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It's time to turn visions into realities

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From One East to Another

It’s hard to believe it’s been 3 years since I last visited Heritage village with my family. Being a tradition that had been stopped due to scheduling conflicts with university, it was nice to relive the experience once more. Being from the Eastern Passage, my Aunt and Grandmother never truly get the chance to marvel at the sights the Eastern Shore offers.

 

Arriving at Heritage Village immediately transported us back to the 1940’s. Walking through the main building, my Nanny began having memories flooding back from her youth. After working up an appetite from the car ride, without haste, we made our way to the Cookhouse. We got our food, and our homemade iced tea and lemonade. My Nanny told us a story of preparing a dinner with Grandpa, and dropping the roast causing it to slide across the kitchen floor. Grandpa had picked up the roast, and proceeded to wash it off under the tap and place it back in the oven to finish heating. My grandparents served the roast that evening to my Aunt, Uncle, and Father, and until this very day…NONE of them had known this had happened. It was my grandparents well kept secret until now.

 

In the Schoolhouse, my aunt showed me how small dictionaries used to be and informed me on how the strap was used on misbehaving children. Ouch! We met a 5-year-old boy, who was very social for his age, and proceeded to teach him how to write his name in cursive on the chalk board. He loved it! I, unfortunately still cannot write…cursive or handwritten. HAHA, the young boy had better penmanship than me.

 

“Take me to church” I told my family. We walked through the main entrance and ran back into the 5-year-old boy performing a show on the organ for the tourists who entered the church. We gave him a standing ovation, which made his day. I decided to utilize my piano background and perform as well. Let me tell you, the foot pumps for the organ certainly give your legs a workout.

 

 

Entering the Family Barn, we met a kitten sleeping on a tractor, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity for a photo shoot. I have been told my family and I are very photogenic, I think this picture proves correct. (PS the kitten slept through the entire calendar shoot)

 

My Nanny told us what literally every gadget in the house was used for. There was an old razor, which to me looked like a can of tuna. But she taught me how it was supposed to be used. I was mesmerized, as well as highly confused, as to how I am supposed to shave with this “Tuna Can” of a razor.

 

I thought we had lost my Nanny. When we looked back to where she sat down…she was gone. Suddenly we heard her gleefully yelling “Hello Family!” She said, “I knew a man would pick me up here!” There was a worker giving rides in one of the old vehicles, and he picked up my Nanny for a ride. She was giddy and having a grand time!

 

My Aunt, Mom, Dad, and I decided to take a ride once Nanny finished. We found out later the driver was one of the guitarists that performed at Trunk 7! Talk about small world.

 

My father is a hydro-geologist, therefore inevitably when we got to the gold mine, he let ALL the jokes start flying. He showed me how to find fools gold, and taught me about gold blasting/salting. He also told me geology jokes from when he was younger like “Geologists can make the bedrock, and that they should not be taken for Granite!”

 

During this beautiful picture, my Aunt conversed with the goats. Whenever she would “Bahh”, so would the goats. I tried petting a goat while walking along the trail, but the goat was too startled by this encounter that he ran away “Bahh-ing” at the top of his lungs. We also talked to the roosters, who seemed less than impressed by our lack of rooster-to-human communication skills. Turning their backs and trotting away every time I clucked. I guess I forgot to take that language course in university.

 

My father and I raced each other with the push-mowers, and patrons stopped to watch us make fools of ourselves. Once we finished failing to properly mow the lawn, a guest walked up to us and said we were using the mowers wrong the entire time. We were holding the mowers backwards. He proceeded to teach us how to properly mow the lawn, and left us feeling dumb.

 

Peaking into the clam factory, we saw a beautiful set-up, which we later found out was for a wedding. My aunt, father, and I snuck in the building for a closer look. There were lights and tables decorated to the nines. Whoever was getting married would certainly have a special time to remember.

As was our time at Heritage Village, it truly lived up to its name as Memory Lane. My family told me stories of their youth that brought us closer together. The trip down Memory Lane brought out the child in each of us that day. This is the definitive proof…

 

Piling in the car, with full bellies, we departed for home. We passed a house with a large rock Inuksuk on its property by the water. We passed by too fast to get a picture. Although contemplating turning back to get a picture with the inuksuk, we all felt the quick glimpse and the memories were fair enough. The entire day was made of new and old memories intertwining, and the wonderful photos and conversations will be forever cherished.

 

Grant Walker

Administrative Coordinator

Summer Student, MHACCCA

T: (902) 266-9780 | [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homegrown Talent: Rachel Monk

Hard-working, dedicated, determined, and well-rounded. Few of the words that best describe my friend Rachel Monk. Going through a year at Dalhousie University with her, I have seen her academic and athletic progress pay off.

Rachel, twenty years old, has been playing hockey since she was just ten. In grade twelve Rachel had been emailing Dalhousie University’s hockey coach and, after tryouts, was picked and put on the roster for the year. Having to decide between hockey and academics, Rachel only stopped playing full time Hockey at age nineteen to focus fully on her academic career.

Rachel initially played ringette when she was younger. She loved being on the ice with her friends and being part of a team. Her parents decided to put Rachel in a more competitive and aggressive sport…Hockey. Rachel’s parents saw her competitive edge early on, and wanted to help that skill blossom. Realising hockey’s similarity to ringette, except more aggressive, Rachel jumped on board with the idea of the sport. She loved it. Hockey quickly became a passion and a defining factor of who she is.

When just a Peewee, Rachel was scouted for preparatory school in Pennsylvania. With her tuition to SEM Prep fully funded, nothing was holding her back. Rachel attended SEM prep for two years. Within the two years, Rachel was awarded the “Most Offensive Player”, appointed captain of the SEM Hockey team, and was a named athlete on the Deans List. Rachel also played on Team Nova Scotia for four years, making them Atlantic Champion Gold Medalists four years in a row. As well, Rachel went through many rigorous tryouts and was picked from approximately twenty girls to represent the Atlantic Province.

Rachel was accepted into Dalhousie’s Kinesiology program while in grade twelve at Eastern Shore District High. I had the pleasure of working along side Rachel for a year, before switching to Commerce, as we were both in Kinesiology. I realized Rachel has a time management technique, and study talent like nobody else I know. The skills Rachel learned from Hockey and SEM Preparatory school gave her the edge needed to be a very successful student. Rachel has achieved a high standing GPA in her first two years of University and thanks her past academic, and athletic experiences for this honour.

Rachel has taken a step back from hockey, however athletics are still a high priority in her life. Rachel goes to the gym, no matter how busy, every day for at least two or three hours. With the goal to maintain the athletic progress and ability she gained over the years. Rachel states that “Getting regular exercise, a few hours a day, is good for helping with study and memorization”. When Rachel gets stressed with University work, instead of calling it quits and going to bed, she goes to the gym and works out. At the end of a workout, Rachel says she feels clarity and a new sense of focus that puts her back on track to finishing her daily studies.

Rachel aspires to go to med school. “Basically, I want to get into med school, and make a professional image for myself through as much volunteering, community involvement, and doctor shadowing as possible”. Rachel volunteered this past summer on a ten-day commission trip in Honduras, gaining valuable experience and helpful medical knowledge that most students did not take advantage of.

Rachel is currently studying upwards of 90 pages per night for the MCAT Test, with the end goal of entering Med School. Aside from the MCAT prep, and her University courses, Rachel’s been taking summer courses to give her that competitive advantage she deserves.

Rachel gives credit to her hockey career for solidifying her organizational techniques, time management, focus, and confidence. “Having a dual schedule between sport and school forced me to prioritize my time. I had to learn to wake up early in the morning, and make the most out of each day. I also learned to schedule time for my workouts, family, friends, my job, and my studies.” Regarding time management Rachel said, “Having to make the decision between going out with friends or getting that extra hour of study time, can be a hard choice for many people my age. But those are the sacrifices I had to make constantly as a varsity athlete. Don’t get me wrong, the decisions can be tough at times, but they need to be made.”

What was your biggest challenge since getting to Dalhousie, and how have you been working to overcome it? “Stress. The heavy course load, brought on heavy stress. I had stress management skills already in my life. However, the desire to show my skills to the best of my ability to my professors, brought on a whole new level of stress I had never experienced before. Having my parents to help talk me through my stress, and going to the gym have been great tension relievers. Also having a set sleep schedule and going to bed early helped me focus better.”

Rachel’s Comments on the Eastern Shore: “I’ve grown up in the Eastern Shore my entire life, making friends whom I consider to be brothers and sisters. Which is why when I moved away to go to prep school, I HAD to come back for my final year so I could graduate with my friends, and have my entire family able to see me walk across the stage. The Eastern Shore is such a family atmosphere, and that was the only place I could picture my final year. Although I was in Pennsylvania for two years, my heart lied in The Shore. My friendships back home didn’t sever, and with everyone begging for me to come back and graduate with them, it warmed my heart. It is such a great feeling when you are living in a small friendly community that is the Eastern Shore, when you cannot picture your final high school year anywhere else in the world but home. Coming back to Eastern Shore District High, I didn’t know too many people, but the teachers and students were so welcoming.”

Rachel’s favorite thing about the Eastern Shore: “I easily have to recommend the Musquodoboit Harbour Trail. I run that trail three out of seven days a week. I know it inside and out. I love the trail because it’s relaxing, and you really get to see the beauty of the community you are in. The trail sights I see down the shore are much more amazing then the sights I see running in town.”

At the end of the day, no matter if Rachel was going to Dalhousie University or playing hockey in Halifax, going to SEM Preparatory school in Pennsylvania, or volunteering in Honduras, her heart lies with the Eastern Shore. As the saying goes, home is where the heart is.

 

Grant Walker

Administrative Coordinator

Summer Student, MHACCCA

T: (902) 266-9780 | [email protected]

Nature Conservancy of Canada protects wildlife habitat on the Musquodoboit River

In the fall of 2016, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced its first conservation project on the lower Musquodoboit River, near Musquodoboit Harbour. The project features 25 kilometres of river frontage near Gibraltor Rock, along with wetlands, intact floodplains, and mature hemlock and softwood forest. The Musquodoboit Valley is an important area for conservation not only because of its rare landscape, but because it provides habitat for threatened species, including two species of turtles and several species of migratory birds.  The Nature Conservancy of Canada is protecting one of the most untouched sections of the Musquodoboit River, which has, in many places upstream, been altered by mining, forestry and agriculture.

In July 2017 NCC conserved an additional 166 acres on the Musquodoboit River, bringing the total area protected to approximately 500 acres.  The areas conserved by NCC connect to Nova Scotia’s White Lake and Ship Harbour-Long Lake Wilderness Areas, creating an extensive corridor ideal for wildlife. From the point of view of nature lovers and visitors to the Eastern Shore, one of the best features of NCC’s new properties is they are located on the well-maintained Musquodoboit Trailway, making these nature reserves an accessible wilderness for hikers and cyclists to enjoy.  As with all NCC-protected areas, the Musquodoboit River nature reserves are open to the public and available for light recreation and traditional uses.

The Musquodoboit River properties were protected with the support of the Government of Canada’s Natural Area Conservation Program, the North American Wetlands Conservation Agreement (NAWCA), the Nova Scotia Crown Share Land Legacy Trust, Halifax Regional Municipality/Community Grants Fund, Nova Scotia Habitat Conservation Fund, Nova Scotia Habitat Conservation Fund (contributions from hunters and trappers) and many local donors and supporters.  Along with properties on the lower Musquodoboit River, NCC has now conserved more than 1,600 acres (640 hectares) in the Musquodoboit Harbour area for wildlife habitat and for people to enjoy. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is the nation’s leading land conservation organization.  Since 1962, NCC and its partners have helped protect more than 2.8 million acres, including 34,000 acres of ecologically-significant sites in Nova Scotia.  As a not-for-profit, NCC relies on government, community partners and private donors to support its land conservation efforts.  To learn more or find out how you can get involved:

http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/nova-scotia/

Kathryn Morse
Atlantic Director of Communications
Nature Conservancy of Canada | Atlantic Region
T: 902.405.4334 Ext. 3304 | Toll free: 1.866.319.5985
[email protected] | www.natureconservancy.ca

 

Ekistics Master Conceptual Plan… What is it?

“It takes a village to raise a plan.”

Ekistics is a process of engagement. Done right, Community Development Plans (also known as Master Conceptual Plans) provide an invaluable road map for communities for years into the future. What were once rural communities on the distant fringes of small urban areas are now becoming bedroom communities and commercial growth centres at the edge of larger growth cores.

With the adoption of the RP+5 Regional Plan, Musquodoboit has become a Rural District Growth Centre for the regional municipality. We have applied to all three levels of Government. Once funding is made available to us, Ekistics will be our partners to conceive, design, and implement a community development strategy for Musquodoboit Harbour and Area. The MHACCCA is hopeful we will receive funding by mid Spring 2016 so we can begin work on the “Ekistics Master Conceptual Plan” for our area.

The Ekistics process harnesses residents’ and business’ big ideas and transforms them into actionable and implementable projects, administrative structures and strategic priorities. This process will allow us to implement tender documents and construction administration for capital works projects. It harnesses actionable ideas from the community. These ideas must be filtered through a professional lens to ensure that the plans don’t just become static artistic visions.

Though the municipal plan was updated in 2006, there have been sporadic updates to the land use bylaws, and there have been some high level visions created for the community.

This project is about drilling down in detail from the vision and policies to identify specific projects and implementation mechanisms that will guide the community and foster economic development over the next 5-10 years or more.

Without the ability to construct, design can quickly become very expensive artwork. Ekistics’ ability to detail, process, and oversee construction on designed projects is unrivaled in Halifax.

The community has already gone through visioning processes over the last few years; however, there may be some aspects of engagement burn-out. Nonetheless, this is the first step in seeing real projects implemented. It will be important that we engage the community one last time in order to confirm priorities and aspirations.

The final product needs to be the result of a carefully crafted process that combines face-to-face opportunities with online engagement. The final product needs to excite the community and potential developers about the what the future holds. Every successful implementation starts with a realistic and achievable vision. Residents and businesses need to be able to mentally navigate from existing conditions to potential future.

Quotes from the Ekistics Plan & Design team:

“Musquodoboit’s strong natural and physical assets, as well as its amazing community spirit assure the success of this project”

“The village center of Musquodoboit Harbour is a regional growth and service centre between Sheet Harbour and Porter’s lake. It is a mecca for naturalists and hikers”

“The old railbed is a signature asset that should be leveraged for
the community.”

​“It takes a village to raise a plan.”

“Community development begins with infrastructure. Sewer, water and accessible, complete streets”

“Community design starts with community but follows with community economic development”

“Leveraging private investment with strategic public investment
will be crucial for this project’s longterm success”

CONSIDERING THE REGIONAL STRATEGY RP+5

The recently completed HRM Regional Plan provides a high level future land use policy for Musquodoboit as a regional growth centre. This allows for special considerations in the Municipal Plan and Land Use bylaws that haven’t yet been updated to match the Regional Plan.

PHASES 1 – 3 requires funding of $30,920.00 + HST.

The initial phase of this project will include a start-up meeting and walkabout geared towards understanding the background issues more fully for this project. The time line for this phase is fluid but can run anywhere from 3-6 months

CULTIVATING A VILLAGE CENTRE

Rural town centres provide unique opportunities for commercial and mixed use centres. Each solution in a Master Conceptual Plan is distinct and customized to the location and climate. Though the community has hosted previous visioning and engagement sessions, we believe that a vision confirmation and design workshop would serve this projects aims well in the long-run.

What people can expect during the consultation process:

The Design Workshop will attempt to confirm the community vision for Musquodoboit and will try to address the guiding principals and design strategy for the plan. The 2014 Community Vision check-up (based on the 2007 and 2010 visioning process) will be part of the discussion in this design workshop.

The first part usually is geared towards understanding what the community thinks of its current assets and liabilities. The second phase is usually geared towards understanding what the community’s vision is for the future. Public gets real input into the planning process, and the designers get real input from the public, especially about alternate futures.

It will be clear, following this exercise, that there are several, and possibly many, shared goals in the group of people in the room. Generally, people will leave this meeting with a sense of direction and accomplishment. Ideally, the final report recommendations will resonate with people that participated in this meeting.

Ekistics will also host a website and provide a web address where we can monitor survey feedback in real time. We will structure the survey to understand the community’s vision and aspirations for the community. We propose to keep the survey open for the duration of the project.

The Final Report and the benefits to our Communities:

The Conceptual Development Plan will create the framework for municipal priorities over a 20 year time horizon.

1) Introduction and Background

  • Community Context
  • Goals of the Conceptual Development Plan
  • History of the Community
  • Condition Analysis
  • Inventory and Analysis
  • Demographics
  • Assets and Liabilities Maps
  • Literature Review of Past Planning & Branding Work
  • Workshop Outcomes
  • Community Feedback
  • Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

2) The Plan

  • 20- year Vision Statement
  • Individual Physical Projects
  • Conceptual Layout
  • Trail Details
  • Infrastructure Improvements
  • Landscape Improvements
  • Streetscape Design
  • Facade Incentive Program
  • Open Space Plan
  • Future Land Use Plan
  • Signage Recommendations

3) Implementation

  • Priorities and Phasing
  • Capital Cost Estimates
  • Next Steps

Results of Phase 1-3:

We will receive a highly graphic report which can be used as a marketing piece. It will include plans/maps, renderings of key projects, examples and photographs of other inspirational projects which might apply to Musquodoboit Harbour.

We will get 2 hard copies of the MCP and a printable PDF copy of the draft.

PHASE 4:  Turns ‘visions’ into ‘actionable realities’. 

Phase 4 requires funding of $20,040.00 + HST to get working drawings on the actionable and ranked items inside the report. Working drawings include current costing and timelines which are key to being ‘shovel ready’ – and ‘shovel worthy’.

NB:  Any membership in our Chamber helps us to fund the Master Conceptual Plan. Show your support by downloading & printing a membership form here.  Membership forms can be mailed in or dropped off at any of our meetings. Forms can also be picked up at Rowling’s Service Station in the harbour.  With much thanks from the MHACCCA.

Silence is not consent.

We on the Shore cannot afford to stay silent anymore. To build a future, we as communities must become the authors of our own destinies.

The Musquodoboit Harbour and Area Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs is listening. We want to hear our community’s voice.

​For years our “rural district growth centre” (which we prefer to call a “village”) has been sidelined, our immediate concerns appeased as the various, ever-changing government bodies include us in the “next study”, the next “strategic plan”.  As a result, we have quietly shivered on the benches while the coach focused on the major players. The trouble is, the “coach” has basically forgotten about us. The top players (urban) are shining stars demanding a great deal of their time, and that means the sideliners (rural) will have to wait. Except the clock is ticking, and we’re running out of time. It’s time to grab a mitt and get in the game, folks.

We need you on our team. Check out our website (http://www.musquodoboitharbourchamber.com), come to our January meeting, buy a membership, and help us hit a home run for the Shore.

Musquodoboit Harbour has joined the growing list of “declining rural communities”, overwhelmed by urban planning strategies, tax increases, and urban-centric By-Laws. Who should be the most concerned? Communities east of the Harbour: West Jeddore, Head Jeddore, East Jeddore, Oyster Pond, Ostrea Lake, Clam Harbour, Lake Charlotte, Ship Harbour, Debaie’s Cove, and everyone in between. Those living to the west need not be overly anxious, since their proximity to the city guarantees their growth. But if you live farther east of the economic centres of commerce like Musquodoboit Harbour and Sheet Harbour, the decline means life could get a whole lot more difficult for you and your family. If the gas station, grocery store, hardware store, or lunch spot you use on a regular basis ever closes down, life just got complicated. You might even decide it’s just too expensive and time-consuming to live in this area anymore. Every time that happens, our team loses a player.

We are not alone in this dilemma. Rural communities exist all across Canada, and many are in decline due to the urban-centric political focus. What happens if these towns and villages cease to exist?

If we don’t come together and try to fix our own problems, other people’s ideas of a solution will be imposedupon us. They will take advantage of the lack of direction on our part, and what results might not end up being the best solution for the majority of people.

If we do nothing, we have no right to be shocked or upset when it happens.

So, based on the success achieved by a similar rural community (Sheet Harbour), we have taken solid steps forward. On January 20 2016, we invite you to learn about the future of Musquodoboit Harbour and to be a concrete contributor to that future. We have requested funding from all three levels of government to help us fund an “Ekistics Master Conceptual Plan” (http://www.ekistics.net/). Based on our members’ ideas, Ekistics will put together a full, well planned, well conceived plan for our community, turning our “visions” to projects which are “shovel-ready”. Since these plans will be complete with costing, we will be in a position to move to the front of the governmental funding line.

​Rob LeBlanc from Ekistics will be at our meeting on January 20 to answer all your questions.

So far, our Municipal Councillor, David Hendsbee, has committed to contributing $10,000 to this plan. We await commitment from our Provincial and Federal representatives and are optimistic they will see the benefit in supporting our rural way of life. In our first year of existence, our Chamber has raised $4,800 solely from membership dues, donations, and good stewardship. As memberships renew (January 2016) and increase, and we add in community fundraisers, the Chamber could feasibly be able to write a cheque for $10,000.

By speaking up for ourselves and taking responsibility through this plan, we no longer consent to being put on hold. Armed with the Ekistics plan, its details clearly stated in black and white, our government representatives will have what they need to make the prosperous future of our area a reality. We will create an atmosphere worthy of increased economic investment, cultural diversity, and social well being. We will not be “passed over” anymore, because every question will have been answered.

The MHACCCA represents the voices of the people living between Ship Harbour to the Gaetz Brook line. That incorporates a whole lot of voices. Everyone within those boundaries has suggestions for the betterment of our area, and it is up to the MHACCCA to capture those ideas. We are responsible for providing fact based information and garnering more support for our community. While “shop local”, “buy local”, “hire local” are still obvious themes, they are not enough. 82,775 currently live in rural HRM—21% of the total HRM population.

Another alarming statistic: 45% of all Nova Scotia’s population lives in close proximity to towns and villages of 5,000 people or less. That’s almost half.

Rural planning must encourage and assist our way of life. It must offer a true rural living experience to all potential newcomers to the area. Instead of losing our infrastructure to potential plans to build west of us, we must enhance and expand on our own core services.

We are rural Nova Scotians. We chose to live this way. That does not make us better or lesser than urban Nova Scotians, but it does make our needs different. Our greatest strength is our people, and we cannot do it without you.

“Musquodoboit’s strong natural and physical assets, as well as its amazing community spirit assure
the success of this project” – Ekistics

Article by the Board of the MHACCCA / December 2015

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