Below is a series of articles about this from hither and yon:
New wind farm up and running in Nova Scotia
Share
Email
more
Published: November 25, 2010 1:33 p.m.
Last modified: November 25, 2010 1:37 p.m.
Share Email
more
Be the first to comment
Print article
Text size
HALIFAX - Nova Scotia Power's wind farm in Digby Neck is up and running with half of its 20 planned turbines generating electricity.
It is expected that the facility will be fully operational by the end of the year.
The utility says the wind farm will produce 30 megawatts of power, enough electricity to power about 10,000 homes.
Nova Scotia Power says project has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60,000 tonnes annually.
The project also includes a substation and a 17-kilometre transmission line.
From the N.B. Business Journal
Power
Turbine blades start spinning at Digby Neck Wind Farm
DIGBY NECK, N.S. - Nova Scotia Power Inc.'s Digby Neck Wind Farm began producing power this week. Ten turbines are now generating electricity, and the wind farm is expected to be fully operational by year's end. The facility will have 20 wind turbines with a total capacity of 30 megawatts, enough electricity to power about 10,000 homes. Nova Scotia Power is the largest wholly-owned subsidiary of Halifax-based Emera Inc. (TSX:EMA).
From News95.7
Wind farm starts blowing in Digby Neck
Erin Trafford Nov 25, 2010 15:58:03 PM
Be the first to Comment 0 Recommendation(s) A state-of-the-art wind farm is now up and running in Digby Neck. Nova Scotia Power says 10 of the 20 turbines are producing power as of Thursday and all of them should be up and running by the end of 2010.
The utility says the wind farm has the potential to produce enough power for 10, 000 homes and can reduce Nova Scotia's greenhouse gas emissions by about 60, 000 tonnes a year.
In a release, Nova Scotia Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks says this is an important step for the province.
"This is a great project for the Digby Neck area," he says. "These projects are important steps in transforming our energy mix in this province from its dependence on fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy."
The project also includes a sub-station and a 17 kilometer transmission line.
From Ocean-Resources
NSP's Digby wind farm up and running
11/25/2010
Nova Scotia Power’s Digby Neck Wind Farm began powering homes and businesses this week. 10 turbines are now generating electricity. The wind farm will be fully operational by the end of this year.
“This is an important milestone for Nova Scotia Power and the province as we continue to add more renewable energy to our generation mix,” said Robin McAdam, Vice President, Sustainability, NS Power. “Displacing fossil fuels with clean energy is not only important for the environment but provides value and price stability for our customers over the long term.”
"This is a great project for the Digby Neck area, creating good jobs, growing the local economy and generating clean stable-priced electricity to customers," said Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks. "These projects are important steps in transforming our energy mix in this province from its dependence on fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. It's through the realization of these types of projects that NSPI is demonstrating its partnership in achieving Nova Scotia's aggressive renewable energy targets."
The Digby Neck Wind Farm will have 20 wind turbines with a total capacity of 30 megawatts (MW), producing enough electricity to power approximately 10,000 homes. The project has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Nova Scotia by more than 60,000 tonnes annually. The project also includes a substation and a 17 kilometre transmission line.
“We have a talented team of Nova Scotia engineers and contractors who are committed to ensuring this wind farm is operational by the end of the year”, said Sean Brennan, Project Manager, NS Power’s Digby Neck Wind Farm. “I am proud to be part of this important local project”.
To learn more, visit the Digby Project Blog and follow us on Twitter @nspowerinc.
From Annapolis-Digby and the Digby Courier
Faye Haley, recently retired chair of the Tri-County Regional School Board, received a life achievement award Thursday from Digby Area Board of Trade. The award, made during the board’s annual Business Excellence banquet, was presented by Mayor Ben Cleveland, one of the many former students of the long-time educator.
Guest speaker at the banquet in the Royal Canadian Legion hall was Sean Brennan, Nova Scotia Power’s manager of the Digby wind project, which has almost finished installation of 20 wind turbines on Digby Neck.
Brennan said the project is designed to provide 30 megawatts of electricity from the 80-metre tall turbines.
“Digby is an (electricity) importing area, so it’s a good news story as the power will be used locally,” he said.
Board of trade president Kristy Herron said the largest number of nominees this year was in the hospitality and customer service categories.
The Hospitality Award went to Bay Ferries, which was nominated several times and in more than one category.
“This is the way to travel. Initially we were a bit distressed by the price, but we will do this again rather than drive along endless unremarkable highways,” said one nomination. “If you have ever travelled with four kids you will understand what I mean.”
The Tourism Excellence award went to Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa. Among the nominations was one noting the Pines “is a wonderful representation of a time when life was simple and people could really enjoy a vacation. The Pines is perfect for us. I get to golf with my buddies and the wives get to pamper themselves in the spa.”
The Community Contribution award (business) went to Cooke Aquaculture, which was nominated for its contribution to the new Keith Trimper Memorial Playground, and development of more environmentally sustainable fisheries. to see that not all of us are against them. We must have some jobs.
The Community Contribution award (non-profit) was presented to Digby County Family Resource Centre, which offers a variety of programs for children and families, and as its nomination noted, “The mothers united group is wonderful. There is a mix of older and younger people. The place is alive. We talk, we laugh we make friends, get advice/suggestions and we enjoy a good meal.”
Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Karen and Brendan Enright of Annapolis Highland Vineyards, whose nomination remarked that the couple “are always looking for a new and innovative way to market their product and encourage the consumer to try Nova Scotia wines. Brendan would like Annapolis and Digby to brand themselves as the Riviera of Canada.”
Customer Service award winner was Robert Balser’s Digby Pharmasave , which provides items such as walkers and assisted living devices. “They have gone into a niche that was not well serviced here in Digby. They are also expanding non-pharmacy services that fill a vital need like foot care while still maintaining a quality pharmacy,” said the nomination.
Winner of the Business Excellence award, presented by Nova Scotia Business Inc., was Royal Fundy - O’Neil Fisheries.
“While other operations are downsizing and closing, O’Neil has tried to maintain their competitive edge. They operate an export wholesale and a retail sea food operation as well as a nice eating establishment. They are a key employer in this community,” said the nomination.
Life Achievement winner Faye Haley “has always demonstrated a keen interest in the welfare of others. As a teacher she devoted her time to her student’s acquisition of learning.
“She just retired as chair, but she continues to ably represent the people of Digby on the Tri-County Board. She is also a current member of the Community Health Board, was involved in the theatre society and many other projects that benefit the youth of our area.”
Story by: John DeMings
The Digby County Courier
November 22, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Small Businesses Are Important
Do small businesses have a fighting chance against today’s challenges?
By Richard Woodbury
Source: Originally published in the October 2010 Nova Scotia Business Journal (Oct. 5) — COVER STORY
Do small businesses have a fighting chance against today’s challenges?
By Richard Woodbury
Source: Originally published in the October 2010 Nova Scotia Business Journal (Oct. 5) — COVER STORY
When a second gas station in Amherst announced it was closing its doors due to the border gas wars with Brunswick, it raised a red flag that could not be ignored by small businesses and communities across Nova Scotia.
John and Kittee Baxter, the owners of Steamboat’s Convenience, blamed the closure of their business on the difference in gas prices between the two provinces. “We really tried to make it work, but when there’s such a huge gap in the price of gas there’s no way we can compete,” told Kittee Baxter in the Amherst Daily News. “I’m really disappointed with what has happened, but more than that I’m pretty frustrated because it appears as though this government really doesn’t care about Amherst.” The Baxters’ decision to close came just a couple of weeks after Co-Op Atlantic announced its gas station on Lawrence Street would be shut down, citing the same issues.
Unfortunately, the challenges which ultimately sealed the fate of these gas stations mirror what many other small businesses across the province are facing today.
Small businesses are an important employer in the province. Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees represent 97.4 per cent of the province’s approximately 54,000 businesses and employ almost 29 per cent of the total number of workers in Nova Scotia, according to data from Statistics Canada. StatsCan also reveals that the number of self-employed individuals topped 60,000 in Nova Scotia last year.
Every October, Nova Scotia pays tribute to small businesses and the important role they play in our society and economy during Small Business Week. While it is a celebration of small businesses, it is also seen as an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges they face.
“Creating an environment where small business can thrive is vital, but, quite frankly, we haven’t done all that we can do to make that happen,” says Charles Cirtwill, president and CEO of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.
Cirtwill has been involved in public policy discussions for the last 20 years and he says things are worse today.
“We know our taxes too high, we know our red tape is too intense, we know we are not helpful to our small businesses, yet we continue to do the same things year in and year out,” he says.
With the election of the provincial NDP last year, there was hope for change. The party was elected on the promise of making life better for Nova Scotians. Unfortunately change doesn’t happen overnight and many say the challenges facing small business are an accumulation of things years in the making.
“It’s much tougher, way tougher,” says Lawrence Sawler of Glyda’s Fruit and Vegetables in Western Shore. “There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about that.”
Glyda’s has been in operation for almost 30 years. Sawler says the recent minimum wage increase is only one aspect making it tougher to make a profit. Finding qualified staff is another problem.
And with an aging population, finding qualified labour is only going to get worse.
This will hit small businesses particularly hard for two reasons, says Cirtwill. First, smaller businesses can’t afford to increase salaries the way bigger businesses can to attract and retain talent. The other reason is that small businesses rely on family to a greater degree for their labour pool.
“With families shrinking, so is the labour pool,” says Cirtwill.
One hope for improving the business climate lies with the economic development strategy the provincial government is working on. The strategy should be released “sometime soon,” says Percy Paris, the minister of economic and rural development.
While short on specific details, Paris says the party wants to foster a culture of innovation where people are encouraged to invest in themselves, invest in Nova Scotia and invest in Nova Scotians.
“If there are barriers, we want to know about them and will work together to try to eliminate them,” says Paris.
For many, the tax system is a barrier, especially since New Brunswick started cutting taxes.
“New Brunswick has a far more competitive tax system,” says Leanne Hachey, Atlantic vice-president for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
She says lower taxes allow business owners to keep more of their earnings, pay employees higher wages, invest in better equipment and offer lower prices. Meanwhile, the tax system in Nova Scotia does the opposite, Hachey says.
“I, we as a government, don’t have any control over what New Brunswick does,” says Paris.
In Nova Scotia, the provincial government strives to find the right balance between taxation and services offered, he says.
“We also understand that we have to live within our means and we can’t go further into this financial hole that already exists for us.”
But the news isn’t all bad for small businesses. Hachey says in a survey of members, the CFIB found members maintained a good work life balance for themselves and their employees. There has also been improvement on reducing red tape. Nova Scotia is considered one of the leaders for its efforts to reduce it.
While Cirtwill appreciates the work done so far, he questions how effective the efforts have actually been.
“When you start with a mountain and you remove two feet a year, you’re going to be at it for a while,” he says.
Looking to the future, Hachey has her worries about small businesses. In talks with the CFIB’s members, she says small business owners use words such as frustrated, fed up and helpless. Some even wonder why they even started a business in the first place. And worst of all, “some don’t encourage their kids to start businesses in Nova Scotia,” says Hachey.
As we enter Small Business Week (Oct. 17-23), it’s clear Nova Scotia’s small businesses need help.
“Small business week is nice, but we need to focus on small business year round,” says Cirtwill. Nova Scotia’s future prosperity depends on it.
By Richard Woodbury
Source: Originally published in the October 2010 Nova Scotia Business Journal (Oct. 5) — COVER STORY
Do small businesses have a fighting chance against today’s challenges?
By Richard Woodbury
Source: Originally published in the October 2010 Nova Scotia Business Journal (Oct. 5) — COVER STORY
When a second gas station in Amherst announced it was closing its doors due to the border gas wars with Brunswick, it raised a red flag that could not be ignored by small businesses and communities across Nova Scotia.
John and Kittee Baxter, the owners of Steamboat’s Convenience, blamed the closure of their business on the difference in gas prices between the two provinces. “We really tried to make it work, but when there’s such a huge gap in the price of gas there’s no way we can compete,” told Kittee Baxter in the Amherst Daily News. “I’m really disappointed with what has happened, but more than that I’m pretty frustrated because it appears as though this government really doesn’t care about Amherst.” The Baxters’ decision to close came just a couple of weeks after Co-Op Atlantic announced its gas station on Lawrence Street would be shut down, citing the same issues.
Unfortunately, the challenges which ultimately sealed the fate of these gas stations mirror what many other small businesses across the province are facing today.
Small businesses are an important employer in the province. Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees represent 97.4 per cent of the province’s approximately 54,000 businesses and employ almost 29 per cent of the total number of workers in Nova Scotia, according to data from Statistics Canada. StatsCan also reveals that the number of self-employed individuals topped 60,000 in Nova Scotia last year.
Every October, Nova Scotia pays tribute to small businesses and the important role they play in our society and economy during Small Business Week. While it is a celebration of small businesses, it is also seen as an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges they face.
“Creating an environment where small business can thrive is vital, but, quite frankly, we haven’t done all that we can do to make that happen,” says Charles Cirtwill, president and CEO of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.
Cirtwill has been involved in public policy discussions for the last 20 years and he says things are worse today.
“We know our taxes too high, we know our red tape is too intense, we know we are not helpful to our small businesses, yet we continue to do the same things year in and year out,” he says.
With the election of the provincial NDP last year, there was hope for change. The party was elected on the promise of making life better for Nova Scotians. Unfortunately change doesn’t happen overnight and many say the challenges facing small business are an accumulation of things years in the making.
“It’s much tougher, way tougher,” says Lawrence Sawler of Glyda’s Fruit and Vegetables in Western Shore. “There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about that.”
Glyda’s has been in operation for almost 30 years. Sawler says the recent minimum wage increase is only one aspect making it tougher to make a profit. Finding qualified staff is another problem.
And with an aging population, finding qualified labour is only going to get worse.
This will hit small businesses particularly hard for two reasons, says Cirtwill. First, smaller businesses can’t afford to increase salaries the way bigger businesses can to attract and retain talent. The other reason is that small businesses rely on family to a greater degree for their labour pool.
“With families shrinking, so is the labour pool,” says Cirtwill.
One hope for improving the business climate lies with the economic development strategy the provincial government is working on. The strategy should be released “sometime soon,” says Percy Paris, the minister of economic and rural development.
While short on specific details, Paris says the party wants to foster a culture of innovation where people are encouraged to invest in themselves, invest in Nova Scotia and invest in Nova Scotians.
“If there are barriers, we want to know about them and will work together to try to eliminate them,” says Paris.
For many, the tax system is a barrier, especially since New Brunswick started cutting taxes.
“New Brunswick has a far more competitive tax system,” says Leanne Hachey, Atlantic vice-president for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
She says lower taxes allow business owners to keep more of their earnings, pay employees higher wages, invest in better equipment and offer lower prices. Meanwhile, the tax system in Nova Scotia does the opposite, Hachey says.
“I, we as a government, don’t have any control over what New Brunswick does,” says Paris.
In Nova Scotia, the provincial government strives to find the right balance between taxation and services offered, he says.
“We also understand that we have to live within our means and we can’t go further into this financial hole that already exists for us.”
But the news isn’t all bad for small businesses. Hachey says in a survey of members, the CFIB found members maintained a good work life balance for themselves and their employees. There has also been improvement on reducing red tape. Nova Scotia is considered one of the leaders for its efforts to reduce it.
While Cirtwill appreciates the work done so far, he questions how effective the efforts have actually been.
“When you start with a mountain and you remove two feet a year, you’re going to be at it for a while,” he says.
Looking to the future, Hachey has her worries about small businesses. In talks with the CFIB’s members, she says small business owners use words such as frustrated, fed up and helpless. Some even wonder why they even started a business in the first place. And worst of all, “some don’t encourage their kids to start businesses in Nova Scotia,” says Hachey.
As we enter Small Business Week (Oct. 17-23), it’s clear Nova Scotia’s small businesses need help.
“Small business week is nice, but we need to focus on small business year round,” says Cirtwill. Nova Scotia’s future prosperity depends on it.
East Coast Airways
NS: Red tape delays launch of East Coast Airways
By Staff, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Cape Breton Post, November 24, 2010
[SYDNEY, NS] — The president of operations for East Coast Airways said an employee accidentally set Wednesday on its website as the launch date for flights between Halifax and four other Maritime destinations.
Jay Hasson said the newest regional carrier will take off from the runway on Thursday instead, despite a final audit by Transport Canada that morning.
“Somebody just put in the wrong date (on the website). It’s a basic error,” he said from Halifax, Tuesday. “We’re correcting that, actually, right at the moment.”
The company is offering flights to and from Halifax from Sydney, Yarmouth, Saint John and Charlottetown.
The airline had been expected to begin operations on Monday, however it’s still awaiting final approval from Transport Canada. It was the second false start for East Coast Airways, which originally advertised November 1 as its official launch date, and had to compensate passengers who had already booked flights on its website.
Hasson said if reservations are made for the Sydney to Halifax flight Thursday morning, he’s confident things will go according to plan.
“We are very confident that Thursday we’re OK,” he said. “If we have any bookings we’d be leaving out of Sydney on Thursday. We haven’t put any word out so we don’t anticipate any new bookings.”
Hasson added that “barring anything unforeseen”, the carrier will have planes in the sky on Thursday.
The carrier will service the Maritimes with about 20 flights a day using five 19-passenger BAE Jetstream 31 turboprop airplanes. The number of daily flights will increase in the spring to 36 or 38, Hasson said.
By Staff, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Cape Breton Post, November 24, 2010
[SYDNEY, NS] — The president of operations for East Coast Airways said an employee accidentally set Wednesday on its website as the launch date for flights between Halifax and four other Maritime destinations.
Jay Hasson said the newest regional carrier will take off from the runway on Thursday instead, despite a final audit by Transport Canada that morning.
“Somebody just put in the wrong date (on the website). It’s a basic error,” he said from Halifax, Tuesday. “We’re correcting that, actually, right at the moment.”
The company is offering flights to and from Halifax from Sydney, Yarmouth, Saint John and Charlottetown.
The airline had been expected to begin operations on Monday, however it’s still awaiting final approval from Transport Canada. It was the second false start for East Coast Airways, which originally advertised November 1 as its official launch date, and had to compensate passengers who had already booked flights on its website.
Hasson said if reservations are made for the Sydney to Halifax flight Thursday morning, he’s confident things will go according to plan.
“We are very confident that Thursday we’re OK,” he said. “If we have any bookings we’d be leaving out of Sydney on Thursday. We haven’t put any word out so we don’t anticipate any new bookings.”
Hasson added that “barring anything unforeseen”, the carrier will have planes in the sky on Thursday.
The carrier will service the Maritimes with about 20 flights a day using five 19-passenger BAE Jetstream 31 turboprop airplanes. The number of daily flights will increase in the spring to 36 or 38, Hasson said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
