Posted on May 26, 2014 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Old eagle eye

 

 

Ok. Let’s start the day with a brain teaser. Under duress, I went to the Dollar Store with my wife the other day . When we got to the checkout, both lines were chock full. Regular readers know where this conversation is going. Betty needed to get something at Canadian Tire and asked me to stand in line to pay for our goods.

It’s called a dollar store for a reason. I believe many of the purchases are one dollar. So you can imagine my consternation as the lady in front of me , with about 65 items in her shopping cart, required a price check. HELLO. The definition of absurdity: asking for a price check at a dollar store. Of course the other lineup emptied and I was the only one left in the two lines when all was said and done. I could have made a full story out of this but I have flogged that horse one too many times.

“ A consultant is someone who takes something simple and makes it complex.” This was one of the many interesting things I learned at the Canadian Council of Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship Conference held in Antigonish last week. I was actually a volunteer at the conference leading an early morning walk for participants who wanted a breath of fresh ( and cold ) air before their sessions began. People came from all over the world to attend. Once I saw the agenda, I decided to sit in on some of the sessions. The speakers were terrific and I learned a lot. I also discovered that Antigonish is a wonderful place for small to mid size conferences.

The other thing I discovered is that St.F.X. has fantastic facilities for hosting these kind of events. The participants raved about the venue, the town and the hospitality. I was very proud to be from here and to hear the glowing reports.

Lots of new stories in the pipeline. I have a gardening story for you. I am not a gardener. I realize I’m giving away all of my secrets. You must wonder if I’m able to do anything with my hands besides pecking away at a keyboard. I was sharing gardening stories with one of my staff the other day and she came out with one of the best lines I have ever heard about a “wanna be “ gardener.  It might end up being the title of the story so I’ll just leave you hanging.

My Tuesday story this week will be published on Wednesday to coincide with “Casket” day. The story is called “A Love of Labor,” a twist on the expression “a labor of love.”

If you have a chance to walk The Landing, take a look hard left across the meadow, about five minutes into your walk. The picture at the top of the page is the eagle’s nest. It is enormous. In a few days, I expect the view will be blocked…if the leaves ever come out!

I am off to Charlottetown this weekend to attend the awards dinner at the  Newspapers Atlantic conference.  I have been nominated for a journalism award. I don’t expect to win but it’s an excuse to go to one of Canada’s most beautiful provinces.

Have a great week.

Posted on May 24, 2014 under Storytelling with one comment

The West River behind Columbus Field

 

 

“And we have just begun, watching the river run,

Listening and learning and yearning, to run river run …”

Watching the River Run – Loggins and Messina

I love to travel and discover new things.  Whenever I get the opportunity to go somewhere I’ve never been before, my heart starts to race just a little in anticipation.  And sometimes this doesn’t require going too far afield, as our own province has many wonders to behold.  There’s nothing wrong with being a tourist right in your own back yard.

So when I heard that my brother had won the use of a villa in France for a week, I waited patiently by the phone for an invitation.  Besides his immediate family, he had room for three more people, and as I surveyed the landscape I thought I had a pretty good chance at being selected.  After all, my brother and I have run together, biked together and even golfed together over the years and we are both lifelong Habs fans.  I mean, how’s that for brotherly love?

Gradually I came to realize that I had not made the short list and that the trip would happen without me, my good humor and my story telling.  I let this sink in and periodically I would mention to him, in the lead up to the trip, that my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.   The guilt trip did me absolutely no good and, early in May, 10 lucky guests flew across the pond.

Is there anything worse than looking at someone’s vacation pictures?  There certainly is.  When you thought that you would be in those pictures, it stings just a little watching others have “tons of fun”. While I chipped sleet off of the car windshield in the last icy grasp of winter (a.k.a. spring), they were feasting daily on fresh croissants, magnificent cheeses and fine red wine.  And telling me about it. One day I received a postcard from Provence with my invitation to join them in France.  I was given one day to respond.  The card was backdated to March 31^st.  I was to respond by April Fool’s Day.

On the weekend, over fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee, I heard more breathtaking accounts of their trip. I think my brother was feeling guilty when he piped up, suggesting a river cruise two years hence.  “Start saving your money” he quipped.

I volunteered to organize the trip.

He might be surprised when I send him the following itinerary:

“Transport your canoe out to St. Joseph’s Lake and get dropped off at 6:00 a.m. on June 25,^, 2016.  We will launch the canoes into the West River … not to be mistaken for the Danube.  Fine dining will include peanut butter and jam sandwiches and cold beer.  Because it is late June, we might catch some sea trout right around the time the strawberry plants are blossoming.  Your vessel comes complete with a pool. Step out of the canoe any time and have a dip in the river.  We will disembark ten or so hours later behind Columbus Field in downtown Antigonish.  We will walk across the field and have a piping hot dinner at the Prissy Pig.  And, instead of visiting some decrepit castle, we will meander back across Columbus Field to the playground.

We will each take a swing and stare at the clouds as they drift overhead.

I will patiently await his response.

 

 

Posted on May 22, 2014 under News & Updates with one comment

IF YOU ARE A FIRST TIME VISITOR TO THIS SITE, THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL STORY. MOST OF MY STORIES ARE LIGHT HEARTED AND HUMOROUS. THIS STORY IS NEITHER. IT IS A SERIOUS STORY ABOUT A SERIOUS SUBJECT MATTER. IT APPEARED IN OUR LOCAL PAPER “THE CASKET” THIS WEEK AND IS REPRINTED HERE.

I DO THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES A YEAR. AND WHILE THIS IS OSTENSIBLY A “LOCAL STORY” , SIMILAR DYNAMICS ARE BEING PLAYED OUT IN SMALL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THIS PROVINCE AND I DARESAY THIS COUNTRY.

 

I read with considerable interest two articles that appeared in The Casket recently.  The first was jointly authored by the Mayor of the Town of Antigonish and the Warden of the County of Antigonish.  The second was penned by the President of the Chamber of Commerce.  The theme of both pieces was municipal cooperation.

Both articles referred to the Ivany Report and the need for action by all citizens in Nova Scotia.  In case you haven’t noticed, the Province is in a perilous financial state and with tax payers leaving by the thousands each year to seek work,  it is only going to get worse.

I have read the Ivany Report.  This is not something you are going to tackle in one sitting, but if you care about the fate of your children and grandchildren, you might want to read it or get a synopsis.  Plenty has been written about it since its release.

While I applaud the efforts of our two municipal units and the high level of cooperation in certain areas, there is much more that could be achieved if we were one unit.  There.  I’ve said it.  I said the same thing 10 years ago when I ran for mayor on a similar platform.  The last dust up over amalgamation and annexation at that time had cost the taxpayers of the two units 2.2 million dollars in legal fees, consultant costs and the like.

I would argue that these may be two of the best run municipal units in the province.  They are well governed and staffed by some of the most talented and capable people I know.

The question is; would we be stronger if we could speak with one voice, or will the status quo be the norm for the next generation?

Up until a few years ago, my wife and I ran a reasonably successful financial planning business, as did my current partners, Shane and Ron.  We looked at the changing landscape in our field and decided that joining forces made a lot of sense.  Has it been a perfect marriage?  There are no perfect marriages in the business world or elsewhere.  Did we realize savings by trimming staff?  No.  Just the opposite.  We had to make changes, but the net effect was to expand our team in order to manage a growing business.

We didn’t do this to save money.  We felt that the synergies of merging our businesses would pay dividends over the long haul.

This brings me to our municipal units.  Can they survive another 25-50 years on their own?  No one can answer this.  Would the citizens of the town and county have lower tax rates and better services if two units became one?  Unlikely.  In the short term it might cost a little more, but what we have to focus on is the long view.

If both units were pulling the oars together on all issues and had a common vision for the area, we would see some amazing things happen.  Instead of spending money on lawyers and consultants, how about spending those dollars on a regional marketing strategy?  If the town and county were one, and could trumpet the merits of the region as a whole, we would attract new businesses and residents to the area.  What would one portal of entry for all licensing and regulation in greater Antigonish look like?  To an entrepreneur wanting to set up shop in this community it would look like a big WELCOME mat.  With increased activity and commensurate tax revenues we would be able to address some of the crucial problems that beset our community, such as affordable housing and transportation.

Someone once said “Nothing good comes easily”, and merging the two units would not be without some difficult discussions and tough decisions.  At a minimum, a study should be undertaken to weigh the merits of such an undertaking.

If one could distill the 258 page Ivany Report into two words, those words would be attitude and action.   In order to affect the changes that are required to turn our economy around, it will require a change of attitude with every citizen of this province.  We have to stop relying on others (governments in particular) to solve our problems.  And we must take action.  We have to roll up our sleeves.  If every citizen found one small way to contribute we could change everything.

The challenges are enormous but the opportunities are also there for the taking.  We live in one of the most amazing places in the world.  We are blessed with an abundance of talented people and a natural environment that has no rival.  If we can pool this collective wisdom and move forward together, the possibilities will be endless.