ADEDA News

From Peter at ADEDA

All In The Fundy Family
ADEDA’s Managing Director Mike Gushue was in Saint John last week to speak to a gathering of the mayors from the major municipalities in Atlantic Canada. Over 20 mayors listened as Mike made the case for the continuance and upgrading of the vital ferry service between Digby and Saint John. Not content to just get in front of this key audience, Mike spent the earlier part of the day meeting with senior port officials, talking to local and regional government leaders and doing a CBC TV interview.

And he had support from the top in the “Loyalist City”.

Saint John Mayor Ivan Court related how “on the very first day I was elected, I welcomed an early morning call, on my cell phone, from a guy named Mike Gushue who wanted to talk about the Digby to Saint John ferry. Since that time it has been a pleasure to work with Mike and to be part of the Transportation Coalition that is ensuring the future of this important service. Through this association I feel the bond between our two regions is stronger than ever and why my office is open to my good friends in Annapolis and Digby. The future is bright for both our communities as we build on the resources of the Bay of Fundy”.

Mayor Court went on record as well with the major print media to strongly call for a new funding formula for the ferry service.

Senior Surfers
Like so many people my age I often feel that I’ve free fallen into cyberspace like Alice into the rabbit hole. I’ve had some horrible experiences with computers – I don’t know what I’m doing a lot of the time, had some incredibly embarrassing encounters, and blindly try new stuff. But I’m usually awed and entranced by the outcomes. It’s sort of like reliving my first dating experiences. And like Alice I’m ultimately more fascinated than frightened by my journey. Doors open daily on whole new worlds of knowledge and communication that I would never have imagined. So I was reassured to learn that this intrepid willingness to venture into new technology in my advancing years is a trait shared by the residents of Digby’s Tideview Terrace, whose residential community will create the opportunity to be the first long term care facility in Nova Scotia to venture into the cyber world.

Resuscitation Prognosis For Wellness Centre
Active efforts are still very much underway to restore the vital community health and recreation services that had been provided by the former Lifeplex facility in Annapolis County. The popular community healthy living facility was forced to close recently as its fiscal requirements and program offerings were placed under reassessment. A positive development in the chances for its reopening was evident in the willingness of the Council of the Municipality of Digby to consider a request for major funding support. The facility is being presented with a new business plan and receiving strong endorsement from area adherents such as ABCC General Manager Marc Phillips who in his presentation underlined the importance the facility plays in the marketing strategy of that international conference and training centre.

This Week’s Tip of the Hat
Can’t sign off on this week’s updates without a congratulatory “shout out” to two folks in Annapolis Digby who received the honoured recognition of their peers. Congratulations to filmmaker, writer and photographer Tim Wilson of Bear River who received a prestigious national media award for his film “Griefwalker”, a feature documentary for the National Film Board.

And also to Jim MacAlpine, the Acting Warden for the Municipality of Digby who was elected as Vice President of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities at their meeting in Sydney. It continues to be obvious that, whatever the field – the leaders can be found right here.


From ADEDA