Cheers &Jeers

Cheers

to the women who continue to uplift others and work towards advancing equality for all.

In this week’s edition, and online at SaltWire.com, we focus on International Women’s Day, which is March 8, and highlight the people in our communities who are making a difference.

There’s certainly no shortage of inspirational people in the Annapolis Valley.

Whether they were born and raised in the region or emigrated here, the impact they’re having is worth celebrating.

Kathy-Ann Browning Johnson, a Kentville resident who is originally from the nearby historic Black community of

continues Gibson Woods, is an educator who to make a difference in the lives of her students.

From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a teacher. And despite facing a number of obstacles early in her career, including racism, she has thrived.

Her colleague Krista Duncan says Browning Johnson leads by example and “is creative, imaginative and she helps students grow and work to their full potential, all with kindness and respect.”

She goes above and beyond her role as an educator, taking time to listen to the students and advocate for them. One such example is when she helped a Grade 9 student with aspirations of becoming a lawyer get placed into a math class that

student would benefit her career goals. That went on to pass the bar.

It’s stories like these that remind us how impactful a kind word or a thoughtful deed can be. Whether it’s simply saying ‘Hi’ to someone who is passing by or actively advocating for a change that will benefit a person or group, we can all have a positive impact.

Browning Johnson’s advice for International Women’s Day is: “Lift one another up because there are too many people that try to tear people down.”

Sage words indeed.

Cheers

to the Valley REN’s commitment to boosting tourism in the region.

By participating in the STAR program — and being the first organization in Nova Scotia to do so — the Valley REN is poised to help countless businesses rebound from the pandemic.

After an economy that’s been hard hit by multiple starts and stops over a two-year period, finding a better way to market the Annapolis Valley as a whole will not only increase visitors, helping stimulate the economy, but it might serve to entice more people to move here.

And further kudos to the Valley REN for including the entire region in this project. Instead of playing petty politics and excluding municipalities that don’t provide funding to the REN, this tourism initiative encompasses one end of the Valley to the other — from West Hants to Annapolis. That’s refreshing to see and will certainly strengthen what we have to offer.

Jeers

to the plethora of cardamaging potholes that are popping up throughout the province. While it’s a sure sign that spring is around the corner, the potholes are doing a number onto our vehicles.

Whether driving along a municipal street or a provincial highway, the dreaded clunk of hitting a pothole is enough to rattle the nerves of even the most seasoned drivers.

Don’t bother swerving to miss these giant craters as it not only puts yourself and others at risk of an accident, it usually can’t be done in time to avoid the damage anyway.

Public Works crews are doing their best to keep the gaping holes filled in. But it seems that just as one is tackled, two more appear in its place.

Hang in there drivers — there are only a few more storms before those pothole patches can be applied and will stick.