Looking back at Shelburne County history

FROM 1983

Lloyd Crouse, who at the time was member of Parliament for South Shore, was expressing concern in the House of Commons about the future of the fishing industry. Crouse – a longtime MP who during the summer of 1983 had been appointed the fisheries critic for the Brian Mulroney-led Progressive Conservatives – was responding to the Liberal government’s plan to restructure the fisheries in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Among other things, Crouse said he wondered about the fate of smaller, independent operators, given the power and size of the biggest companies. He also said the government’s proposal would give too much power to the federal fisheries minister. Pierre de Bané was Canada’s fisheries minister at the time in the Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau.

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It was a special time for Trinity United Church in Shelburne, which was marking its bicentennial in 1983. To help commemorate the church’s 200th anniversary, Rev. Clarke MacDonald, moderator of the United Church of Canada, was guest speaker at a church service where he said reaching such a milestone was a “matter of great significance.” He cited some of the troubles in the world and acknowledged it was perhaps a tough time to have faith, but he encouraged those present, saying, “Sometimes God is nearest to you when you have the most doubts.”

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With the Christmas season approaching and plenty of parcels again expected to be sent through the mail, Canada Post was advising people that proper packaging and addressing would help ensure ontime, safe delivery. A newspaper story on the topic used the following alliterative headline: Properly posted parcels packed precisely promote Parcel Post promptness. Parcel rates varied depending on several factors. In 1983, the rate for cards and first-class letters within Canada was 32 cents. Postage for letters to the U.S. was 37 cents.

Also from November 1983:

• After several months without a physician, Clark’s Harbour had a new one. Dr. Ralph V. Oxley would replace Dr. Ronald B. Sheehan, who was retiring. Dr. Oxley had come to Canada from the United Kingdom in 1969, practising in Ontario for two years before “falling in love” with rural, coastal Nova Scotia. He had been in the province for the past 12 years.

• Herbert Banks of Barrington Passage had donated a valuable collection of books to his local library, the Barrington Passage branch of the Western Counties Regional Library. His collection was said to have reached about 3,000 items, including many books about Nova Scotia history, folklore and culture.

• For the second straight year, the Scotia Prince – the ferry that normally sailed between Yarmouth and Portland – would spend the winter at Shelburne Marine. The ship was scheduled for a “minor refit,” according to a newspaper item.

• In sports, Lockeport Regional High School had won the “A” boys soccer provincials in Halifax. Lockeport’s Jeff Stevens was named tournament MVP.

FROM 1996

The Town of Shelburne was making a last-ditch attempt to get a tire recycling plant, but it looked like the facility would be built in the Halifax area, according to a story in the Shelburne Coast Guard from November 1996. Shelburne was ranked fifth on the list of those seeking the facility, a list of more than 20 applicants, the story said. One of the factors not in Shelburne’s favour was its geographic location, which was “on the very fringe of the area being considered” by the project’s developer, the story said.

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Various topics had been discussed when Dr. Jim Smith, Nova Scotia’s minister of housing and municipal affairs, met with leaders from the five municipal units in Shelburne County, but the main issue was the blended sales tax that was scheduled to take effect April 1, 1997. Local municipal government leaders were concerned about the impact of the new tax. Other issues raised with the minister included amalgamation, downloading on municipal units, the future of Shelburne Marine, road maintenance costs and everincreasing waste disposal costs.

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Eight Shelburne County fishermen’s groups had come together to set up a management board and discuss how to distribute the 1997 groundfish quota for Shelburne County. Underscoring how challenging this would be, a representative of the South West Nova Fixed Gear Association said the group reps had “agreed to disagree. I don’t see any movement anywhere on how we’re going to distribute the fish.”