From the Digby Courier
Report creates doubts about future of Digby Neck, Westport elementary school
By Tina Comeau Transcontinental Media
Topics : Islands Consolidated School , Westport elementary school , Tri-County Regional School Board , Brier Island , Long Island , Yarmouth The second phase of a school utilization report presented last week to Tri-County Regional School Board concludes that a new school should be built to replace the existing Islands Consolidated School.
The report also says the board should consider that building a new school to replace Islands Consolidated School could mean closing Digby Neck Consolidated School. However, no school can be recommended for closure until after a year-long school review process is carried out, and this isn’t expected to happen in the near future.
Former educator Jim Gunn, the consultant who prepared the report, says there is no urgency for the board to consider these scenarios within the next year. Still, he concludes that a consultation process should occur within the next two or three years.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Convergys on Hiring Campaign
NS: Convergys hiring drive shifts into high gear
By Lawrence Powell, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Annapolis County Spectator, March 15, 2010
[CORNWALLIS, NS] — Convergys Corporation, Annapolis County’s largest employer, is ramping up its customer management staff and is embarking on a hiring campaign that is bringing the company to Lawrencetown and Middleton.
Convergys said it is hiring for full- and part-time on-site and home agent positions for its contact centre in Cornwallis. Due to its successful work-at-home pilot, the company will add 50 home agents through May 2010. Convergys provides customer service support for clients in the telecommunications industry.
Potential employees were invited to attend one of three job information sessions, including a March 9 session held at the library in Lawrencetown and an upcoming session March 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rosa M. Harvey Library in Middleton. A third session is planned for March 23 at the Library in Weymouth from 6 to 8 p.m.
“Because Convergys is a global company, these positions will provide an excellent opportunity for residents of the Digby and Annapolis counties seeking jobs that offer excellent benefits and pay incentives,” said Wendy Reid-Saulnier, site leader for the Convergys site in Cornwallis. “We are especially pleased to offer home agent positions, which provide an ideal option for stay-at-home parents needing a second income to help pay bills, students facing high tuition costs, or retirees who wish to augment their retirement savings.”
Convergys said it offers both on-site and work-at-home employees comprehensive training, competitive wages, plus incentives and benefits including tuition reimbursement, and paid and unpaid time off. About six weeks of training will be provided for the on-site positions. Home agents will train and work at the Cornwallis contact centre for at least three months before they begin working from home.
By Lawrence Powell, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Annapolis County Spectator, March 15, 2010
[CORNWALLIS, NS] — Convergys Corporation, Annapolis County’s largest employer, is ramping up its customer management staff and is embarking on a hiring campaign that is bringing the company to Lawrencetown and Middleton.
Convergys said it is hiring for full- and part-time on-site and home agent positions for its contact centre in Cornwallis. Due to its successful work-at-home pilot, the company will add 50 home agents through May 2010. Convergys provides customer service support for clients in the telecommunications industry.
Potential employees were invited to attend one of three job information sessions, including a March 9 session held at the library in Lawrencetown and an upcoming session March 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rosa M. Harvey Library in Middleton. A third session is planned for March 23 at the Library in Weymouth from 6 to 8 p.m.
“Because Convergys is a global company, these positions will provide an excellent opportunity for residents of the Digby and Annapolis counties seeking jobs that offer excellent benefits and pay incentives,” said Wendy Reid-Saulnier, site leader for the Convergys site in Cornwallis. “We are especially pleased to offer home agent positions, which provide an ideal option for stay-at-home parents needing a second income to help pay bills, students facing high tuition costs, or retirees who wish to augment their retirement savings.”
Convergys said it offers both on-site and work-at-home employees comprehensive training, competitive wages, plus incentives and benefits including tuition reimbursement, and paid and unpaid time off. About six weeks of training will be provided for the on-site positions. Home agents will train and work at the Cornwallis contact centre for at least three months before they begin working from home.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Community Pot Luck
There will be a community pot luck supper Tuesday March 16 at 6 pm at Little River Baptist Church. Bring your favourite dish and a friend or neighbour!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
A Dal Graduate First Woman to Walk in Space
Once a year at the Global Oceans Awards Gala, we have the opportunity to celebrate a true ocean hero, said Julie Barrett Heffington, director of the Seymour Center. Kathy Sullivan may be best known as the first woman to walk in space, but she is also a real hero in the world of marine science and ocean conservation.
As a member of the Pew Oceans Commission, Sullivan was part of a team that called for the immediate reform of U.S. ocean policies to prevent the decline of ocean wildlife and the collapse of ocean ecosystems. The findings and recommendations in the commissions 2003 report, Americas Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change, continue to guide policymakers today.
A former NASA astronaut, Sullivan is a member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame. She served as chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) from 1992 to 1996 and was president and CEO of Ohios Center of Science & Industry ( COSI ), an interactive science center in Columbus, Ohio. Sullivan currently serves as director of Ohio State Universitys Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy and as a volunteer science adviser to COSI. She was appointed to the National Science Board in 2004.
Sullivan is also a proud alumna of UC Santa Cruz. She entered UCSC as a linguistics major and discovered she needed three science classes to fulfill general-education requirements. After trying what she described as every trick in the book to get out of them, Sullivan enrolled in oceanography and Earth sciences classes, which proved a turning point in her life. Discovering a passion for science, she graduated with a bachelors degree in Earth and marine sciences and went on to earn a Ph.D. in geology from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Her doctoral studies at Dalhousie included participation in several oceanographic experiments with the U.S. Geological Survey and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. She became a specialist in deep-sea geological research, but ended up entering the space program.
I finished my Ph.D. at Dalhousie and went into the space program thinking I was giving up my dreams of diving in Alvin ( one of the worlds first deep-ocean submersibles ) for the chance to fly in space, Sullivan said. Yet even in space, her oceanographic training came into play. The primary goal of the first of her three shuttle missions was to survey the Earth, the atmosphere, and the oceans.
It is an honor to recognize Kathy for her body of work, her commitment to ocean conservation, and perhaps most importantly, her passion for science education. She is a leader and role model for us all, Heffington said.
Sullivan joins a select group of Global Oceans Heros including former UCSC Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood, now president of the University of Hawaii; photographer and conservationist Frans Lanting; Bruce McPherson, former California Secretary of State; Leon Panetta, who chaired the Pew Oceans Commission and is now director of the CIA; Marcia McNutt, director of the U.S. Geological Survey; and Brent Constantz, CEO of Calera Corporation.
The Seymour Center will also honor the top two recipients of the Student Research and Education Awards, Abraham Borker and Fabian Batista, both marine science graduate students at UCSC. They received the top scores from among the 17 awardees in the Seymour Centers annual scholarship competition.
This years applications were the best in the 15 years weve awarded these scholarships, said Gary Griggs, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences. Ive never been more impressed with the work our undergraduates and graduate students are doing. I think it bodes well for an exciting future of research and discovery in marine science.
The Global Oceans Awards Gala is held annually at the Bittersweet Bistro in Aptos. Proprietors Thomas and Elizabeth Vinolus will prepare an exquisite five-course meal paired with fine wines from award-winning California vintners. This years event is sponsored by Calera Corporation. Tickets are $150 per person. To make reservations, please call ( 831 ) 459-3694.
As a member of the Pew Oceans Commission, Sullivan was part of a team that called for the immediate reform of U.S. ocean policies to prevent the decline of ocean wildlife and the collapse of ocean ecosystems. The findings and recommendations in the commissions 2003 report, Americas Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change, continue to guide policymakers today.
A former NASA astronaut, Sullivan is a member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame. She served as chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) from 1992 to 1996 and was president and CEO of Ohios Center of Science & Industry ( COSI ), an interactive science center in Columbus, Ohio. Sullivan currently serves as director of Ohio State Universitys Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy and as a volunteer science adviser to COSI. She was appointed to the National Science Board in 2004.
Sullivan is also a proud alumna of UC Santa Cruz. She entered UCSC as a linguistics major and discovered she needed three science classes to fulfill general-education requirements. After trying what she described as every trick in the book to get out of them, Sullivan enrolled in oceanography and Earth sciences classes, which proved a turning point in her life. Discovering a passion for science, she graduated with a bachelors degree in Earth and marine sciences and went on to earn a Ph.D. in geology from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Her doctoral studies at Dalhousie included participation in several oceanographic experiments with the U.S. Geological Survey and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. She became a specialist in deep-sea geological research, but ended up entering the space program.
I finished my Ph.D. at Dalhousie and went into the space program thinking I was giving up my dreams of diving in Alvin ( one of the worlds first deep-ocean submersibles ) for the chance to fly in space, Sullivan said. Yet even in space, her oceanographic training came into play. The primary goal of the first of her three shuttle missions was to survey the Earth, the atmosphere, and the oceans.
It is an honor to recognize Kathy for her body of work, her commitment to ocean conservation, and perhaps most importantly, her passion for science education. She is a leader and role model for us all, Heffington said.
Sullivan joins a select group of Global Oceans Heros including former UCSC Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood, now president of the University of Hawaii; photographer and conservationist Frans Lanting; Bruce McPherson, former California Secretary of State; Leon Panetta, who chaired the Pew Oceans Commission and is now director of the CIA; Marcia McNutt, director of the U.S. Geological Survey; and Brent Constantz, CEO of Calera Corporation.
The Seymour Center will also honor the top two recipients of the Student Research and Education Awards, Abraham Borker and Fabian Batista, both marine science graduate students at UCSC. They received the top scores from among the 17 awardees in the Seymour Centers annual scholarship competition.
This years applications were the best in the 15 years weve awarded these scholarships, said Gary Griggs, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences. Ive never been more impressed with the work our undergraduates and graduate students are doing. I think it bodes well for an exciting future of research and discovery in marine science.
The Global Oceans Awards Gala is held annually at the Bittersweet Bistro in Aptos. Proprietors Thomas and Elizabeth Vinolus will prepare an exquisite five-course meal paired with fine wines from award-winning California vintners. This years event is sponsored by Calera Corporation. Tickets are $150 per person. To make reservations, please call ( 831 ) 459-3694.
New Brunswick Invites Community Energy Projects
Province has set aside 75 megawatts of renewable energy for communities to harness through new program
KRIS MCDAVID
Times & Transcript Staff
MIRAMICHI - Anybody interested in harnessing the province's new Community Energy Policy should be prepared to sprint out of the gate to grab a piece of the limited energy allocation which is up for grabs.
This was one of the messages that came out of the Miramichi instalment of a series of information sessions being hosted by the provincial Department of Energy around the province over the next few weeks in advance of the energy program.
A handful of interested parties turned up to the workshop last night to learn more about the policy, including representatives from the City of Miramichi, Metepenagiag First Nation, Esgenoopetitj First Nation and Miramichi solar energy firm Southside Air.
Last month Energy Minister Jack Keir announced that 75 megawatts of energy would be available for renewable, community-owned energy projects during the first phase of the policy.
Energy initiatives in wind, solar, biomass, small hydro, and tidal power will be considered, and all qualifying projects must be majority-owned by communities or non-profit organizations as a condition of the program.
Of that 75 megawatt allotment, 25 megawatts will be set aside for First Nation communities whose renewable energy projects are accepted under the province's criteria.
The price paid back to communities for their energy by NB Power will be frozen at 10-cents per kilowatt hour until April 2015, at which point energy costs will ebb and flow as the consumer price index dictates.
Metepenagiag Chief Noah Augustine has stated his intention to try and get on board with the policy through a proposed $70-million plasma gasification plant which is being planned in conjunction with Ontario firm Sunbay Energy on the grounds of the former Nelson groundwood mill in Miramichi.
The plant would churn out 10 megawatts of clean, renewable energy through a high-tech process which would vaporize municipal waste and convert it into energy which is then sold back to the grid.
Augustine said he believes the energy policy is a proactive way for the province to promote New Brunswick as an environmentally responsible province, as well as a means of ensuring renewable energy profits benefit communities first.
He added, however, he's glad that his plasma gasification project is nearly finalized because the decision as to which projects will be able to sign a purchase of power agreement (PPA) with NB Power is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"So it's essentially to the advantage of the projects that are ready to go now, and to the disadvantage of the ones that aren't as far along," Augustine said.
"Seventy-five megawatts won't last very long -- once the gates open up everybody is just going to go for it."
Business development officer Theo Losier agreed that initiatives which are further along in the process -- which includes various assessments, feasibility studies, capital requirements, environmental permitting, land agreements and a host of other steps -- will be at a distinct advantage.
Losier said the communities who wish to submit an official expression of interest in pursuing the policy have a limited amount of time to make up their minds, noting that the list will be posted to the department's website in May.
"This is for you guys, this is for the communities," Losier said. "The more projects we have, the better it is."
After hosting three previous sessions in windy locales such as Bathurst, Dalhousie and Caraquet to much fanfare, Losier estimated that about 90 per cent of the discussions so far have revolved around wind developments.
With the province already boasting a 96 megawatt wind farm in Kent Hills near Moncton, and a 99 megawatt farm at Caribou Mountain west of Bathurst, the appetite and expertise to extend wind energy is already there.
One of the aims of the energy policy, specifically relating to wind energy, is to allow individual communities to experience the financial windfall of the increasingly appealing technology rather than allowing all of the financial benefits to go to the large international energy corporations that currently own the province's two wind farms.
Carl Brothers, a P.E.I.-based wind energy guru, said while building even a small wind farm is no easy task; it can be accomplished successfully by communities as long as they do their homework.
A shining example of this is the recently completed 12 megawatt St. Eleanor's wind farm, located in and owned by the City of Summerside, P.E.I.
Brothers said the city was able to secure the proper funding through various loans and grants, and persevered through the many challenges that arise with projects as ambitious as wind farms.
A representative from Esgenoopetitj First Nation also expressed interest in pursuing wind energy in that community.
A similar forum is slated to take place from 6-8 p.m. at the Hampton in on Mapleton Road in Moncton on March 18.
KRIS MCDAVID
Times & Transcript Staff
MIRAMICHI - Anybody interested in harnessing the province's new Community Energy Policy should be prepared to sprint out of the gate to grab a piece of the limited energy allocation which is up for grabs.
This was one of the messages that came out of the Miramichi instalment of a series of information sessions being hosted by the provincial Department of Energy around the province over the next few weeks in advance of the energy program.
A handful of interested parties turned up to the workshop last night to learn more about the policy, including representatives from the City of Miramichi, Metepenagiag First Nation, Esgenoopetitj First Nation and Miramichi solar energy firm Southside Air.
Last month Energy Minister Jack Keir announced that 75 megawatts of energy would be available for renewable, community-owned energy projects during the first phase of the policy.
Energy initiatives in wind, solar, biomass, small hydro, and tidal power will be considered, and all qualifying projects must be majority-owned by communities or non-profit organizations as a condition of the program.
Of that 75 megawatt allotment, 25 megawatts will be set aside for First Nation communities whose renewable energy projects are accepted under the province's criteria.
The price paid back to communities for their energy by NB Power will be frozen at 10-cents per kilowatt hour until April 2015, at which point energy costs will ebb and flow as the consumer price index dictates.
Metepenagiag Chief Noah Augustine has stated his intention to try and get on board with the policy through a proposed $70-million plasma gasification plant which is being planned in conjunction with Ontario firm Sunbay Energy on the grounds of the former Nelson groundwood mill in Miramichi.
The plant would churn out 10 megawatts of clean, renewable energy through a high-tech process which would vaporize municipal waste and convert it into energy which is then sold back to the grid.
Augustine said he believes the energy policy is a proactive way for the province to promote New Brunswick as an environmentally responsible province, as well as a means of ensuring renewable energy profits benefit communities first.
He added, however, he's glad that his plasma gasification project is nearly finalized because the decision as to which projects will be able to sign a purchase of power agreement (PPA) with NB Power is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
"So it's essentially to the advantage of the projects that are ready to go now, and to the disadvantage of the ones that aren't as far along," Augustine said.
"Seventy-five megawatts won't last very long -- once the gates open up everybody is just going to go for it."
Business development officer Theo Losier agreed that initiatives which are further along in the process -- which includes various assessments, feasibility studies, capital requirements, environmental permitting, land agreements and a host of other steps -- will be at a distinct advantage.
Losier said the communities who wish to submit an official expression of interest in pursuing the policy have a limited amount of time to make up their minds, noting that the list will be posted to the department's website in May.
"This is for you guys, this is for the communities," Losier said. "The more projects we have, the better it is."
After hosting three previous sessions in windy locales such as Bathurst, Dalhousie and Caraquet to much fanfare, Losier estimated that about 90 per cent of the discussions so far have revolved around wind developments.
With the province already boasting a 96 megawatt wind farm in Kent Hills near Moncton, and a 99 megawatt farm at Caribou Mountain west of Bathurst, the appetite and expertise to extend wind energy is already there.
One of the aims of the energy policy, specifically relating to wind energy, is to allow individual communities to experience the financial windfall of the increasingly appealing technology rather than allowing all of the financial benefits to go to the large international energy corporations that currently own the province's two wind farms.
Carl Brothers, a P.E.I.-based wind energy guru, said while building even a small wind farm is no easy task; it can be accomplished successfully by communities as long as they do their homework.
A shining example of this is the recently completed 12 megawatt St. Eleanor's wind farm, located in and owned by the City of Summerside, P.E.I.
Brothers said the city was able to secure the proper funding through various loans and grants, and persevered through the many challenges that arise with projects as ambitious as wind farms.
A representative from Esgenoopetitj First Nation also expressed interest in pursuing wind energy in that community.
A similar forum is slated to take place from 6-8 p.m. at the Hampton in on Mapleton Road in Moncton on March 18.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Maine and Tidal Power
Oil dealers, fishermen object to off-shore energy bill
Caroline Cornish, Reporter 1 day ago
Read Comments (11)Recommend Print Email Article Larger Smaller Share
AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The legislature is considering a bill that would encourage the development of off-shore wind and tidal power.
Supporters of the bill say it will reduce the state's dependence on foreign oil. But the bill, which came out of the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force, has a lot of detractors, both among oil dealers and fishermen.
A legislative committee held a hearing on the 36-page bill Thursday. It removes some barriers to off-shore wind development and gives tax incentives to Mainers who want to move to electric heat, instead of oil.
Supporters of the bill say it's important for the legislature to act now so that Maine can become a leader in developing clean energy. But oil dealers say the bill will put family-owned businesses out of business. Ground fishermen, meanwhile, are concerned that some of the areas where the state plans to experiment with off-shore wind are in their fishing lanes and will devastate their way of life. Opponents say this bill is being rushed through and should be held off until next session.
Caroline Cornish, Reporter 1 day ago
Read Comments (11)Recommend Print Email Article Larger Smaller Share
AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The legislature is considering a bill that would encourage the development of off-shore wind and tidal power.
Supporters of the bill say it will reduce the state's dependence on foreign oil. But the bill, which came out of the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force, has a lot of detractors, both among oil dealers and fishermen.
A legislative committee held a hearing on the 36-page bill Thursday. It removes some barriers to off-shore wind development and gives tax incentives to Mainers who want to move to electric heat, instead of oil.
Supporters of the bill say it's important for the legislature to act now so that Maine can become a leader in developing clean energy. But oil dealers say the bill will put family-owned businesses out of business. Ground fishermen, meanwhile, are concerned that some of the areas where the state plans to experiment with off-shore wind are in their fishing lanes and will devastate their way of life. Opponents say this bill is being rushed through and should be held off until next session.
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Maine USA tidal power
Thursday, March 11, 2010
From Live Earth
Melissa Etheridge and Rob Thomas to Take Part in the Dow Live Earth Run for WaterFeatured Article
Submitted by Andy Sternberg on 9 March, 2010 - 05:00
Two-time GRAMMY Award-winner and one-time Academy Award winner for Best Song for the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" Melissa Etheridge, and multi-platinum three-time GRAMMY Award-winner Rob Thomas, will perform live at the April 18th Los Angeles and Atlanta events, respectively. The largest worldwide water initiative on record to help combat the global water crisis, the Dow Live Earth Run for Water is a series of 6km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to get water), culminating with water education villages and live musical performances.
"I'm a long-time environmental advocate and believe strongly that it is our duty as a society and as individuals to preserve our planet and its resources," said Melissa Etheridge. "I want to lend my name and time to this event because the global water crisis is an environmental issue that affects nearly one billion people on the planet and through this event we can raise awareness and money to help address it."
"I am thrilled to be participating in this important event to bring clean, safe drinking water to the women and children around the world walking 6km every day to sustain their families," said Rob Thomas. "I encourage the Atlanta community to come out on April 18th because together we can make a difference in the lives of so many."
The events will take place in nearly 100 cities across 50 countries around the world on April 18, 2010, to raise awareness and funds to help solve the global water crisis. Pete Wentz, Angelique Kidjo, Alexandra Cousteau, and Jenny Fletcher have already been announced to support events on April 18th. Additional artists announcement for events taking place in Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York coming soon.
Submitted by Andy Sternberg on 9 March, 2010 - 05:00
Two-time GRAMMY Award-winner and one-time Academy Award winner for Best Song for the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" Melissa Etheridge, and multi-platinum three-time GRAMMY Award-winner Rob Thomas, will perform live at the April 18th Los Angeles and Atlanta events, respectively. The largest worldwide water initiative on record to help combat the global water crisis, the Dow Live Earth Run for Water is a series of 6km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to get water), culminating with water education villages and live musical performances.
"I'm a long-time environmental advocate and believe strongly that it is our duty as a society and as individuals to preserve our planet and its resources," said Melissa Etheridge. "I want to lend my name and time to this event because the global water crisis is an environmental issue that affects nearly one billion people on the planet and through this event we can raise awareness and money to help address it."
"I am thrilled to be participating in this important event to bring clean, safe drinking water to the women and children around the world walking 6km every day to sustain their families," said Rob Thomas. "I encourage the Atlanta community to come out on April 18th because together we can make a difference in the lives of so many."
The events will take place in nearly 100 cities across 50 countries around the world on April 18, 2010, to raise awareness and funds to help solve the global water crisis. Pete Wentz, Angelique Kidjo, Alexandra Cousteau, and Jenny Fletcher have already been announced to support events on April 18th. Additional artists announcement for events taking place in Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York coming soon.
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