To the Editor: The ongoing saga of implementing a governance study for Pictou County hit yet another roadblock this week when Stellarton town Council voted 3 – 2 to not support the study. For well over a year now there have been numerous attempts at getting this matter initiated at the municipal council level. Individual councils have discussed the issue, the mayors and warden have discussed it privately, the provincial [...]

To the Editor: For a town that claims to be steeped in historical Scottish-ness, maybe it’s time somebody started listening to the piper before we have to start paying her, too. When Statscan released the census this month, it showed that Nova Scotia was the slowest growing province in the country and that the population of Pictou had dropped by 10 per cent in the last five years. Every five [...]

To the Editor: It is disturbing and insulting to members of an ad hoc committee, which conducted an exhaustive study on Public Transportation in Pictou County over a four year period, that the majority of Pictou County Municipalities solicited proposals and awarded a contract to study this service once again. The original study involved all sectors of the community from industry to health to call centers to educational facilities and [...]

To the Editor: In so far as my research into what I perceive to be a significant upset regarding the lawfulness of the ITA and how the CRA can enforce it through the infallible and tenacious attitudes as administered through the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service, I learned many disturbing facts regarding the Canadian Constitution. At the time of the confederate movement in Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick desired [...]

To the Editor: Dear Mr. Mongraw, Vice President, Corporate Services Pictou County Health Authority: It has come to our attention after reading your letter to the editor in the news recently ,that there will be a change in delivery of food services to the veterans and residents of the Munro Wing at the Sutherland Harris Hospital in Pictou. The veterans are held in very high esteem by members of the [...]

To the Editor: Last night I went to a concert at Glasgow Square, yes it was indoors. It was a fund raiser for Roots For Youth. I was a youth once and I see this as a mandatory project. Bless the people who have put in countless hours to make it happen. Yes we are all uncool over-the-hill old folks, but we were all kids, and yes we were all [...]

To the Editor: I have been a volunteer at the Northumberland Veterans Unit in Pictou for several years. It has been my pleasure and privilege to participate in the lives of the veterans on a regular basis. They say that volunteers are ‘good for nothing’, but that’s not true; I’m paid over and over again every time I walk through the doors of the unit. I’ve enjoined spending time with [...]

To The Editor: Over the past several months there has been a funding offer on the table from the Province to carry out a Governance study for Pictou County. But until now there has been no agreement with all councils to agree on their part of the funding. Mayor Barrie MacMillan at a press conference agrees with Mayor Joe Hawes of Pictou to try and work out a funding. At [...]

To the Editor: Premier Dexter, The Pictou County Chamber of Commerce would like to express its support for the revitalization of Maritime Steel as a business entity in Pictou County. We believe the foundry operations complement the other steel and metal fabrication businesses in the County and would create skilled job opportunities to retain employees and attract newcomers to our community. The Chamber acknowledges the concerns that have been raised [...]

To the Editor: Mention the new Wellness Center (presently under construction) and one is pretty much assured of a lively conversation to follow. The Center will consist of two full sized ice surfaces, a swimming pool walking track, gym and ‘workout’ facilities. The pool, gym and ‘workout’ equipment will be run by the YMCA. Some facts: Total cost – $37 million, Federal -$ 11 million, Provincial – $11 million, Municipal [...]

It is fascinating to compare the hardship among those going without public transit with those who have never had it. The protracted labour dispute that has kept buses off the roads and further snarled traffic in HRM has hurt people. Having no such service in Pictou County has also hurt people. Those who cannot or choose not to drive are left without in HRM and here. They may be young [...]

To the Editor: Nova Scotians who want to make their homes more energy efficient can still get money back from the EnerGuide program, despite the recent end of federal support. The federal government announced on January 29, 2012, that it was no longer taking applicants for its EcoEnergy Retrofit program. (For full details, the federal news release can be found at: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit/16462 ). While the federal offer was time-limited, Nova [...]

To Premier Darrell Dexter: I am writing you on behalf of all our union members, in regards to your recent decision to refuse a loan to Maritime Steel Foundry. We feel this is extremely unjust and a slap in the face to all employees at this plant. This past week we contacted Mr. Paris and were informed that this loan was denied due to lack of information on the application [...]

To the Editor: The residents of Pictou County and particularly those within the plume of putrid odours from Boat Harbour should commend the First Nation’s band in Pictou Landing for their historic vote on January 25, 2012. The vote rejected acceptance of another payoff from the NS government and preserves their right to continue legal proceedings against the province for the grave injustice inflicted on their community by the Boat [...]

To the Editor: Regarding the new meal policy… I would like to share this definition of a veteran with you. Definition of a veteran – Whether active duty, retired, or reserve – is someone who, at one point in his/her life, signed a blank check made payable to “The People of Canada”, for an amount “up to and including my life.” Now the great policy makers want to stuff garbage [...]

To the Editor: Welcome to NS Power… oops, I mean Gadhafi’s Campground. Federal government says seniors will receive an increase in their CPP. I’ll guarantee it will not be any way near what NSP Power has received. With the increase I doubt if service will improve. Fly ash will fall. Power will be off during storms. Big bonuses will be paid. And your investors will all be happy. Welcome to [...]

To the Editor: This will be my final letter of appeal to keep the status quo for meals prepared for the Veterans Wing in Pictou. On Tuesday Jan. 31, I attended the “Taste Test” for the menu of off site prepared meals that will soon be served to our veterans. I stand by my opinion that while mass produced food may be suitable to provide meals for short hospital stays, [...]

To the Editor: …and now to the distaff side. Being in favour of a study on governance is like being on the side of the angels. The Town Fathers of Pictou have clearly opted to side with the celestial cohort and for this I applaud them. Now let us look at the possible fallout from that expressed choice. The first positive for the Town Fathers is that they now have [...]

How much more can education take? The Dexter government is once again instructing school boards to spend less money this year and next year. The boards knew it was coming as the government continues its four-year plan to eliminate budget deficits before it has to go to the polls. It would be nice if it was for a good reason, but it isn’t. The government wants Nova Scotians to believe [...]

To the Editor: As Harper’s Conservatives, start to dismantle Canada, it is time for a new party to give voice to the millions of Canadians who are disenfranchised in this country. The homeless, the elderly, families living below the poverty line, First Nations people mired in northern slums. Canada, since its inception, has been a colony, first of the French, then of the English, and now increasingly that of the [...]

To the Editor: February 5 to 11 is Eating Disorder Awareness Week and doctors in Nova Scotia are speaking up to help raise awareness of eating disorders and decrease stigma through understanding. Disordered eating includes a range of food and weight related beliefs and practices which negatively affect an individual’s overall well-being. This includes chronic dieting, compulsive eating, and behaviours seen in anorexia and bulimia. Self-esteem and social value are [...]

To the Editor: I’m wondering why the NDP government is calling the area where the new jail is going Coalburn when obviously it is in Priestville right beside the former Priestville landfill? If you read the report as to why this site was selected you’ll find that under the environment section it lists a derelict building and a scrap yard that is nearly a kilometer away in Linacy a concern, [...]

To the Editor: I find it disgusting that while millions of Canadians are suffering financially, MP’s are approaching $200k salaries, $500k expense accounts and a pension that pays out 75 per cent on only 15 years work. It stinks. Their pension also attracts high yearly interest at rates never seen in the market place, guaranteeing them a very cushy payout at our expense. I had to work for 40 years [...]

To the Editor: Our Constitution sets parameters for the Federal Government and the Provincial Legislature regarding direct taxation, to wit under sec. 91 the Federal Government has exclusive jurisdiction over indirect taxation (excise tax) while the Provincial Legislature has exclusive jurisdiction over direct taxation under Sec. 92 (income tax). An example of the application of this law can be found in Vol. 1, 1926 House of Commons Debates where the [...]

To the Editor: It has been 20 years since I wrote my first letter to the Pictou Advocate. I find myself again feeling the same disbelief. The Advocate has printed a letter from a retired teacher and now another letter from a former teacher; I said then as well as now how sorry I am for the former students of these teachers. It is very concerning what these students have [...]