Via NSP
Digby Neck Wind Farm Open House Event
by Robin 5. December 2010 05:27
Earlier today, several NS Power employees including myself, CEO Rob
Bennett and Project Manager Sean Brennan welcomed local residents to an open house event at the Digby Neck Wind Farm.
The Wind Farm consists of 20, 1.5 megawatt General Electric turbines that can power 10,000 homes at full capacity. A 17 km transmission line was constructed to connect the Wind Farm to the electric grid along with a 7 km on-site collector system that collects energy from the turbines and transmits it to a substation.
The Wind Farm has been of interest to local communities since it was proposed several years ago and has attracted greater attention as construction progressed, especially since turbines began rising over the last few months. With the Wind Farm’s formal commissioning coming soon, 16 of 20 turbines already producing electricity and colder weather on the horizon, it was about time to invite residents in for a tour.
Over 100 people joined us today to learn about various aspects of the Wind Farm such as how the turbines were erected and how much energy they produce. Bus tours stopped at various locations to chat and review information about the Wind Farm and provide the opportunity to engage with attendees and hear their questions, comments and concerns. It was great to have so many people spend part of their day with us at the event. I was also pleased to see representatives from Scotian WindFields – the company originally involved with the project – also come out for the event. I suppose it didn’t hurt to see the weather hold out for us as well.
To commemorate the construction of the Wind Farm, local artist Poppy Balser provided us with a wonderful watercolour painting of three of the turbines, titled Winds of Change: Leaving a Legacy of Cleaner Energy. Open house attendees were each given a post card with an image of the painting as a thank you for lending us part of their Saturday afternoon at the event. The Wind Farm watercolour is only one example of Poppy’s talent, so be sure to check out her web site at www.poppybalser.com to see other paintings in her portfolio.
We’ve uploaded some photos from today’s event to our Flickr page, so feel free to browse through the album to the right. You can also check out photos from the Nuttby Mountain open house event a few weeks ago, along with artist Janice Guinan’s rendition of that Wind Farm, titled Dawn of a New Day.
As a final note in this post, I’d like to congratulate Sean and the entire project team for working safely on an important project that will truly benefit all Nova Scotians for years to come.
Thanks for reading.
- Robin
Monday, December 6, 2010
ADEDA News
Ferry Funding
There was finally some good news last week with regard to the continuance of ferry service between Digby and Saint John, New Brunswick.
The Government of Canada announced an investment funding program that would support specific ferry services in Atlantic Canada for a three year period to March 31, 2014.
Among the services to receive that support was our vital Fundy service.
The decision by the federal government was welcomed by the Bay of Fundy Transportation Coalition’s Chair Jim Thurber who said “This is a very encouraging decision that will allow us the time we need to make the business case, garner the support and pursue our ultimate goals of a longer term commitment and the new vessel this service needs”.
The Coalition is comprised of businesses and organizations representing fisheries, trucking, tourism, economic development, local government, boards of trade and environmental stewardship located in southwest Nova Scotia, and has been pushing hard for a long term commitment for the ferry service.
The Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency (ADEDA) has been the coordinating organization for the Coalition since its inception and ADEDA Managing Director Mike Gushue expressed his appreciation for the government’s decision, saying “This shows what can be achieved when everyone in the community works diligently and responsibly towards a common purpose”. He also cited the strong support given at all levels by the area’s Member of Parliament, Greg Kerr. Commendably, Kerr moved quickly to meet with business and public representatives – and then with the Coalition – over the weekend to provide further background on the announcement and discuss the community’s “go forward” strategy. (And a “shout out” of appreciation to Bay Ferries’ Mike Adams for helping to make the facilities at the ferry terminal available and so pleasant for the meeting).
The Coalition has particularly emphasized the importance of the Digby to Saint John service to our region’s $600 million annual seafood industry.
Across the Bay the federal funding decision was also being hailed by supporters in Saint John, led by Mayor Ivan Court who has maintained that “The ferry system is part of the transportation system of Canada” and adding “it should be considered in the road system, the bridge system whatever else”.
Switched On
In his 1963 classic “Blowin’ In The Wind” iconic folkie Bob Dylan ambiguously suggests the answers to some of life’s key issues might be obviously in front of our respective noses, or as ephemeral as the wind.
Well, there’s nothing ambiguous about the effects of the breezes blowing through Nova Scotia Power’s Digby Neck wind farm. It’s now open with 10 of the 20 turbines in operation. I had a chance to tour the facility last week with NSP’s genial and very knowledgeable Project Manager, Sean Brennan, and was honestly impressed with the scope of the project – and the environmental as well as operational foresight that went into its planning. NSP also hosted a public open house at the site over the weekend to allow the community to see firsthand what’s taking place.
Riding The Renewable Energy Wave
The opening of that 30 megawatt wind farm on Digby Neck was just part of the renewable energy news that continues to focus on our area and the Fundy region in general. The provincial Energy Department has announced that it had received five responses to a call for expression of interest looking for a fourth tidal power developer in the Bay of Fundy. The bids came from companies in Canada, the United States and the UK.
The Sports Page
And, hey, we’re not all transportation analysts or renewable energy wonks around here. We like our recreational opportunities as well. And a national near miss and a national sure thing highlighted Annapolis Digby doings from the world of sports this past week. In their new book “Lawrencetown is ‘Our Hockeyville’”, veteran authors Dave and Paulette Whitman document the charming story of how a long shot community from the Annapolis Valley came “this close” to earning the title of Canada’s “Hockeyville” for this year. If there’s a wonderful holiday read to be had – it’s here – and by the way the Whitman’s will be at the Lawrencetown fire hall this weekend, December 11th, to sign copies of the book. Meanwhile at the other end of our coverage area, the folks in Digby are getting ready to host the event that didn’t get away. In a few months teams from across Canada will be “hurrying hard” to the Digby Curling Club for the national mens and womens senior championships. The event is already causing excitement within the local curling communities – and with sports buffs in general. But volunteers are still needed to help make it the success we all want. There’s more information available and a number to call if you want to be part of this national bonspiel.
Ah Shucks!
I know I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions my admiration for the hard work ethic exhibited daily by my doughty small band of coworkers here at ADEDA. However, if they have a failing perhaps it’s their intrinsic modesty in the performance of their tasks – something not shared, of course, by “moi”. That’s why I think it’s great when their work gets recognized by the local business community.
Playing with a Full House
They may have to consider replacing the winter storm doors with revolving doors at the ADEDA office on December 16th when we host two major workshops at our facilities. There’re two wonderful opportunities to develop your business communications acumen for artists and crafters at the ACTS workshop; and hone yourself in the craft of business writing at the business writing basics workshop. Hmmmm…probably should consider enrolling in that one myself.
Till next week;
Peter
Peter MacLellan
Annapolis Digby EDA
86 Atlantic Avenue
PO Box 271
Cornwallis, Nova Scotia
Canada B0S 1H0
Tel: (902) 638-3490
Fax: (902) 638-8106
E: communications@annapolisdigby.com
We invite you to visit us anytime at www.annapolisdigby
There was finally some good news last week with regard to the continuance of ferry service between Digby and Saint John, New Brunswick.
The Government of Canada announced an investment funding program that would support specific ferry services in Atlantic Canada for a three year period to March 31, 2014.
Among the services to receive that support was our vital Fundy service.
The decision by the federal government was welcomed by the Bay of Fundy Transportation Coalition’s Chair Jim Thurber who said “This is a very encouraging decision that will allow us the time we need to make the business case, garner the support and pursue our ultimate goals of a longer term commitment and the new vessel this service needs”.
The Coalition is comprised of businesses and organizations representing fisheries, trucking, tourism, economic development, local government, boards of trade and environmental stewardship located in southwest Nova Scotia, and has been pushing hard for a long term commitment for the ferry service.
The Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency (ADEDA) has been the coordinating organization for the Coalition since its inception and ADEDA Managing Director Mike Gushue expressed his appreciation for the government’s decision, saying “This shows what can be achieved when everyone in the community works diligently and responsibly towards a common purpose”. He also cited the strong support given at all levels by the area’s Member of Parliament, Greg Kerr. Commendably, Kerr moved quickly to meet with business and public representatives – and then with the Coalition – over the weekend to provide further background on the announcement and discuss the community’s “go forward” strategy. (And a “shout out” of appreciation to Bay Ferries’ Mike Adams for helping to make the facilities at the ferry terminal available and so pleasant for the meeting).
The Coalition has particularly emphasized the importance of the Digby to Saint John service to our region’s $600 million annual seafood industry.
Across the Bay the federal funding decision was also being hailed by supporters in Saint John, led by Mayor Ivan Court who has maintained that “The ferry system is part of the transportation system of Canada” and adding “it should be considered in the road system, the bridge system whatever else”.
Switched On
In his 1963 classic “Blowin’ In The Wind” iconic folkie Bob Dylan ambiguously suggests the answers to some of life’s key issues might be obviously in front of our respective noses, or as ephemeral as the wind.
Well, there’s nothing ambiguous about the effects of the breezes blowing through Nova Scotia Power’s Digby Neck wind farm. It’s now open with 10 of the 20 turbines in operation. I had a chance to tour the facility last week with NSP’s genial and very knowledgeable Project Manager, Sean Brennan, and was honestly impressed with the scope of the project – and the environmental as well as operational foresight that went into its planning. NSP also hosted a public open house at the site over the weekend to allow the community to see firsthand what’s taking place.
Riding The Renewable Energy Wave
The opening of that 30 megawatt wind farm on Digby Neck was just part of the renewable energy news that continues to focus on our area and the Fundy region in general. The provincial Energy Department has announced that it had received five responses to a call for expression of interest looking for a fourth tidal power developer in the Bay of Fundy. The bids came from companies in Canada, the United States and the UK.
The Sports Page
And, hey, we’re not all transportation analysts or renewable energy wonks around here. We like our recreational opportunities as well. And a national near miss and a national sure thing highlighted Annapolis Digby doings from the world of sports this past week. In their new book “Lawrencetown is ‘Our Hockeyville’”, veteran authors Dave and Paulette Whitman document the charming story of how a long shot community from the Annapolis Valley came “this close” to earning the title of Canada’s “Hockeyville” for this year. If there’s a wonderful holiday read to be had – it’s here – and by the way the Whitman’s will be at the Lawrencetown fire hall this weekend, December 11th, to sign copies of the book. Meanwhile at the other end of our coverage area, the folks in Digby are getting ready to host the event that didn’t get away. In a few months teams from across Canada will be “hurrying hard” to the Digby Curling Club for the national mens and womens senior championships. The event is already causing excitement within the local curling communities – and with sports buffs in general. But volunteers are still needed to help make it the success we all want. There’s more information available and a number to call if you want to be part of this national bonspiel.
Ah Shucks!
I know I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions my admiration for the hard work ethic exhibited daily by my doughty small band of coworkers here at ADEDA. However, if they have a failing perhaps it’s their intrinsic modesty in the performance of their tasks – something not shared, of course, by “moi”. That’s why I think it’s great when their work gets recognized by the local business community.
Playing with a Full House
They may have to consider replacing the winter storm doors with revolving doors at the ADEDA office on December 16th when we host two major workshops at our facilities. There’re two wonderful opportunities to develop your business communications acumen for artists and crafters at the ACTS workshop; and hone yourself in the craft of business writing at the business writing basics workshop. Hmmmm…probably should consider enrolling in that one myself.
Till next week;
Peter
Peter MacLellan
Annapolis Digby EDA
86 Atlantic Avenue
PO Box 271
Cornwallis, Nova Scotia
Canada B0S 1H0
Tel: (902) 638-3490
Fax: (902) 638-8106
E: communications@annapolisdigby.com
We invite you to visit us anytime at www.annapolisdigby
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Our Whale Resource
What whales are telling us about the Earth
By reese halter
Posted: 12/02/2010 11:27:31 PM PST
Updated: 12/02/2010 11:27:34 PM PST
Last year, Iceland and Norway killed 688 whales while Japan, under the guise of "scientific research," slaughtered 1,000 whales. In the 20th century humans decimated the whale populations around the globe by 1.5 million animals.
Interestingly, the message from "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" -- that to save the Earth, whales must be protected -- seems more valid now than ever before.
Reports from the last couple of months clearly showed that the whales are helping researchers determine atmospheric science, Arctic oceanography, the extent of global warming, marine food-web nutrition and record-breaking migration patterns. Incidentally, all of these fascinating discoveries are taking place on frugal scientific budgets.
Workers from the Zoological Society of London and Queen Mary University recently examined 156 blue, fin and sperm whales swimming in the Gulf of California -- a United Nations World Heritage site. The whales are showing the scientists that the hole in the ozone layer is getting worse, allowing lethal UV radiation to penetrate Earth's protective ozone shield and cause skin cancers and cataracts.
From high-resolution photographs and studying whale skin samples, they have concluded that the whales are becoming sunburned during the time they are spending at the surface.
Blue whales, which have fairer skin than most whales, suffered significantly more than the much darker fin whales. And sperm whales, which spend a
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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considerable amount of time on the surface breathing and socializing for hours at a time, were also vulnerable to sun damage.
The study found that the lesions and sunburnt cells on blue whales had worsened considerably from an earlier survey in 2007.
Since the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer was first discovered in the 1970s, ozone levels have shrunk by up to 70 percent in the worst seasons. Although the CFCs, which damage the ozone level, were banned in 1987, ozone levels are not expected to recover until about 2050.
In fact, UV radiation is expected to increase by 4 percent in the tropics and 20 percent in the poles over the next few decades. At this point in time scientists are not clear whether various life-threatening cancers will develop on whales exposed to high levels of UV radiation.
One thing is for certain: People spending time outdoors must wear sunscreen and protective eyewear.
Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Vermont have found that humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine carry massive quantities of nitrogen from the deep sea, where they feed, to the surface, and release it in their liquid-like feces. Essentially, humpbacks function as an "upward biological pump."
It turns out that humpbacks contribute more nitrogen to the Gulf of Maine than all the local rivers combined, an estimated 25,000 tons, annually.
In turn, these nutrients allow more phytoplankton to grow, which increases the food supply at the base of the marine food web, therefore promoting bigger fisheries and higher abundance where whales occur in greater densities.
Clearly, it is erroneous to claim, as the three whaling countries tout, that whales compete with their commercial fisheries; rather, they enhance them.
Last month, scientists from the College of the Atlantic in Maine, browsing the photo-sharing site Flickr, found identification markings on a humpback tail or fluke in a photo taken by a Norwegian tourist whale-watching at the breeding grounds near Ile Sainte Marie off the east coast of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean, in 2001.
Two years previous, that female was pictured in the breeding grounds off Abrolhos, an area of small volcanic islands along the southern Brazilian coast in the Atlantic Ocean.
The female humpback whale swam at least 6,125 miles, or nearly a quarter of the globe; it was the longest documented movement by a mammal ever recorded.
Until now, humpback migration patterns were believed to be north/south rather than east/west. Was she responding to a distant complex song, following prey, exploring new breeding habitats? Or was she simply wandering as whales are so perfectly engineered for? We have a lot to learn from our cetacean friends.
The iconic, spiraled tooth (or tusk) narwhals, permanent residents of the high Arctic, possess brain-to-body sizes just slightly smaller than humans. These extraordinary beauties of a beast dive greater than one mile in pitch-dark icy Arctic water, relying upon echolocation or sonar to hunt Greenland halibut during the winter. They spend up to three hours a day at least a half a mile from the surface, exquisitely adapted to over 80 atmospheres of pressure.
Oceanographers from the University of Washington and Greenland's Institute of Natural Resources tagged 14 adult narwhals with sensors and determined that the temperature of the Arctic Ocean was almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than previously thought.
The Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rate. In the 1980s, the Arctic contained about 386,000 square miles of ice that was at least five years old. At the end of September 2010, only 22,000 square miles of such older, thicker ice remains. The Arctic has lost 97 percent of the thicker year-round ice that existed just three decades ago.
Not only are the whales helping us determine how quickly global warming is occurring, they're also helping to determine the extent of the hole in the ozone layer. In addition, since 40 percent of the ocean's phytoplankton is missing from warming ocean temperatures and ocean acidification, the whales are crucial in their role to fertilize the oceans and replenish phytoplankton -- the base of the entire marine food web.
In 2008, 13 million people from 119 countries paid $2.1 billion to see the whales. Around the globe, whale-watching tourism is growing at 10 percent per annum. It's time now to end the whale hunt and grant amnesty to magnificent creatures that are helping us survive on our blue planet.
Reese Halter is a conservation biologist at Cal Lutheran University, public speaker and founder of the international conservation institute Global Forest Science. Follow him at twitter.com/DrReeseHalter
By reese halter
Posted: 12/02/2010 11:27:31 PM PST
Updated: 12/02/2010 11:27:34 PM PST
Last year, Iceland and Norway killed 688 whales while Japan, under the guise of "scientific research," slaughtered 1,000 whales. In the 20th century humans decimated the whale populations around the globe by 1.5 million animals.
Interestingly, the message from "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" -- that to save the Earth, whales must be protected -- seems more valid now than ever before.
Reports from the last couple of months clearly showed that the whales are helping researchers determine atmospheric science, Arctic oceanography, the extent of global warming, marine food-web nutrition and record-breaking migration patterns. Incidentally, all of these fascinating discoveries are taking place on frugal scientific budgets.
Workers from the Zoological Society of London and Queen Mary University recently examined 156 blue, fin and sperm whales swimming in the Gulf of California -- a United Nations World Heritage site. The whales are showing the scientists that the hole in the ozone layer is getting worse, allowing lethal UV radiation to penetrate Earth's protective ozone shield and cause skin cancers and cataracts.
From high-resolution photographs and studying whale skin samples, they have concluded that the whales are becoming sunburned during the time they are spending at the surface.
Blue whales, which have fairer skin than most whales, suffered significantly more than the much darker fin whales. And sperm whales, which spend a
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
considerable amount of time on the surface breathing and socializing for hours at a time, were also vulnerable to sun damage.
The study found that the lesions and sunburnt cells on blue whales had worsened considerably from an earlier survey in 2007.
Since the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer was first discovered in the 1970s, ozone levels have shrunk by up to 70 percent in the worst seasons. Although the CFCs, which damage the ozone level, were banned in 1987, ozone levels are not expected to recover until about 2050.
In fact, UV radiation is expected to increase by 4 percent in the tropics and 20 percent in the poles over the next few decades. At this point in time scientists are not clear whether various life-threatening cancers will develop on whales exposed to high levels of UV radiation.
One thing is for certain: People spending time outdoors must wear sunscreen and protective eyewear.
Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Vermont have found that humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine carry massive quantities of nitrogen from the deep sea, where they feed, to the surface, and release it in their liquid-like feces. Essentially, humpbacks function as an "upward biological pump."
It turns out that humpbacks contribute more nitrogen to the Gulf of Maine than all the local rivers combined, an estimated 25,000 tons, annually.
In turn, these nutrients allow more phytoplankton to grow, which increases the food supply at the base of the marine food web, therefore promoting bigger fisheries and higher abundance where whales occur in greater densities.
Clearly, it is erroneous to claim, as the three whaling countries tout, that whales compete with their commercial fisheries; rather, they enhance them.
Last month, scientists from the College of the Atlantic in Maine, browsing the photo-sharing site Flickr, found identification markings on a humpback tail or fluke in a photo taken by a Norwegian tourist whale-watching at the breeding grounds near Ile Sainte Marie off the east coast of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean, in 2001.
Two years previous, that female was pictured in the breeding grounds off Abrolhos, an area of small volcanic islands along the southern Brazilian coast in the Atlantic Ocean.
The female humpback whale swam at least 6,125 miles, or nearly a quarter of the globe; it was the longest documented movement by a mammal ever recorded.
Until now, humpback migration patterns were believed to be north/south rather than east/west. Was she responding to a distant complex song, following prey, exploring new breeding habitats? Or was she simply wandering as whales are so perfectly engineered for? We have a lot to learn from our cetacean friends.
The iconic, spiraled tooth (or tusk) narwhals, permanent residents of the high Arctic, possess brain-to-body sizes just slightly smaller than humans. These extraordinary beauties of a beast dive greater than one mile in pitch-dark icy Arctic water, relying upon echolocation or sonar to hunt Greenland halibut during the winter. They spend up to three hours a day at least a half a mile from the surface, exquisitely adapted to over 80 atmospheres of pressure.
Oceanographers from the University of Washington and Greenland's Institute of Natural Resources tagged 14 adult narwhals with sensors and determined that the temperature of the Arctic Ocean was almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than previously thought.
The Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rate. In the 1980s, the Arctic contained about 386,000 square miles of ice that was at least five years old. At the end of September 2010, only 22,000 square miles of such older, thicker ice remains. The Arctic has lost 97 percent of the thicker year-round ice that existed just three decades ago.
Not only are the whales helping us determine how quickly global warming is occurring, they're also helping to determine the extent of the hole in the ozone layer. In addition, since 40 percent of the ocean's phytoplankton is missing from warming ocean temperatures and ocean acidification, the whales are crucial in their role to fertilize the oceans and replenish phytoplankton -- the base of the entire marine food web.
In 2008, 13 million people from 119 countries paid $2.1 billion to see the whales. Around the globe, whale-watching tourism is growing at 10 percent per annum. It's time now to end the whale hunt and grant amnesty to magnificent creatures that are helping us survive on our blue planet.
Reese Halter is a conservation biologist at Cal Lutheran University, public speaker and founder of the international conservation institute Global Forest Science. Follow him at twitter.com/DrReeseHalter
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Craft Fair
Digby Neck fire hall Dec. 11, 9 am to 3pm Come one come all! Get your Christmas shopping done!
Labels:
Christmas craft fairs Digby Neck
Communications Technology
Telecom companies look to profit in 2011
By Staff, The Canadian Press
Source: The Canadian Press - Decemer 2, 2010
[OTTAWA, ONT] - The introduction of new consumer technology and cost cutting will lead Canada’s telecom industry to a profitable 2010 but earnings are expected to stagnate in 2011 as competition heats up, according to a report by the Conference Board of Canada.Industry profit is expected to increase 11.6 per cent this year to $7.5 billion, but more competition will limit the ability of wireless providers to raise their prices, the report released Thursday said.
“All in all, telecom providers are benefiting from strong demand from both consumers and businesses but their pricing power is growing steadily weaker as competition increases,” conference board economist Maxim Armstrong said in his report.
The sluggish economic recovery made it harder for telecom providers to attract new clients or convince existing customers to expand their service, he said.
But lower costs and continued demand for products like digital TV and smartphones helped to keep the telecom industry growing when most other industries were in recession, Armstrong said.
The report noted that four new wireless players - Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, Public Mobile and Quebecor’s Videotron - entered the wireless market.
“The result for the industry as a whole is that increased competition will bring prices and profit margins down,” the report said. “In reaction to the new entrants’ arrival, most companies have eliminated network fees and made new types of packages available.”
The report also noted the influence of the Internet and improved networks with traditional telecom providers trying to adapt by adding content and more flexibility to their on-demand services.
“In the coming years, demand for telecom services is expected to continue to increase at a solid pace.”
By Staff, The Canadian Press
Source: The Canadian Press - Decemer 2, 2010
[OTTAWA, ONT] - The introduction of new consumer technology and cost cutting will lead Canada’s telecom industry to a profitable 2010 but earnings are expected to stagnate in 2011 as competition heats up, according to a report by the Conference Board of Canada.Industry profit is expected to increase 11.6 per cent this year to $7.5 billion, but more competition will limit the ability of wireless providers to raise their prices, the report released Thursday said.
“All in all, telecom providers are benefiting from strong demand from both consumers and businesses but their pricing power is growing steadily weaker as competition increases,” conference board economist Maxim Armstrong said in his report.
The sluggish economic recovery made it harder for telecom providers to attract new clients or convince existing customers to expand their service, he said.
But lower costs and continued demand for products like digital TV and smartphones helped to keep the telecom industry growing when most other industries were in recession, Armstrong said.
The report noted that four new wireless players - Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, Public Mobile and Quebecor’s Videotron - entered the wireless market.
“The result for the industry as a whole is that increased competition will bring prices and profit margins down,” the report said. “In reaction to the new entrants’ arrival, most companies have eliminated network fees and made new types of packages available.”
The report also noted the influence of the Internet and improved networks with traditional telecom providers trying to adapt by adding content and more flexibility to their on-demand services.
“In the coming years, demand for telecom services is expected to continue to increase at a solid pace.”
Mink on the South Shore
NS: Land use committee raises stink over mink farm
By Greg Bennett, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Coast Guard, December 2, 2010
[CLYDE RIVER, NS] — A controversial mink ranch in Clyde River is again on the radar of the Municipality of Barrington in the wake of a recent presentation.
Lee Keating, a spokesperson for the Clyde River Land Use Committee, told council that despite monitoring and inspections by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment, the mink facility operated by Maranatha Fur Farms Ltd. continues to be a major irritant to many citizens of Clyde River, noting that residents in the area of Brown’s Pit Road were particularly affected.
Keating told council that residents in the area have complained about odors from the mink farm, describing them as so noxious that homeowners at that vicinity are unable to enjoy their property, hang laundry, or open their windows.
After much discussion, and one defeated motion, three motions were made and accepted; including that letters be written to the Minister of Environment, the Minister of Agriculture and the Premier, requesting them to appear before council to explain why Maranatha Fur Farms Ltd. was instructed to install a lagoon system to deal with waste, a system they believe does not work, and to explain their plan to correct the problem.
A motion, pending legal advice, to provide Clyde River Land Use Committee $287.50 to cover an application for its complaint to the Farm Practices Board, was also approved.
An earlier motion by councillor Shaun Hatfield that the Municipality of Barrington file the complaint directly to the board was voted down.
After the meeting Hatfield expressed his frustration with the decision.
“It seems like a strange way for us to lead, resisting an acquisition of knowledge and a clear determination by the Farm Practices Board with which to help the farm, the citizens and the municipality all move forward on this issue,” he said.
By Greg Bennett, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Coast Guard, December 2, 2010
[CLYDE RIVER, NS] — A controversial mink ranch in Clyde River is again on the radar of the Municipality of Barrington in the wake of a recent presentation.
Lee Keating, a spokesperson for the Clyde River Land Use Committee, told council that despite monitoring and inspections by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment, the mink facility operated by Maranatha Fur Farms Ltd. continues to be a major irritant to many citizens of Clyde River, noting that residents in the area of Brown’s Pit Road were particularly affected.
Keating told council that residents in the area have complained about odors from the mink farm, describing them as so noxious that homeowners at that vicinity are unable to enjoy their property, hang laundry, or open their windows.
After much discussion, and one defeated motion, three motions were made and accepted; including that letters be written to the Minister of Environment, the Minister of Agriculture and the Premier, requesting them to appear before council to explain why Maranatha Fur Farms Ltd. was instructed to install a lagoon system to deal with waste, a system they believe does not work, and to explain their plan to correct the problem.
A motion, pending legal advice, to provide Clyde River Land Use Committee $287.50 to cover an application for its complaint to the Farm Practices Board, was also approved.
An earlier motion by councillor Shaun Hatfield that the Municipality of Barrington file the complaint directly to the board was voted down.
After the meeting Hatfield expressed his frustration with the decision.
“It seems like a strange way for us to lead, resisting an acquisition of knowledge and a clear determination by the Farm Practices Board with which to help the farm, the citizens and the municipality all move forward on this issue,” he said.
Wind Farm Open House
Industry and art meet on Digby neck
Posted on December 1, 2010 by admin
Artist Poppy Balser, from Digby, was invited to do a commissioned watercolour with the local windfarm as the subject. She created Winds of Change; Leaving a Legacy of Cleaner Energy, a 14 x 21″, watercolour.
There will be an open house of the windfarm complete with bus tour of the site on Saturday December 4 from 12 to 2 pm. Poppy will be there signing postcards of the completed commissioned painting of the windfarm. Because of the logistics of accessing the windfarm, it is necessary to register in advance. Please read the text of the invite from Nova Scotia Power below:
“Nova Scotia Power is proud to be part of your community as we work to provide more clean energy across the province. To celebrate this commitment, please join us at the Digby Neck Wind Farm for an open house event on Saturday, December 4 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. There will be a bus tour of the site, and refreshments will be provided. Because of limited parking space at the wind farm site, bus transportation will be provided to and from the open house. To reserve your seat, please register by emailing stacey.pineau@nspower.ca or call 1-855-545-9463 (WIND) or 428-9463 (WIND) by December 2.”
To see more of Poppy’s work visit: www.poppybalser.com/blog
Posted on December 1, 2010 by admin
Artist Poppy Balser, from Digby, was invited to do a commissioned watercolour with the local windfarm as the subject. She created Winds of Change; Leaving a Legacy of Cleaner Energy, a 14 x 21″, watercolour.
There will be an open house of the windfarm complete with bus tour of the site on Saturday December 4 from 12 to 2 pm. Poppy will be there signing postcards of the completed commissioned painting of the windfarm. Because of the logistics of accessing the windfarm, it is necessary to register in advance. Please read the text of the invite from Nova Scotia Power below:
“Nova Scotia Power is proud to be part of your community as we work to provide more clean energy across the province. To celebrate this commitment, please join us at the Digby Neck Wind Farm for an open house event on Saturday, December 4 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. There will be a bus tour of the site, and refreshments will be provided. Because of limited parking space at the wind farm site, bus transportation will be provided to and from the open house. To reserve your seat, please register by emailing stacey.pineau@nspower.ca or call 1-855-545-9463 (WIND) or 428-9463 (WIND) by December 2.”
To see more of Poppy’s work visit: www.poppybalser.com/blog
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