning the Trans-Canada Highway to Cape Breton and dredging Sydney Harbour are among priorities identified by MacDonald as the province looks to position itself as a transportation gateway for North America.

Just being on the wish list is great news for Cape Breton but the provincial and federal governments must go a little further in twinning the highway, and MacDonald must continue to lead the way in Cape Breton getting better and safer highways.

The premier is right in saying that the twinning of the highway from Antigonish to the Strait is good news not only from the perspective of the ports, both in the Strait and Sydney; it also will make the route safer for travellers other than truckers. Instead of stopping in Port Hawkesbury, the twinning should end in Sydney, a project that would benefit Cape Bretoners and all Nova Scotians.

The premier says the government is looking at a combination of private and public sector funding, with public money coming from various levels of government - including, of course, accessing Gateway and border crossing funding from the federal government.

The dredging project would have an impact on Sydney Harbour, allowing harbour ports to attract bigger ships. Before Christmas, I mentioned in this space that our ocean will keep industrial Cape Breton afloat.

There's plenty of evidence that the Atlantic Gateway concept is a priority for the premier, who addressed these issues with both the Strait and Sydney area chambers of commerce late last year.

In November, the premier called for co-operation to make the Atlantic Gateway work and he reminded everyone that appropriate facilities and training are required if Nova Scotians are to be prepared to work in the sector.

Cape Breton business organizations agreed to combine efforts in advocating for the development of Sydney Harbour ports.

Sydney Harbour has many assets for shipping, which was dramatically demonstrated when it served as the assembly point for slow convoys in the Second World War.

The shipping of international cargo is a major business and a perfect fit for the two main ports on Cape Breton Island because of our location. This is our future, and with co-operation among all the players it can be a reality.

Provincial politicians of all stripes should be on the same team instead of trying to make political hay. But, then again, the voting public is now seeing the bigger picture in the political arena.

Developing our economy should be foremost.

MLA to host open meeting on proposed civic centre

Section: Northside/Victoria

By Julie Collins,
Cape Breton North MLA Cecil Clarke will host an open meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the North Sydney Fire Hall to discuss funding options for the proposed Northside Civic Centre.

Last week Clarke met with federal MP Peter MacKay, minister responsible for ACOA, and Cape Breton MPs Mark Eyking and Rodger Cuzner. Specific to both meetings were discussions around the proposed Northside Civic Centre and what the potential options are with respect to funding.

Clarke also met with Premier Rodney MacDonald, Friday in Halifax.

"I discussed this project with the premier and where we are as the provincial government."

Clarke's presentation to the federal and provincial governments is based on a $12-million project.

"For any project to proceed, it has to be complete. It cannot be done in phases. It would be based on $12 million costing, so there would be no outstanding construction issues. It would have to be a fully built complex."

Clarke has also had a number of discussions in recent months with officials from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and councillors and likewise they with the Northside Civic Centre Society.

"People are looking for clarity. It's important they understand how the process works in regards to a project of this type. Also, what program would be available through federal, provincial and municipal means and what the next step is to move forward."

He added that in order be successful, the project would require participation from all three levels of government.

"In this case there is also the community component which people have been working on," he said. "Everyone from the outset wanted to have a project move forward. It's taken much longer than anyone could have ever imagined."

Approximately 20 acres of land located off King Street, North Sydney, has been earmarked for recreation use, which includes a site for a new arena.

Another commentary on the Gateway

Cape Breton risks missing the boat

Section: Weekend Feedback

By Todd Graham,
Over the last 40 years of my life, economic conditions have forced most of my early friends to move away from Cape Breton. Likewise, many of today's graduates, if they stay, will see their friends move out.

We have a proud and productive heritage but in recent decades we have been wanting for leadership and opportunities. These have become fewer and farther between. All partisanship set aside, I have been witness to shameful economic ineptitude, led by a parade of familiar backroom boys and former childhood rink rats. Astounding acts of incompetence have been performed while opportunity passed us by, and more people, weary of the fight, simply left.

I have not seen an MP (with the notable exception of David Dingwall), and have seen precious few MLAs, who had the leadership ability or competence to organize a decent street hockey game, let alone represent our island as it needs to be done in Ottawa or Halifax.

It is in front of this backdrop of political mediocrity that perhaps the most significant economic opportunity in my memory is playing out. The opportunities in post-Panamax shipping that present themselves to eastern Canada are once in a lifetime. If we miss the boat (pun intended), another opportunity like this will not be come perhaps for a generation.

Recent comments by our two MPs display, like no other example I can cite, how laid-back they are. Our MPs are supposed to fight for this opportunity, not just graciously accept whatever crumbs may fall. We elected them and they are exceptionally well paid to perform their duties.

There should be a political holy war underway right now with our MPs leading lobbying aggressively on our behalf for this chance to bring Cape Bretoners home. Instead, the silence is deafening! The lack of understanding is remarkable!

Make no mistake that powerful interests in Halifax are working tirelessly to ensure we again get no part of the pie. Don't be lulled into complaisance believing that our representatives will do what needs to be done. I can guarantee that they will handle this with the exact same level of dedication and competency that they have displayed in the past.

I urge all Cape Bretoners, in particular all who have not felt that their voices or opinions have been represented, to get involved in this fight.

If you are one of those who watched your friends move away, your voice is needed to make sure we get a fair chance at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you have a mother, father, sister, brother or child out west, for whom you would like the opportunity to come home, call your MP and MLA. Force them to earn their paycheques and to work for you to bring your loved ones home.

Todd Graham is a new media entrepreneur and educator in Sydney.

[ride em]

The third retailer in the old Sobey's will be Reitmans and Rudderhams is moving to what is now Mark's WW, sharing that space if a East Side Mario's Franchisee is found.

Originally Posted by Smevo

I'll try to do some actual updates tomorrow, but some brief updates from when I was home:

- Dominion sewage treatment system/plant is soon to break ground with the access road getting it's final top-surface any day now

- New Waterford water treatment plant finishing up and opening soon

- North Sydney water treatment plant expected to start in the next year

- Mayflower Mall is renovating the old Sobey's building and are negotiating with potential tenants for those three spaces, and more tenants are moving into the old Walmart area, Mark's Work Warehouse is moving out of the main building into the Sobey's building, Cora's is opening in the old Jasper's location, and the mall is expected to connect the main building with the Sobey's building with an expansion once this renovation work is done and the spots are filled. East Side Mario's is also supposed to be coming either to the mall or to Spar Rd.

- Spar Rd Power Centre is about to expand with the connecting road between Spar Rd and the Mayflower Mall traffic lights expected to be complete this summer or so...the trees are already cut for the route, so brush cleanup and road base/surfacing should be starting soon to make way for the new stores.

- Harbourside's first new building is currently under construction, with the steel skeleton already completed when I was home over the holidays. It's just a single storey warehouse style building on a concrete slab, but I doubt we'll be seeing any height at Harbourside with how much land available and with the type of development they'll be attracting. They're also starting the "burial" of the Tar Ponds, with the first stage being the solidification of the cooling pond. They've also altered the planned water channels a bit, but I don't know the details of that offhand.

- No updates on Spanish Gates on the streets, so if he did manage to get past the complaints of the Northenders, I'm expecting a spring/summer start to construction...hopefully. The Northend is also being recognized by council as a whole as a historic district, so there will be some community improvements involved with that, probably in the way of renovation grants with conditions attatched to them.

- New DFO building in Westmount is complete and open. I didn't get to see it in person, but the picture makes the architecture look quite nice for a single-storey building.

That's all I can think of for now, but I know there's things I'm forgetting from advertising boards on development sites. News stories to hopefully resume tomorrow, with a splash of colour on each page.

[Smevo]

Rudderham's will probably need a more visible spot like that to remain competitive against SportChek.

Welcome to the forum, ride_em. I'm glad to see more paricipation in this thread these days.

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Save the Vogue group to present case at next council meeting

Section: Business

Save the Vogue supporters are asking city council to halt demolition of the historic downtown theatre.

The group will descend upon the Cape Breton Regional Municipality during a regular meeting on Tuesday, March 18.

"Initially our immediate concern is to stop the imminent demolition of the Vogue Theatre. We've got a business plan under construction and a great bit of research done about ways that the Vogue can be a viable business and community arts centre," said Save the Vogue committee co-ordinator Robin Jensen.

The group is also passing along a petition in opposition of having the structure torn down.

Local businessman Martin Chernin announced that he and another local businessman, Hugh Tweedie exercised an option to purchase Sydney property in February. Chernin plans to tear down the theatre, replacing it with an office building costing more than $3.5 million and including about 20,000 square feet of space.

The Save the Vogue Internet website, www.savethevogue.ca, and Facebook group with over 4,400 members have become a common ground of debate over the theatre's proposed demolition.

"We hoping that city council will hear clearly the concerns of the community about the future of the Vogue Theatre."

Jensen believes there is also a misconception that nothing was done to save the building until this year. She says a 10-member board was elected and the Downtown Arts and Culture Development Co-operative was formed in 2003-2004, which offered to purchase the building for a higher price then it was later sold for.

In 2004, Owner Ardath Dockwrey, whose father D.P. MacDonald built the Vogue in 1939, put the building up for auction with a winning bid of $125,000. The sale price was far below its 1999 assessed value of $289,000, and the sale did not close.

Last summer Sydney resident Jason Morrison, who formed the two Internet groups, began looking into the building's restoration and realized the Vogue was once again to be sold and had hoped to work with the new owner to avoid a situation involving a wrecking ball.

Chernin has since said he plans to save some of the theatre's memorabilia to display in the new complex.

Considered a Sydney landmark, the historic art-deco movie theatre located on Charlotte Street has been untouched and vacant since closing its doors in 1999.

Author promotes Cape Breton as a top-notch place to live and do business

Section: Northside/Victoria

By Julie Collins,
"Cape Breton: The Pride of an Island" is a promotional book that focuses on the growing popularity of Cape Breton, not just as a top tourist attraction, but as a top-notch place to live and do business.

Author Sherry Mulley MacDonald completed the book early in the new year and is presently working on its distribution.

"I wanted to write a book that touts the magnificent beauty and quality of life that we are so privileged to have here in Cape Breton."

"I also wanted to write a book that promotes the entire island as it is today."

Referring to the National Geographic Traveler Destination Scoreboard for 2004 which places Cape Breton Island second in a world survey for sustainable tourism, destination stewardship and related fields, MacDonald said the results of the study are indicative of how the island is viewed worldwide in terms of its relation to tourism and the hospitality of its people.

MacDonald spent about nine months laying the groundwork and securing a sponsor for her project and another 10 months writing the book.

"I knew from earlier research work, that while there are many books offering a historic perspective of Cape Breton, few resources are available through local libraries relating to more recent events on the island."

Along with depicting major tourist attractions such as Fortress Louisbourg, the Cabot Trail, Bell Museum, Highland Village and St. Ann's Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts, the book also highlights economic growth, technology and educational opportunities and the growing cruise ship industry.

"When I began my career as a newspaper reporter in 1990, I had no idea that it would eventually lead to writing a book," she said. "I've always loved to write and I gladly took on the challenge of writing about the place that I call home."

The project came under the umbrella of a job creation partnership agreement made available through Service Canada. Financial support was also received from the Nova Scotia Office of Economic Development, Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority and the Nova Scotia Department of Heritage, Culture and Tourism.

All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to project sponsor, New Deal Development and will be used to fund current programs.

The book is now available at New Deal in Sydney Mines, Buffets Office Pro, North Sydney or by e-mailing prideofanisland@live.com to request a copy.

I think I may try to pick this up to see what's highlighted in it.


A look into the past.

Travel booklet provides insight into how things were in 1946

Section: Northside/Victoria

Column: Rannie Gillis

By Rannie Gillis,
"The Margaree Steamship Company Ltd., Ferry Wharf, Sydney, Nova Scotia. Agents for SS Ulna, operating between the Sydneys, Bras d'Or Lakes, Isle Madame, Strait of Canso, and Prince Edward Island."

The year was 1946 and this listing for steamship service on Cape Breton Island was contained in a dandy little booklet that could easily fit in your shirt pocket. Kindly lent to me by David Andrea of North Sydney, this small 60-page publication had a rather impressive title: "Bus - Tram (Streetcar) - Boat - and Airways Schedules (1946)."

According to this schedule, the SS Ulna would leave the Ferry Wharf in Sydney on Tuesday mornings at 7 a.m. She would then call at North Sydney, Baddeck, Iona, Grand Narrows, Marble Mountain, St. Peters, Poulamon (Isle Madame), Mulgrave, Port Hawkesbury and arrive at Port Hastings around midnight.

After a short stop, and weather condition permitting, she would then make a six-hour overnight crossing to Prince Edward Island, arriving in Georgetown at 6 a.m. and Montague one hour later. After a six-hour layover, she would leave Montague at one in the afternoon and retrace her route to Cape Breton and the Bras d'Or Lakes, arriving in Sydney around 8:30 Thursday evening.

Although scheduled ferry service to isolated communities in northern Cape Breton continued well into the 1950s, I had always assumed that regular ferry service on the Bras d'Or Lakes had pretty well ceased by the end of the Second World War in 1945. This was largely based on the belief that the railway system, improved highways and vastly superior trucking services, had made the Bras d'Or Lakes ferry system obsolete. It seems I was wrong!

This charming little transportation booklet, which does not list any railroad schedules, also carries a schedule for The New Bras d'Or Steamship Company. This firm operated the SS Lakeview, a small steamship which ran between Sydney, Boularderie Island, Whycocomagh and Baddeck. There is also a listing for The Northshore Steamship Company, whose vessel, the SS Aspy, carried out a seasonal ferry service between Sydney, St. Ann's, Ingonish, Neil's Harbour, Dingwall and Bay St. Lawrence.

In addition to these three ferry companies, another fascinating entry in this little booklet has to do with regularly scheduled air service between Sydney and points west. It seems that 62 years ago, back in 1946, Trans-Canada Air Lines operated two flights daily between Sydney, Halifax, Saint John and Montreal.

The morning flight left Sydney at 7.45 a.m., and arrived in Montreal at 12 noon. You could also leave Sydney at 9.55 in the evening and arrive in Montreal at 2.25 a.m. The same airline also offered a direct flight twice a day, morning and evening, between Sydney and Moncton, New Brunswick.

As the advertisement said: "For speed, convenience, and comfort, as well as stewardess service and complimentary meals aloft, fly Trans-Canada Air Lines!"

Next week: How many bus companies do you think Cape Breton had back in 1946?

Rannie Gillis is an author and avid Celtic historian whose column appears every week in the Cape Breton Post. We welcome your comments on this column or any other material appearing in the Post. You can write c/o Letters to the Editor; Cape Breton Post, 255 George St., PO Box 1500, Sydney N.S., BIP 6K6 or Fax to (902) 562-7077 or e-mail ranniegillis@ns.sympatico.ca

Commentary on why we can't keep our educated home...

Debt-ridden university graduates are lured west by high-paying jobs

Section: Our community

Column: Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore,
Our province has more universities per capita than anywhere else in Canada, however, according to recent Statistics Canada data, only 57 per cent of university graduates stay in the province.

Attempts to explain this range from the student's original place of residence, to job options, to income earned. The many explanations offered ignore one central issue: student debt.

Roger Taylor, a business columnist for the Chronicle Herald, argues that the student's original place of residence and employment options available after graduation are two of the most important factors that affect a student's decision to stay in the province.

In his column, Taylor pointed to Statistics Canada data that showed 30 per cent of Nova Scotia post-secondary students come from outside of the province, more than three times the national average of eight per cent. He also states that the highest employment rates in the United States and Canada are found in Canada's Atlantic Provinces. According to Statistics Canada, Nova Scotia's unemployment rate was 9.1 per cent and the national average was 6.6 per cent.

Where are all of the graduates going? Alberta.

A recent column in MacLean's On Campus stated that one in five workers in Alberta come from outside of the province and that of the people with post-secondary certifications of some kind or another - diploma or degree - more than 6,500 came from the Atlantic Provinces.

Some people do not believe that a mobile labour force is a big issue. They argue that a mobile labour force is similar to mobile capital. It flows from one place to another depending on the number of jobs and how much the available jobs pay. Not everyone holds such beliefs.

Several provinces are going further than merely disagreeing with the benefits of a mobile labour force. They are actively working to entice workers to voluntarily stay in the province in which they received their post-secondary education. Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick all offer tuition rebates and tax incentives in an attempt to get people to stay out of the pool of workers willing to migrate.

In Nova Scotia, the government has launched a program, Opportunities Nova Scotia, which actively works to keep graduates and workers here and goes a step further, the program goes to Alberta and Ontario and attempts to convince Nova Scotians working in those provinces to return home. The province argues that the cost of homes, life style, crime rates and proximity to family members means that you can stay close to home, keep in touch with your family and make your dollar go farther.

Whether answers are coming from columnists, the C.D. Howe Institute and think tanks or the provincial government, there is one key factor that is left out: the affect that the cost of an education has on a graduate's finances and future goals.

Upon graduating, the average student in Nova Scotia is approximately $25,000 in debt. This means that most university graduates leave university with a financial monkey on their back the size of a small mortgage or a decent-sized car loan. When you combine high debt rates with a high rate of interest on loans from the Canada Student Loans Program, students are faced with incredible monthly payments for years to come.

The unavoidable fact is that Nova Scotia has the highest tuition rates in Canada, on average, and that means that we will have some of the highest debt loans in the country. Starting life off in the "real world" is financially debilitating and it is no wonder many students head west to the money, expecting anything less would be unrealistic.

Stephen Moore is a resident of Glace Bay and is taking his MBA in community economic development at Cape Breton University. You can e-mail Stephen at stephen@cbusu.com

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Economic development key to stemming out-migration

Section: Comment

All right, I'll take the bait. Managing Editor Fred Jackson cast his line in his Feb. 23 column (Letter from the Editor: Powerful Draw of the West Being Felt in Ever Expanding Ways in Cape Breton). In step with his roots, he went fishing for a community response to out-migration, and choose to prod the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce.

Most of us understand that some challenges in life lend themselves better to improvement than others. Sadly, out-migration is not one of the easy ones. It's a complex issue that knows few bounds.

People of rural Saskatchewan and rural Wisconsin and many places like them fret over out-migration every bit as much as our community does.

Over the years we've seen what population decline does to otherwise proud communities. The effect is demoralizing, much like the impact of a degenerative disease.

Yes, there are communities that have fashioned interventions in an effort to stem population decline. Quebec, for example, offers cash incentives to increase the birth rate. Other communities, such as Winnipeg, are doing an excellent job of attracting and holding immigrants.

At the core of efforts to mitigate the rate of population decline is economic development. Communities with healthy, prospering economies stand a much better chance of holding and attracting people than those with an opposite circumstance.

Cape Breton has seen first hand the direct and compelling relationship between population and the economy. Some may be surprised to know that the rate of out-migration declined somewhat a few years back when our customer care centres were in full stride. Admittedly, we continued to lose population, but the rate of loss fell back.

Our Chamber of Commerce and JCI-Cape Breton are directly engaged in efforts to hold population. Cape Breton Works is an insightful research initiative by JCI-Cape Breton. The chamber is active in a range of activities, some of which are promotional, aimed at growing our economy.

The bottom line in all this is that population decline, in particular out-migration, defies a quick fix. Recognizing that we cannot realistically look to others to solve the problem, more has to be done within this community.

Kudos to the Cape Breton Post for continuing to challenge the community on out-migration.

We can't lose sight of the issue. Having said this, the chamber is working on yet another initiative to combat population decline, and it's something on which we're going to want to try to engage Fred Jackson directly.

Owen Fitzgerald

president,

Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce

We do have a voice of reason in Sydney...

Preserve the memories,not the Vogue hulk

Section: Comment

Column: Letters to the editor

For 40 years I have been active in the heritage research, planning and preservation field in Sydney (Cape Breton University), Louisbourg, Halifax and Ottawa (Parks Canada), and in Europe with the University of Leicester, England. One would expect that I would be manning the ramparts in the crusade to save the Vogue. I am not.

I can think of other special properties in the Sydney area that need the vision, passion and energy the group wanting to save the Vogue clearly possesses.

The Lyceum on George Street was once a vaudeville theatre and cultural centre, and later it was an educational institution; now it is a museum and heritage centre, and its preservation and development are threatened. Buildings and other properties in Whitney Pier also come to mind, as do vestiges of our neglected sports heritage.

The Vogue exterior is and was unspectacular, the interior was inspiring, and photos evoke the very best of the grand movie epics of earlier decades and (just as important if not more so) productions such as the Rotary shows. Save the stories, not the derelict building that makes downtown Sydney look moribund, which it is not.

The proposed new building may block the view of several apartment dwellers but it could grace the middle and south ends of Charlotte Street and downtown. The key is the architect's brief, enlightened and sensitive to the city's heritage - seemingly already underway from the developers.

Let's just get out of the way on this one.

Terry MacLean, PhD

Sydney

Bell Bay Golf Club deemed green

Section: Front

By Doug MacKenzie, Cape Breton Post
Add another achievement to the mantel at Bell Bay Golf Club.

The Baddeck golf course has been designated a Certified Audubon Co-operative Sanctuary through the Audubon Co-operative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program.

"Bell Bay Golf Club has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program. They are to be commended for their efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property," said Jim Sluiter, staff ecologist for the Audubon Co-operative Sanctuary Programs. "To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas."

These categories include environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation and water quality management.

"You have to achieve individual certification and when you have finished all six, you become a co-operative sanctuary," said Bell Bay superintendent Ray Pineau, the driving force behind obtaining sanctuary status at Bell Bay. "It proves to everyone involved here - whether it's staff, our golfers or our neighbours - that we're trying to present the best product we can and the best conditions we can, but we're also trying to be environmentally responsible and be good stewards to the environment at the same time."

Pineau said there were some changes which had to take place at Bell Bay in order to achieve the final status, but that they were all worthwhile in building a better golf course.

"There were changes that took place, but a lot of it we were doing even if we hadn't of gone for the Audubon status," said Pineau. "We were making changes because that's the way society is and we have to fall into step with how we do business.

"Every day we're trying to present as good a golf course as we can for our players, but every day we're also trying to make sure their is room on the course for our wildlife. There is a responsible use of the water we need to use . . . we want people to understand this is what is going on behind the scenes and this is what it takes to do what we do."

The Audubon Co-operative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, endorsed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association, provides information and guidance to help golf courses preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, and protect natural resources.

Golf courses from Canada, the United States, Africa, Australia, Central America, Europe, Mexico and southeast Asia have also achieved certification in the program.

Bell Bay becomes the third certified course in Nova Scotia, joining Glen Arbour Golf Club in Hammonds Plains and Highland Links in Ingonish.

What the heck, might as well...

Bargain Shop opens second Northside location

Section: Northside/Victoria

There was a large crowd on hand Monday for the official opening of the Bargain Shop in the North Sydney Mall.

The newest addition to the mall created approximately 10 full- and part-time positions.

The Bargain Shop in Little Bras d'Or opened in October 2006. There are also stores in Sydney, Glace Bay, New Waterford and Cheticamp. During Monday's opening celebrations, customers were treated to free lottery tickets, opening specials, free coffee and treats.

The retailer, which sells brand-name products for the home as well as apparel for the entire family and a selection of groceries, cleaning and health and beauty products, added 17 stores in 2007 and is expected to add 20 stores this year.

The Bargain Shop sources from familiar national brands such as Procter-Silex, Kodak, Fuji, GE, Levi's, Tide, Fisher-Price and Mattel.

The company also buys selected first quality goods from end-of-lines and manufacturers' close-outs, to supplement its extreme-value offering with special one-time deals or buys.

Yeah, I know, Bargain Shop, nothing to get excited over...it's a one-time mention because it's probably the first new store in North Sydney mall in many years.

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Northside Civic Centre could draw on new federal fund

Section: Front

By Erin Pottie, Cape Breton Post
During a meeting over the proposed Northside Civic Centre, officials revealed a funding option they believe could bring the $12-million project to life.

Cape Breton North MLA Cecil Clarke announced possible funding under the new federal Building Canada Fund, requiring the community to raise $1.5 million for the project.

Under the proposal, all three levels of government - provincial, federal and municipal - would contribute $4 million each in funding the centre.

In breaking down the costs, Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor John Morgan said the CBRM has $2.5 million in reserve for the project, leaving $1.5 million to be raised through fundraising efforts. Construction would then depend on federal and provincial approval, and require the municipality to make the civic centre its top priority for community infrastructure.

"If it takes two seasons to do it right, it's one window, one opportunity. It will take however long it takes to do it right this time, and I think that's what we need," Clarke told a large crowd gathered at the North Sydney fire hall, Tuesday.

Northside Civic Centre Society chair Leo Steele said their group already has $500,000 for the project.

"I can't wait till tomorrow morning to get started," Steele said of raising the final the $1 million.

Clarke said the society will not be able receive any money through Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency or Nova Scotia Health, Promotion and Protection. He also said the civic centre will proceed as a $12-million project and can't be constructed in phases.

"Municipal government is going to be working with the society, using our staff to assemble the application to ensure everything the federal government and provincial government requires is in the application," said Morgan, who revealed the society will be applying to the new program in the next few weeks.

"Unfortunately, we have 20 other projects on the board," said District 16 Coun. Wes Stubbert. "Unfortunately we've been skating around, dancing around this rink project for about 10 years. I certainly know that the municipality will support their end of it. Hopefully we'll see a sod turning in the not-too-distant future."

The Building Canada Fund is part of a $33-billion federal fund, with $8.8 billion for projects that deliver economic, environmental and social benefits to all Canadians.

Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up

Remediation work continues on former mine site

Section: Northside/Victoria

By Julie Collins,
Remediation work on 40 hectares of the former Princess mine site is in full swing.

The present contractor, RDL Construction of Sydney, is bringing the waste rock into a central pile, making it more efficient and less costly to cap. This will bring some of the land back into a more useful state.

As part of the process, the land is continually tested to determine the soil quality. The mine site, which has been divided into two sections - the washplant and waste rock area - is being remediated to light industrial and recreational.

"Once the waste rock work is complete, we'll focus on the design for a new cover or cap that will go on top of the waste rock pile," said Eric Parsons, project leader with Public Works and Government Services Canada for Devco's site closure program.

Parsons is hoping work will begin on the final cover sometime in the summer or by early fall.

"We plan to go back to the community with another open house in May to provide an update and let people know where we are heading with the final design."

The area of the site south of Ocean Street that was the washplant, is now a green area with an interpretative park, walking trails and a pond that can be used for skating in the winter months.

A tender call is expected within two weeks to replace the two culverts that go underneath the road on Pitt Street near Edward's Pond. The concrete culverts will be replaced by two double-box culverts sized appropriately to improve drainage.

Devco owns approximately 600 properties covering about 1,000 square kilometres in 35 different communities within Cape Breton. These range from urban lots, forest fields, wetlands and ponds to ocean frontage.

The goal of the remediation program is to leave former mining sites in a stable, safe condition and return them to their former land use or acceptable alternatives.

jcollins@cbpost.com

I'm considering writing a response letter on this one.

Widely varying predictions of population decline both cause for serious attention

Section: Comment

Column: Jim Guy

By Jim Guy,
Another population study brings another set of numbers to consider about Cape Breton's population decline. In 2004 the Terrain Group of Halifax predicted that by 2021 the population of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality would drop to about 76,000. Just last month, Environmental Design and Management of Halifax presented a somewhat softer prediction with its forecast of population decline at about 93,000 by 2021.

What is interesting about both of these studies is that the same consultant, John Heseltine, was the author.

What are we to make of the different conclusions by this author within such a short period of time? Why would the variables have changed so dramatically for the CBRM in just four years?

And, if the variables haven't changed affecting our population, why have the conclusions changed so significantly?

After all, a predicted difference in CBRM's decline of some 17,000 is the equivalent of losing the current population of Glace Bay. This is no small discrepancy. Which study is the more accurate for the next 13 years of municipal planning? Which should CBRM take more seriously? How should we react in our communities?

A population decline in Cape Breton, whether 76,000 or to 93,000, by 2021 should be of major concern. It should be a concern not only to our local politicians but also to every business and institution in all the communities of people that make up CBRM.

Based on our projected declines, we will experience a degree of social and economic change unprecedented in our history.

Population shrinkage is one thing: it is what happens when not enough children are produced to replace the people who die - not enough cradles and too many coffins. But population decline is quite another: it is a significant, predictable drop in the number of people who live and work in our political communities.

In Cape Breton, population decline is complicated by significant out-migration. The lure of economic opportunity to other parts of Canada, particularly Alberta, is reducing our population. The push factor for out-migration in our case is a decline of economic opportunity here. The residual affects are that we lose the ability to replace our population because, among other things, there is a drop in the number of women (aged 20 to 34) with the best potential to have children.

Even if we were highly successful in attracting people back to the island who are in the age set of 40 to 60, we would not do much to sustain or reverse our population decline.

For the more than 100 communities that make up CBRM to survive a decline of the magnitudes suggested in both studies, every effort needs to be made to identify what variables actually contribute most to the down-draw.

The critical mass for CBRM is about 100,000. The 2006 census recorded 106,000 living in CBRM. Falling below that number, whether it be by 13,000 or 30,000, will become a major psychological barrier for businesses and professionals living here.

A urban population that fails to grow as ours does is not just a demographic problem. It is an urgent economic, social and political problem. It needs to be taken seriously at a number of levels.

Population decline affects how communities are governed, the size of our local markets, economic opportunities for young people, the vibrancy of school system and the university, and the capacity to sustain an attractive urban or rural infrastructure.

On the matter of local governance, given that we are losing people in significant numbers across the island, should we even consider reducing the size of our municipal council by half? Should this council not be holding firm on its 16 members to effectively address population decline in the communities they represent? Will "smaller" enable us to attract new professionals and businesses, market our tourist industry better, or build a strategy to control population decline?

CBRM is the only urban area in all of Canada losing its people and experiencing almost permanent economic recession. Population decline places the highest tax burden on remaining residents on the island compared with the rest of Nova Scotia and Canada. Yet, Halifax accounts for 47 per cent of Nova Scotia's GDP and draws our people away the same way that Alberta does.

Based on its present population, CBRM shows an average family income of $48,300 compared with $83,300 for Ottawa and $70,300 for Halifax. This would indicate a substantial disparity in economic advantage for those who might want to come here and for those remaining here when comparing lifestyles in these other communities.

Even though we are exporting our labour to other cities, the unemployment rate for Cape Breton is still very high at about 17 per cent, compared with 5.8 for Ottawa and 5.1 for Halifax. All other major urban areas listed by Statistics Canada are experiencing population growth while CBRM and the rest of Cape Breton are in serious decline.

In addition to bare-bones funding to operate CBRM as it losses its taxpayers, the council continues to face increased fiscal pressures from the off-loading of services and unfunded mandates from other levels of government.

CBRM has had to take a greater role in the many areas of shared interests with the federal government: ports and harbours, social housing, public safety, emergency preparedness and transit.

Amidst all of this, CBRM needs to develop its infrastructure to attract investment and keep its population from declining. Central services, such as good roads, housing, parks and recreation, arts and culture, public transportation and safety all play a role in attracting people here. CBRM must replace and refurbish aging infrastructure to try to remain competitive.

If governments do not take this problem seriously, who will? And which population studies should we use to develop our strategy to reverse the problem?

Jim Guy, PhD, is a professor of political science at Cape Breton University.

Some predictable reactions to yesterday's Vogue commentary

Fighting for culture like chasing a wave

Section: Comment

Column: Letters to the editor

"Moribund" means "dying," folks, in case you're not familiar with the description of the beautiful Vogue theatre. In the words of Terry MacLean, PhD, "the derelict building makes downtown Sydney look moribund, which it is not" (Preserve the Memories, Not the Vogue Hulk, Letters, March 11). Really? That's his opinion! Almost all buildings on Charlotte Street have had deceptive facelifts, giving the illusion only of structural soundness and safety.

Please don't malign the perfectly viable Vogue building, one of the few places with any past elegance in Cape Breton. There are other places, largely unused since constructed, where offices could be more suitably housed in the Sydney area.

My interest is admittedly sentimental and nostalgic. My remembered childhood and beyond were spent on Saturdays in the other world of the Vogue and Paramount theatres. The beauty and elegance of the Vogue could rival any visions of New York theatres.

Then there were the operettas, with Ann Terry MacLellan officiating on opening nights. My mother was in those productions; I never knew that my school friend, Dougie Vail, was the nephew of my mom's childhood friend, Ardath MacDonald Dockwrey.

I choose not to get too involved with the ongoing struggle to "save the Vogue" because there usually has been nothing to be gained in trying to fight for anything good and lasting and cultural in Sydney since its beginnings. It's like trying to catch a wave in the ocean.

Nevertheless, I do wish all the best to Jason Morrison in his endeavours and to the 4,000-plus supporters, of whom my daughter, Mandy, is one. I only hope the worthy quest is not in vain.

Sharen Archibald-Ardelli

Howie Centre

Progress doesn't mean just tearing down the old

Section: Comment

Column: Letters to the editor

Cape Breton indeed has more serious issues to deal with than the tearing down of the Vogue theatre. Sadly though, when the community does try to do something for itself, big business says "No way" and tells us we are interfering with progress.

I think a community getting organizing and raising funds to revitalize a building ignored by the business community is progress. I think giving people a reason to go downtown all year long and bringing life back to the downtown is progress.

How many jobs are going to be created in the proposed office building? Are new companies going to fill the vacancies that exist in office buildings all over town? Is the small business starting out here in the city going to be able to afford space in this new office building?

I wonder if the new tenants will appreciate the memorabilia on the wall representing a once beautiful theatre. Perhaps the people who are going to work in this new building will encourage tourists to come in and see what was once going to be a thriving community arts centre.

Robin Jensen

Sydney

This is the point in the post where I'd usually rant about the above two stories, but I don't have the energy to today.

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

Richmond warden wants answers about proposed wind turbine project

Section: Cape Breton

By Chris Shannon, Cape Breton Post
Richmond County's warden, concerned a proposed wind turbine project across the county line in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality could adversely affect the environment, will meet with provincial environment officials to forcefully argue for a comprehensive study of the project.

Cape Breton Explorations Ltd. was given the go-ahead last November after the CBRM approved changes to its land use bylaw allowing for the mixed wind and hydro project to draw water from Lake Uist in its jurisdiction. The fresh water lake straddles the municipal boundary.

John Boudreau said he plans to meet with Environment Minister Mark Parent to discuss the need for a comprehensive federal environmental assessment that would examine the wide-ranging scientific impacts this project could have on the environment.

"We're concerned about fish habitat, the potential for contamination with methyl-mercury, we're concerned about the potential harm to the overall fresh water supply in that area," the warden said.

The Richmond council is also worried about water flowing from Lake Uist. The lake empties into Loch Lomond and Grand River, a popular salmon fishing ground for sport fishermen.

Fishermen believe the company's planned 44 wind turbines and a hydroelectric plant powered by water from the lake could disturb the temperature of Grand River and hurt the salmon population.

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

The New Waterford and Area Fish and Game Association has reservations that building a reservoir for the hydro portion of the wind farm would cause the leaching of methyl-mercury into the water.

The project's developer Luciano Lisi, who's the chief financial officer for Cape Breton Exploration Ltd., told the Cape Breton Post last month the federal government will decide the process for the necessary environmental assessment.

"It's going to take us a year to go through this process," Lisi said. "We follow a process and the process is slow, and we wish it wasn't, but it is."

Boudreau said from the estimates he has, the project is geared to begin this fall.

"What made us a bit apprehensive, in particular myself, is that when Mr. Lisi came down to Arichat and presented us a slide show of the project, I noted on one of the slides that he was using that construction of the reservoir would begin in late 2008," he said.

"That's not my understanding of the environmental assessment process. The ones I've been involved with have all taken two to three years to complete."

He is asking engineering firm CBCL Ltd. to conduct at least two public meetings in the Grand River area - the first to present information about the project and for the public to ask questions and the second meeting, which would allow the company to answer those questions.

Boudreau said he hopes Lisi insists the federal government conducts a comprehensive review, which would provide detailed scientific data on the project.

New deadline set for potential buyers for Ski Cape Smokey

Section: Cape Breton

By Chris Hayes, Cape Breton Post
The society running Ski Cape Smokey in northern Cape Breton has set a new deadline for proposals from potential buyers.

Lee Buchanan, the acting chair of the Ski Cape Smokey Society, said potential buyers were given another six weeks after two of them failed to meet a Feb. 28 deadline.

"We have three hopefuls," he said.

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 would include lift access, mountain biking, a coffee shop, lounge, hostel, campground and retail shop with bike rentals.

Buchanan said their proposal wasn't complete and there are two other potential buyers.

"We realize these guys are busy and they have a lot of other stuff on the go so we felt we would give them time to try to put something together and make something work for everybody. They both have a lot of money behind them and they both have some different ideas - some summer ideas and some winter ideas.

Buchanan, who fishes and runs concession at Highland Links Golf Course, was the vice-chairman of the society until the recent resignation of chair Karen Williams, who is accepting a job in British Columbia.

Ski Cape Smokey, which has been described as one of the best ski hills in Atlantic Canada, was 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 become a big economic boost for the area.

"I feel optimistic we are going to come up with some kind of a deal where we can put it in private hands and make it work," said Buchanan.

[Smevo]

Cape Breton Post

CIBC to donate $35,000 to YMCA

Section: Business

CIBC is donating $35,000 to the YMCA of Cape Breton. The donation, to be paid over five years, will support YMCA's capital campaign for the redevelopment of the current facility.

"We are very fortunate to have CIBC in our community supporting the charitable sector," says Andre Gallant, CEO of the YMCA of Cape Breton. "We have partnered with CIBC through the CIBC YouthvisionTM Scholarship Program in the past.

"Their financial support for our capital campaign is yet another example of their interest in enhancing lives in our community."

"Promoting the health and well-being of Canadians is a priority for our community investment program," said Dave Hopper, CIBC associate vice-president, retail markets.

"The YMCA has served our community for many years and has been successful in attracting members from a number of communities to access programs and services, regardless of their ability to pay. We were pleased to support the YMCA because of the innovative and effective programming that appeals to a wide array of age groups and incomes."

Firm files builders lien against developers of golf, spa resort

Section: Cape Breton

By Steve MacInnis,
A Sydney-based contacting firm has filed a builders lien against the developers of a multi-million dollar golf and spa resort project now under construction near Louisbourg.

Silver Grey Building Solutions filed the lien in Halifax, Feb. 5 claiming Cape Breton Island Developers and Colin Howell owe the company $192,000.

According to the court documents, Silver Grey contends it supplied labour and materials to construct housing units on four lots of land located on Bastion Avenue in the Grand Lake subdivision.

The Sydney company says that despite repeated demands for payment, the developers have so far not paid their bill in full.

The allegations made by Silver Grey have not been proven in court and as of Thursday there was no defence filed by the developers.

A spokesperson for the developers was not available for comment Thursday.

The $300-million development of the Louisbourg Resort Golf and Spa spans 1,000 hectares of land circling Grand Lake.

The development includes an 18-hole gold course designed by professional golfer Nick Faldo along with the construction of 800 luxury homes and a European-style spa.

Developers Christian Reinisch and Henric Bauermeister, both of Germany, previously stated that 24 homes have already been sold with price tags running as high as $1 million.

I'm assuming this would be something like Marysville in Fredericton where specific structures would be kept "true to the time" but modern residential and commercial development could still occur. If it led to stiff restrictions on development, I'd be against it, and it's my home neighbourhood. Though considering its revolving around the culture more than anything, I can't see it reasonably affecting anything more than the cultural churches and church halls.

Pier residents hope cultural melting pot yields national historic site designation

Section: Front

By Chris Shannon,
Whitney Pier's reputation as a cultural melting pot from a century of coal mining and steelmaking could launch the community's bid to become a national historic site.

Parks Canada officials at the Fortress Louisbourg met with several community groups last week to discuss how the community could forward a proposal to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Lifelong Pier resident Evelyn Davis, who says she's one of only two Jewish residents still living in the community, was at the meeting hoping the community would get on side and begin the lengthy process of applying for this prestigious honour.

"Whitney Pier was populated by so many different cultures and so many different people," Davis said.

"And the interesting part is that in spite of differences, it didn't matter whether you went to the Ukrainian church, the Polish church, the Croatian church, the Italian church or the synagogue, all the people got along."

The opening of the steel mill by the Dominion Steel Company in 1901 attracted workers from Poland, Ukraine, Croatia, Italy, the Caribbean and Newfoundland, as well as many black Nova Scotians.

Parks Canada invited 36 community and church groups and service clubs within Whitney Pier to attend the day-long information session. Only 15 responded to the disappointment of Simon Gillis, a board member of the Whitney Pier Historical Society.

"They actually approached us," Gillis said of the Parks Canada officials who wanted to meet with the various community groups in the area.

Parks Canada historians Anne Marie Jonah and Ken Donovan explained the national commemoration program and raised the possibility of the community applying for a historic site designation, if the will is there to do it.

"What they base everything on is to find a story either about a person, a place or the actual area, and from what I understand and the way they described it, it could take a lot of time going through this procedure but it would probably be worthwhile," Gillis said.

"They did leave us application papers and I'm sure it would take another meeting or two to get interested people together to apply."

No one from Parks Canada returned phone calls placed by the Cape Breton Post.

According to its website, each year the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada receives more than 200 requests, of which 50 to 70 will generate research papers from the Historical Services Branch or the Archaeological Services Branch of the National Historic Sites Directorate of Parks Canada.

The reports assist the board in its deliberations. Applicants may also elect to prepare the research paper with the assistance of Parks Canada.

[mylesmalley]

You do good work, Smevo.

The picture of the highlander mascot looks almost exactly like my old high school's.

[Smevo]

^Thanks, the highlander is the mascot for CBU. Those photos were taken by "The Photo Dude".

As far as the population predictions are concerned, I had a little time and decided to see if I could come up with the same results they paid the consultant to do by making assumptions about his method. I did, got the same results, and it took me 20 minutes! I thought I was right, but when I saw it I though "you gotta be shitting me!" I'm sure he did some other stuff and actually wrote out a report, but the predictions themselves are so flawed it's ridiculous and are the reason the two predictions vary by 17,000.