Land and Sea

Racing Forwards

2010-01-24T22:04:27Z

Operating two popular St. John's restaurants isn't an easy way to make a living, but the Forward family has been doing it for more than 55 years. They keep a pretty fast pace at the "Big R".

But that's not the only place where this family cranks up the speed. The Forwards are in the fast lane of Newfoundland harness racing, a pastime that is always a family affair.
A racing tradition that started on a frozen Quidi Vidi Lake back in the '40's continues at the race track in the Goulds, just outside of St. John's.

One son has taken his talent all the way to an International competition. Brad Forward travelled to Norway to represent Canada and credits all his success to his hardworking parents and their love of horses.

We'll take you up the inside and down the home stretch in "Racing Forwards".

Back to the Landers

2010-01-17T16:28:42Z

Imagine living without electricity and indoor plumbing.

Well that's what a lot of the "back to the landers" or "hippies" did in the 1970's. They dropped out and embraced a rural way of life but, as it turns out, they weren't really ready for it.

From Cape Breton Island to Albert County, New Brunswick - meet some "back to the landers" and see how their lives have changed. And witness how history is repeating itself with a new generation trying to live off the land.

The Only Child

2010-01-10T16:02:06Z

In Grandois, near the top of Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula, there are less than 30 people. Seniors, mostly. And one teenager. Thirteen-year-old Nathan Alyward.

In this story, we see what life is like for Nathan Alyward, in the place that's been dying a slow death since the cod closure in '92.

Before that, Grandois was a busy little outport. There was a fishplant and a school. But both closed with the cod fishery, and the sun began to set on Grandois.
It might not be the average life of a 13-year-old, living in such a tiny remote place. And Nathan will tell you, sometimes he gets pretty bored. But on the other hand, Nathan has a kind of freedom in Grandois few kids have these days. And he makes the most of it.

The Hudson Bomber

2010-01-03T18:24:12Z

The thrill of the search. Nova Scotia's Gaspereau Lake in the Annapolis Valley is the burial site of many planes. One crash that has fascinated the community is a World War 11 Hudson Bomber.

With the help of local residents, an expedition team looks for the plane. There
are some bumps along the way but will they be successful?

Honouring Their Own

2009-12-27T21:17:53Z

Old stages and stores can be painted and repaired, but once people are gone, they're gone.

That's what many on Newfoundland's Fogo Island believe...and it's the thing that inspired the senior citizens' club there to honour their own. Their most senior of seniors.
Over a year ago, the Roaring 50 Plus seniors club got some Federal money for a special project. A project that would see over 100 seniors over the age of 75 interviewed, on camera. The result...a collection of DVDs. A collection of faces and stories of a time gone by...told by the people who lived it.
In this show, we meet some of those seniors...and talk to some of the people who made the project happen.

Tidal Turbines

2009-12-20T20:43:21Z

For decades, people have been talking about harnessing the power of the Bay of Fundy. Now Nova Scotia is immersing itself in tidal turbines.

Some of the technology comes from Ireland and Northern Ireland. But there are deadlines - the first one is to be launched in the fall of 2009.

Politics of the Pelt

2009-12-13T21:28:42Z

Every spring Newfoundland sealers head out to the ice flows and every year the protestors follow. The world watches the annual showdown.

Some countries have taken sides in the debate. This past spring, the European Union banned the import of all seal products. It's a move that has people in some Newfoundland communities wondering about the future of their livelihoods.

We travel to Catalina and Twillingate and talk to a fisherman, a processor and a talented seamstress...three people directly affected by the politics of the pelt.

NB Firefighters

2009-12-06T20:42:45Z

An abandoned campfire, dry conditions and a strong wind. Suddenly you have an inferno in your own back yard. Local firefighters throw everything they have at it, but still need reinforcements - New Brunswick's Fire Bombers. They flew to Nova Scotia in the spring of 2009 to help save a Halifax suburb.

Based in Miramichi, this is the only place in the Maritimes where you'll see 18 planes on standby for fires. Including World War II vintage bombers called The Avengers.

Wood or Nothing

2009-11-29T19:35:58Z

His father told him he'd starve to death building wooden boats. That was over 50 years ago, and Henry Vokey is still building.

For Henry, it's wood or nothing. And it's believed he's built more wooden boats than anyone else on Newfoundland island.

For years, Henry had a shipyard in Trinity. At one time, he was one of Trinity's biggest employers. The yard closed in the late '80's, but the work continued. Henry just moved to his shed beside his house and continued to build.

He's just shy of 80 now, and his hands are crippled with arthritis...still, every morning, the boat shed is where you'll find Henry Vokey. Every morning except Sundays.

Over the years, Henry's built wooden boats of all kinds...punts, motor boats, longliners...and now, he plans to build a schooner. The schooner will be the last of her kind in Newfoundland...and Henry Vokey's legacy.

Turning a Green Leaf

2009-11-22T16:06:24Z

The McMillin family of Halifax is trying to make a difference on the planet.
When it comes to food, the family wants to go green. First they need to discover
their carbon footprint. Then the changes begin.

They try to shift from buying their food at the supermarket to shopping at the
Halifax Farmer's Market. Along the way they get up close and personal with
the farmers who actually supply their food.

The Cormiers of the Valley

2009-11-15T17:27:07Z

Leo Cormier wanted his sons to be farmers. Codroy Valley farmers, on Newfoundland's west coast. So more than 40 years ago, he set out to build something that would keep at least some of his nine children at home. He borrowed money and bought a dozen dairy cows. It was 1963. The year after electricity came to the Valley.

Today, the farm Leo started is part of one of the biggest dairy operations in all of Canada. And Leo has the satisfaction of knowing three of his sons followed in his footsteps...two in the dairy barn, and one in the hen house Leo also built in the sixties. A hen house that eventually held 15-thousand laying birds.

This is the story of a farmer who dared to take risks at a time when most people weren't. It's the story of a family that has been in the Codroy Valley for five generations. The Cormiers.

Ripples Internment Camp

2009-11-08T17:36:48Z

World War II changed the direction of many lives. Gerry Waldston
and Fred Kaufman were young boys fleeing the atrocities of Nazism. They
ended up being kept like prisoners in an internment camp in Ripples,
New Brunswick.

In this little known story about World War 11, Gerry Waldston and
Fred Kaufman share their stories about life in the camp. They're in their mid-80's
now but their time in Canada altered their lives forever.

Dr. Jeon

2009-11-01T17:35:13Z

If it weren't for foreign doctors, some outports in Nfld and Labrador wouldn't have a doctor at all.

Most don't stay long. They see the outports as a quick ticket to somewhere better.

But this Land and Sea story is about one doctor who came, and who stayed, and who is truly loved.

His name is Yong Kee Jeon.
He was born in North Korea and came to Newfoundland in 1966.
It was meant to be a short stay of just a couple of years.
But fate intervened one night at the cottage hospital in Brookfield, Bonavista Bay.

This is a story of warmth and emotion told by the people whose lives he touched.
It's a story about a man who worked tirelessly, day and night.

It's a story about the challenges facing his wife Suk Gue who raised 5 children with an absentee husband, and her own family halfway across the world.
It's a story of great faith and great love; two people who were married for four months, and wouldn't see each other for four years.

It's appropriately entitled "Dr. Jeon".

River Songs

2009-10-25T16:34:01Z

The Saint John River is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful rivers in North America. New Brunswicker Brent Mason has been so shaped by the waterway that he wrote an album of songs about it.

Now he takes his canoe and guitar and revisits the many places and people that motivated him to write the music. It's an opportunity to learn things about the river you never knew.

The Crest of the Wave

2009-10-18T16:32:17Z

She was a bird biologist. He worked in the offshore. But more than two decades ago, Doug and Jennifer Caines decided to have a go at aquaculture. They set up a scallop farm near their home in Pool's Cove, a little outport in Fortune Bay, Newfoundland. The farm was their baby for close to ten years. Doug and Jennifer worked together...they invested money together...and they believed in what they were doing.

But as hard as they worked, and as much as they believed, the scallop farm never became profitable. So the Caines threw in the towel and got on with their lives.

Doug went back to school...Jennifer started teaching. And then, someone approached them about a salmon farm.

Today, Doug and Jennifer are managing a team that have made aquacultural history in Fortune Bay...farming salmon in places they've never been farmed before. By the hundreds of thousands.

Finally, the Caines are riding the crest of the wave.