The Casket

Adjustments coming to second phase of community field initiative

percival sweetwater — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:21:11 +0000

Due to an increase in cost estimates, the Antigonish Town and County Recreation Association has decided to modify the second phase of its fields’ project.
The initial plan included upgrades to the soccer field at St. Andrew Junior School, along with construction of a 400-metre, eight-lane track and amenities for track and field events.
Construction was scheduled to begin later this year.
At a public meeting Wednesday evening, the association announced the track and field facility would not be constructed at Saint Andrew Junior School, outlining the increase in the cost for that part of the initiative.
In 2008, the estimated price tag for the track and field facility was $795,000. A preliminary estimate conducted in April came in at $1,668,650.
“We were quite shocked. We expected an increase, without a doubt, but we certainly didn’t expect that for that amount,” Danny Berry, association chair, said.
He noted that the recent estimate went into much more detail than the one conducted in 2008.
“If we went to tender, which was scheduled for May 1, the quotes from the people who replied to the tender would have to come in around that ball park ($1.6 million). This was a real true indication of what it would cost to build that field,” he said.
Berry added, “in fairness to the project team,” the quote they gave for the turf field and baseball field for the first phase was “dead on.”
A major cost differences between the estimates is in the area of excavation. Another was for the top soil for inside the track that would serve as the soccer field surface.
The association had been conducting a fundraiser to modify the surface of the proposed track from crusher dust to asphalt, but this far exceeded the target for monies needed for the adjusted track plan chosen earlier this year.
Nevertheless, Berry said the dream of upgrading the track and field facilities is not dead.
The association has agreed, in principle, with St. F.X to build field event facilities on campus that are required to host national calibre track and field events. They are expected to be constructed near the Oland Stadium track.
Berry said the goal is to have an agreement, including an estimated cost for the project, completed before the summer.
“If things go well, the expectation is to have the large machines off the field events area by September 1,” he said.
“There may be some fine tuning – some sods that may have to be laid and stuff like that – but we are hoping this arguably used for a fall event.”
Work on the Bergengren Soccer Field, which is located behind Saint Andrew Junior School and Antigonish Education Centre, is scheduled for completion next summer.
The association announced that the $1,865,230 bill for phase one of the project, which includes construction of an artificial turf soccer/football field and a new baseball diamond at Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School, will be paid in full by the end of May.
The Central Sport and Recreation Field has been completed, while the final inspection for the baseball diamond is pending.
For 2014, possible upgrades for the phase one facilities include washrooms, storage area and a canteen.

SRSB passes motion on Rev. H.J. MacDonald School

editor — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:06:11 +0000

A motion passed with a 9-3 vote at a special board meeting held on May 16 with the Strait Regional School Board (SRSB) regarding closure and the maintenance of land and buildings of the Rev. H. J. MacDonald School in Heatherton. The board is retaining and maintaining the present condition of the property and buildings until Oct. 31, 2012 or the date determined by the judicial review judge.
It was presented with a judicial review on the school closure on April 18. It has since been served with a notice for judicial review and notice of motion for a stay of school’s closure.
Vice chair George Kehoe presented the resolution and advised the board that the hearing is scheduled for Nova Scotia Supreme Court on May 22. The hearing of the judicial review application will be determined later by the courts.
“This is a reasonable length of time for the process to be completed and what this does is ensures that the school will be there, maintained in terms of security, heat and all of those things to keep the building in shape if the court would determine if the school be reopened,” superintendent of schools Jack Beaton said.
He added that the transition plan was well underway and that the students from the Heatherton School would be attending St. Andrews Consolidated this fall.
“I did not see the need for the motion,” Kim Horton said, whose opinion was mirrored by board member Richelle MacLaughlin.
“There is a process that takes place when turning over a school and it’s approximately eight to 12 months long, as there are conversations with the municipality (about turning over the school),” MacLaughlin said. Board member Frank Machnik was the other “no” vote at the Wednesday night meeting.
In terms of why the motion was brought forward for October 31 or the date determined by the judge neither board member was willing to comment on the issue given much of the discussion was held in camera.

Diocese comments on Vatican dismissal of Lahey

editor — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:48:00 +0000

Former Diocese of Antigonish Bishop Raymond Lahey has been dismissed from the clerical state. The announcement was made by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) Wednesday afternoon.
Lahey, who pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography for the purpose of importation last May, had been sentenced to 15 months in prison and two years probation Jan. 4. Since he had opted go directly to jail before sentencing, the judge agreed with Lahey’s lawyers’ arguments that he should get two-for-one credit. Having served eight months, Lahey has been free from jail since.
Bishop Brian Dunn, who replaced Lahey, issued a statement regarding the dismissal which he called “one of the most serious penalties that the Church can impose.”
“This will mean that he will no longer function as a cleric, will no longer have the rights and duties of being a cleric, is not permitted to exercise any ecclesiastical offices or functions and is not permitted to preside at any of the sacraments or religious services.”
Dunn noted that any sacraments Lahey performed prior to the Vatican’s decision will remain valid and effective. He said the decision reminds people of the harms of pornography.
The Vatican’s decision also concludes both the criminal and canonical processes connected to Lahey’s crimes.
“It remained for the Holy See to follow the canonical procedures in effect for such cases to determine what appropriate disciplinary or penal measures would be imposed,” the CCCB’s statement said.
In addition to losing his clerical rights and duties, Lahey will no longer be able to wear clerical attire. He will also be required “to pray the Liturgy of the Hours in reparation for the harm and the scandal he has caused, and for the sanctification of clergy.”
The CCCB release said Lahey has accepted the Decree of Dismissal. Lahey’s probation includes stipulations such as a computer search at any time at work or home, having to advise his probation officer if he leaves Canada for more than 48 hours and the forfeiting of electronic devices seized at the airport when he was stopped.
On Sept. 15, 2009, a Canadian Border Services (CBSA) agent flagged Lahey for a secondary search when he returned to Canada aboard a flight from London. He had been traveling alone and his passport showed he had visited Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Germany.
A preliminary inspection revealed images of young males engaged in sex acts. The Ottawa police were contacted and continued the investigation, finding several more images.
Det. Andrew Thompson, the Ottawa police officer who did the forensic exam of Lahey’s laptop and other electronic devices, gave brief descriptions of some of the 588 images and 60 videos he found that depicted boys as young as eight to 10 engaging in sexual acts with each other or adult males.
He also found pornographic stories on the bishop’s hard drives — one running to 300 pages in length — that he categorized under five themes: mastery and slavery involving adults and young boys; humiliation of young boys; torture of young boys; sex acts between young boys; and degradation of young boys or forcing sex acts on them.
Bishop Dunn’s statement addressed the parishioners of the diocese.
“However, much hurt, sadness and anger continue to be present in the hearts of many as we reflect on these events,” Dunn wrote. “The lives of many have been seriously altered as a result of the challenges that have arisen.”
He asked all those in the diocesan family to continue to work together to renew the Church. The diocese is preparing for a Diocesan Renewal Congress to take place in October 2013. Parishes are seeking input from parishioners and the diocese conducting surveys through its website and Facebook page.
“We continue to offer opportunities in the parish and the diocese to re-establish and deepen the relationships with all who are connected with our Church,” Dunn said. “May we all depend on the power of the Risen Lord to bring us hope and new life as we continue to move through this tragic situation that has marked our diocese.”
With files from Deborah Gyapong

Federation of Agriculture concerned about Exhibition Grounds future

percival sweetwater — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:38:27 +0000

The Antigonish-Guysborough Federation of Agriculture (AGFA) will meet Wednesday night to discuss the tax dispute between the town and county over the Exhibition Grounds.
In a press release Wednesday morning, federation president Dustin Swinkels raised concerns about the possible tax sale of the property it leases that hosts the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition (ENSE).
AGFA, a non-profit organization with a membership of 160 registered farmers in Antigonish and Guysborough counties, holds a 30-year renewable lease to the property.
“Obviously, we want this situation resolved,” Swinkels told the Casket Wednesday afternoon.
Monday night, town council announced if the county – the owners of the property – do not pay their outstanding tax bill dating back to 2003, which carries a more than $296,000 price tag, it will begin the tax sale process.
“The Federation of Agriculture operates on a $6,000 a year budget. Obviously, we cannot pay a $300,000 tax bill,” Swinkels said.
He noted, to his knowledge, no exhibition grounds in Nova Scotia are taxed.
“It is basically the legal situation that the property is in that gives the town the opportunity to tax it,” Swinkels said, describing it more as a “legal mishap” that it is taxable.
In a press release from the town regarding the issue, it was suggested the county does not want to transfer the lands to the federation because they want to retain ownership of the property, which is assessed at $1.1 million.
Swinkels said the dispute “has prompted some explanation,” outlining some of its history.
He noted the original approximately 11-acre grounds were donated to AGFA in 1938, with documentation showing that the land “was to be used for hosting an agricultural exhibition.
In 1964, Swinkels said the deed was given to the county as a measure to protect the property from a future sale.
Five years later (1969), AGFA released three acres of the property to the town and county for construction of the Antigonish Arena, with the agreement that it would have access to the facility for two weeks per year to host the exhibition.
Swinkels said the grounds are home not only to ENSE, but also the Antigonish Farmers’ Market, 4-H, East Nova Holstein Club, All For Horses Association and other organizations.
“These organizations use the exhibition grounds at no costs and are comprised mostly of volunteers. Barns and structures on the property have been constructed by volunteers of the community,” he said in the release.
Swinkels said AGFA is “committed to the future of agriculture in the community.”
“The retention of our nine-acre property is a small cost to pay for what agricultural organizations bring back to the community.”
Read further updates on this site and in our May 23 print edition.

County seeking legal opinion before responding to possible tax sale

percival sweetwater — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:02:06 +0000

The Municipality of the County of Antigonish will seek a legal opinion before deciding how to respond to the possible tax sale of the Exhibition Grounds.
“Council’s final decision was to turn it over to our solicitor and he will look at the whole situation and give us some recommendations on how we should proceed,” Warden Herb Delorey said.
After its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night, council met in-camera for more than 30 minutes to discuss the issue.
Warden Herb Delorey said the county was informed earlier in the day that the town was with a tax sale for the property, which is currently leased to the Federation of Agriculture.
“I had a number of inquiries today, so I brought it to the committee of the whole this evening for full discussion of council,” he told reporters after the in-camera session.
Delorey said county solicitor Adam Rodgers estimated it would take one to two weeks to come up with his recommendations.
The county, which owns the James Street property, has paid taxes on it since the province added it to the assessment role in 2003.
The outstanding bill is more than $296,000.
Last month, county council approved a motion made by its finance committee to reimburse the Town of Antigonish for the mandatory costs associated with the property it has incurred, which it estimated to be $56,000.
Town council rejected that offer at its monthly meeting Monday night, citing a variety of concerns with that proposal, including the remaining debt could not be legally written off and town taxpayers would be left to foot the county’s bill.
With the move to a tax sale, which is required under the Municipal Government Act for bills three years in arrears, the county has 14 days to pay the tax debt before the process begins to put the property up for sale to the highest bidder.
In making its announcement Monday night, the town expressed its disappointment with the county’s decision to release information when no agreement had been reached.
“We were a little bit disappointed that the county went public a couple of weeks ago, we were still in negotiations,” Mayor Carl Chisholm told reporters after Monday’s council meeting.
Delorey said council made the decision to release the information regarding its proposal for payment to the town.
“They thought it had to be transparent, had to be discussed before you make a financial offer,” he noted.
Delorey was asked if the county is prepared to pay the full tax bill.
“I am not sure on that. To be honest, I don’t know,” he said.
Delorey said Antigonish is the only exhibition grounds in Nova Scotia that are taxed.
He added, hopefully, the process can be completed, which requires resolutions by both municipal units as a private member’s bill to the province, to make the property exempt.
Delorey said he is unsure how the property ended up on the assessment role.
He said the county remains open to negotiating an agreement with the town.
“Hopefully, at some point in time, we can sit down and resolve this because we have a good working relationship with the town and we wouldn’t want to see it marred,” he said.

Lochaber residents continue community centre efforts

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:36:11 +0000

More than 50 people attended a community meeting May 1 at Sylvan Hall that provided an update on the proposed Lochaber Centre initiative.
“There has been a lot of activity and hard work over the winter,” Dave Brown, Lochaber Community Development Association (LCDA), said in opening the gathering.
Launched last fall by the LCDA, the focus of the community initiative is the construction of a new building to replace the aging Sylvan Hall in the waterside community.
Brendan Brothers, project manager, cautioned the gathering was not for an announcement of the project going forward.
“We had high hopes that we would be turning sod by now,” he said, noting nevertheless “great progress” has been made with the initiative.
Brothers described the goal last fall of raising $250,000 from the community a “heck of a reach,” noting that campaign has garnered more than $326,000, including more than $300,000 before Christmas.
“It has been terrific,” he said.
“The fundraiser has been a team effort.”
Brothers noted the incredible community effort has made the levels of government more responsive to their proposal.
“They knew we were serious about this,” he said.
After the campaign launched officially last September, Brothers said more than $150,000 was amassed in the first two weeks.
Brothers said the focus has been to convince government officials that the community is not interested in “creating a white elephant.”
In dealing with the federal government, Brothers said the group learned early on that they “were out of the hall business.”
To better the chance of getting federal funding, Brothers said such initiatives have to deliver economic development, which does mean bingos and casserole suppers.
From there, he said the group knew it needed a “dancing partner,” which became the St. F.X. rowing club. With them on board, there will be opportunities to host national events such as regattas, which would bring people to the area to participate, eat, play and stay.
“It was a ‘win-win’ for both sides,” Brothers said, noting the Lochaber location will provide the club with an ideal venue.
With its inclusion, he added the proposed design for the centre did not have to be altered much.
Thus far, the initiative has garnered $150,000 from the provincial recreation department.
“They liked what we were doing,” Brothers said, noting the presence of a fitness centre in the design and other amenities aimed at serving the broader community.
Initially, the plan called for a 4,000 square foot facility, which carried an estimated price tag of $150 per square foot.
Now, the design measures 5,000 square feet, which accommodates such, underestimated items as new bathrooms and the size they have to be to meet regulations.
Brothers said the revised plan includes some outdoor storage and wharf work, which would help accommodate the rowing club.
“We thought it has to be more than two saw horses in the rhubarb,” he noted.
As part of the information gathering process, Brothers said group members made visits to centres in St. Josephs and Havre Boucher.
“They were very helpful and gave us some great ideas,” he noted.
In terms of funding, Brothers said the group has application to provincial economic development and Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) for a combined – and equally divided – $860,000.
Brothers said more information has been gathered as the group continues with the application process with both levels of government.
A request for $25,000 per year over three years was made. Last week, Municipality of the County of Antigonish council earmarked $20,000 per year over three years for the initiative.

Facing the lake

Along with the fundraising update, community members heard plans for the building’s structure and the surrounding properties.
Architect Dale Archibald, who owns a cottage on the lake and described the community as “near and dear to my heart,” presented conceptual drawings he created.
He noted one main focus for the building design, which will be located on the site of the current baseball field, was better utilization of the Lochaber Lake as a backdrop.
“All parts [of the building] face the lake,” Archibald said.
He outlined other aspects of the proposed building, including an expansive kitchen and veranda space.
Decisions must be made in all areas, including the type of heating to be used.
With the entire concept, the finished product will depend on the amount of funding received.
The area surrounding the building was also discussed, including plans for a possible walking trail and boat launch area for centre members.
A tennis court, which will serve as the surface for an outdoor rink in the winter, is also part of the plan.
Community members also made suggestions, including the inclusion of a fireplace in the main hall.
“There has been a lot of time and effort put in. We are pretty excited. We have been getting a great reception,” Brown said.
For information, including an updated blog on the progress of the project, visit www.locahber.ca

Remembering Westray

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:32:13 +0000

Roy Feltmate was a young husband and father whose life ended way to soon.
The Goshen native was one of 26 miners who died in the Westray explosion.
He was only 33.
“Roy was a wonderful husband and father,” Bernadette Feltmate said, describing her husband as a “quiet man.”
“I don’t think there was anybody that didn’t like him.”
The couple married in 1979.
While working for a hard rock mine in Stewiacke, Feltmate said her husband received a call to work at Westray in 1991. The family, including daughters Amy and Holly, moved to Stellarton.
His time working at the Plymouth mine lasted only seven months.
At 5:18 a.m. on May 9, 1992, there was an explosion at Westray, which trapped 26 miners underground.
Rescue efforts continued for a week, but there were no survivors of the blast, which remains one of the deadliest mining disasters in Canada.
“It was the first night that I had ever slept all night. I used to wake up two and three times through the night,” Feltmate said.
She remembered her husband had left for work, but he returned to the house. She thought he had decided not to go to work because he had been thinking of staying home.
“Amy wasn’t home when he left so he came back to give me a kiss to give to her. But, I never thought anything of it at the time,” Feltmate said.
That morning, she remembers the phone ringing sometime between 6:30 and 7. It was her husband’s mother, Ivy.
“The mine blew up,” she recalled her mother-in-law saying after asking if she knew what had happened that morning.
Feltmate remembered dropping the phone.
“I ran down stairs [and checked the phone],” she said, noting a call had come in from the mine.
“Not hearing that phone; sleeping through the whole night. It was almost like it was meant to be.”
And then, the wait began.
“It was five days and five nights. It was terrible.”
After 15 miners were recovered, Feltmate said she remained hopeful her husband would be found.
“I knew he was dead. I came to realize he was not coming out of there alive, but, please God, I prayed that they would bring his body out.
“But, unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”
Feltmate said having her husband still underground has made it “really hard.”
To say life has never been the same for the family would be an understatement.
“It was horrible for them,” Feltmate said of their daughters.
When their father died, Amy was 11 and Holly was seven.
They now live in Hamilton.
“She will never get over it … My heart goes out to her, but there is nothing that I can do,” Feltmate said about Amy, noting she has had a particularly difficult time with the loss.
Feltmate recalled Amy packing her father’s lunch and walking down the street with it. They could see the mine from their Stellarton home.
“It was her 11th birthday on the day of the explosion,” she said.
On the 20th anniversary of the explosion earlier this month, hundreds gathered, including Feltmate, for a vigil at Westray Memorial Park.
“It was nice to see people you haven’t seen in years and have a chance to catch up,” she said.
Feltmate bought roses to place during the memorial.
“We laid the wreaths while the Men of the Deeps sang Working Man. It was overwhelming. It was really, really hard,” she said.
Feltmate said it hurts that no one has been held accountable for what happened to families like hers – “all the suffering.”
“They walked away just like nothing happened.”
Feltmate said her husband, a former chief of the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department and an avid stockcar driver, who raced often at Riverside Speedway in James River, will always be missed.
“He was so special.”
Feltmate knows someday she will be with him again.
“When I die, I want my ashes scattered at the mine,” she said.

Students make history at SRSB heritage fair

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:26:07 +0000

Gemma MacPherson cradled almost 100 years of family history in her hands while talking about her heritage fair project.
“It’s 96 years old and 51 people have worn it,” the St. Andrew Junior student said about the centrepiece of her “Threads Through the Family” project.
Her great-great-grandmother made the christening gown, which will be worn next by her cousin, Hugh Finley Higgins, who was born last month.
“I was amazed when I found out how old it was,” Gemma, who also wore the gown, said.
Mary Dunphy fashioned the family heirloom before the birth of her first child while living in Ingonish, Cape Breton, with her husband, Captain Sylvester Dunphy.
Gemma was one of many students to tell their stories to visitors to the Strait Regional School Board (SRSB) heritage fair May 11 at Mulgrave Memorial Education Centre.
Like her, many of the heritage fair participants explored their family roots.
Jessie Kaiser explored the history of the former Port Bickerton Fish Plant, displaying a variety of mementos, including a cash register.
“My uncle had a lot of this stuff and a lot of my family worked there,” the Grade 9 student said when asked about her topic choice.
Bryanna Smith delved into her grandmother’s talents as a cheese maker.
“She even invented a cheese press,” the Grade 4 student at Whycocomagh Education Centre said.
In keeping with the family theme mixed with culinary skills, Dylan MacDonnell of Tamarac Education Centre in Port Hawkesbury learned bread making skills from his grandmother.
“She makes some pretty much every day,” the Grade 4 student said, noting a batch requires more than 18 cups of flour.
Some students, including Sarah Pierro of Whycocomagh Education Centre, changed their topics. The Grade 7 student explored her Chinese and Aboriginal family roots, noting she learned so much, including common threads with both cultures.
“I am happy I listened to my teacher and switched [her project] from Tim Horton’s,” she laughed.
Here are the results for the 2012 SRSB Heritage Fair:
Overall winners and provincial showcase: 1. Lindsey Smith, Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional, Story of Ron Turcotte; 2. Callum Jordan, Whycocomagh Education Centre, Through Rain, Snow, Sleet and Hail;
Grade 4: 1. Liam Fulmore, St. Andrews Consolidated, Titanic – 100th Anniversary; 2. Aya Nakamoto, Tamarac Education Centre, Sister Cities;
Grade 5: 1. Jacob Stewart, St. Andrew Junior, The Acadiens; 2. Rebecca MacGillivray, St. Andrew Junior, St. Mary;
Grade 6: 1. Caitlyn MacDonald, St. Andrews Consolidated, The Gaelic Language; 2. Hunter Shaw, Whycocomagh Education Centre, Secret of Divining;
Grade 7: 1. Sarah Pierro, Whycocomagh, Gods and Baskets; 2. Grace Baker, St. Mary’s Academy, Lucy Maud Montgomery;
Grade 8: 1. Emily Landry, West Richmond, Les Filles du Roi; 2. Julia Mombourquette, East Richmond, Nicolas Denys;
Grade 9: 1. Jenny Kaiser, St. Mary’s Academy, Harvey Burns; 2. Drake Boudreau, Richmond, Michel Samson;
Aboriginal Award: Sarah Pierro, Whycocomagh, Gods and Baskets;
Acadian Award: Alanna Samson, Felix Marchand, Les Acadiens;
African Award: Clancy McDaniel, Dalbrae, Canada’s Rosa Parks;
Cultural Award: Spencer MacKeen, Chedabucto Education Centre, Jumbo the Elephant;
Gaelic Award: Christine Campbell, C.B. Highlands, Renaissance Gaelique;
Literacy Award: Chloe Gillis, Whycocomagh, When The Bell Rings;
Veterans Award: Benjamin Stephen, St. Andrew Junior, Battle at Home;
Canada’s History Medal: Chantel Gould, Whycocomagh, A Lifelong Teacher;
Student Choice: Jessie Kaiser, St. Mary’s Academy, Port Bickerton Fish Plant;
Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia #1: Bryanna Smith, Whycocomagh, She’s A Cheese Whiz;
Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia #2: Nathan Langley, St. Mary’s Education Centre, Scottish Settlement;
Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia #3: Spencer MacKeen, Chedabucto Education Centre, Jumbo the Elephant;
Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia #4: MacKenzie Mason, St. Mary’s Education Centre, Once upon a Railroad;
Provincial Showcase participant winners:
#3: Dante Samson, West Richmond, Rick Hansen … A Difference Maker; #4: Alex Kennedy, St. Andrew Junior, Past and Present: How Schools Have Changed; #5: Julia Gillis, St. Andrew Junior, De tyranny Verdryven; #6: Andrew Milner, St. Andrew Junior, If These Walls Could Speak; #7: Hannah Gillis, Whycocomagh, Crystal Blocks of Summer; #8: Jane MacDonald and Shannon Ouellette, Tamarac, D’être préparé guides!; #9: Gemma MacPherson, St. Andrew Junior, Threads Through the Family.

Mother’s gift to son to aid Epilepsy Association

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:22:35 +0000

Never – a word that is not part of Cara Jones’ vocabulary.
The photographer and filmmaker – and now author – is self-publishing her book Dear Cole, Never Say Never, a piece written to her unborn son that reflects on the value of perseverance, resilience and faith.
Jones, 34, said she often heard the word ‘never’ growing up as she endured, at times, more than 100 seizures a day. Finishing high school or university, or even living much into her twenties, seemed so far away, or at least that’s what she was often told.
After graduating from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) and making her way to other parts of the world, including Australia, Jones returned to Antigonish as a 26-year-old about to live life as a single mother.
At that point, Jones said she started to think about writing the book.
“I really thought there was not a whole lot of literature out there for the type of single mother I was, or was about to become,” she noted.
Jones decided to write a journal to her son.
“It would be about all the different emotions and things that were happening, so instead of just writing my journal I decided to write my life story to him,” she said, including talking to him about “overcoming adversity in my life growing up in Antigonish with epilepsy.”
“I touch on a lot of issues, so it is really me writing to my unborn child but it is meant for my unborn child at the age of 20, or in the teenage years, to read.
“It is very raw and very honest about a teenage experience and an adolescent experience – about being authentic and letting go,” Jones noted.
She was supposed to finish the book last year, but due to circumstances such as the death of her close friend, Ottilia Chareka, she “wasn’t quite sure how to end the book.”
“The book ends with me talking to my son seven years later. I decided to start seven years later – at that point,” she said.
Jones explained the book includes nine months of “real time,” followed by a recap seven years later of the time since her son was born.
“I talk to him about how I got us from point A to point B by using everything that I have learned,” she said.
She writes the journal in real time, flashing back to high school days and other times.
“The book starts with my death and how I was revived from a seizure,” she said, noting there is a spiritual element to the book.
“I remember my near death experience … I talk about how you are never quite the same after you have had an experience like that. You always know there is something more because you have seen it.”
Jones had intended to shop her manuscript to “many different publishers.”
After three years, she said she saw that it was an art piece. She also wanted to include her documentaries in the sleeve of the book.
“I also wanted to raise money for the Epilepsy Association, and I couldn’t do those things and have control of those things if I went the traditional publishing route,” she noted.
At some point, she may again explore going the traditional publication route.
“It has been amazing,” Jones said, noting she had raised more than $1,000 in the first five days of the campaign.
From the $10,000 she is targeting for the self-publication, $1,000 will go to Epilepsy Association’s student scholarship fund.
Jones is offering a “sneak peek” on her site – www.dearcole.com – the first three pages of the book for people to sample.
“I think people will really get a sense that they too can do anything that they achieve,” she said.
As part of her work for the Epilepsy Association, Jones, who is also a motivational speaker, will present “The Ripple Effect: How One Thought Can Change the World” at the People’s Place Library on May 24 at 6:30 p.m.
For more about Jones, including how to become part of her self-publication project, visit www.dearcole.com

Students welcome web-footed friends

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:21:34 +0000

A Grade 1 class at Antigonish Education Centre has nine new members.
Waddles, Quacky, Bob, Atticus, Clover, Sam, Bella, Douglas and Bandit – a family of ducks – have become the centre of attention in Loreen Allen’s class.
“They quack a lot,” Jack MacDonald said as he and his classmates gathered around the plastic crate that serves as the birds’ temporary home.
The ducklings arrived as eggs from Stephen van de Sande’s farm about a month or so before any appeared. While waiting for the hatching, the students not only kept a close eye on their soon-to-be friends under the bright lights of their incubator, they also learned a great deal about ducks.
The wait for the new arrivals ended April 29 when eight ducks hatched after 27 days.
A ninth hatched the next day.
“It was really cool,” Jack Milner said of that moment.
The group started with 18 eggs, with nine making it through the incubation period.
When they are not huddled together or feeding in their temporary home, the ducklings like to take a swim.
Laughs filled the room as a couple of the furry friends quickly shoot from one end to another of a makeshift swimming pool – a large plastic packing container.
“The students are learning a great deal. It has been a wonderful experience for them,” Allen said.
She said her classes had completed similar project over the last five years, but the animal of choice had been baby chicks.
“The ducks are a lot more active,” Allen noted.
Above the ducks spot in the classroom, cupboards are dotted with students’ stories about their new friends.
While watching the ducklings do a few more laps, Allen tested the students’ knowledge of ducks, including the names of the breeds that comprise their nine friends – khaki Campbell and Indian runners.
The students rattled off answers to Allen’s questions – everything from the proper temperature in the incubator to the name for a group of ducks – a clutch.
The difference between drakes and hens – an easy one, while the reason drakes have nice feathers was a no-brainer. They don’t have to sit on the eggs like the hens.
Drakes also primp a lot and strut around in search of a mate.
Their lessons even included the proper way in which to hold their web-footed friends.
“They are really funny,” Ali MacLellan said.
After showing their duck smarts, the Grade 1 students headed to their physical education class, but they were not alone.
To the laughter and wonder of AEC students lining the hallway, the ducklings continued the tradition of smartly following their friends in an orderly line.
When their time at AEC ends, the ducklings will return to the van de Sande farm.

Playing hardball

editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:20:41 +0000

Monday night Antigonish town council dropped a bombshell announcing it will move towards placing the exhibition grounds in a tax sale. The property on James Street is owned by the Municipality of the County of Antigonish but lies within the town boundaries. The exhibition grounds were placed on the town’s municipal assessment role in 2003. Since then, the county has been billed $296,450 for taxes, bills that have never been paid.
Last month, the county’s finance committee recommended that the county reimburse the town approximately $56,000 for mandatory services for the property. In return they wanted the town to seek a private members bill to make the property tax exempt while it remains leased to the Federation of Agriculture. Deputy warden and finance chair Owen McCarron said the town and county were working together on the issue.
The town made no comment, that is, until Monday. Obviously the two municipal units are not in agreement. They have debated the issue for nine years. As part of 2012-13 budget deliberations, it appears both municipalities wanted the issue resolved and rightly so as the exhibition grounds are in need of a makeover. One the Antigonish Regional Development Authority championed in Antigonish Exhibition Grounds Master Plan released January 2011.
The comprehensive master plan is proactive. In the last year both municipalities have adopted it and begun work on a possible governance structure. The master plan called for a revitalized and permanent Farmer’s Market, improvements to the exhibition grounds, outdoor gazebo, washroom facilities, a skate park, playground and parking. Will the tax dispute now become another obstacle to overcome in providing an important piece of infrastructure for the Antigonish community?
Current town and county councils have diligently worked to repair their relationship after the annexation and amalgamation debate (a debate costing tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars). The People’s Place Library and the Antigonish Town and County Field Project are evidence of their efforts. The tax issue will once again test the town and county’s relationship.
The town raised several important issues in its announcement. Why should town citizens subsidize the Municipality of the County of Antigonish? Why did the county publicly announce that the two municipal units were working together when there was no agreement to terms? On the contrary, why should county citizens pay taxes on a property leased to a charity and enjoyed by the entire community?
Both municipalities are playing hardball and trying to force a solution. Perhaps something was needed after nine years of debate. Maybe an arbitrator can help the municipalities reach an agreement making all tax payers happy. One that allows the community to take a step forward in revitalizing the exhibition grounds and improving the area’s economic, social and recreational future.

Tax sale – County owes town nearly $300,000

Richard MacKenzie — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:10:34 +0000

[Update - Tuesday, May 15 at 10 p.m.: After its regular monthly meeting, Municipality of the County of Antigonish council met in-camera for more than 30 minutes to discuss the exhibition grounds' tax issue.
Warden Herb Delorey said the county was informed earlier that day about the possibility of the tax sale for the property.
"I had a number of inquiries today, so I brought it to the committee of the whole this evening for full discussion of council," he told reporters after the in-camera session.
"Council's final decision was to turn it over to our solicitor and he will look at the whole situation and give us some recommendations on how we should proceed from here on out.
"I asked him [county solicitor Adam Rodgers] how long that could possibly take and he said maybe somewhere in the ballpark of one to two weeks …” he added.
Delorey said “at some point in time, I hope we can sit down and resolve this.”
“We have a good working relationship with the town and I wouldn’t want to see it marred,” Delorey added.
See further updates on this site and in our May 23 print edition.]

Tax sale – County owes town nearly $300,000

The exhibition grounds are headed towards a tax sale.
That’s the result of a motion passed Monday night during the Town of Antigonish regular monthly council meeting.
The Municipality of the County of Antigonish owns the exhibition grounds in town limits and taxes haven’t been paid on the property since 2003 when changes in assessments made the grounds taxable.
Taxes and interest have grown to $296,450 on the property and the two municipalities have been trying for years to work out a solution.
The county recently offered $56,102 for mandatory expenditures and it was reported, in late April, that perhaps a settlement was close.
In a press release, issued following Monday’s town council meeting, town officials reacted to those reports.
“The town was rather disheartened that the county would release such information when the town had yet to agree to any terms, nor had the town the opportunity to respond to the county’s decision. As in all outstanding property tax issues, the town respects the confidentiality of tax issues until they are resolved.”
The move towards a tax sale was also addressed in the release.
“As the County of Antigonish refuses to pay the taxes owing on the exhibition grounds, the Town of Antigonish has a responsibility to its citizens that they not have to pay more than their fair share of taxes to subsidize the County of Antigonish; in addition the Municipal Government Act requires all lands in excess of three years in arrears to go to tax sale; therefore the town of Antigonish has no alternative but to place the exhibition grounds up for tax sale to recover the $296,450 owning to the Town of Antigonish and its citizens.”
Following Monday night’s meeting, Antigonish Mayor Carl Chisholm reiterated those sentiments and talked about what passing the motion means for now.
“We were a little bit disappointed that the county went public a couple of weeks ago, we were still in negotiations,” Chisholm said.
“We figured, at this point in time, what they offered us and what is fair to our tax payer is not one in the same. There is a procedure to follow. What we’ll be doing is advising the county that we have passed a motion that the exhibition grounds will be going up for tax sale.”
Chisholm also talked more about how a tax sale comes into play and the negotiations.
“Anything after three years can go to tax sale,” he said.
“We have been negotiating with them my three years in office and we just couldn’t come to a… obviously, it came to a loggerhead. And basically, what I had to say tonight is, that if it was any other property and a tax payer owed us the amount of money they owe, we would be putting their property up for sale as well.”
There was plenty of discussion from council prior to the vote including what can and can’t be legally written off by council.
“You can only write something off if you can’t collect and here you can collect by going to tax sale,” Chisholm said, noting an example of not being able to collect is if someone moved out of the area and, after efforts were exhausted, couldn’t be tracked down.
“We’re not asking the county to do anything more than we’re asking our local taxpayers to do,” he added.
Contacted early Tuesday morning, Municipality of the County of Antigonish Warden Herb Delorey said, while he did hear about the tax sale, he would prefer to wait to comment until he had a chance to discuss it with the rest of county council.

Fire destroys ‘lime shed’

Richard MacKenzie — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:08:36 +0000

A structure fire Saturday afternoon forced a temporary closure of Highway 245.
The fire leveled the building often referred to by area residents as the “lime shed,” a reference to its one-time use. It sat just off the highway and very close to the North Grant-Maryvale boundary line.
Four Valley Fire Department chief Greg Smith said his department was joined by the North Shore Fire Department, Antigonish County Fire Department and Antigonish Town Fire Department in battling the blaze. He talked about the necessity of having to close the road.
“We didn’t have much choice, we had to set-up on the road and block the road,” Smith said, noting the intensity of the aggressive fire. “And as soon as practical, we moved the operation off the road which allowed the RCMP to open up one-lane. It went pretty good under the circumstances.”
Smith noted there was a lot of “combustible material” in the building which played a role in how quickly the fire took it to the ground.
“Around 50 round bales of hay and a bunch of loose cardboard,” he said of the building’s contents.
“A young fellow had somewhat of a recycling business with the cardboard. That is why it went up so fast. It would be more the cardboard than the round bales because the round bales are so densely compacted. The problem with them is trying to get the fire out, spreading them out, and even today (Monday) there was a couple of hot spots, we were still putting water on it.”
Smith guessed the building to around 35 years old and noted because it was so visible, near the highway and essentially standing alone, “it was a little bit of a landmark.”
“It had been standing up there by itself for so many years,” he said.
A Monday release from Antigonish RCMP notes they “are investigating a suspicious fire, at the structure commonly referred to by locals as the “lime shed,” in Maryvale that occurred in the afternoon of Saturday, May 12.
Anyone with information about this fire is asked to contact the Antigonish RCMP at-863-6500 or Crime Stoppers at (800)222-8477. Because the fire is being investigated, Smith couldn’t comment on possible causes.

Town passes budget

Richard MacKenzie — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:05:52 +0000

At their regular monthly meeting Monday night, Town of Antigonish council passed their 2012-13 budget.
Both residential and commercial rates are going up three cents which equates to $1 per $100 of assessment for residential and resource properties, and $2.53 per $100 for commercial and business occupancy properties.
Also part of the motion involving the budget was the due date for 2012-13 taxes to be paid by June 30, 2012 and interest charged set at 9 percent per annum on the taxes outstanding after the due date. June 30 is consistent with last year’s due date but the 9 percent represents a jump. Last year’s interest figure was 6 percent.
The town estimates an amount of $7,328,544 necessary for expenditures and revenue, other than taxation, in the amount of $2,577,817. The difference to be made up with taxation is $4,750,727.
The estimated expenditure amount is up $322,838 from last year’s budget estimate ($7,005,706).
The biggest chunks on the expenditure ledger are police (19.9 percent), education (16.7 percent), public works (13.2 percent) and garbage/sewer (11.7 percent) but, as Antigonish Mayor Carl Chisholm notes, the increase isn’t one thing but overall increases.
“Just increased costs,” he said. “We had the library, field project, we still make a contribution to the hospital foundation for their MRI machine, that’s a long term commitment, St. F.X. turf field we still have a payment to make on that… so we still have to get some of these larger payments out of the way.”
Chisholm also talked about paving and those costs going up.
“We have a lot of paving to do,” he said. “The tonnage of paving has gone up to $890 a ton as opposed to $690 a ton, so we’re not going to get as much paving done this year. The cost of paving has gone through the roof.”
Residential tax will account for 37.8 percent of town’s revenue while commercial will be 27 percent.
Chisholm said, even with the three cent increase, Antigonish remains amongst the lowest taxes in the province.
“I really have to elaborate on that fact,” he said. “We are by far, by far, the lowest in the province. I compare (us) to Wolfville as an example, which is another university town, the residential tax rate there is $1.43 (per $100), the commercial tax rate there is $3.55 (per $100).
“I look at the towns across the province with approximately the same population we have and we’re by far lower than any of those municipalities. I think we’re doing a fantastic job, all departments, with what we’re working with and giving back to the community.”
Reoffering for mayor
Chisholm also took the opportunity Monday night to announce he will, once again, be seeking the office of Mayor in the upcoming fall election.
“I think as a council, as a whole, we’ve done a very good job over the last three and a half years we’ve been in,” he said. “We have things on the horizon that we’re going to be doing.”
Dealing with downtown parking is one those things on the horizon and Chisholm said he hopes to be in office to see that work get done.
“We’ve been promising the downtown merchants we’re going to do something in the way of parking for them and we’re going to do something for them this year. That’s why I’m going to stay on, to make sure that projects get carried through… if I can get to stay on.”
Paper ballot
In a narrow, unrecorded vote (four to three), council voted against switching from the current paper ballot method of voting to an electronic method, for the upcoming municipal election.
Despite a presentation from returning officer Susan Eaton where she extols the benefits of the electronic method, a combination of computer and phone, the slim majority of council felt this election would be better served with the current method.
“People are scared of technology but we were at meetings with Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities (UNSM) this week and it’s a proven fact, voter participation is up with electronic voting,” Chisholm said. “This year, more and more municipalities are taking it on and it’s inevitable. If it’s not this time it will definitely be next time, we’ll not have a choice.”
Chisholm said he believes if the councillors who voted against the electronic voting had heard the presentation at the UNSM gathering, it may have changed their mind.
“Any questions that were asked at that meeting and workshop, (people) had their questions answered and were happy leaving there,” he said.
Councillor Willie Cormier asked about a combination of the two methods for this election but it was decided by council that route would be too expensive.
“The costs to the taxpayers would have been in the vicinity of $50,000 to do both,” Chisholm said, noting he would have supported that idea if it was cost effective. “I really don’t think that would be money well spent. That’s why the motion was put to the floor, either one way or the other.”

Promoting the downtown

Richard MacKenzie — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:02:51 +0000

The goal to formalize a downtown business association took a step forward, during a meeting May 2, and hopes to take another one tomorrow night (May 17) with a second get-together.
In talking about the May 2 meeting, association proponent Tiiu Poder, of Aphrodite Art and Fashion, said she described to the group her experience with helping get an art council up and going.
“Back in 1997, when I first started the Enterprise Development Centre, one of the early projects we took on was the establishment of the Guysborough Antigonish Pictou Arts and Culture Council (GAPACC) which has since morphed into the Antigonish Culture Alive group and has been very successful,” Poder said.
“I just described my experience with that and suggested it might be a good idea for us to formalize an association so that we actually have a board of directors and that board of directors elects an executive. That executive determines committee structures and will engage people in the committees to take on issues like signage, promotion, advertizing, all of the main things that are going to promote downtown Antigonish.”
Poder said subsequent discussion around a more structured association was positive and it was agreed at the conclusion of the meeting to move forward with that goal.
“And we defined our mission,” Poder said. “Our mission is to promote downtown Antigonish. So whether that is retailers or other businesses it doesn’t matter, we just want people to know that our downtown is thriving and an exciting place to come to.”
Poder said the turnout for the meeting was a “little disappointing” and the goal for those in attendance was to recruit others for the next meeting.
“All the people who were at the meeting last time agreed to approach at least four other downtown businesses and engaged them to come to the next meeting which is going to be on May 17.”
Talking in more depth about challenges, Poder came back to the issue around signage.
“Roger Brooks (in his report), one of the astonishing things he revealed in that study was two-thirds of the passers-by of Antigonish don’t even realize we have a Main Street… that is a major issue,” Poder said.
“We have to tackle signage. We don’t have any signage saying ‘downtown this way.’ I was just in Ireland and every single little town we went to had tons of signs directing you to the downtown core.”
She noted another Nova Scotia community as being a good representation of promoting their downtown.
“The example of Mahone Bay has come up a number of times because there is a downtown core that has done a tremendous job of promoting their Main Street,” she said. “We want to be as active, vibrant and exciting as they are, and in other small towns that are making it work.”
Advertizing and conducting events around significant occasions are a couple of the other issues she elaborated on and noted an association has a better chance of tackling and overcoming challenges then individual businesses.
“So we have to do something as a group,” she said. “As individuals we’re going to be going off in different directions so we have to galvanize and form a critical mass that is going to have the authority and experience to do something about getting Antigonish to be better known and more attractive to visitors.”
Tomorrow’s meeting is at the Hawthorne Room from 7 to 9 p.m. Poder said it’s a meet-and-greet, wine-and-cheese, $10 admission event that is open to not just downtown business owners and operators but anyone with an interest in “promoting downtown Antigonish.”
“We don’t want to limit our organization. We want to invite everybody who wants to be a part of it. Any business, regardless of where they are, but still recognizing our mandate is to promote downtown Antigonish,” Poder said.

Royals enjoy success at Nike Grand Prix

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:02:31 +0000

Mike Tate won top honours in the 1,500m race at the Nike Grand Prix high school track and field meet Saturday at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium.
Teammates Brandon MacDonald (silver) and Patrick Marlow (bronze) also medalled at the event.
The meet, presented by School Sport Canada, Nike and TrojanOne, drew competitors from across the country.
Most provinces sent one boys and one girls team to the competition, although Nova Scotia had two in each classification at the inaugural event. Joining the Royals as Nova Scotia representatives was the team from Park View Education Centre in Bridgewater.
Tate, a Grade 11 student/athlete at Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School, cruised to victory in a field of 28 runners. He recorded a winning time of 4:05.91, well ahead of his nearest competitor Cal DeWolfe with a time of 4:18.05.
Tate’s teammate Patrick Marlow placed third with a clocking of 4:18.15.
Tate, who has competed and medalled at previous national events, said the trip was a great experience.
The Antigonish teen said he moved into the lead 600m into the race and was in control for the remainder of the race.
“My time wasn’t bad,” Tate commented.
“I would have liked a little faster but considering the race, and the fact that my second lap was a bit slow, I’m pleased overall.”
Tate said staging a national high school track meet is an amazing idea and a great opportunity for people to compete at a national level.
“It was a really well run meet,” he said.
Tate said the athletes were presented with an opportunity to meet and ask questions of elite Canadian track athletes.
“That was great.”
Tate said the meet was a great opportunity to get a very competitive race in early in the season.
“It let me know where I’m at now and what I have to work on for the rest of the season,” he said.
Marlow, in his final season of high school track, welcomed the opportunity to test his training against high quality runners from across the country.
“It was a great experience overall and a great opportunity to compete at a national level, something I have never experienced before,” he said.
“This was a lot of fun.”
Marlow established an eight-second personal best time in his race and a bronze medal.
“I had a really strong finish and narrowly missed second,” he commented.
“I ran top five for most of the race and I was really happy with my performance.”
Marlow was also impressed with the Nike equipment presented to the athletes.
“It’s amazing,” he commented.
“Top of the line.”
Royals’ coach Chris MacKinnon said the 1,500m race was a timed final with two heats.
“Seeding was random but fortunately for Nova Scotia that three of its four runners in the second heat. Knowing the time to beat from the first heat the second group started quickly with Mike tucking in behind the lead runner. Once he was comfortable Mike passed the leader and ran away from the field. Pat has been running extremely well in practice this spring and the good quality early competition let him show off the results of his hard work.”
Brandon MacDonald finished second in the 800m race with a time of 2:04.9, while Edward MacDonald was 10th in 2:10.7. The race had 26 entries.
“Brandon was in the third heat and knew the time to beat before he started,” MacKinnon said.
“He charged to the front and opened up a big lead. With no one coming with him it was up to Brandon to go after a medal position on his own. He finished with a personal best 2:04.90. He displaced his provincial teammate from the second place position by .02 of a second.”
MacKinnon said Edward MacDonald ran a personal best in an event not tailored to his strength.
Frank MacFarlane recorded an eighth place result in the 100m (12.3) with Liam MacDonald placing 12th in a field of 31 sprinters. MacDonald came 12th in the 200m in 25.3 with MacFarlane recording a time of 26.18.
MacFarlane finished ninth in the 400m in 55.76 and MacDonald was 12th in 56.30. There were 34 entries in the event.
“Liam and Frank had busy days competing in the 100m, 200m and 400m races,” MacKinnon said.
“They ran very good times that put them in the top 10 to 12 in their events.”
MacKinnon said the meet was a tremendous experience.
“Nike sponsors and TrojanOne treated the athletes like professionals,” he commented.
“The meet was professionally run with HD video taping and displays on the big screen. The weekend also included a bus tour of Toronto, a CN tower visit, shopping at the Nike outlet and a visit to Varsity Stadium where the athletes were outfitted with all their Nike swag.”

Volleyball Under-16 team to compete at nationals

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:58:35 +0000

The Antigonish Stoirm Under-16 volleyball team will compete in the Volleyball Canada Canadian Open Club championships this weekend in Toronto.
The Stoirm team is coached by Bernie Wallace and Randy Pettipas.
Wallace said after winning the Volleyball Nova Scotia Under-15 provincial championships in 2011 he told his players the team would participate in the Eastern Canadians in 2012.
“As it turned out there was no Eastern Canadian tournament this year, only nationals, so that’s why we’re going,” Wallace said.
“In the U-16 division alone there are 140 teams, which will be divided into four equal divisions.”
Wallace said the competition will be seeded based on the last two years’ rankings. He expects the Antigonish team to be placed in division two.
Antigonish competed in five tournaments this season, winning one, finishing second in three and placing fourth at the Volleyball Nova Scotia provincials.
“We played very well at provincials,” Wallace said.
“Some things went against us but in the semi-finals we lost a very tight game to Dal, which we should have won. We then lost in the bronze medal game to Truro.”
Wallace said Antigonish is one of the stronger teams in the province and the Stoirm program is comparable to teams in New Brunswick and Quebec.
“The nationals will be a real eye-opener to see what we’re up against,” he commented.
“Teams from Ontario and British Columbia have very big girls and we’re not that big, so it will probably be a different style of play than we’re used to.”
Setting for the Stoirm team this year are Josee Morell and Kristen Boudreau. Wallace said both players are very versatile.
“Josee can play outside or middle as well,” he said.
“We have a two-setting system where in certain situations where we don’t penetrate we can have a setter on both sides of the court. Kristen we can put off-side or setting, so both of these girls can fill some holes.”
Sixteen-year-old Amber MacPherson plays libero for the team.
“She’s been battling injuries the last few weeks but we’re hoping she’s going to be ready to go,” Wallace said.
“We also have a back-up in Krysten Pettipas, if needed. Certain matches we don’t play a libero—we just rotate them through.”
Wallace said the team has four players in the power position, including 5’11” Julie Brown, touted as a very strong hitter.
“She can also pass back court fairly well,” the coach said.
Jackie Sullivan, Hannah MacDonald and Elizabeth Wallace also contribute at the power position.
“Although Jackie is only 5’2” when she’s on she can hit and really cover the floor. Hannah is 5’6” and is probably one of the most improved powers in the province. Elizabeth covers very well and is a smart player around the net.”
Brooklyn Hamilton plays the middle position and Wallace said the 5”11” player has an unbelievable vertical.
“She also has a very good serve, passes well and is also versatile.”
Kristyn MacEachern (5’5”) plays the middle position and according to Wallace has a “wicked vertical.”
“She covers very well in the back court and can hit the ball,” the coach commented.
Hannah Pettipas plays the off-side position but sees duty as a setter and middle player as well.
“She’s a digger and see’s the court very well,” the coach said.
“Hannah is also a very smart player. Off-side is one of the harder positions to play because of the coverage but she does it very well.”
Sharing the work-load at the off-side position is Krysten Pettipas, who moved to the position this year.
“Because of her previous experience at libero, off-side is kind of natural for her to come in and take on that position.”
Kate Gallivan plays the off-side position, while also contributing at setting.
“She primarily plays off-side but if needed will go in at setter,” Wallace said.
“She has a great serve and wicked hands.”
Wallace said the Stoirm team is a versatile one with depth. Athleticism is also a strength of the group.
“They can all pass, set and serve, which is crucial,” he said.
“We’re not relying on just one or two players. I expect everyone to pull their weight and the girls all have to be able to cover the floor and take on any job that is required of them.”
Stoirm players have not competed in a national event before but Wallace expects the team members to embrace the up-coming challenge.
“When we play our game, which is serving, serve receive, calling the ball and making the right decisions at the net we should have success,” he said.
“We were provincial champs last year with the same team and every tournament we were in this year we walked through the preliminary round over every team in the province. I see us as having a very good chance at doing well at nationals. I don’t think the fact that we haven’t been there before will be a factor.”

Mayfest puts spring into people’s step

Richard MacKenzie — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:57:44 +0000

St. F.X.’s Bloomfield Centre was bursting at the seams Saturday (May 12) during the Saint Martha’s Auxiliary annual Mayfest celebration.
Mayfest is the auxiliary’s largest fundraiser and is held annually around the second weekend of May.
Margie Pitts from the auxiliary said as, of Monday mid-afternoon, the total raised was $42,000 but she expects to add to the final number as everything is compiled.
Pitts noted an attendance count is difficult since some passes are tied up in other draws.
“It was a very good day,” she said. “Everything seemed to go well, there were no glitches or anything, and the crowd was great. Really we couldn’t be happier.”
Pitts added that while the auxiliary does have a meeting this week it will probably be a couple of weeks before they have all the final figures.
Money raised from this year’s Mayfest will go towards purchasing a new operating room table for St. Martha’s Regional Hospital.
Mayfest took up three level of the Bloomfield with activities such as the popular Teddy Bear Clinic and princess and pirate makeovers on a top floor, music, flea market, Encore Bling cake walk and other games on the middle floor and Science World, run by St. F.X. science students, on the bottom level.
Many other community groups helped out on the day including local RCMP and Emergency Health Services (EHS) personnel, amongst others.
The event went from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Celebrating co-operatives

Richard MacKenzie — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:55:21 +0000

Three local groups came together Friday night (May 11) to celebrate the International Year of Co-operatives.
The Bergengren Credit Union, Coady International Institute and St. F.X.’s Extension Department co-hosted Advancing the Cooperative Movement. The event featured opening remarks from Credit Union Central of Canada board chair Dave MacLean, two films and a panel discussion with an audience participation component.
The four-person panel, which represented a wide-range of experience and perspectives, included Yogesh Gore – senior program staff with the Coady, Mark Sparrow – Nova Scotia Co-operative Council business development officer, Bergengren Credit Union Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dan Hodgins and C.S. Reddy – CEO with APMAS in India.
“The evening was just wonderful,” Hodgins said. “It looked like we had 70 to 80 people. We had a lot of the Coady students and many people very interested in cooperatives who came to see exactly what is happening this year, the International Year of the Co-operative.”
Hodgins added Bergengren was happy to be part of the sponsoring team and he appreciated being part of the panel.
“It was quite enjoyable and the most interesting part to me was, you had me from Antigonish representing the credit union system and then I had a colleague beside me who was from India,” he said. “And it’s so interesting that all of our issues and concerns are the same, whether they be in India or Antigonish. Also some of the good work we’re doing is mirrored in both places.”
As for what message he was hoping to express as a panelist, Hodgins talked about the ownership and self-control aspects of cooperatives.
“With cooperatives today, people really are in control of them,” he said. “They have the ability to shape how cooperatives are formed, how they’re run and what their value sets are. That was really the important aspect for me this evening. To let people know they have the ability to create, drive and direct cooperatives whether they be credit unions, a milk co-op or a fish co-op, whatever they might be, we can shape it.”
Phil Davison, director of St. F.X.’s Extension Department, took on the role of moderator during the panel discussion.
“It was a great evening, we had the opportunity to reflect on the DNA of the cooperative movement as it’s expressed here at this Institute (the Coady) and through the work of the Extension Department,” Davison said.
“And we also had the opportunity to hear from people who expressed those same values on an international level. From C.S.’s example of how women in India are doing cooperative work to Yogesh’s example of dairy cooperatives… we had the opportunity tonight to not only be infused with the cooperative movement locally but to hear what goes on internationally.”
Davison also talked about the two films which were shown.
“I thought the videos were wonderful,” he said. “It was the opportunity for the whole group here to see the world premiere of, really, two videos. Living in Reidville with Evelyn McDonald, about her experience growing up in Reidville just down the road from Antigonish, in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, and then concluding with a wonderful video produced by the Youth Community Council of the Berengren Credit Union.”
Some of MacDonald’s family was on-hand for the event and her daughter expressed appreciation for the film, on behalf of her family, during a short speech.
The Youth Community Council’s film won a Credit Union video scholarship contest in the post-secondary category.
“And we heard about the number of submissions they received and the quality of those submissions (for the contest), so that speaks well of the cooperative movement moving forward,” Davison said.

Minor baseball to hold registration

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:54:38 +0000

Antigonish Kinsmen Minor Baseball Association (AKMBA) will hold their registration for the 2012 season Wednesday and Thursday in the lobby at Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School.
Registration times are 6:30 to 8 p.m. both nights.
The association will hold summer ball for players in the T-Ball through midget classifications for boys and girls.
Jim Williams, president of the association, said one of the main goals of the organization is to build up numbers, particularly in the lower ages.
“We want to get back to where we were a few years ago,” he said.
“We’re trying to grow the sport again in Antigonish. The upheaval with the fields the last few years may have scared some people away and we’d love to welcome those people back. My understanding is that they may have been 250 players registered a few years ago.”
Williams said former players may or may not want to return to the game but noted association members are looking to bring new players into the fold and build from the lower ages up.
“We want to attract a core group of players who will be exposed to the sport from an early age,” he said.
“We’re not trying to grab from other sports but it’s a case of the more the better.”
Williams said the more physical activity the better for the young athletes, noting the baseball nights were generally scheduled to fit around the soccer program in order for the youngsters to be able to participate in both sports.
“We really don’t want the kids to have to choose one sport over the other,” Williams said.
Williams said the game has something for everyone, regardless of skill and body type. He emphasized baseball is a team game with everybody playing equal time and having an opportunity to play various positions.
He said baseball is an affordable sport and registration fees for the 10-week house league program are unchanged from last year.
AKMBA will begin at the T-Ball level, which is for players in the four to five age range, while following up with a J-Ball division for six-year-olds. Rookie ball will include seven to eight-year-olds, while mosquito ball features nine to 11-year-olds.
A combined pee wee and bantam group is for 12 to 15 years old.
Williams said participants in the T-Ball and J-Ball divisions will hit the field once a week during the 10-week program, while the older players will receive instructions twice a week, each 90 minutes in duration.
The group will also introduce the rally cap program for the younger players. The program was developed by Baseball Canada to enhance the learning of key baseball skills using fun, engaging, age-appropriate activities. Williams said similar to the badge system in swimming, players can progress through different colored caps as they master the skills.
AKMBA will host a baseball day for children aged four to 11 Saturday, May 26 at the new baseball field behind Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School. The fun day is designed to introduce various aspects of baseball to both new and returning players.
The recently formed Antigonish Angels intermediate men’s team will facilitate the event, which runs from 9 a.m. until noon, along with members of AKMBA. In the event of rain the gymnasium at the Regional will be used. Registration will also take place on baseball day for those unable to register earlier.
“We were trying to come up with ways to introduce the children to the sport,” Williams said.
“We felt it would be good to have the kids come out and see if they like the game and good exposure for the parents as well.”
Williams said baseball day is an opportunity for children and parents to be exposed to baseball for an hour or so and will consist of multiple stations with age-appropriate baseball activities.
The baseball day will have players in T-Ball and J-Ball receiving instruction from 9 to 10 a.m. with rookie players on from 10 to 11 a.m. the final hour will be used for mosquito age players.
Participants are to bring along a glove and wear their baseball caps. Williams noted some gloves will be onsite for anyone needing one.
Williams said the organization is always in need of coaches and interested parties should contact him.
“We do have experienced coaches and they can certainly help people along,” he said regarding newcomers. Mostly it’s parents that get involved, particularly with the younger ages, but we would welcome more help.”
The inclusion of rep teams this summer will completely depend on the athletes involved Williams noted.
“Last year was the first time in my 13 years of involvement where there wasn’t a rep team coming out of Antigonish. That was a shame because we had some good baseball here in the past and the kids had a lot of fun with it. There were quite a few provincial banners won, so hopefully we’ll have at least one team this year. Someone has to step forward and lead the way saying we want our kids playing ball at a higher level and then be willing to help out.”
Williams said the new baseball facility should be a positive in generating added numbers for the game locally.
“I’m very excited about it – it’s a wonderful facility,” he said.
“With the field comes a new intermediate men’s team and that will be great exposure for the younger players. This should be a higher level of baseball in the area and it’s much like kids going to see the Jr. Bulldogs or St. F.X. play. Hopefully, the kids will aspire to play at that level.”
Other members of the AKMBA executive include vice-president Randy Crouse, secretary Jan Tobin, fields coordinator Glenna Ingraham, treasurer Brian Horne and umpire coordinator Anne MacLean.

Cape Jack cemetery provides historical insight

editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:54:27 +0000

Nestled within a stone fence are the remains of many of Havre Boucher and Cape Jack’s early settlers. Located on private land overlooking Saint George’s Bay, most of the area grown up by spruce trees, are numerous gravesites dating back to the early to mid 19th century.
The graveyard has gone into disrepair over the decades given its location. At one time a log mission chapel, St. Marys, was located close to the burial grounds, long since disappeared into the corridors of time.
Frank McCue, whose wife Marilyn originally of Linwood, is related to the MacKeoughs, some of the area’s earlier settlers, noted the building and the cemetery date back to some of the older Catholic parishes settled in northeastern Nova Scotia.
The McCues, Rocklin Massachusetts residents, have returned to the area over the years given the family’s continued connection. Frank has taken an interest in the old pioneer cemetery located on a little more than an acre of land overlooking the cape, likely containing more than 150 graves.
Locating a large tombstone carved with John MacKeough‘s name was a big moment for McCue who has a keen interest in local genealogy. Getting access to the gravesite via Father Bill Crispo’s property they uncovered the tombstone.
“It was a very heavy stone, three feet wide by six feet long, weighed about 500 pounds, I couldn’t pry it with a crow bar,” McCue said. This was eight years ago.
In a book written by Evelyn DeCoste in 1994, Cape Jack Road-A Journey to the Past, documents the history of the chapel and the cemetery.
Considered a mission of the Tracadie parish, it was served by a Tracadie parish priest. According to a publication called the Gazette Angelus the chapel served the area from 1790 to 1860. Bishop Plessis’ journal of 1812, said “it was ministered by a Father Vincent, the prior of the monastery of Petit Clairvau.”
DeCoste noted in her book that the homes and the chapel of that time period are no longer standing. All that remains, which some exploration, are some stone foundations.
“As kids we would be making hay with old Charlie Carpenter and there was a big foundation, a big hole in the ground and I was told it was the chapel, others would say it was the foundation of the glebe house,” Crispo said.
Crispo, who has a copy of the book, lives in the family home above the gravesite by a quarter mile. He moved a small building, that he fixed up as a small cottage, overlooking the cape, close to the stone fence that marks the gravesite’s parameters.
Much of the area’s travel in the late 18 and early to mid 19th centuries was done by sea, and Tracadie’s mission priest would come by boat to hold mass in the small log chapel.
Father A.A. Johnson, in his book A History of the Catholic Church in Eastern Nova Scotia said in 1812 there was talk by the Bishop Plessis about an unfurnished chapel in Havre Boucher, and four years later both the Tracadie and Havre Boucher parishes started discussing building new churches. It was decades before construction took place.
In 1861 Bishop MacKinnon, went on an Episcopal tour of the area for two months, and he set the cornerstones for the two churches that year. There was no further mention of the small chapel in Cape Jack once the adjacent parishes started construction of the larger churches.
“At the 150th anniversary of the parish, Father Bob MacNeil was talking about having a mass down there, but accessibility would be an issue,” Crispo said.
He said, in Cape Breton, a number of the pioneer cemeteries have cairns marking old graveyards with the names of those buried below. Crispo isn’t certain there are many people locally who are even aware the cemetery existed, and if there are still any existing records they would be at St. Peters Church in Tracadie.
“The books started here in 1862, and that is when the new graveyard started in Havre Boucher,” he added.
Crispo said a number of years ago a gentleman by the name of Peter Degruchy started to fix up the section of the graveyard that sits on his property. He cleared a section and kept the grounds up, and found some tombstones while working on the property. The area sitting within the neighbour’s property, the Carpenters, remained untouched, a request of Agnes, the daughter of the original property owners.
Approaching the graveyard the road leading to Crispo’s ocean side cottage runs in a straight line. Walking to the site he notes that his own family name originates from northern Spain. A boat with Basque fishermen shipwrecked and a number of them settled amongst the predominantly French and Irish community.
Land once hay fields, is now grown up with poplars and rose bushes leading to the site. Crispo pointed out an area where boats would come ashore, a natural pier; a small valley, now filled with thick vegetation, just left and below his cottage.
Walking towards the cemetery to the right, the stone fence marked by farmers back in the day, respecting the hallowed ground. Three grayish-white tombstones, broken from their base, are propped against a run of the stone fence.
The land is rough and uneven with rose bushes growing through the rocks. Walking up to a flat stone, scrapping away from the grass covered surface, there were faint carvings of letters, this stone considerably larger than the other three.
Just beyond the flat stone is a thick stand of spruce trees making the rest of the gravesite impenetrable. In comparing photos taken by McCue a number of years ago, the two stones look similar in length and shape, though markings on the stone are now faint.
The province is scattered with similar gravesites, many now hayfields or grown over which is the case with Cape Jack’s pioneer cemetery. Some communities or families have taken on the task of tending to the graves of those who have passed on as a tribute to their memories.
But in many cases memories are all that remains of ancestors who settled communities, like Cape Jack and Havre Boucher across Nova Scotia as gravesites are lost to the passage of time.

Wallace saluted for skating success

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:52:50 +0000

Thirteen-year-old Stacey Wallace, a member of the Antigonish Skating Club, was a major award winner at the Skate Canada Nova Scotia Ice Show May 5 in Cole Harbour.
The pre-novice skater won the Skate Canada Nova Scotia competitor of the year award. She was also placed on the 2012 GOE Skate Canada “Wall of Fame” at Cole Harbour Place.
Wallace, who started figure skating at age eight, said she was surprised and very excited to win the award, noting there were a lot of good skaters nominated.
The Merland teenager admitted 2012 has been a good year to date, among the highlights were attending clinics with world champion Brian Orser and Level 5 master coach Doug Leigh, coach of Elvis Stoyko.
Wallace achieved a second place finish in her short program and garnered a silver medal after her long and short programs were combined at the Rob McCall competition in Dartmouth. The event featured 24 competitors from the Maritime provinces. In April of this year, Wallace topped the podium at Spring Skate New Brunswick for her short program and came away with silver in the jump competition.
Wallace said practice, a positive attitude and very good coaching by Angela Coady of New Glasgow are keys to her success.
“I have been very lucky to have had really good coaches such as Connie Frazee, who got me off to a good start, Rob Fraser, national competitor Hali Sampson, Amy Ouelette and Adelle Elliott of Ontario,” Wallace said.
Wallace will continue her training throughout the summer, attending schools in Antigonish and New Glasgow.
In August, Wallace will compete in the Sizzling Summer Competition in Kitchener, Ont., after a week-long training session in Hamilton.
Wallace will compete in the Fall Skate New Brunswick event as well as sectionals in November. Nationals will take place in Regina in December and Wallace is working toward qualifying for the event.
“The things I like best about skating are learning new elements and getting new programs,” she commented.
“I also like learning new jumps for the first time. My future goals are to land a double axle and a triple sow in competition and also to be among the top four competitors at sectionals to quality for the Nova Scotia team that will go to nationals. I hope to achieve this challenge.”

Riley recognized as one of Atlantic Canada’s top CEOs

Richard MacKenzie — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:52:26 +0000

St. F.X. president Sean Riley seems to be making being named one of Atlantic Canada’s top 50 chief executive officers (CEOs), an every third year event.
The honour, recognized by Atlantic Business Magazine, was first bestowed on Riley in 2006, again in 2009 and now in 2012.
The magazine hosted an award gala, officially called the Atlantic Canada CEO of the Year, May 9 at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax.
Riley talked about receiving the honour alongside fellow St. F.X. graduates and supporters.
“I have to say, one of the nice parts of it was seeing other X rings being recognized in the group of 50,” Riley said.
“It was great to be there with an old classmate of mine, Frank Coleman, who last year was the Atlantic Canada CEO of the Year and he was back this year being sworn in as a lifetime member of the group. Frank is from the class of ’74. It was great to be there as well with Sean O’Regan and a member of our board, Rob Bennett, was also being honoured.”
In talking about the connection between business and academics, Riley said part of his role is selling St. F.X.
“I think part of it is the recognition that university presidents have a lot to do in the external community,” he said. “Whether it’s in the area of marketing the university… certainly efforts we make to recruit students across the country, and to market St. F.X. as a national institution, is part of the core responsibilities a university president has.”
Riley also noted the fundraising component.
“Obviously the other responsibility is related to fundraising and finding the resources necessary to support the academic mission. Certain features of the job of president have those external relationship building features that are quite important and I think the fact the magazine recognizes university presidents – my colleague at Mount Allison University, Robert Campbell, was also recognized – sort of signals the fact working and being an institution in Atlantic Canada is a broader responsibility than simply the pure local activity.
“We have to survive and prosper because we’re national institutions, projecting our attractiveness right across the country.”
Riley also talked about the challenges in continuing to survive and prosper.
“The immediate challenge is a pretty difficult one and that is really the fact the provincial government has required cutbacks to university budgets, four percent last year, three percent this year,” he said. “We have been able to increase tuition but by an amount that is less than the government cuts, so we’re experiencing the same phenomenon you see in newspapers, day-in, day-out, of working through, responding to government cuts, at the same time trying as best you can to maintain top quality.”
“Quality,” Riley said, which is essential to an institution “located as we are in a small university town in rural Atlantic Canada.
“Quality is the lifeblood of the future of the institution so I would say, while it’s hard to be popular in a situation where budgets are being cut, that is part of what we have to do based, essentially, on the provincial financial situation.”

Living a healthier energetic life

editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:50:52 +0000

Naturopathic doctors spend years studying how to help people take ownership of their own health. They look at the patient in total, exploring what may be causing a disease or condition and how it is connected to the body, mind and spirit of the patient.
Their goal is to get to the cause of symptoms, resetting the body, so to speak, to help prevent longer term disease. They look at the body’s ability to heal itself through natural means, a holistic approach to health. Instead of treating symptoms they seek the root reason why a patient is not feeling well.
A talk by two doctors Theresa Donovan and Jennifer Doyle at The People’s Place Library Thursday night informed and demystified what naturopathy entails during Naturopathic Medicine Awareness Week.
“Your body is trying to tell you something if you are getting (regular) headaches or migraines, you can take something for the pain, but if they come back again and again you have to start addressing the reasons why,” Donovan said.
She said when a patient comes to her clinic their entire medical history is studied to determine what is going on inside their body. She and Doyle work in an integrated setting with a team of healthcare professionals. Doyle added that the key is to make the treatment non-invasive, noting the body has its own innate ability to heal itself.
“If you are exposed to a virus your body has the ability to develop a fever to kill off the virus…it’s a good idea to support the fever process as long as it stays within safe guidelines,” she said.
In some cases there can also be emotional/mental components connected to someone’s health condition so the team approach works well when these are part of the healing process. Beyond the clinic setting, they also provide tools to patients to take control of their own health and work on preventative measures.
The key is to have the body in a position to be able to fight off any viruses or infections it may be exposed to.
Their clinic sees the gamut of conditions such fatigue, pain, hormonal imbalances, digestive, heart, high blood pressure and cholesterol, allergies, depression, anxiety, skin conditions, diabetes and cancer. Depending on the patient they would all get different treatment plans even if being treated for the same condition.
Three quarters of their patient load come in with low energy levels whether or not it is the chief health issue.
“The majority of people are running on empty,” Donovan said, with many causes for low energy.
Eating right
Digestion can play a part in this given how and what we eat in our daily diets. Chewing food properly is the beginning of good digestion. Our saliva plays a part in our mouth to break down carbohydrates and proteins. Acids and enzymes in our stomachs pull the nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, to create energy.
“When we look at the bowel we will see diarrhea, heartburn and constipation, bloating, undigested food in stool, and that tells us there is something imbalanced with the digestive tract that will limit how much energy you will get from your food,” Doyle said.
When acids and enzymes become imbalanced and start to break down the incidence of osteoporosis increases. Fibre through vegetables and fruit helps to slow down the digestive process, adding bulk to the stool, allowing the digestive system to pull the nutrients out.
“Probiotics, a word showing up these days on yogurt containers, is something we have naturally in mucus membranes with the bacteria necessary to help break down and ferment food. If they aren’t there, gas and bloating shows up.”
Doyle also addressed the incidence of toxic food through things like pesticides, chemicals, viruses and bacteria can cause a lot of inflammation. The formula then becomes simple, less nutrients coming from food results in less nutrients being absorbed which means reduced physical energy.
Hormones
“When people talk about low energy or gaining weight, comments that your thyroid isn’t working right are common. The thyroid controls our metabolism through a hormone getting every cell in our body to work. If it’s not working properly things like dry skin, low moods, muscle fatigue, changes in heart rate and weight gain, heavy periods, high cholesterol and low libido show up.”
When blood work done is Donovan said they are looking for a hormone called thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), coming from the hormone “command central,” the pituitary gland.
“If underactive it needs to be stimulated and can takes years to have your hormones fall to the point where you could be put on a drug called Synthroid for life.
A naturopathic approach means looking at symptoms perhaps indicating a thyroid starting to malfunction before it gets to the point where a prescribed medication is needed.
Liver function is part of the process as its processes hormones and trace minerals needed for hormone conversion. Along with looking at liver function, the stress hormone cortisol and estrogen/progesterone are also considered when looking at metabolism that could be compromised.
Adrenal glands are also major players when it comes to energy production in the body. When energy is impacted the adrenal along with other glands can be impacted. Good and bad stress can affect the adrenal gland function along with producing cortisol hormone and adrenaline.
“It is the hormone that keeps you going, even if you had a bad night’s sleep the night before,” Doyle said.
Burn out, mid day drop in energy, weight gain (especially in the apple shape), emotional changes, dark circles under eyes and sugar cravings could be indicators that adrenal glands aren’t working properly.
Estrogen and progesterone also play a big role with energy. Estrogen stimulates follicle growth producing an ovum or egg on a monthly basis and helps grow uterine and breast tissue in the first two weeks of a woman’s cycle.
The last two weeks progesterone kicks in and metabolism increases, but sometimes hormone dominance can take place. Estrogen dominance can create a pear shaped body and could possibly be causing weight gain and fatigue.
Menopause means egg production is over and the ovaries shrink. Estrogen and progesterone no longer come from reproductive organs instead they are produced in the adrenal glands. Testosterone is also produced by the adrenals in post menopausal women, putting even more stress on them.
Men get their own version of menopause called andropause. As fat cells begin to grow pulling in testosterone it converts to estrogen. As testosterone drops lean muscle converts to fat and male virility starts to wane with reduced energy levels.
“An enlarged prostate is directly related to increased estrogen in men,” Donovan said.
When blood sugars aren’t regulated energy levels can drop contributing to fatigue. As food is broken down the glucose from sugar is pulled into the blood stream and absorbed into our cells. Energy is produced as long as our blood sugar levels remain stable. Insulin-resistant cells stop sugar from entering the cells and our energy levels drop.
Toxins take
away energy
Doyle said the amount of toxins in our food, water and personal care products along with mutating viral infections can also affect our energy and general health. Toxins can end up in fat cells and tissues and overtime we end creating more fat cells that act as “ugly storage closets.”
Stored in lymph nodes, they are dumped into an immune system that can be quickly overwhelmed. This heightens the risk of developing allergies, slows metabolism and increases chances of developing diseases such as cancer.
“Cancer is when a cell that gets inflamed over a long period of time and then it changes its shape to adapt,” she said. “We need to make sure that all of our organs are working in check to recognize, deal with and get of it toxins that are entering our bodies.”

Bowman headed to Fort Mac Hall of Fame

percival sweetwater — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:50:41 +0000

Antigonish native Sandy Bowman will be inducted into the Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame class of 2012 in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
In a sport exploding in popularity, Bowman has done more for mixed martial arts in Fort McMurray, than anyone else.
Bowman arrived in Fort McMurray in 1993 and within weeks formed Bowman’s Tae Kwon Do Academy. The club started with an initial class of 15, but in nearly two decades, has seen thousands of local fighters go through its doors.
A Kukkiwon 6th Degree Black Belt holder, Bowman has produced more than 70 Kukkiwon black belt holders, 50 provincial medalists, 30 junior national medalists, several senior national medalists along with several fighters who have competed on the international stage.
A certified MMA trainer (Pat Miletic Fighting Systems) and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor (Rodrigo Mundurcua Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), Bowman ventured into the world of professional martial arts a few years back and now has more than 20 professional fighters in his Bowman’s Mixed Martial Arts Club including the well-respected Dwayne “D-Bomb” Lewis.
Bowman, nicknamed “Sandman” is a perfect 3-0-0 in his professional career, winning his first pro bout against Al Crossan at Extreme Challenge 127 in 2009 via knockout in the second round. He followed up with a TKO/RSC victory over Vance Nachio at Extreme Challenge 140 in November of the same year. Most recently, in front of his hometown crowd, Bowman defeated Eric “Butterbean” Esch via submission strikes in the first round of the main event at Prestige FC III at the Casman Centre.
The Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame will honour Bowman, Darren Gibbs, Wayne Bourque and one inductee to be named later, at the Sixth Induction Dinner June 21.