November 2019
NOTE TO READERS: We wrap up our 2019 Year in Review looking back at things that happened in November and December to close out the year. SEASONAL WORKERS LOBBY FOR CHANGES
Hundreds of seasonal fish plant workers in Shelburne and Yarmouth counties had signed a petition calling on the federal government to rezone the Employment Insurance (EI) economic zone that is Western Nova Scotia. They feel the zone is too large, putting them at a disadvantage compared with their counterparts throughout the Atlantic region, said spokesperson Mandy Symonds. The zone includes much of mainland Nova Scotia. “We need 630 hours to qualify and our job bank might have two jobs on it,” said Symonds.
While the issue wasn’t new, its impact had been heightened in 2019 with cuts to herring quotas, meaning less work in the plants over the summer, said Symonds, adding production also had ceased on hagfish at a Cape Sable Island plant that a lot of people depended on for hours. There also had been less work the previous winter with the decrease in lobster landings.
RYAN GRAVES’ PRODUCES FOR AVALANCHE
A multi-point performance by Yarmouth’s Ryan Graves in a
Nov. 7 NHL game earned him the third-star selection as his Colorado Avalanche defeated the Nashville Predators 9-4. Graves had a goal and two assists in the game, which saw the Avalanche score six second-period goals.
Unlike the previous season, when he was called up to Colorado at the end of December, Graves had started the current NHL campaign on the Avalanche roster. In an interview with the Tri-County Vanguard after training camp for the 2019-2020 season, Graves said it had been a tough camp and he had gone into it knowing he would have to battle for a roster spot and was determined to earn it.
As of Dec. 30, Ryan Graves had played in 38 games and had six goals and nine assists. He continued to be a leader in the NHL with his plus/minus average of 29.
KIRK TAYLOR REMEMBERED WITH SPECIAL COIN
A decade after his death in Afghanistan, Kirk Taylor was remembered during a ceremony in Yarmouth. Sgt. Taylor, 28, was killed in 2009 by a bomb blast that also killed three other Canadian soldiers and a Canadian journalist.
On Nov. 10, 2019, an event was held marking the 115th anniversary of the 110 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps and it included the presentation of a commemorative coin. One side of the coin noted the anniversary of the corps. The other paid tribute to Taylor. Among those receiving a coin were members of Taylor’s family, along with local army cadets and the 84th Independent Field Battery (the Yarmouth-based reserve unit), of which Taylor had been a member.
Taylor was never an army cadet, but through his involvement with the 84th he worked closely with the 115 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, which was one of the reasons Capt. Gary Hudson, the corps’s commanding officer, wanted to do something special in Taylor’s memory.
Tina Smith, Taylor’s mother, said it was an honour to have her son remembered this way. Recalling her son’s decision to join the 84th, Smith said Taylor had tended to be a loner while growing up, but this changed after he joined the 84th. “He found a camaraderie that really, in my mind, touched his soul,” she said.
FERRY WORK CAUSING TRAVELING WOES
A significant and months-long project to repair the ferry slips in Tiverton and East Ferry in Digby County would cause frequent, irregular and extended delays in the ferry crossing schedule.
Health care was a main concern for residents in the affected communities. While the province’s department of transportation and infrastructure renewal had committed to making sure emergency medical services were a priority and would stop any work to accommodate emergency crossings, residents wondered how they would manage appointments and such that often are booked long in advance.
During the Tiverton upgrade in November and December most people affected by ferry disruptions would be Islanders. It would be different with the East Ferry upgrades, which were scheduled to take place from April to August 2020. This is when the focus of the local economy switches from fishing to tourism. There was concern that hearing of possible delays or cancellations of crossings could keep tourists from getting to the Islands.
Pam Mood, mayor of Yarmouth, was elected president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities during the group’s fall conference.
The federation’s priorities for the year ahead included legislating for a reduction of the property assessment cap, municipal modernization and financing. Asked about the extra work her new position would entail, Mood said, as NSFM president, it’s important to be at the table where decisions are made.
Mood paid tribute to her grandfather, Fred Emin, for leading by example and encouraging her to get involved in municipal politics. (Fred Emin was mayor Yarmouth for almost a quarter-century and was president of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities, precursor to the NSFM, in 1971-72.) Also at the NSFM fall conference, Patti Durkee, a councillor with the Municipality of Yarmouth, was elected one of the federation’s rural reps. Alain Muise, CAO for the Municipality of Argyle, represents the Association of Municipal Administrators on the NSFM board.
JODY SHELLEY INDUCTED
It was a special night for Jody Shelley when he was inducted in the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. Shelley – a former Yarmouth resident who played in the local minor hockey program – spoke highly of Yarmouth during the induction ceremony in Halifax.
“I was with some great people, great friends,” Shelley told Bruce Rainnie, CEO of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, recalling his years in Yarmouth, where he played peewee, bantam and midget rep hockey. “It’s a wonderful community. The people make it so great. I’ve been to many places all over the world and when I travel, Yarmouth is always with me.”
From his minor hockey years in Yarmouth, Shelley went on to play with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and, to this day, he is considered the most popular Moosehead ever.
Shelley’s National Hockey League career spanned about a dozen years, starting with the Columbus Blue Jackets and ending with the Philadelphia Flyers. He also played for the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers. Now 43, Shelley is a hockey colour commentator with Fox Sports Ohio.
REMEMBERING MACALI
A year after the tragic death of a young Yarmouth girl, there was a story of hope from nearly halfway around the world, and it was connected to MaCali Cormier, the four-year-old who had died after an accident during the 2018 Yarmouth Christmas parade. Since the tragedy, a children’s clinic had been established in MaCali’s memory at an orphanage in Thailand.
The clinic had been set up thanks to a connection between Rollie Hannem of Yarmouth, MaCali’s grandfather, and Greg Roberts, a successful businessman in Newfoundland who had been one of Hannen’s students when Hannem lived and taught in Newfoundland. Roberts, a father of two girls, was deeply moved when he learned of MaCali’s death. When he saw that Hannem was her grandfather, Roberts contacted Hannem, offering to do something special.
Roberts reached out to Avis and Roy Rideout, who are from Roberts’ hometown in N.L. and who founded and operate Nikki’s Place Agape Home in Thailand. Roberts wanted to make a personal donation and asked if there was a project they needed help with that could be done in MaCali’s memory. It had long been Avis Rideout’s dream to have a medical clinic on the property of their orphanage. Roberts’s donation would help make it possible.
CANDY CANE LANE FESTIVAL
Yarmouth’s first Candy Cane Lane Festival was a colourful, festive success on Nov. 23.
In 2019 a decision was made not to have an evening parade of lights, but instead to have a festival on Yarmouth’s Main Street whereby people could walk about and view stationary floats, enjoy refreshments, visit with Santa, take photos, listen to music, etc., etc. and etc. This was felt to be a safer option. The festival was a huge volunteer effort. In Frost Park, in addition to the lights throughout the park, there was a Candy Cane Lane included, which saw memorial candy canes lining pathways.
Months earlier Yarmouth resident Barb Firth – a longtime organizer of Yarmouth’s Christmas parade – approached the Town of Yarmouth with the idea of having a festival rather than a parade. Town council welcomed her proposal. On her Facebook during the event, event Firth posted the following: “As I walk the street among the crowds, I cant help but think that this was a good decision to have a festival. There are a few changes to be made for another year, but that will come as we discuss our plans moving forward. So nice to see so many people out. Whether you are involved, or visiting us, thank you to all of you for braving the wind and cold temps. We appreciate it.”
Throughout social media many residents were extending thanks to everyone involved with the festival, with people saying they enjoyed the event and look forward to it happening again next year.