Waterfront retail options expanding
Four new small buildings in the vicinity of the big fiddle
The number of retail offerings at the Sydney waterfront will be expanded this summer with the opening of new shops adjacent to the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion.
Four new small buildings have been added in the vicinity of the big fiddle, Paul Carrigan, general manager with the Port of Sydney Development Corp., said Thursday. In total, there will be 17 businesses operating at the pavilion, up from 10 last year.
“The mix is what we’re looking at, we don’t want to have too much competition of one item so our goal is to have that tenant mix something that will allow shoppers to have a variety of choices when they’re down at the port,” Carrigan said.
In addition to Atomic Records and Collectibles opening a second seasonal location at the port, another new arrival will be
Baked With
Love, whose sweet treats can currently often be found at the Cape Breton Farmers Market, as well as a shop selling fused glass. As well, I Bike Sydney, which last year offered bicycles for rent to visitors, this year will also offer rentals of electric scooters which should appeal to visitors with physical challenges, Carrigan said.
St. Peter’s-based Glad Tidings will also open a shop at the port this season.
The hope is that local residents will make the waterfront a destination as well, and it won’t only serve cruise ship visitors, Carrigan said.
“Come down and enjoy the boardwalk, also enjoy the shops, whether it’s the waterfront district or the port of Sydney,” he said.
“That’s exactly what we want to do, Cape Bretoners to enjoy themselves.
One of the biggest challenges came when he finally chose the date he wanted to die. However, Bona’s doctor wasn’t going to be in Cape Breton on those dates and he was told there were no other local physicians or nurse practitioners to perform the service.
“I think the biggest hurdles were because we were going through this process in Cape Breton, an area where this hadn’t successfully happened yet,” said Currie. “So there wasn’t a lot of guidance — this is the paper you need to have first, this is the signature you need to have, this is the family member who can’t sign it, this is the person who can sign it — so it was very timeconsuming. Weldon was 100 per cent peaceful about his decision — it just became challenging to navigate through this system the first time successfully in Cape Breton.”
Currie was joined by Bona’s friends Joella Foulds and Rhoda MacCormick at the information session, which also included Dr. Robyn MacQuarrie, an obstetrician-gynecologist who is one of about 20 clinicians who participates in Nova Scotia’s medical assistance in dying program; Jim Cowan, former Liberal senator and member of the advocacy group Dying With Dignity; Jocelyn Downie, a legal professor and end-of-life law expert; and local lawyer Gail Rudderham Chernin.
MacQuarrie said Bona’s case highlights the need for more medical professionals to learn about medically assisted death.
“Knowing there is somebody who had trouble accessing death in a way that was meaningful to them breaks my heart a little, but that’s why I want to talk to people about getting involved and participating — I want to talk to community members because I think the more people talk about it, the less stigma there is attached to it,” she said.
“I think for a lot of doctors what is actually the barrier to becoming involved is knowledge of the process. So they’re not familiar with what a role they could play. Most people wouldn’t think an obstetrician gynecologist should play any role it in. It is still new — it’s not brand-new, but it’s new in terms of how the process happens and people understanding that it’s different than accessing palliative care. I really think it is a gap in the knowledge that we’re trying to fill in through information sessions like this.”
Meanwhile, Currie said although she there when Bona finally got his wish, and slipped away under a nurse practitioner’s watch following a final feast with loved ones, she’s still grieving her friend, calling herself a “slow mourner.” However, she said Bona would likely be pleased to know people are learning from his lessons.
“He knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go out and make that happen,” she said. “I think he would be pleased he inspired a conversation to be started.”