Thursday, July 31, 2008

Fluoride Fuss. It's a debate that's not making many people smile. We hear why putting Fluoride in our water still generates discussion for and against. Fluoride (runs 9:58)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Culture Shock. Cape Breton District Health Authority CEO John Malcom tells us about a provincial initiative to take on the culture of over-drinking in Cape Breton. Change (runs 7:01)

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Continuing Care. A two-year program sponsored by the Nova Scotia government is hoping to entice much needed continuing care workers with free tuition. NSCC Program (runs 8:28)

Monday, July 28, 2008

Attack By Night. CBC Reporter Janna Graham takes us to the Second Seige re-enactment at the Fortress of Louisbourg, held on the weekend. Soldiers (runs 6:13)

Higher, Faster, Younger. At a track and field meet in Sydney, the stars are children from 5 years old to the ripe old age of 13, and CBC Reporter Andrea Morales spoke to them. Fun Event (runs 6:03)

 

Friday, July 25, 2008
Broadcasting LIVE from Louisbourg

Reliving History. At the Fortress of Louisbourg, a couple of people who've been through past encampments set the scene for this weekend's event. Mark Sajatovich is Marketing Manager for Parks Canada in Cape Breton, and Peter Chaisson is Program Coordinator at the Fortress. Encampments (runs 9:17)


Musket Firing. Attention to detail is key at the re-enactment of the second siege at the Fortress of Louisbourg. We've managed to muster up one of the period guns with the help of re-enactor Kevin Robins, he shows Information Morning host Steve Sutherland how to shoot one. Musket (runs 7:56)

Thursday, July 24, 2008

National Dressage. A dance partner with two left feet... and two right feet: We hear from a horse lover who will be competing in this weekend's national dressage show in Ben Eoin. White (runs 7:30)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Fueling The Need. We speak with the vice-president of Cape Breton's newest gasoline retailer, Caper Gas, about their plan to serve Cape Breton communities the multinationals have abandoned. Boudreau (runs 8:37)

Siege Of Louisbourg. Historian Anne Marie Lane Jonah recreates the second, and final, siege of Louisbourg, accounting the British advance on the Fortress, and the eventual surrender of the French forces. Siege (runs 13:51)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Co-op Construction. The Margaree Co-op is expanding thanks to support from the community, we'll find out how more than half a million dollars was raised. Expansion (runs 8:27)

Short Shorts. Two Cape Breton filmmakers talk about their whirlwind experience shooting short movies at the Guerilla Film Weekend in St. Ann's. Films (runs 11:38)

Monday, July 21, 2008

Beneath The Waves. Information Morning host Steve Sutherland joins a team of underwater archaeologists to explore a wreck on the bottom of Louisbourg Harbour which sank on this very date, 250 years ago. Warship (runs 8:02)

 

Friday, July 18, 2008

Piper's Glen.  As we told you last week on Information Morning, the land surrounding a popular Cape Breton hiking destination is on the market. Egypt Falls and the 80 hectares of old growth forest around it are for sale for a cool million.  The real estate agent who listed the property says the uniqueness of the site will be a strong selling point. He thinks it may attract the kind of buyer who is interested in conservation. But the spot isn't just environmentally significant, according to some, it's also a cultural cornerstone of Cape Breton.

Egypt Falls is located in Piper's Glen and it used to be home to a one of Cape Bretons most noted piping families.

Barry Shears is a bag piper who grew up in Glace Bay. He's researched the history of Cape Breton bagpiping and written books about and made CD's of piping music.

Listen to: Barry Shears interview. (Runs:  7:37)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Guerilla Film Weekend.  When you think of what it takes to make a movie, a few things may come to mind.  Big budgets, big stars and if you're lucky...big box office.  But none of these things necessarily make the best movies.  And that's the theory behind a showcase in St. Ann's this weekend.

A group of Cape Breton filmmakers is going back to basics.  They're relying on their wits, a few pieces of equipment and just one weekend to produce their own short films.

Keith Morrison is the co-ordinator of the Guerilla Film Weekend.

Listen to: Keith Morrison interview. (Runs: 8:19)

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

HOG Rally.  You can catch the Harley sound and the two-wheeled wonders that go with it at several locations in the coming days.
Cape Breton is hosting the 18th Annual Atlantic H.O.G. Rally.  H.O.G. stands for Harley Owners' Group.  Harley-Davidson motorcycles, that is.

Andy Tonet is events coordinator with the H.O.G. Rally.

He spoke with current affairs reporter Bobby Nock in front of a 2008 Harley Nightster.

Listen to: Andy Tonet/Bobby Nock interview.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Air India 182.  More than twenty-three years ago the explosion aboard Air India flight 182 changed the lives of many Canadians forever.
Three hundred and twenty-nine people died in the disaster.  It was the biggest terror attack in Canadian history and just last week the only man convicted in the crime went free on bail.  In the years since the tragedy, many relatives have complained their loss has not been properly acknowledged or investigated.

One of those people is Diane Beauschene. She lost her father, Gaston.
She appeared in the docudrama "Air India 182" which aired recently on CBC Television. She lives and works in Sydney.

Listen to:  Dianne Beauchesne interview.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Inventing a cool gadget is impressive.  But having your invention put to a practical use is really something to be proud of.
Last month on Information Morning, we heard about a group of students from Dalbrae Academy in Mabou who had built an underwater robot.
They built the remote operated vehicle -- or ROV -- for an international competition in California.  They took 3rd prize.
And now, they may have a chance to put their creation to work here in Cape Breton.

Geordon Harvey is a field worker with Parks Canada.  He's taken an interest in the Dalbrae students' invention.
And he met with a group of them on Friday to test the ROV in the waters of Whycocomagh Bay.

Alexis Dunphy is one of the students who built the ROV.

Listen to: Geordon Harvey and Alexis Dunphy interview.

 

Friday, July 11, 2008

Egypt Falls for Sale.  The sale of Polletts Cove last Fall caught Cape Bretoners by surprise. The remote and rugged inlet in the Highlands was a much loved hiking destination. Well the site of another great Cape Breton hike is up for sale.

Egypt Falls in Northeast Margaree and the surrounding old growth forest is on the market. For 1 million dollars someone can lay claim to the 80 hectare site.

Tom Childs is the real estate agent who sold Polletts Cove and he's also listed Egypt Falls.

Listen to: Tom Childs interview.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Boy Scouts.  It's not quite a jamboree, but it's still a pretty big celebration.
More than 200 boy scouts are arriving in Port Morien today to mark 100 years of scouting in North America.
The group's history here goes back a long way.
Organizer Ken MacDonald spoke with Steve Sutherland on  Information Morning.

Listen to: Ken MacDonald interview.


Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Beach Barricade.  With forecasted highs of 30 degrees celsius, it's shaping up to be another great beach day in Cape Breton.
But, as we heard yesterday in Frank MacDonald's report from Inverness County Council, getting to one local beach is more of a hike than it used to be.  Lawrence's Beach in Harbourview, south of Port Hood, is a popular summer swimming spot.  But the road to the beach is blocked by concrete barricades put up by a disgruntled neighbour.

The County has been dealing with the issue since the barricades first went up, last summer.  Now, Inverness County Council has asked the RCMP to do something about it.

For more information we spoke with Jim MacLean, municipal councillor for the Port Hood area.

Listen to:  Jim MacLean interview.

Federal Gypsum.  Yesterday more than 50 laid off workers from the Federal Gypsum plant in Port Hawkesbury went back to their workplace. But it wasn't to work. They wanted money.  They're owed four weeks back wages and a weeks vacation pay. And with no Employment Insurance coming in yet, the workers say they're getting desperate.

Last week, they tried to get the money by blockading the main gate. That didn't work, so yesterday, they tried talking.

A representative from the plants financial backer, Century Services in Toronto, came to meet with them. CBC reporter Joan Weeks was also at Federal Gypsum yesterday.

Listen to interview: Federal Gypsum plant.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Fossil Center.  A walk along the shore in Sydney Mines can really take you back in time, way back in time, to about 300 million years ago.  The Sydney coalfields are teeming with fossils, impressions of ancient ferns and other plants and trees that are long extinct. Guided tours of the site begin today.  But while the history that's highlighted at the Cape Breton Fossil Center is solid, the future is perhaps a bit more shaky.  Even as the cliffs in Joggins receive U-N world heritage designation and celebrate the opening of a brand-new fossil centre... the museum in Sydney Mines is running on a shoestring budget.

Jim Tobin is spokesperson for the Cape Breton Fossil Center and the Sydney Mines Heritage Society.

He spoke with reporter Yvonne LeBlanc-Smith.

Listen to the:  Jim Tobin interview.

For more information on the Cape Breton  Fossil Center, please visit their web-site:
www.cbfossil.org/

Monday, July 07, 2008

Responsible forestry. At its very basic level, the forestry industry is pretty simple, right?
You take a bunch of trees that are worth some money... chop them down... and sell them.
But if you want to talk about RESPONSIBLE forestry, and leaving things in good shape for the future:  the topic gets more complicated.
Today in Membertou, the Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources will host a conference on sustainable management of hardwood trees.
The conference organizer is Mark MacPhail.  He's the forestry manager at UINR.
Listen to: Mark MacPhail interview.

Diabetes Fundraiser.  Nobody enjoys getting a needle; and you may even be scared outright of being pricked.
But feeling a jab into her arm is no big deal for 10 year old Lena Chaisson.
Organizing events which have raised thousands of dollars is no big deal, either.
As you may remember from the call she placed to Answerback recently, Lena has Type 1 Diabetes.
And yesterday, she held her 3rd Yard Sale to pull in money for Juvenile Diabetes.
Lena Chaisson, the pride of Albert Bridge is in our studio this morning.
Listen to: Lena Chaisson interview.

 

Friday, July 04, 2008

In Service. The new Englishtown Ferry, The Torquol MacLean, is making its maiden run this morning. CBC Reporter Yvonne LeBlanc-Smith is at the water's edge to speak with Captain Nelson Edge. Ferry (runs 7:26)

Fun And Games. Simon Gillis of Whitney Pier, and Wilf Isaac of Boularderie teach Information Morning host Steve Sutherland about childhood games: Tiddley and Peggy. Game (runs 12:45)

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Staff Shortage. Summer scheduling is creating headaches for the Cape Breton District Health Authority. Evelyn Schaller, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Services, tells us about plans to rotate E-R closures at three hospitals. Closures (runs 9:16)

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

The Doctor Is Still In. Dr. Andrew Lynk recently received the Distinguished Community Pediatrician Award. We ask him about the award and his career here in Cape Breton. Doctor (runs 8:19)

Rock On A Roll. MacLeod Resources in River Denys hopes to sell Cape Breton marble to China, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, CBC Reporter Bobby Nock carves out the story. Marble (runs 5:31)

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Your Accent. We hear from one of this country's best known broadcasters, Linden MacIntyre, host of The Fifth Estate on CBC Television, whose Cape Breton accent nearly scuttled his career before it began. Linden (runs 9:42)