SEPTEMBER: Canso spaceport gets construction greenlight, opponents shocked

CANSO: A group opposed to local spaceport project called it a tragic day for their community and said the Province of Nova Scotia continues to bow to business interests with no consideration for environmental impact or the communities involved.
On Aug. 29, Maritime Launch Services (MLS) announced via media release the company was a step closer to becoming a global destination for commercial space launch as they received approval to begin construction of Spaceport Nova Scotia, Canada’s first commercial spaceport.
CEO Steve Matier advised after receiving their environmental assessment in June 2019, they received a laundry-list of activities and things that needed to get done to be able to get approval for start-up construction, then got the green light from the province to start construction. He said that was on the heels of the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables approving the 20-year lease for 335 acres.
The launch facility will be built on approximately 335 acres of Crown land near the rural communities of Canso, Little Dover, and Hazel Hill. The lease includes an option for a 20-year renewal based on compliance with terms and conditions.
This announcement of receiving their green light for construction, Matier said, is momentous in that they continue to work with Transport Canada to get into and through the next phase to get to launching satellites into orbit.
Marie Lumsden, a member of Action Against Canso Spaceport, explained that a year ago, around the time they hosted a protest outside an MLS open house, they learned through a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy request, that MLS had only completed two of their 14 pages of requirements.
Lumsden suggested she doesn’t believe people in the community realize the amount of heat, light, noise, and accidents that happen with rocket launch sites.
Matier points to the support he’s received from all the provincial and federal regulators, the premier, and the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.

PORT HOOD: The newest member of Inverness Municipal Council wanted something done after residents were unable to access the 911 emergency response system.
District 2 Councillor Blair Phillips told the regular monthly meeting on Sept. 1 in Port Hood that there were two incidents. and he asked council where they should apply pressure to fix this problem.
Chief Administrative Officer Keith MacDonald responded that the municipality was turned down for funding under the Universal Broadband Fund.
Council approved a motion to send a letter to the federal minister overseeing the universal broadband program, as well as signing a joint letter with other municipalities to provincial officials.
Noting that better cell service is one of Inverness County’s top priorities, MacDonald said problems persist in every part of the municipality, and council agreed with this suggestion to meet with local MLAs since there might be sources of funding under the provincial broadband initiative administered by Develop Nova Scotia.

POINT TUPPER: After a year of talks, the company in charge of the gypsum plant reached a collective agreement with the union representing its workers.
On Sept. 8, Unifor confirmed the ratification of their first collective agreement with Cabot Manufacturing which owns the Cabot Gypsum plant in Point Tupper.
Unifor Local 972 President Archie MacLachlan said the workers are now part of the same union local which represents workers at Port Hawkesbury Paper. He said a representative of the Cabot Gypsum workers will sit on the union local executive as a vice president and attend meetings.
After votes were held on Aug. 30 and 31, MacLachlan said 97 per cent of workers ratified the deal, then the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration, as well as the employer were notified.
On Sept. 10, 2021 Patrick Murray, Atlantic Organizer for Unifor, confirmed that a certification order from the Nova Scotia Labour Board arrived that same week. With the certification order from the labour board, Murray said a bargaining committee was elected and a notice to bargain was served with their employer.
Although there were unsuccessful unionization attempts at Cabot Gypsum in the past, Murray said the union had been speaking with workers at Cabot Gypsum for around three years. He said the talks “really started to take off” once the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
At the time, Murray confirmed that workers wanted a respectful work environment, and he expected talks would address issues like improper equipment and broken exit doors. A press release issued by Unifor on Sept. 8 said the workers are also looking forward to a more reasonable pay structure and greater health and safety measures. Another part of the agreement deals with Paid Education Leave (PEL), the union noted.
In addition to PEL, Unifor said the agreement includes a grievance procedure, language around recruitment and retention, a structured labour management committee, and a structured health and safety committee.

BALLANTYNE’S COVE: Fishermen in Antigonish County received funding to upgrade technology for holding and handling lobster.
On Sept. 2, the Government of Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia announced funding for Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) members in Nova Scotia through the Atlantic Fisheries Fund (AFF).
In a press release, the governments announced $400,000 for fisheries groups, including those in the Southeastern Northumberland Strait, which are part of MFU Local 4, stretching from the Canso Causeway to Pugwash.
The government said the fund will help the MFU deliver a project to its members that will improve the quality, vitality, and value of harvested lobster, improve the quality of lobster being marketed, the efficiency of fishing activities, and the onboard safety of crew.
Live-well systems, which measure water quality, will be installed or upgraded on vessels, and the governments said MFU members will be in a position to deliver a better and more consistent quality lobster product from the ocean to consumers.
The governments said the funding will also provide crew members with canopy extensions, lobster sorting tables, and automatic lobster banders.
The contribution comes from the $400 million AFF which is jointly funded by the federal and provincial governments. The federal government will provide 70 per cent of the funding, with 30 per cent coming from the Atlantic provinces.

INVERNESS: Local tourism operators were approved for federal funding under a tourism program.
In a press release issued on Sept. 6, Cape Breton-Canso Mike Kelloway announced funding of $1,326,420 for 13 projects through the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF).
Inverness Beach Village and Cottages was approved for a $500,000 repayable loan to modernizing 20 of its cottages, with upgrades to kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, roofing, siding and windows.
A $100,000 non-repayable loan was awarded to Northeast Cove Geodomes Ltd. in Mabou to construct four sustainable luxury domes with kitchenettes, bathrooms, and Wi-Fi.
The Dock Cove Inn in Margaree was green lit for a $100,000 non-repayable loan to soundproof and winterize all rooms and add new paint, bedding, TVs, and flooring. The Inn will also add heat pumps and new furniture, as well as renovate bathrooms.
A $100,000 non-repayable loan went to Seawind Landing County Inn in Charlos Cove to build an accessible year-round event centre, including an outdoor cooking and fire pit area, electric vehicle chargers, and power generators for full power backup.
The Dundee Resort and Golf Club was approved for a $70,000 non-repayable loan to upgrade its tennis courts, hotel sitting areas, and water sport area, as well as enhancing the playground with additional family friendly amenities.
Arichat’s Clairestone Inn will receive $70,000 non-repayable loan to renovate bathrooms and update furniture and décor.
A $70,000 non-repayable loan was granted to Catch and Dine Lobster Tours in Judique to enhance its new, larger vessel with engine and transmission upgrades, bow thrusters and controls, emergency systems, audiovisual equipment, safety equipment, benches, canopy, and a hydraulic lift.
Valley View Chalets in Margaree will get a $50,000 non-repayable loan to construct a 350 square foot chalet adjacent to existing lodging.
Swallow Bank Cottages in Margaree Centre was approved for a $21,420 non-repayable loan to upgrade all units with new metal roofs and gutters, updated furnishings, doors and bathrooms.

ANTIGONISH COUNTY: The Municipality of the County of Antigonish and the Town of Antigonish heard back on an important aspect of the consolidation of the two municipal units that they claim will avoid the need for approximately $1 million in additional costs per year.
Providing information on what they’ve learned regarding policing contracts in a consolidated municipal unit, Warden Owen McCarron said following the municipality’s regular monthly council meeting on Sept. 13, that dissolving the Town of Antigonish, under consolidation, would eliminate the need for a new contract with the RCMP.
This means that the consolidated municipal unit would pay 70 per cent of the contract, and the federal government would cover the remaining 30 per cent. If both councils decided in favour of consolidation, McCarron said it would be called the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, allowing them to keep their current funding formula.
When consolidation was first reviewed by both councils, it involved the dissolution of the town and county and the creation of a consolidated regional municipality.
Further engagement with the provincial and federal governments, as well as independent legal counsel, identified that a new municipality would require a new contract for RCMP services which would result in additional costs with no changes to the level of service for the Antigonish area, the press release noted.

STRAIT AREA: The Conservative Party of Canada chose a new leader and results from local ridings mirror the national result.
On Sept. 10, Napean-Carlton MP and former Minister of Employment and Social Development Pierre Poilievre was voted as new Conservative leader getting 68.15 per cent, or 22,993.42 total points, on the first ballot.
In the Central Nova riding, which includes parts of Antigonish County, as well as the Town of Antigonish, 793 votes were cast with Poilievre getting 538 votes.
In the riding of Cape Breton-Canso, which includes Inverness and Richmond counties, and parts of Guysborough and Antigonish counties, 630 people voted, with Poilievre getting 410 votes.

STRAIT AREA: Hurricane Fiona hit the Strait region with powerful wind, heavy rain, and high seas.
Bob Robichaud, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC), told a provincial media briefing that the hurricane made landfall in the Strait area early on the morning of Sept 24.
Early Saturday morning, the CHC posted on Twitter that Hurricane Fiona landed with “an unofficial recorded pressure at Hart Island of 931.6 (millibars), making Fiona the lowest pressured land falling storm on record in Canada.”
During a media briefing on Sept. 22, Robichaud explained that the Hurricane interacted with a trough of low pressure located over the eastern part of the United States that moved into western portions of Atlantic Canada, resulting in an “extremely strong and dangerous storm.”
Troy Webb, with the Department of Public Works, told the Sept. 24 provincial media briefing that transportation infrastructure was “hit hard.” Marla MacInnis, Communications Advisor for the Province of Nova Scotia, emailed The Reporter to note that Department of Public Works crews across the province were cleaning up “significant amounts” of downed trees.
Premier Tim Houston requested military and disaster aid from the federal government, then announced disaster financial assistance for those who suffered damage from the storm. John Lohr, the minister responsible for Nova Scotia’s EMO, said he contacted Bill Blair, the federal Minister of Public Safety requesting Disaster Financial Assistance.
In Arisaig, Environment and Climate Change Canada said winds were recorded at 179 km/h.
When the winds picked up, the power went out for approximately 415,000 Nova Scotia Power (NSP) customers.
Nova Scotia Health (NSH) said it was working to “provide as much service as possible,” in a press release issued Sept. 25, noting emergency departments around the province were busy.
In a press release issued Sept. 24, the Nova Scotia EMO said Emergency Health Services received its highest one-day call volume ever recorded on Saturday. The provincial EMO said the Provincial Coordination Centre moved to a Level 3 activation, the highest level, on Saturday at 7 a.m.
Along with power, Houston said during the Sept. 24 briefing that cellular phone and internet services were down for many Nova Scotians, including provincial officials.
As Hurricane Fiona moved in late Friday afternoon, the Nova Scotia RCMP enabled its division-wide emergency preparedness measures and contingency plans. The RCMP said officers responded to “hundreds” of calls across the province, of which the bulk included calls related to well being checks, stranded motorists, downed power lines, downed trees, washed out roads, and debris on roadways. The RCMP said officers and 911 police dispatchers assisted partner agencies, including the Nova Scotia EMO, which is leading the response to Hurricane Fiona.