NS: Small business confidence on the rise, reports CFIB
By Staff, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Daily Business Buzz, November 3, 2010
[HALIFAX, NS] — After a steady drift downward through the spring and summer, small business confidence perked upward in October.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses’ (CFIB) Business Barometer© Index rose to 66.9, more than three points higher than September and its highest level since May. While this index level is still modest compared to pre-recession readings, it suggests a firming up of business owners’ expectations. Few small businesses are expecting high growth in the coming year, but even fewer are expecting significant declines.
Business owners in the Atlantic region have higher-than-average optimism, lead by Newfoundland and Labrador (69.2) and followed closely by Nova Scotia (68.8) and New Brunswick (68.2). Businesses in Prince Edward Island (59.0) are among the least optimistic in the country.
The following are some provincial findings:
• The index for Nova Scotia is 68.8, up from 65.9 in September.
• 36 per cent of the province’s businesses say the overall state of business is good; 45 per cent say is it satisfactory.
• 71 per cent of Nova Scotia’s businesses plan to hold employment levels steady over the next three to four months.
• Tax and regulatory costs are still the most significant cost pressure in Nova Scotia, with 65 per cent of business owners saying these costs are causing difficulties for their business.
The full report can be found at: http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/cfib-documents/rr3209.pdf
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
ADEDA News
Hello Kathleen,
An “Easy” Diversion
They say that the face of the person who can solve your problems is usually the one looking back at you.
Now metaphorically I know that’s supposed to refer to your image in a mirror. But it can occasionally be the face across the shop floor. At least that was the case with the invention and introduction of the aptly named “Easy Sorter”’.
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter this innovative recycling tool won this year’s Mobious Environmental award for small business from the RRFB Nova Scotia. In his remarks at a breakfast celebrating Small Business Week, recently Sissiboo Farm Supplies’ General Manager Randall Amero particularly thanked ADEDA – and our Economic Development Officer Dan Harvey – for our help and encouragement in developing this product. Now it’s attracting interest worldwide and at the same time stabilizing the employment picture at the progressive Weymouth company.
And, under the “now it can be told” category Amero in an interview with the Digby Courier credited in detail how company employee Sidney McCullough came up with the idea.
Field of Vision
Staying with the theme of lauding local folks in business who continually show acute vision and imagination, let’s talk about the new Brooklyn Street Market project just outside of Middleton. Owner Kim Connell owned a prime piece of pasture along Highway 101 for years, and never stopped thinking about how it could be put to more productive use. Well recently he opened the Market location – it’s a celebration of one entrepreneur’s vision, employs 15 people and provides an essential service for regional travellers.
Past as Prologue
Ironically enough, an innovative vision of community can just as easily come from a look backward as a look forward. Kudos to the provincial government’s Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage for two major announcements made last week – and which impact directly on Annapolis Digby, The Department firstly announced that it intended to honour an important piece of Nova Scotia history by designating a section of Belleisle Marsh as a protected provincial site. The Marsh is located northeast of Annapolis Royal and the designated section contains significant archeological artifacts dating to the earliest French settlement in this area. And Minister Percy Paris and his departmental staff are to be congratulated as well for their announcement that Nova Scotia will be hosting the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference next year. Previously the conference had been hosted in venues in the Caribbean and Africa. Given the active and lasting contribution that our African-Canadian community has made to our communal heritage, the hosting of the Conference will undoubtedly involve participation from our community.
Out with Ghosties – Up with Spirits
Well I hope that you had a safe and colourful Hallowe’en last night – and were generous and gushing with praise for the young “trick or treaters” who popped by. But, hey, the season for macabre musings need not be over. I’ve been a frequent visitor to Latin America and a huge devotee of its cultural history. So I’m well aware that today begins the celebration of “dia de la muertos” or “day of the dead”. It’s a particularly big day in Mexico where you can join in events ranging to participation in a family graveyard vigil to chomping down chocolate skulls. If you want to get a literary feel for the “dia”, my recommendation this week is Malcolm Lowry’s classic Under the Volcano. You’ll get the idea of the holiday but – and trust me on this – you won’t feel like having a drink for a while. And just in case you want to get one more shiver Canadian style, have a look at the spooky happenings being reported at Digby’s historic Holdsworth House. (My wife is a direct descendant of the house’s builder and first occupant, James Addington Holdsworth – which I’ve got to admit sort of has me thinking…).
On the other hand there’s a great opportunity to enliven your inner spirits this week. I recommend you check out the Mountain and the Valley Harvest Dinner. It’s an evening to celebrate local food and literature. The menu looks superb – and writer Christy Ann Conlin will read selections from Ernest Buckler’s The Mountain and the Valley as well as from her own bestselling novel Heave. Looks like a great evening – and the just break you’ll want from Lowry.
Till next week;
Peter
Peter MacLellan
Annapolis Digby EDA
An “Easy” Diversion
They say that the face of the person who can solve your problems is usually the one looking back at you.
Now metaphorically I know that’s supposed to refer to your image in a mirror. But it can occasionally be the face across the shop floor. At least that was the case with the invention and introduction of the aptly named “Easy Sorter”’.
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter this innovative recycling tool won this year’s Mobious Environmental award for small business from the RRFB Nova Scotia. In his remarks at a breakfast celebrating Small Business Week, recently Sissiboo Farm Supplies’ General Manager Randall Amero particularly thanked ADEDA – and our Economic Development Officer Dan Harvey – for our help and encouragement in developing this product. Now it’s attracting interest worldwide and at the same time stabilizing the employment picture at the progressive Weymouth company.
And, under the “now it can be told” category Amero in an interview with the Digby Courier credited in detail how company employee Sidney McCullough came up with the idea.
Field of Vision
Staying with the theme of lauding local folks in business who continually show acute vision and imagination, let’s talk about the new Brooklyn Street Market project just outside of Middleton. Owner Kim Connell owned a prime piece of pasture along Highway 101 for years, and never stopped thinking about how it could be put to more productive use. Well recently he opened the Market location – it’s a celebration of one entrepreneur’s vision, employs 15 people and provides an essential service for regional travellers.
Past as Prologue
Ironically enough, an innovative vision of community can just as easily come from a look backward as a look forward. Kudos to the provincial government’s Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage for two major announcements made last week – and which impact directly on Annapolis Digby, The Department firstly announced that it intended to honour an important piece of Nova Scotia history by designating a section of Belleisle Marsh as a protected provincial site. The Marsh is located northeast of Annapolis Royal and the designated section contains significant archeological artifacts dating to the earliest French settlement in this area. And Minister Percy Paris and his departmental staff are to be congratulated as well for their announcement that Nova Scotia will be hosting the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference next year. Previously the conference had been hosted in venues in the Caribbean and Africa. Given the active and lasting contribution that our African-Canadian community has made to our communal heritage, the hosting of the Conference will undoubtedly involve participation from our community.
Out with Ghosties – Up with Spirits
Well I hope that you had a safe and colourful Hallowe’en last night – and were generous and gushing with praise for the young “trick or treaters” who popped by. But, hey, the season for macabre musings need not be over. I’ve been a frequent visitor to Latin America and a huge devotee of its cultural history. So I’m well aware that today begins the celebration of “dia de la muertos” or “day of the dead”. It’s a particularly big day in Mexico where you can join in events ranging to participation in a family graveyard vigil to chomping down chocolate skulls. If you want to get a literary feel for the “dia”, my recommendation this week is Malcolm Lowry’s classic Under the Volcano. You’ll get the idea of the holiday but – and trust me on this – you won’t feel like having a drink for a while. And just in case you want to get one more shiver Canadian style, have a look at the spooky happenings being reported at Digby’s historic Holdsworth House. (My wife is a direct descendant of the house’s builder and first occupant, James Addington Holdsworth – which I’ve got to admit sort of has me thinking…).
On the other hand there’s a great opportunity to enliven your inner spirits this week. I recommend you check out the Mountain and the Valley Harvest Dinner. It’s an evening to celebrate local food and literature. The menu looks superb – and writer Christy Ann Conlin will read selections from Ernest Buckler’s The Mountain and the Valley as well as from her own bestselling novel Heave. Looks like a great evening – and the just break you’ll want from Lowry.
Till next week;
Peter
Peter MacLellan
Annapolis Digby EDA
Labels:
ADEDA news
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Resorts in Nova Scotia Examined
NS: Shadow looms over Digby Pines’ future
DIGBY, NS] — The future of Nova Scotia’s Signature Resorts, including the Digby Pines, is up in the air and options reportedly include its sale.
The NDP government is about to issue a tender for consultant’s services to look at what might be done with the Pines, Keltic Lodge in Cape Breton, and Liscombe Lodge on the Eastern Shore.
All three resorts are icons in Nova Scotia’s tourism industry, and all three are in need of major renovation, according to an official at New Castle Hotels in Halifax.
The Connecticut-based firm took over management in 2002 and last year was the first time since then that the resorts lost money.
The three reported an operating loss of $717,382 for 2009-10 on revenues of $9 million, according to a provincial news report.
Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa — John DeMings photo
Along with possible sale of the resorts — an issue complicated by federal ownership of the land beneath Keltic Lodge — the consultant is expected to look at other options, including continued government ownership, renovation, and continued use of a management firm, whether New Castle or another operator.
Pines employees are also concerned that closure of the resort is a possibility.
New Castle signed a 10-year management contract in 2002 and that expires after next season. The company’s fee is three per cent of total revenues.
An unofficial source at the Pines says the Digby resort had over $4 million in revenue, and returned about half of that to the region in wages. The main resort building is located within town boundaries and is a contributor to Digby’s tax base.
DIGBY, NS] — The future of Nova Scotia’s Signature Resorts, including the Digby Pines, is up in the air and options reportedly include its sale.
The NDP government is about to issue a tender for consultant’s services to look at what might be done with the Pines, Keltic Lodge in Cape Breton, and Liscombe Lodge on the Eastern Shore.
All three resorts are icons in Nova Scotia’s tourism industry, and all three are in need of major renovation, according to an official at New Castle Hotels in Halifax.
The Connecticut-based firm took over management in 2002 and last year was the first time since then that the resorts lost money.
The three reported an operating loss of $717,382 for 2009-10 on revenues of $9 million, according to a provincial news report.
Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa — John DeMings photo
Along with possible sale of the resorts — an issue complicated by federal ownership of the land beneath Keltic Lodge — the consultant is expected to look at other options, including continued government ownership, renovation, and continued use of a management firm, whether New Castle or another operator.
Pines employees are also concerned that closure of the resort is a possibility.
New Castle signed a 10-year management contract in 2002 and that expires after next season. The company’s fee is three per cent of total revenues.
An unofficial source at the Pines says the Digby resort had over $4 million in revenue, and returned about half of that to the region in wages. The main resort building is located within town boundaries and is a contributor to Digby’s tax base.
Labels:
Nova Scotia resorts
Yarmouth airline
NS: Airline service postponed as controversy hovers
By Staff, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Vanguard, October 29, 2010
[YARMOUTH, NS] — East Coast Airways has postponed start-up until November 22. The airline originally announced it would begin service, two days a week, between Halifax and Yarmouth on November 2.
Recent news reports concerning the personal financial background of president Jason Hasson were recently addressed by David Rankin, executive director of the Yarmouth International Airport Corporation.
“While the accusations against Mr. Hasson from some American individuals are concerning,” said Rankin, “all the involved airport directors are in discussion with one another. We are working together to ensure passengers and our communities receive the best possible service.”
Earlier this week, CBC News had reported that angry creditors in the U.S. are claiming that Hasson owes hundreds of thousands of dollars.
East Coast Airways is a division of Integra Air of Lethbridge, Alberta, which has been providing air service between that city and the provincial capital, Edmonton, since 1998.
East Coast Airways is operating under Integra Air’s Transport Canada operating certificate, and has been granted a license to sell airline tickets by the Canadian Transportation Agency.
“We’ve done our homework,” Rankin said, “and will continue to apply due diligence in reference to East Coast Airways. The operating agreements among my colleagues at the other airports and East Coast Airways will provide the utmost benefit to Maritimers. They know that this transportation service is vitally important to our region’s economic growth.”
By Staff, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Vanguard, October 29, 2010
[YARMOUTH, NS] — East Coast Airways has postponed start-up until November 22. The airline originally announced it would begin service, two days a week, between Halifax and Yarmouth on November 2.
Recent news reports concerning the personal financial background of president Jason Hasson were recently addressed by David Rankin, executive director of the Yarmouth International Airport Corporation.
“While the accusations against Mr. Hasson from some American individuals are concerning,” said Rankin, “all the involved airport directors are in discussion with one another. We are working together to ensure passengers and our communities receive the best possible service.”
Earlier this week, CBC News had reported that angry creditors in the U.S. are claiming that Hasson owes hundreds of thousands of dollars.
East Coast Airways is a division of Integra Air of Lethbridge, Alberta, which has been providing air service between that city and the provincial capital, Edmonton, since 1998.
East Coast Airways is operating under Integra Air’s Transport Canada operating certificate, and has been granted a license to sell airline tickets by the Canadian Transportation Agency.
“We’ve done our homework,” Rankin said, “and will continue to apply due diligence in reference to East Coast Airways. The operating agreements among my colleagues at the other airports and East Coast Airways will provide the utmost benefit to Maritimers. They know that this transportation service is vitally important to our region’s economic growth.”
Labels:
Yarmouth Nova Scotia airline
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Winter Events
C'mon, Digby County, let's get some winter events going!
Destination Southwest Nova Association in partnership with the NS Department of Tourism, Culture & Heritage are working again this year with Saltscapes Magazine to publish their very successful Winterscapes calendar. They are seeking events from our region to highlight the calendar which will feature events and festivals from January 1 to May 31, 2011. This calendar has been a very successful marketing piece and will be distributed throughout Atlantic Canada.
Please submit your events/festivals to our online calendar (click here) and I will forward the information along. This information is required by November 15th, 2010!
Destination Southwest Nova Association in partnership with the NS Department of Tourism, Culture & Heritage are working again this year with Saltscapes Magazine to publish their very successful Winterscapes calendar. They are seeking events from our region to highlight the calendar which will feature events and festivals from January 1 to May 31, 2011. This calendar has been a very successful marketing piece and will be distributed throughout Atlantic Canada.
Please submit your events/festivals to our online calendar (click here) and I will forward the information along. This information is required by November 15th, 2010!
Labels:
destination sw nova news
Summit and Whales
From Tom Paton and Avaaz
Dear friends,
Many whales are among the 1/3rd of all life on the planet that is being driven to extinction. World governments are meeting this week to consider a bold plan to protect 20% of the world's oceans and lands by 2020.
We have 36 hours left, and a global public outcry could tip the balance. Click to sign the petition for the 20/20 plan and forward this email:
There are only 300 northern right whales left, and 99% of blue whales have been wiped out. These majestic giants are endangered species, and their case is being played out across the world, time and again. In fact, one third of all life forms on the planet are on the brink of extinction.
The natural world is being crushed by human activity, waste and exploitation. But there is a plan to save it -- a global agreement to create, fund and enforce protected areas covering 20% of our lands and seas by 2020. And right now, 193 governments are meeting in Japan to address this crisis.
We have just 36 hours left in this crucial meeting. Experts say that politicians are hesitant to adopt such an ambitious goal, but that a global public outcry could tip the balance, making leaders feel the eyes of the world upon them. Click to sign the urgent 20/20 petition, and forward this email widely -- the message will be delivered directly to the meeting in Japan:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/?vl
Ironically, 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. By now, our governments were supposed to have "achieved a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss." They have failed, consistently caving to industry when given a choice between narrow profit and protecting species. Our animals, plants, oceans, forests, soils, and rivers are choking under immense burdens from over-exploitation and other pressures.
Humans are the primary cause of this destruction. But we can turn it around -- we've saved species from extinction before. The causes of biodiversity decline are vast, and stopping them is going to require a move away from empty piecemeal promises with no clarity on who will pay, to a bold plan with strict enforcement and serious funding. The 20/20 plan is precisely that: governments will be forced to execute strict programmes to ensure that 20% of our earth is protected by the 2020 deadline, and massively scale up funding.
It has to be now. All over the world the picture is beginning to look bleaker -- there are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild, our oceans are running out of fish, and we're losing unique food sources to large mono-plantations. Nature is resilient, but we have to give it a safe place to bounce back. That's why this meeting is key -- it's a watershed moment to accelerate action based on clear commitments that protect nature's capital.
If our governments feel overwhelming public pressure right now to be courageous, we can jolt them to commit to the 20/20 plan at this meeting. But it's going to take every one of us to get that message to echo around the convention in Japan. Sign this urgent petition below, then forward it widely:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/?vl
Already this year Avaaz, members have played a critical role in protecting elephants, defending the whale-hunting ban, and securing the world's largest Marine Protected Area in the Chagos Islands. Our community has shown that we can set ambitious goals -- and win. This campaign is the next stage in the essential battle to create the world that most of us everywhere want -- where natural resources and species are valued, and our living planet is protected for future generations.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/?vl
Dear friends,
Many whales are among the 1/3rd of all life on the planet that is being driven to extinction. World governments are meeting this week to consider a bold plan to protect 20% of the world's oceans and lands by 2020.
We have 36 hours left, and a global public outcry could tip the balance. Click to sign the petition for the 20/20 plan and forward this email:
There are only 300 northern right whales left, and 99% of blue whales have been wiped out. These majestic giants are endangered species, and their case is being played out across the world, time and again. In fact, one third of all life forms on the planet are on the brink of extinction.
The natural world is being crushed by human activity, waste and exploitation. But there is a plan to save it -- a global agreement to create, fund and enforce protected areas covering 20% of our lands and seas by 2020. And right now, 193 governments are meeting in Japan to address this crisis.
We have just 36 hours left in this crucial meeting. Experts say that politicians are hesitant to adopt such an ambitious goal, but that a global public outcry could tip the balance, making leaders feel the eyes of the world upon them. Click to sign the urgent 20/20 petition, and forward this email widely -- the message will be delivered directly to the meeting in Japan:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/?vl
Ironically, 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. By now, our governments were supposed to have "achieved a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss." They have failed, consistently caving to industry when given a choice between narrow profit and protecting species. Our animals, plants, oceans, forests, soils, and rivers are choking under immense burdens from over-exploitation and other pressures.
Humans are the primary cause of this destruction. But we can turn it around -- we've saved species from extinction before. The causes of biodiversity decline are vast, and stopping them is going to require a move away from empty piecemeal promises with no clarity on who will pay, to a bold plan with strict enforcement and serious funding. The 20/20 plan is precisely that: governments will be forced to execute strict programmes to ensure that 20% of our earth is protected by the 2020 deadline, and massively scale up funding.
It has to be now. All over the world the picture is beginning to look bleaker -- there are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild, our oceans are running out of fish, and we're losing unique food sources to large mono-plantations. Nature is resilient, but we have to give it a safe place to bounce back. That's why this meeting is key -- it's a watershed moment to accelerate action based on clear commitments that protect nature's capital.
If our governments feel overwhelming public pressure right now to be courageous, we can jolt them to commit to the 20/20 plan at this meeting. But it's going to take every one of us to get that message to echo around the convention in Japan. Sign this urgent petition below, then forward it widely:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/?vl
Already this year Avaaz, members have played a critical role in protecting elephants, defending the whale-hunting ban, and securing the world's largest Marine Protected Area in the Chagos Islands. Our community has shown that we can set ambitious goals -- and win. This campaign is the next stage in the essential battle to create the world that most of us everywhere want -- where natural resources and species are valued, and our living planet is protected for future generations.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_end_of_whales/?vl
Tourism Summit
2010 Tourism Summit - The Power of Tourism
REGISTER NOW - Deadline October 31
November 28-30, 2010 In Halifax
The 2010 Tourism Summit - The Power of Tourism is being held November 28th - 30th at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia! Register with DSWNA by October 31st and pay only $305 + hst. Contact jbalser@dswna.com or call (902) 645-2307.
As the largest tourism industry conference in Canada, this annual event is attended by more than 500 delegates and includes a combination of high calibre keynote speakers, educational sessions and networking events.
The three day event culminates with the annual Crystal Tourism Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner, always an evening to remember. Educational sessions will be interactive, provide timely information and best practices for operators.
This event would not be possible without our many industry partnerships. We would ask you to recognize our Summit Partners and support those companies that are investing in the tourism industry.
The annual Tourism Expo will take place on Monday, November 29th and showcase the latest products and services available. To view exhibitors please click here.
REGISTER NOW - Deadline October 31
November 28-30, 2010 In Halifax
The 2010 Tourism Summit - The Power of Tourism is being held November 28th - 30th at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia! Register with DSWNA by October 31st and pay only $305 + hst. Contact jbalser@dswna.com or call (902) 645-2307.
As the largest tourism industry conference in Canada, this annual event is attended by more than 500 delegates and includes a combination of high calibre keynote speakers, educational sessions and networking events.
The three day event culminates with the annual Crystal Tourism Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner, always an evening to remember. Educational sessions will be interactive, provide timely information and best practices for operators.
This event would not be possible without our many industry partnerships. We would ask you to recognize our Summit Partners and support those companies that are investing in the tourism industry.
The annual Tourism Expo will take place on Monday, November 29th and showcase the latest products and services available. To view exhibitors please click here.
Labels:
Tourism summit
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