Rants & Raves
RANT: Police squabbles. Let’s see if we have this straight. On the one hand managers of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service drive 13 police vehicles a day to and from home in order that they can attend crime scenes at all hours of the day or night. On the other, the police union contends the use of these vehicles is compromising transportation needs for other units. The police chief says the union doesn’t appreciate what managers do, “nor do they care.” A union executive member says managers should be able to drive to work and pick up police vehicles when needed. The chief says the vehicles are not used for personal use. The union contends otherwise. It’s a messy situation and one with no resolution in sight.
RAVE: Homecoming. The return of an historic altar to Chapel Island rates as one of the feel-good stories of the year. The altar was given to the Mi’kmaq as a gift in the 1700s but with war raging between the French and English oral history says it was moved several times for protection, ultimately winding up in a church in Johnstown. Now, it has been rightfully return to the Mi’kmaq community. Congratulations to all involved, especially Mi’kmaq elder Lillian Marshall who researched the altar’s history and was a driving force in its return.
RANT: Crappy weather. Daytime highs of 13 and 15 degrees Celsius in recent days? Especially when the average high should be 23 Celsius. Are you kidding us? Sad, but true. Making things worse is the fact that June and July temperatures have been the coldest in 23 years. All this on the heels of a particularly nasty winter. Maybe August will offer something a little more seasonal.
RAVE: For expansion of the Arctic surf clam fishery. The federal government announced last week the total allowable catch for this product will increase by nearly 14 tonnes on the Grand Banks and Banquereau Bank. That spells a huge opportunity for at least one local business, the Kennedy Group, and company founder Jim Kennedy plans to apply for a license. If successful he says it could result in 250 full-time jobs between fishing and processing. We believe the company would be a terrific choice and trust that the government will agree.
RANT: Sunday hunting. Memo to hikers: Don’t go walking in the woods on Nov. 1 and Nov. 8. Those are the dates Sunday hunting makes its lamentable return to Nova Scotia. Apparently the other six days of the week weren’t enough. Still, those interested in this topic had a chance to make their voices heard during a public consultation process and the results from the more than 22,000 responses were reportedly “very close.” We respect the fact that the government was trying to appease both sides of the debate, and we have nothing against hunting for food, but we still could have done without the additional Sunday dates.