Cheers &Jeers
CHEERS: To 17-year-old Willa Evans for being named a Hockey Canada Champion for her commitment to community and contributions to Black youth in sport.
Since 2019, the Truro teen has been making the drive on Saturday mornings to the Black Youth Hockey Program at the RBC Centre in Dartmouth.
Evans is captain of the Fundy Highland’s U-18 AA hockey program and she is also involved in other programs, including the NHL/NHLPA First Shift program that helps younger children learn to play hockey, as well as the Hockey Canada Foundation’s Dreams Come True initiative, Truro Lions Track and Field and Colchester Multisport.
Willa’s spirit is uplifting and should be an example for other young people, and the community as whole, to follow. Hockey and other sports are shaking their traditional boundaries as being dominated by white males. She’s blazing a trail for African Nova Scotia young people and for women, and there’s no telling how far she will go. Rest-assured the world could use a lot more young people like Willa Evans.
Her father, Shawn Evans, is one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Maritime Junior Hockey League. This may very well be a case of like father like daughter.
JEERS: To the prospects of the Conservative Party of Canada after former MP, cabinet minister and leadership hopeful Peter Mackay announced he will not be seeking the leadership of the federal party.
Mackay, who ran unsuccessfully for the leadership in 2020, losing to Erin O’toole, said leftover debt from that campaign is the main reason he’s not running this time, but some of it could be disappointment about what happened two years ago when he was considered by many to be the frontrunner and led after the first ballot of voting only to be passed by O’toole.
While former Mulroney cabinet minister and Quebec premier Jean Charest is running for the job, Ottawa area MP Pierre Poilievre is also vying for the party’s top job as is former Ontario MP Patrick Brown.
Last year’s federal vote showed serious divisions in the federal Conservatives as the party won many seats in western Canada – its traditional powerbase – but failed to make significant inroads in Atlantic Canada, although it grew its seat total, as well as in Quebec or the Liberal-dominated ridings around Metro Toronto.
Unless Conservatives can begin to appeal to voters as a true national party, it’s going to be a long road back to power and Canadians are likely to see a succession of Liberal governments – something that’s either good or bad – depending on which side of the political spectrum you sit.
CHEERS:TO the continued optimism shown by the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce, which recently celebrated its 132nd annual general meeting on March 9.
The last two years have been very difficult ones for small, medium and big business as the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions made it difficult for many business owners to keep the doors open.
As much as it would have been very easy for the Truro area chamber to throw its hands up in despair, it was proactive throughout the last 24 months and was there to support its membership and the community as a whole.
An example of that optimism was shown in guest speaker Arnold Hagen’s comments to the membership. Hagen and his partner, Doug Doucet of rcs construction, are in the midst of redeveloping the Truro Mall, which will be rebranded as The Hub.
The redevelopment project is happening at a time when many other malls throughout the Maritimes are shrinking in size as customers flock to big box retailers. As Hagen said, this won’t be “your mother or father’s mall.” It’s going to be hub of activity and a gathering place within the community that will attract visitors and customers.
Hagen’s move of his Willow Street Home Hardware Store to become a major anchor tenant is something he needed to do to keep up with tremendous growth in his business. He admits purchasing the mall property is a risky venture – especially during a global pandemic – but both he and his partner have faith in Truro’s future.