Neighbourhood Renewal

Neighbourhood Renewal, Urban and Community Renewal Training

The Journal of Neighbourhood Renewal has re-launched and re-vamped its popular training programme for 2011 to include new venues and new training topics. Training Sessions run from February and are now planned for locations in the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland and Canada. Training Session topics for 2011 include:



How to Evaluate Neighbourhood Renewal Projects and Programmes.

Ho to Develop Projects and Programmes to Implement the Big Society Agenda.

How to Appraise Neighbourood Renewal Projects and Programmes.

How to Manage Neighbourhood Renewal Projects and Programmes.

How to Engage Community Groups in Neighbourhood Renewal Projects and Programmes.

Evaluation Masterclass to Assess the Softer Outcomes of Projects and Programmes.

Evaluation of Public Health Improvement Programmes.



Details of the trainings sessions, including course info, dates to be held and training venues can be found here For 2011 the cost to attend a training day is £125 plus VAT which represents excellent value for money. There are also opportunities for Sponsorship of these events which priced at £299 plus VAT per annum. To book your place, take up a sponsorship package or enquire about the event please just click here to send an email and we will make the necessary arrangements. We look forward to seeing you at our training sessions. If you cant make our training sessions, we can do the training In-House for you. Please just get in touch by clicking here. We also run an Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony in London and New York,

Call Centre Closing

NS: Search begins for Convergys replacement
By John DeMings, Transcontinental Media

Source: The Digby Courier, December 17, 2010

[CORNWALLIS, NS] — Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency has issued a statement expressing concern and disappointment over the decision by Convergys to cease operations and close its Cornwallis Park facility by March.

Convergys has operated in Cornwallis since 2004 and currently employs about 290 people at its site there.

“Obviously, this is a huge blow to our area, and an extremely difficult situation for Convergys employees and their families,” said Dan Harvey, ADEDA’s acting managing director.

Harvey said that he would meet with Convergys management as soon as possible to discuss the situation and garner further details, and that the agency will work with all levels of government and other related businesses on the resulting transitional plan.

“We’d like to see quality employment being offered in that same facility as soon as possible to minimize the income lapse for any affected employees,” Harvey said.

Annapolis County warden Reg Ritchie said his council received word Wednesday that Convergys will be shutting its doors in March.

News of Convergys’ closure “has saddened all of us,” Ritchie said. “This is a tremendous blow to our region and to the people who depend on this company for their livelihood.”

He said municipal council and staff will work hard to find another tenant for the building, and will be looking for partnership with other government agencies to help in this effort.

Could Lose Major Employer in Digby- Hope not

NS: Government considers possible sale of three provincial resorts
By Staff, The Canadian Press

Source: The Canadian Press - December 16, 2010

[HALIFAX, NS] - The government of Nova Scotia is considering several options - including the possible sale - of three resorts it owns.

The management contract with New Castle Hotels for Digby Pines, Keltic Lodge and Liscombe Lodge expires in January 2012.

Tourism Minister Percy Paris says all three properties are in need of major repairs that could cost as much as $22 million.

Paris say they are significant economic and employment generators in their communities and important to the province’s tourism industry.

His department has issued a request for expressions of interest to develop a range of options for the future operation of the properties.

Paris says previous governments have ignored the resorts for years and as a result, a lot of their amenities are in need of costly upgrades.

Call Centre Closing

Convergys closing call centre
By Leanne Delong, Transcontinental Media

Source: The Digby Courier - December 15, 2010

[CORNWALLIS, NS] - The company informed Convergys its employees Tuesday.

“It really was an emotional day yesterday. A lot of people were pretty upset, nobody wants to hear this just before Christmas,” said one employee.

The employee added the closure is blamed on the Canadian and American dollars at near par.

Convergys offered its employees the opportunity to relocate to other locations in Halifax and New Glasgow, and employees in the work-at-home program would not be affected, said the employee.

“It’s really going to hurt this area, Convergys did a lot locally and pumped millions of dollars into the local economy.”

Digby mayor Ben Cleveland said with the loss of Convergys he wishes “people would stop saying no to development in this area because we’re not going to get ahead if we continue resisting change.”

“We’re going to continue working hard to find replacements for those jobs. We’ll talk to various levels of government to see what we can attract to the area,” he said.

Convergys opened the Cornwallis location in 2004. The facility is an inbound call centre offering customer service for a large U.S. wireless provider.

When the facility opened, Convergys signed a five-year renewable lease for the building with the Digby-Annapolis Development Corporation. The lease was renewed but expires in April.

Convergys has roughly 65,000 employees in 68 locations throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

ADEDA News

Ferry Follow Up
There was active and positive follow up to the recent announcement the federal government would make an additional three year commitment to providing investment funding for the Digby to Saint John ferry service across the Bay of Fundy.

West Nova Member of Parliament Greg Kerr meet first with area business and government leaders to further outline the decision by the federal government to extend the funding. Kerr urged the communities affected by the service to be open to new ideas and to look at all options for the future of this service as well as other investment opportunities.

Immediately after that public meeting our MP met with the Bay of Fundy Transportation Coalition to further specify the context and future implications of the announcement.

That meeting was organized by the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency (ADEDA) at the behest of the Coalition.

Among many topics Kerr discussed the issue of governance, stressed the need to look at different models, and to make the business case for the ferry going forward, adding that economic development was key to this.

He particularly credited the Coalition planning group for their past efforts and for being prepared to immediately start strategically thinking about how the ferry service should be sustained in the future.

Our Global Positioning As A World Leader
A recent feature story in the Saint John Telegraph Journal outlined how use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was radically changing forest management. The article described GIS as merging “statistical analysis and data base technology into a set of tools that allow the user to interpret and understand data in a visual format”.

It immediately brought to top of mind (at least to the top of my mind) the fact that right here in Annapolis Digby we have a post secondary institution that is increasingly being recognized as a world leader in this technology.

As part of the Nova Scotia Community College’s Annapolis Valley Campus, the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS) provides basic and advanced training in a variety of Geomatics technologies. Check it out at www.cogs.ns.ca., particularly its One-year Advanced Diploma Program Geographic Information Systems for Business Formerly the College of Geographic Sciences located in Lawrencetown, COGS has become one of the largest technical trainers of students in the geomatics field in Canada. Training technicians and technologists in the fields of surveying, mapping, land-use planning and related computer programming has earned the campus an international reputation.

The Lawrencetown site also houses post-degree Geomatics programs in marine geomatics, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and business geographics. Two COGS programs, Applied Geomatics Research and Geomatics Programming, are delivered in Middleton.

All in all it’s a world class learning centre located in our very proud community.

Tom and the Turbines
Any day now I half expect to see one of my boyhood literary idols, Tom Swift, Jr. touring about Annapolis Digby in his ‘Triphibian Atomcar’. Always interested in ways the frontiers of science could be advanced, Tom would be happy here. He would certainly have hopped on the bus and joined the many folks who were able to tour the wind turbines at NSP’s Wind Farm Open House. The impressive facility overlooking the Bay is proudly being described by the operators as “on track and probably ahead of schedule”. Using his amazing “Diving Seacopter “ Tom could also be right in on the action taking place these days exploring the Fundy’s tidal turbine energy potential. Especially in a little over a year when French energy giant Alstom plans to install and commercialize its industrial scale Beluga 9 tidal energy turbine in the Bay. Ah yes, Tom, Frank and Joe Hardy, Nancy Drew, the Rover Boys - and even you too (two) Bobbsey Twins –where are you now? Anyway, thank you good folks at the Stratemeyer Syndicate for a wonderful childhood!

Arts Kudos
First, congrats to Deb Kuzyk and Ray Mackie of Annapolis Royal’s Lucky Rabbit Pottery who were recognized in Air Canada’s enRoute magazine in a piece entitled Five Great Canadian Artisans. Well deserved recognition for one of my favourite studios. And a heartfelt seasonal thank you to Annapolis Digby’s prolific playwright Hal Theriault for his creative adaptation and staging of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and the popular performance by the Digby Area Theatre Society team.

A Community Salute
And we at ADEDA want to join with our entire community this week to “salute” Community Program Officer Rodena Renaud of the Annapolis RCMP for her recognition with The RCMP Foundation’s Golden Spur Award for Outstanding Commitment to Community. At the recent ceremony in Toronto the award citation stated in part, “Her focus on youth at risk, offering support and activities to set them on the right path, are but one of the areas of her focus”. A hearty “well done’”, and thank you, from all of us.

Polar Bears Could be Saved?

Polar bear could be saved if emissions are cut, says new studyIce caps not likely to face rapid, irreversible melting as previously thought, researcher claims – meaning polar bears could survive

from guardain.co.uk

Shanta Barley guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 15 December 2010 17.46 GMT Article history
A polar bear and her cubs in Alaska. Photograph: AP

The polar bear can be saved from extinction – but only if action is taken quickly to make deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, a new study shows.


The study, published today in journal Nature, conflicts with previous research, which suggested that Arctic temperatures are already on track to exceed the threshold required to trigger rapid, irreversible ice loss.


Researchers from Polar Bears International said sea ice in the Arctic, which polar bears use as a platform on which to hunt seals and breed, is unlikely to undergo a rapid and irreversible decline when temperatures rise beyond a certain threshold.


"It's widely believed that nothing can be done to save the polar bear," said author Steven Amstrup of Polar Bears International in Winnipeg, Canada. "But that's not true."


According to Andrew Derocher, a polar bear expert based at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada who was not involved in the study, Amstrup's study is the first to assess whether a campaign to slash emissions will benefit polar bears. "Mitigation [of carbon emissions] was not considered by any of the analyses to date," he said.


Amstrup's team used global climate models and five scenarios of the level of greenhouse gas emissions to estimate sea ice loss in the Arctic over the next century. The paper suggests that there will be a linear relationship between temperature and sea ice: as temperatures rise, the amount of sea ice will decline smoothly.


If emissions continue to rise at today's rate, two-thirds of polar bears will disappear by 2050, the models suggest. Populations in Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay, the Southern Beaufort Sea and Barents Sea will be hit the hardest. In addition, the amount of optimal polar bear habitat in the Arctic will fall by 50%, according to Amstrup.


But stringent emissions cuts of 70% by 2100 would limit habitat loss to just 20% – saving the polar bear, says the study.


"Reduced emissions would yield greater abundance and wider distribution of polar bears than the 'business as usual' emission scenario," said Derocher of the paper.



Derocher is sceptical that policymakers will act to curb emissions in time. "There are few indications that such policies will be implemented in a timely manner. Globally, 25% of mammalian species are threatened with extinction and, in this context, the plight of polar bears is sadly typical," he said.


Loss of habitat isn't the only threat to Arctic species such as the polar bear, according to a separate paper published in Nature this week.


As sea ice melts, species that have been separated for thousands of years are expected to start to interbreed, generating novel hybrid species and driving existing rare species extinct.


"When human activities abruptly alter environments, it can increase the frequency of hybridisation, which can have negative effects, including pushing some species toward extinction," said lead author Brendan Kelly, who is based at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Juneau, Alaska.


Kelly conducted a survey of published literature on hybridisation. He counted 34 hybridisation events between distinct populations, species and genera in marine mammals living in or near the Arctic.


The review was not focused on a specific period but is biased toward the most recent decades when research in the Arctic increased, and focused on the Arctic Ocean, where ice forms a diminishing barrier between marine mammals.


Of the 22 species that had hybridised, 14 were listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern in more than one country.


For example, a white bear with brown patches of fur was shot by Inuit hunters in 2006. DNA tests revealed that it was a half- polar bear, half-grizzly hybrid – also known as a "grolar" bear. In the late 1980s, a hybrid narwhal-beluga was seen off the west coast of Greenland, and last year, a hybrid bowhead-right whale was photographed in the Bering Sea.

Digby Municipal Council Minutes

Municipality of the District of DigbyMunicipal Committee of the Whole Minutes

November 8, 2010Tiverton, Nova Scotia

1Call to OrderThe meeting was called to order with Warden Gregory in thechair at 6:15 pm.AttendanceCouncillors present: Linda Gregory, Warden Jimmy MacAlpine, Deputy Warden Randall Amero, Councillor Maritza Adams, Councillor David Tudor, CouncillorStaff present: Linda Fraser, Chief Administrative Officer Gordon Wilson, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Cora Lee Bremner, Executive SecretaryAgendaMOVED and seconded that the agenda be approved asdistributed.MOTION CARRIEDHearings & PresentationsSave Our Bay – Dr. Guy MelvilleMOVED and seconded that Dr. Guy Melville come beforethe committee to make a presentation on Save Our Bay.MOTION CARRIED Mr. Sheldon Dixon began the presentation by giving an update regarding the desire of Cooks Agriculture to put twonew fish farms in on the Islands. They would like to put intwo more sites which would cover 208 acres. This is a concern to the local lobster fisherman as this is where theycurrently fish. The local fishermen are also concerned withthe pollution that the fish farms are producing.  Dr. Melville demonstrated what the bottom of the oceanlooks like next to the fish farm in Westport. He isconcerned with the diseases that will spread to the sea lifethat is being harvested in this area.  There was a question and answer period following thepresentation. It was brought up that the technology was out
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Municipality of the District of DigbyMunicipal Committee of the Whole MinutesNovember 8, 2010Tiverton, Nova Scotia2there to have the fish farms on land. The tracking of lobsters is coming which will enable the seller to trackwhere the lobsters are coming from that are not fit toconsume.  Warden Gregory thanked them for their presentation andnoted that this topic will be discussed at the next meeting. MinutesOctober 12, 2010It was noted that under New Business #3, it should read Loop ofthe Old 217, not Culloden Road.MOVED and seconded that the minutes of October 12, 2010be approved as amended.MOTION CARRIED

Business Arising/OldBusiness#1 County of Annapolis – Requestfor FundingMOVED and seconded that the Municipality of Digbyprovide funding for the YMCA in the amount of $100,000over the next four years which would be $25,000 per year.  It was noted that this would begin in the 2011/2012 budget. It would be budgeted for in either the grants toorganizations or economic development accounts. It was mentioned that the Kings Transit board feels that thedecline in numbers for the Weymouth to Cornwallis routecould be due to the closure of Lifeplex. It appears that thedecline dates back to that time period. It was discussed whether the project will move forwardwith the funding from the Municipality of Digby. Thepresentation indicated that they would do a communitydrive for the rest of the funding. It was mentioned that recreation is a vital part of anycommunity. There was a concern that they would come back to get morefunding at a later date. It was noted that it was made clearat the presentation that this was a capital request only.MOTION CARRIED
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Municipality of the District of DigbyMunicipal Committee of the Whole MinutesNovember 8, 2010Tiverton, Nova Scotia3#2 Dr. Bob Mahar –Request for Funding It was agreed by Council to send a letter to Dr. Mahar stating that Council is not interested in pursuing this project.#3 Digby Ground Search & Rescue –Request for Funding There was a discussion regarding the funding request fromthe Digby Ground Search and Rescue. Council alsodiscussed the Ground Search and Rescue located on theIslands, who do work with Digby on occasion. This group has recently moved into a cube van. Digby Ground Search and Rescue are looking to purchase a new vehicle. MOVED and seconded that the request for funding from Digby Ground Search and Rescue be tabled until the nextCouncil meeting so that Council can obtain moreinformation.MOTION CARRIED

#4 TLC AnimalShelter – Request for Funding There was a discussion regarding the possibility of putting aprogram into place where the Municipality would charge afee for a dog license, which would be forwarded to the TLCAnimal Shelter. It was noted that some municipalities havethis program in place. There would have to be changesimplemented to the bylaw first in order to accommodate afee for dog tags. There were concerns raised with the amount of moneybeing sought by the TLC Animal Shelter. Another concernraised was the practice they have in place of getting petsinto homes.MOVED and seconded that Council provide funding to TLC Animal Shelter in the amount of $8,000 to carry themover the winter.  There was a discussion regarding where the funds wouldcome from as the grants to organizations budget has been fully utilized.  It was agreed by the mover and seconder to amend themotion as follows:
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Municipality of the District of DigbyMunicipal Committee of the Whole MinutesNovember 8, 2010Tiverton, Nova Scotia4MOVED and seconded that Council provide funding to TLC Animal Shelter in the amount of $8,000 that wouldcome from future revenue received from Dog Licenses afterthe Dog Control Bylaw has been amended. MOTION CARRIED1-OPPOSEDOther BusinessArising NILDeputy WardenMacAlpine No Business ArisingCouncillor Gregory No Business ArisingCouncillor Amero No Business ArisingCouncillor Adams No Business ArisingNew Business#1 Province of NovaScotia – HerringWorkers ProgramAgreementMOVED and seconded that the Herring Workers ProgramAgreement that way brought forward to Council be signed.There was a short discussion on how the decisions get made inregards to this agreement. The Province of Nova Scotia willmake those decisions. There are only two people in this areathat don’t have enough stamps.MOTION CARRIED#2 Councillor Tudor –Alders – Little River to Whale Cove & LongIsland Councillor Tudor brought forward several letters of concernregarding the alders from Little River to Whale Cove and on Long Island. It has been four years since the alders havebeen cut. Councillor Tudor has brought this concern to theDepartment of Transportation, and Mr. Foote indicated thatno work will be done unless he receives a number ofcomplaints from the citizens in these areas.
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Municipality of the District of DigbyMunicipal Committee of the Whole MinutesNovember 8, 2010Tiverton, Nova Scotia5MOVED and seconded that a letter be sent along with theletters of concern received to the Department ofTransportation expressing Councillor Tudors concernsregarding alders from Little River to Whale Cove and onLong Island.MOTION CARRIED# 3 Weymouth WaterfrontDevelopmentCommittee – Requestfor Donation of Old Weymouth LibraryBuildingMOVED and seconded that the Municipality of Digbydonate the old library building to the WeymouthWaterfront Development Committee. MOTION CARRIEDThe Weymouth Waterfront Development Committee has alsoasked for a tax exemption for the property. This can take placeafter they take ownership of the property. The Tax ExemptionBylaw will have to be amended to grant this request.Chief AdministrativeReport The CAO report dated November 8, 2010 was included in the COTW Package. Annapolis County has been successful in getting $50,000 funding and they are currently in the process of getting aconsultant for a transportation study.  The By-law and Policy meeting scheduled for November15, 2010 will be held upstairs at the Arena.Request for Decisions/Direction NILDepartment ReportsTaxation The Taxation report for October 2010 was included in themeeting package.  Warden Gregory noted that she was pleased that Mrs. Bremner and Mrs. Turner were able to attend the AMTC Fall Conference.Building Inspection Report/Fire Inspection Report The Building Inspection report for October 2010 wasincluded in the meeting package.
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Municipality of the District of DigbyMunicipal Committee of the Whole MinutesNovember 8, 2010Tiverton, Nova Scotia6Airport/Dispatch The Airport/Dispatch report for October 2010 was includedin the meeting package. There is a new format for theAirport/Dispatch reports which is easier to read.Dog Control Activityand Financial Report The Dog Control Activity and Financial report for October2010 was included in the meeting package. Coordinator ProgramDevelopment The Coordinator Program Development report for October8 to November 8, 2010 was included in the meetingpackage.Other BusinessN/AUpdates fromPrevious meetingsN/ASpecial ProjectsUpdatesN/AStrategic PrioritiesUpdate The strategic priority update for October 31, 2010 wasincluded in the meeting package.Notice of MotionN/AComments from theGallery Mr. Dixon advised Council that Dr. Melville has asubmission to Government that they would like Council tosign their names to.In CameraMOVED and seconded that the committee go in camera to discuss a contractual issue.MOTION CARRIEDRegular session resumed.
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Municipality of the District of DigbyMunicipal Committee of the Whole MinutesNovember 8, 2010Tiverton, Nova Scotia7AdjournmentMOVED and seconded that the meeting adjourn at 7:43PM. MOTION CARRIED____________________________________________________________WARDENCLERK