|
July 9, 2008
Chamber News
The Chamber may be taking a summer siesta from board
meetings but we’re always open to invitations. Keep
looking out for regular issues of E-News, which will
continue to bring our members up to speed with current
and emerging business issues in West Hants. The Business
Events calendar will resume in September. We wish you a
prosperous and productive summer as you soak up some
warmth and good ‘ol down home summertime fun with your
family and friends. Remember, networking - and
especially at community events, festivals, the beach or
on the green - means business!
West Hants and Area News
Do you want to be an employer of
choice?
Do your recruitment and retention efforts need a boost?
One of the most commonly used comments by Human Resource
Professionals and Managers alike is that “the employees
are the company’s most valuable resource.” If this is to
have value, then it is worth your time to ensure that
you are recruiting the best, retaining the best and
unleashing your employees’ potential so that they
perform at their best. On Tuesday July 15th and Thursday
July 17th PeopleWorx and Kings CED will be holding
information sessions on the Employer of Choice Pilot
Initiative (EOCPI) which will be kicking-off this
September. The EOCPI Project Office is open to 16
companies in Annapolis, Digby, Kings and West Hants
counties. The sessions aim to provide information and
solicit interest from companies wishing to be potential
participants. Companies will receive an information
package (including an application form). To confirm your
attendance or request further information, please call
Mary Fox at (902) 679-2755 ext. 231 or by email
mfox@peopleworx.ca
[Source: PeopleWorx press release]
Mermaid Theatre’s Summer in Seoul
Mermaid Theatre¹s ongoing collaboration with renowned
author Eric Carle has moved into its ninth year, its
fifth language and continues to captivate global
audiences.. A ‘mix and match’ grouping of tales
headlined by THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR continues to
rack up impressive statistics, having delighted close to
two million spectators on three continents. In addition
to many North American repeat performances, the Carle
adaptations have toured throughout Japan on eight
different occasions and will visit Singapore for the
third time in November. From July 17th through August
15th, 2008, Mermaid will head for Seoul, in the Republic
of Korea, where the company will present fifty
performances at the elegant Baekam Art Hall. Recorded
narration for the English-language version is the work
of Gordon Pinsent, one of Canada¹s most respected
performers. The Hangul-language version features the
voice of Sin Ae-ra, who ranks among Korea¹s most popular
performers. Often in the headlines for her diverse media
and film activities, she and her celebrity actor husband
Cha In-pyo are known for their philanthropy, usually
related to the well-being of children. Upon returning to
Canada, the company will begin rehearsals for a
fourteen-week tour of the US and Canada, which will
include major venues in Vancouver, Toronto, Malibu and
Manhattan as well as return to twelve states.
http://www.mermaidtheatre.ns.ca
[Source: Mermaid Theatre press release]
Heritage, Ecology offer summer
visitors, business
The saying goes that everyone brings something to the
table, and West Hants is fortunate to have eggs in many
baskets of shapes and sizes - providing a little
something for everyone too! While the hogs and horses
are sadly be gone for now, some local heritage tourism
operators remaining optoimistic toward the remainder of
what is anticipated to be a sluggish tourism season due
to higher than ever gas prices. (The price of gas
certainly didn’t dampen participation in the thrilling
Ring of Fire last month! ) The Hockey Heritage Museum
recently announced it was extending its hours to being
open for 6 days a week (Tuesday to Sunday) from
10:00-5:30. The Avon River Heritage Society (ARHS) is
also anticipating to be open for longer hours and hoping
to extend its usual season into the Fall as it aims to
lure those sticking closer to home. July 19th will be a
nice day for a drive up the shore to participate in
Avondale Wharf Day, community celebrations with events
for adults and children on the Newport Landing
waterfront hosted by the ARHS. Details can be found in
the new issue of AHOY!, the museum’s quarterly
newsletter, which is online at
www.avonriver.ca
or call 757-1718. Visitors can continue up the Hants
Shore to participate in an event hosted in Cheverie Salt
Marsh Society in aid of the interpretive centre it is
developing dedicated to restoring and displaying local
ecology. (Contact Don Aldous, 757-2085). A dance and
fireworks wraps up the day back in Avondale. And those
with Eagles tickets for their show in Moncton won’t care
about how much gas it takes to get back in time to fit
in Sam Slick Days running from August 1 -3rd. Friday
night's Peddler's Dance with feature Merimac, with the
Semivinyls and the JF Lovely Band. Admission $10.00.
Saturday's Concert on the Waterfront features many great
acts including Matt Minglewood. You'll also enjoy the
AC/DC tribute band Dirty Deeds, the Fed Pennies,
Montana, New Shade of Blue and Shady Lane. Admission is
$12.00. The West Hants Historical Society will also be
enriching the fireworks display by presenting a series
of historical vignettes. For more details on the Sam
Slick Festival, visit
www.samslick.ca.
And – don’t forget the Orchards and Tides Power pull
coming up at the Exhibition Grounds July 18th and 19th.
Ah, summer is finally here! [Sources: WBES, ARHS,
thechronicleherald.ca]
Regional
and National Headlines
$850 million Crown share
The province of Nova Scotia is widely anticipated to
finally be in receipt of an $850 million payout from the
federal government to compensate for lost revenue from
off-shore projects, like Sable, over the years the
province was not permitted to participate in. Premier
Rodney MacDonald has indicated the lion’s share of the
payout would be applied on the debt similar to what
former Premier Hamm had done with a similar payout in
his administration. MacDonald earmarked $75 million in
the spring to be spent on land conservation, offshore
research and university infrastructure. The Hamm
government also passed legislation which requires money
like the Crown share received by the province must all
be applied to the now $12.3 billion debt. [ALLNS.com,
The Chronicle Herald.]
Wanted: 18,000 Skilled Workers
Major engineering and industrial construction projects
in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador will
stretch Atlantic Canada's workforce to the limit,
according to the Construction Sector Council. "We've got
a record number of big projects planned or underway in
the Atlantic region including a nuclear power plant, oil
refinery projects, hydro and highway construction," said
Timothy Flood, President of John Flood and Sons Limited,
the oldest construction company in Canada. "These
projects require more skilled workers than we have
available." The information is contained in the
Construction Sector Council's fourth annual edition of
"Construction Looking Forward," a detailed forecast of
labour market trends from 2008 to 2016 in Atlantic
Canada. Ongoing construction activity will keep Nova
Scotia and Prince Edward Island busy but replacing an
older than average construction workforce will create a
significant challenge towards the end of the forecast.
The report finds that Atlantic Canada will need more
than 5,000 new trades people to meet demands for new
construction. The age of Atlantic Canada's workforce is
above the national average. As a result an unprecedented
13,600 workers are needed to replace retiring baby
boomers between now and 2016. "With so many workers
retiring, this makes attracting, training, and retaining
skilled workers more important than ever," said Carol
MacCulloch, President of the Construction Association of
Nova Scotia. Major new industrial and engineering
projects will require specific skilled trades. "To
remain competitive and attract industrial development we
will have to step up training and recruitment efforts to
find enough skilled workers to keep up, no doubt about
it," said Dermot Cain, Canadian Director, of the
International Union of Operating Engineers.The boom in
large construction projects will also affect residential
construction. "We'll see a burst in residential building
in Atlantic Canada to accommodate workers coming in from
out of province," said Grant MacLeod, President of the
PEI Residential Construction Sector Council. "It's a
real domino effect." [Source: www.csc-ca.org]
Millions on federal visa for visas
Taxpayers are picking up the tab for another immigrant
program, this time directly to Halifax-area immigration
services, as the federal government unveiled $10.3
million to help rebuild the province's reputation as a
welcoming place for new Canadians. Peter MacKay,
minister of defence and the Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency, made the announcement in Halifax
last week. MacKay says the money will be spent over the
next three years and will help attract newcomers. The
funding will primarily be spent on English language
training, counselling and helping immigrants find jobs.
Earlier this month, Nova Scotia's mentorship program for
immigrants was blasted by the province's auditor general
for not properly screening participating business and
for poor oversight. MacKay says it's important to
rebuild Nova Scotia's reputation as an attractive place
for new Canadians to settle. "That may mean greater
co-operation between all four Atlantic provinces and
certainly the federal government is prepared to play a
role in that co-ordinating effort," MacKay said.
[Source: The Canadian Press]
NB offers incentives to switch from electric heat
The battle for province’s to reduce greenhouse gases is
heating up. Today Alberta announced it is spending $4
billion from this year's provincial surplus to fund
carbon capture and public transit projects in a bid to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Last week, the New
Brunswick provincial government will spend almost $1
million switching roughly 300 homes across the province
from electric baseboard heating to natural gas. The NB
pilot project brokered last week between Efficiency New
Brunswick and Enbridge Gas New Brunswick is being
praised by the environmental community. "This is an
excellent initiative," said David Coon, policy director
of the Conservation Council. "It needs to be replicated
where possible around the province, and be expanded to
include wood pellets and solar." Under the project,
owners of single family homes, duplexes or townhouses
that heat with electric baseboards could be eligible to
receive up to $10,000 to help offset the costs of
installing a heating system and necessary ductwork.
Enbridge will contribute up to $7,000 of the money, with
Efficiency New Brunswick contributing $2,250 toward the
conversion to an Energy Star furnace or boiler, and
another $750 for converting to a condensing gas hot
water heater. In exchange, the homeowner must contribute
at least $1,500 towards the heat and hot water
conversion. They must also have an energy assessment
done by an Natural Resources Canada energy advisor,
perform the upgrades that are recommended, and have
access to a natural gas pipeline. It's expensive, but
Michel Gauvin, director of Efficiency New Brunswick's
residential sector, said it's about long-term change.
"The more you make your home energy efficient, the less
energy you need to use, and that, ultimately, will lead
to lower energy costs."
It will also lead to a reduction in New Brunswick's
greenhouse gas production. The province is the third
highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the country and
26 per cent of them come from heating and powering
homes, With 60 per cent of homes in the province heating
with electricity, baseboard heating is a significant
part of New Brunswick's greenhouse gas emissions. "If
you convert from electric heating to natural gas, the
GHG emissions caused by heating your home will drop by
60 per cent," said Coon."There's no other province in
Canada as dependent on electric heating as we are that
uses fossil fuels and nuclear for generating
electricity," said Coon. "There's only two other
provinces -- Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador --
that use a lot of electric heating, and they use hydro
electricity." David Charleson, general manager for
Enbridge Gas, admits that switching from electric
baseboard to natural gas can be pricey, but said owners
will see savings immediately.
Enbridge looks at the annual cost to the owner to heat
their house with electricity, and charges them an annual
rate that's 20 per cent below that. Ultimately, Coon
said any move away from electric heating will result in
savings, for both the customer and the environment. "If
we're really going to protect people against high energy
costs and meet our targets for cutting greenhouse
emissions," he said, "there needs to be a massive
rollout to convert people away from electric baseboard
heating." [Source: Canada East News Source]
West Hants Commercial Real Estate/Office Space
-
Red Letter Philanthropy
Counsel is leasing three professional offices
adjacent to their facilities in Avonian Place on
Water Street. These spaces are high end, beautiful
fit and finish. Offices available as follows:
- 2 single individual offices (enter to main
hallway)
- 1 double office, with executive office and waiting
room
To view, click
here; inquiries: 902 798 0809 or
michelle@redlettercounsel.com
-
The Christie Cuffari Law
Office still has some space available next to the
CIBC on Gerrish Street in Windsor, for $10 sq foot
plus electricity. Contact Sandy Hill for square
footage.
798-0037.
-
Minas Realties Ltd is
leasing its office space on Gerrish Street for
$800/month.
902-798-3157
Have commercial space to
lease or sell? Please send your listing to
info@whcc.ca and
we will circulate the information with our newsletter
which is also posted on our website.
Chuckles:
For our summer vacation this year, we thought it would
be cheaper to mail the car.
E-News info:
E-News Deadline - Our next issue of WHCC E-News will be
published on July 22nd. You are invited to submit
your business news, event or announcement by July 18th.
Every two weeks, E-News is distributed to - and read by
- over 200 local business contacts throughout the
Windsor-West Hants area. If your business has news or
events you would like to share with our readers, please
call our Newsletter Editor, Heather Desveaux on 790-4009
or email
info@whcc.ca
|