Looking back at Shelburne County history

From 1982

Shelburne municipal council had established a committee to review fire protection in the Municipality of Shelburne. Elmer Nickerson, the Shelburne warden at the time, said the municipality was very fortunate to have volunteer fire departments and that they were putting much effort into serving their communities. “We hope, through this committee, to formulate a more equitable way of funding these departments,” the warden said. “To make sure we have all the facts, we have asked the assistance of all fire departments in the municipality. We need their input.”

Problems facing the south shore fishing industry had been raised in the House of Commons, where South Shore MP Lloyd Crouse expressed concern over the amount of fish off Canada’s coast being allocated to foreign countries such as Spain, Portugal and Japan, and how this was negatively impacting fish processors on the south shore. Roméo LeBlanc, the federal fisheries minister at the time, said fish allocations to foreign fleets were very small, but an official with the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia said they did have an impact on both fishermen and fish processors in this province.

An American lobster boat had recently burned and sunk off the coast of Cape Sable Island. The vessel’s four-man crew were able to don survival suits and get into a lifeboat. They were picked up by a herring boat from the Pubnico area that was in the vicinity. The stricken vessel – the 45-foot Bessie Mae out of Jonesport, Maine – reportedly had burned quickly. Coast guard officials said the vessel’s captain was unable to explain exactly what had happened.

The South Shore Environmental Protection Association was preparing to make a presentation to protest uranium exploration and mining in Nova Scotia. The group was scheduled to state its concerns at a public meeting to be held at the Barrington municipal office in early June. A spokesman for the association said their presentation would deal with various issues, including the potential environmental impact of uranium activity, along with ethical and moral considerations.

A Shelburne County group trying to maintain an animal-care clinic was facing some financial challenges. A spokesperson for the group – Care of Animals in Need – said they were having a hard time keeping up with expenses despite plenty of fundraising efforts. “We just keep eating up our funds,” she said. The clinic was providing a valuable service, she said, but whether they would be able to continue was the question.

From 1995

South Shore MP Clyde Wells was being urged to vote against Bill C-68, the federal government’s controversial firearms control legislation. A few months earlier – in February 1995 – Wells had formed a committee of south shore residents to suggest improvements to Ottawa’s proposed legislation. Ten of the 12 committee members had signed a letter calling on Wells to vote against the bill. Wells had said he would vote with the government on the bill but that he was working for changes to it. Among other things, the letter to Wells from the committee said the money to be spent on the proposed gun registry could be better spent elsewhere, calling it “an absolute and unforgivable waste of taxpayer dollars.”

A crime prevention society was in the works for the Municipality of Barrington and Town of Clark’s Harbour. About 20 people had turned out for a meeting at Barrington Municipal High School to hear from Sgt. Frank Kingston, the commanding officer at the time of the RCMP’s Barrington detachment. “There was very positive feedback,” Sgt. Kingston said of those attending the meeting. “They are a very energetic and interested bunch of volunteers.”

A community group was proposing a three-sheet curling rink be built alongside the Shelburne County Arena and share the arena’s ice-making plant. The proposal was part of an effort to find more uses for the Shelburne County Arena. The committee leading the effort reportedly had been formed out of a desire to keep the Shelburne rink viable, given that a new arena was to be built in Barrington.