West Hants and Area News

5 weeks to go…

Canadians from coast to coast survived the first few days of the federal election campaign with 35 days to go until October 14th, four days before municipal elections in Nova Scotia on October 18th. It’s believed Conservative candidate Wolfville Councillor Rosemary Segado is offering her name in both elections. She and other local Kings-Hants candidates may wish they had a bit more time to prepare as they frantically set up campaign offices, websites and get phone lines hooked up. In alphabetical order, here’s a snapshot of each of the candidates with local and party info where available:
 

Conservative Party – Rosemary Segado – Wolfville Councillor
Email: rsegado@town.wolfville.ns.ca
Web: http://www.conservative.ca

Green Party - Dr.Janet Eaton. Educator in Globalization and International Trade
Email: kingshants@greenparty.ca
Web: http://www.greenparty.ca

Liberal Party – Scott Brison (Incumbent) - MP for Kings-Hants
Email: scott@votebrison.ca
Web: http://www.votebrison.ca  and http://www.liberal.ca


New Democratic Party – Dr. Carol Harris – University and community educator
Email: harrisce@uvic.ca   
                 Web: http://www.ndp.ca/page/80  and http://www.ndp.ca 

Municipal Election

Now that the September 9th deadline has passed for nominations, municipalities across Nova Scotia are now able to release the names of the candidates. West Hants Chamber congratulations to Paul Beazley as Windsor’s Mayor-acclaim. Beazley, a former Councillor for the Town, is expected to officially take over from retiring Mayor Anna Allen officially in November. Deputy Mayor Andy Kirk and Councillor Glen Robinson are not re-offering. The full list of those running in Windsor or Hantsport was not available by ‘press’ time, but below is the candidate list for the Municipality of West Hants. This year Warden Dauphinee is being challenged for the first time since his first election by former Councillor and Chair of the Co-op Council, Garth Hazel. Three Mile Plains-Martock’s representative, Gloria Shanks, is also facing the first campaign of her career as she faces former Halifax mayor Moira Ducharme. A three-way race faces incumbent and RDA chair Rick Gaudet by West Hants Health-board co-chair Dallas Moore, and former reporter/ editor of the Hants Journal, Fred Lawrence. Ann MacDonald, who currently represents Falmouth, is not re-offering, but her district also faces a three-way race among Pam Ainslie, Richard Armstrong and Sherry Smith.  Hantsport Mayor Wayne Folker is also in by acclamation.  [Source: Avondale Media]
 

Races for the School Board positions will be held in Districts 11,12,13 will not be held as all three incumbents, Patricia Parker, Paula Lunn and Doug Fraser, were each elected by acclamation.


North Hants Natural Gas Update

Triangle Petroleum updated shareholders on its recent natural gas exploration efforts in the Kennetcook area last week with encouraging results. Preliminary analysis of the core samples taken in the first well demonstrated the highest gas response between 4,200 and 8,500 feet deep. The concentration then diminished so the company suspended its drilling at that depth while still retaining options to expand the well horizontally. A second well 22 km away in the Walton area was scudded in late August. Scudding is the process to drill wells using high power, low wavelength tactical lasers, such as those used in US “StarWars” technology employed in Desert Storm. After the Gulf War, the technology was turned over to the petroleum industry to increase efficiencies and reduce costs and environmental impacts associated with drilling by spanning, fusing or vaporizing rock. Howard Anderson, President of Triangle, stated, "This is just the first of several wells planned to enable Triangle and its partners to more fully evaluate the Horton Bluff shale resource.” Anderson also said that as data from these wells are evaluated, the Company and its partners will be able to design and implement completion and testing strategy, “with a goal towards providing the signposts towards the commerciality” of the project. [Source: Triangle Petroleum Press Release, Society of Petroleum Engineers.]


Who is hiring?
Windsor and area

Kentville and area

Finance and furnish your home

Andrew Bauchman is pleased to announce the Bauchman Financial Group is open for business.
If his name sounds familiar, it’s because for several years Andrew worked as a mortgage consultant with the Royal Bank on Water Street. “I feel with my many years experience with the bank I can bring a professional confident approach to helping previous and new clients,” says Andrew Bauchman. Through an affiliation with the brokerage Invis, Andrew says he is able to access over thirty lenders to help clients get the right product “the first time.” Bauchman offers diversified products and financing requirements for first time buyers, self-employed, refinance, debt consolidation, switches, cash back, poor credit, and commercial lending. “I also work with a group of other companies to offer a wider package for my clients, including purchasing and selling your home, insurance, investments, financial planning.” Incentives include discounts on appliances and electronics for your home through the Sears outlet in Windsor, which he and his wife, Natalie Bauchman, now own.

In related news, Canada's housing starts jumped 15 per cent in August, substantially exceeding industry expectations, according to figures released this week by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). On an annualized basis, 211,000 new units were begun in August. That was a big increase compared to the 186,500 new-home starts in July. The news was welcomed by many financial analysts considering that housing starts fell almost 14 per cent in July compared to June. Analysts were worried that this sector, an indicator of economic expectations among consumers, was slipping rapidly. The last year has seen a spike in foreclosures among U.S. homeowners, falling housing values in most parts of the country, and tighter credit that has made it more difficult for Americans to acquire loans. In an effort to limit further turmoil in the sector in the States and its potential to spill into Canada as lenders cross-border “shop”, this week the US government is taking over two failing mortgage firms, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were on the verge of insolvency. Combined, the two firms own or guarantee close to half of all home loans in the United States. In response to the events of the past year, the Canadian government is attempting to do what it can to keep Canadians away from homes they may not be able to afford. Last July, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced changes to CMHC-insured mortgages. As of October 15th, homes purchased with government-backed mortgages will only be insured by the CMHC for up to 95% of the value at not more than 35 year amortization. This means that Canadian borrowers must have at least 5% down and have an affordable monthly payment that fits under a 35-year term. “I think its good to have some of your own equity available,” advises Andrew Bauchman, “but I think there will be programs to help those that find it hard to save for a down payment.” Sound familiar? Contact the Bauchman Financial Group, 105 Wentworth Road, Windsor Phone: 792-8323


Regional and National Headlines


Beat NDP Heat
 

Premier Rodney MacDonald says the province will expand the home-heating rebate program to help with rising costs. Details will be released as part of an energy assistance package to be announced Wednesday, September 10th. Last Wednesday, NDP Leader Darrell Dexter called on the government to double the heating rebate to $400 from $200 per needy family. Dexter says more upfront help is needed in a province where 60 per cent of households heat with oil. The current program scales back the eight per cent provincial portion of the heating rebate for households that consume more than 27.4 kilowatts per day on average over a typical billing period. For more info, visit: http://www.gov.ns.ca/energy
 

UARB at the wheel

In the meantime, the Province has introduced regulatory changes to the automobile insurance system in an aim to better protect consumers. The changes include reassigning Nova Scotia Insurance Review Board duties to the Utility and Review Board (UARB) to review applications from insurance companies for rate changes. Mandatory filing for approval of rates and risk classification systems; and adding new claims notification requirements are also being introduced. Mandatory filing regulations mean automobile insurance companies are now required to apply for rate and risk-classification system approval every two years for private passenger vehicles and every three years for other vehicles. Claims notification requirements ensure auto insurance companies provide written consumer notice of claims made or paid on policies. For more information on the improvements package, visit www.gov.ns.ca/finance


MOU to attract immigrants

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the four Atlantic provinces have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on working together to attract immigrants while retaining and expanding the region’s labour force. The MOU involves joint investments totalling just over $4.4 million over three years to promote immigration, create more effective linkages between the current labour force and economic opportunities, and welcome Atlantic Canadians home who have been working outside the region.“While much is being done within each province, even more can be accomplished working in co-operation on a regional basis.” said the Minister responsible for ACOA, the Honourable Peter MacKay. Specific activities will include the creation of an Atlantic immigration brand, assisting employers to adopt more innovative and inclusive human resource practices, and cultivating a better understanding of all the factors that affect population and workforce retention. “We know that the population is declining in Atlantic Canada and that by the year 2011 more people will be leaving the workforce than entering it,” said Richard Brown, PEI's Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning. “Addressing these issues in a joint strategy will benefit the region because we all will be able to leverage more resources than if we acted on our own.” ACOA is investing $2,010,600 in the Atlantic Population Initiative, with additional Government of Canada funding totalling $1,100,000, The four Atlantic provinces are also investing in this Initiative: Nova Scotia $523,405, New Brunswick $421,888, Newfoundland and Labrador $296,640, and Prince Edward Island $76,467. [Source: Gov of PEI press release]


Greens Seeing Red

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who is running in Central Nova, has once again been denied participating in the nationally- televised debates by a consortium of broadcasters and party leaders. No other blossoming political party with as much success as the Green Party – with official party status, candidates across the country and one sitting MP - has ever been blocked from public national debates. “In 1993 the Reform and Bloc Parties were included in the debates with only one MP and no official party status. Neither ran candidates across the country,” says a Green Party press backgrounder released after the decision. “There is no precedent for this private decision to exclude the Green party from the leader's public debate.” Prime Minister Harper suggested his party’s reason for not supporting May being included was because she was not elected nor had any elected MPs, and that her party endorsed Liberal party leader Stephane Dion by agreeing not to a run candidate in the riding of Central Nova currently held by Tory Peter McKay. May claims that Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and NDP Leader Jack Layton threatened to boycott debates next month if she were to be included, a claim first supported by remarks made by representatives of the broadcasters and then later confirmed by the NDP. Both of those party leaders stated the decision rested with broadcasters. The Green party will file a formal complaint with Canada's broadcast regulator, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission on Tuesday, said May. The political make-up of the CRTC is up for debate, but PM Harper made appointments to the CRTC last spring that were widely-held to be patronage appointments, including that of Marc Patrone, a former Conservative candidate in Nova Scotia.

Canadians from coast to coast flooded phone-in shows largely protesting the decision. Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley said about the leaders’ debates: “Canadians today draw their electoral information primarily from television . . . The public broadcast of a debate held by several leaders of registered political parties is not a contribution to the parties but the provision of a service to the public.” Former NDP federal secretary Gerald Caplan told the Globe & Mail, "I'm hugely disappointed that the NDP is party to this exclusion. I'm shocked that the Conservatives and NDP apparently have threatened not to participate if she had been included. I'm incredulous that Mr. Layton would use the Liberal-Green deal in a single seat to argue that they're virtually the same party." May told reporters in Ottawa on Monday afternoon that there's "absolutely no way" that she would turn her back on Green candidates running against Liberals and endorse Dion. Harper was afraid the Greens would cut into his voter base, May said. "Progressive Conservatives and former Reformers … are really disappointed and disillusioned that Mr. Harper has taken a party whose roots were in grassroots democracy and populism and turned it on its head into a top-down control machine that wants to run over everyone." [Source: Globe & Mail, cbc.ca, The Green Party]


Business Calendar of Events

Pack up the kids for school, schedule your business events, and email them to info@whcc.ca

Province-wide events for September http://www.canadabusiness.ca/ns/calendar.cfm

September 12 to 21: Hants County Exhibition
Canada's oldest agricultural fair. Livestock competitions, arts, crafts, horticultural displays, carnival entertainment and stage entertainment featuring The Spinney Brothers, 50’s and 60’s band The Corvettes and a Johnny Cash tribute. Runs over two weekends each week on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays. Admission $4.00 - $7.00 at the Hants County Exhibition Arena, Wentworth Road, Windsor. Each week on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays http://www.hantscountyex.com

September 22nd: Money Talks Workshop with Debi Peverill
Money talks is about your money - how to use it, when to use it, how to talk about it and how to save it from taxation. You will learn Debi's 10 steps to reviewing your financial statements and her top nine ways to save income tax. Super 8 Motel, 63 Cole Dr., Windsor 1-4:30 Cost: $35 + HST CWB member rate $45 + HST non-member rate. Contact the Centre for Women in Business: cwb@msvu.ca or toll free 1-888-776-9022.

Saturday, September 27, 2008 - HMCC Gala
An all inclusive night of food, casino game fun, and dancing! 19+ Route 66, Cash Bar, Prizes.
Say where you saw this ad and get your tickets at the group rate of $55 per ticket. What a deal! Call Margot at 684-3255 for tickets or go to Hantsport Pharmasave where you can use VISA or MasterCard.


Chuckles

Harper, Dion and Layton are flying on the Executive Airbus to a gathering in Halifax when Harper turns to Dion and says, chuckling,

"You know, I could throw a $1000 bill out the window right now and make someone very happy."

Dion shrugs and replies, "Well, I could throw ten $100 bills out the window and make ten people happy." Not to be outdone, Layton says, "Well I could throw a hundred $10 bills out the window and make a hundred people happy."

The pilot rolls his eyes and says to his co-pilot, “Aye, I could throw all three of them out the window and make 32 million people happy."

Thought for the day:

“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein

E-News info:

Our next issue of WHCC E-News will be published on September 23rd . You are invited to submit your business news, event or announcement by September 19th. Every two weeks, E-News is distributed to - and read by - over 250 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


Chamber Newsletter Contacts:

- Heather Desveaux, Newsletter Coordinator, (902) 790-4009

- Gordon Winstone, President, West Hants Chamber of Commerce, (902) 798- 5106

- Deadline every 2nd Friday at noon.