Mainstreet Cape Breton with Wendy Bergfeldt

Dominion Beach has faced more than its fair share of challenges over the years.

First pollution from nearby sewage outfalls prevented swimming.

Then... once that was resolved... mother nature continued to take a toll.

Erosion has been eating away the shoreline and winter storms have damaged the parks infrastructure.

The provincial government recently sent out a survey to help it plan for the future of Dominion Beach.

More than 1-thousand people answered.

Deputy premier and local MLA ,Frank Corbett, spoke with Joan Weeks about the survey.

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The survey showed that almost half the people who use Dominion Beach... go there to walk the trail... enjoy the scenery ...or to bird watch.
In the summer.... only 30 per cent enjoy swimming and sun bathing.

Joe Ellsworth has been a lifelong visitor to Dominion Beach. He's part of a committee formed to find a solution to the erosion problems.

Ellsworth met with reporter Joan Weeks on the beach earlier today.

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Destination Cape Breton is looking for 60-thousand dollars from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

CEO Mary Tulle made the request during a presentation to council last week.

She also layed out the association's strategic plan for boosting tourism to the island.    

Part of that plan involves courting conference and meeting business.

To learn more about the strategy, and how the 60-thousand dollars would be used, we've invited Mary Tulle into our studio.

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A group of people interested in port development in Cape Breton are touring ports out west this week.

Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation is leading the trade mission.

The group is in Prince Rupert today.

That's where we reached ECBC CEO John Lynn.

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As we've been hearing in the news, the former Robin's store in Cheticamp has been torn down.

Crews with Inverness County Public Works are still working on the site, clearing away the rubble.

The County has tried twice to sell the derelict building for back taxes.

Now it hopes to sell the vacant lot to recoup some of the money.

Sylvia LeLievre lives next to the former Robin's store.

Reporter Bobby Nock spoke with her earlier today and asked what she can see when she looks out her window now.

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Today is the anniversary of a terrible event in the Port Hawkesbury area.

Thirty years ago there was an explosion at the Point Tupper paper mill.

The toxic gas that was released in that explosion poisoned many of the mills workers.

It also resulted in the deaths of five men.

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The executive director of the Nova Scotia SPCA was in Sydney today to address Cape Breton Regional Council's committee-of-the-whole.

Kristan Williams is overseeing some major changes at the local shelter which was turned over to the control of the provincial body in a recent court ruling.

Today she summarized those plans.

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After six years, there's once again a master plan for primary to 12 education in Nova Scotia.

The Kids and Learning First plan was released on Friday by Education Minister Ramona Jennox.

It outlines several strategies and priorities for improving math and literacy scores in the province while keeping class sizes small.

The plan also calls for more co-op programs and hands-on skills training at the high school level.

But there are questions around how closely the plan can be implemented, given the possibility of more funding cuts to school boards in the up-coming budget.

Vic Fleury is the President of the Nova Scotia School Boards Association.

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This afternoon on Mainstreet we were broadcasting live from the Cape Breton Center for Heritage and Science.

We were learning all about the Ukrainian Culture and Heritage. We met Internationally renowned Banduryst Julian Kytasty.

Julian traveled from New York for this years celebrations, and we asked him about the history of the Bandura and for a quick lesson.

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Talk about versatile. Nova Scotia's John Gracie moves back and forth like nobody's business.

So it should come as no surprise that Gracie has reinvented himself once again, this time as a crooner. That's right, an old-style, lean on the piano, wear-a-tux with the tie undone, sip on a drink and make love to the microphone. Okay, he doesn't go THAT far, but his new album is called Live From The Flamingo: A Bennett, Sinatra Salute.

For Gracie the key was to put together a classic swingin' combo, to perform these songs for swingin' lovers, 50's style. That meant real instruments, some of the Maritimes best players in the genre, including Moncton-born Georges Hebert, the guitar stalwart for most of Anne Murray's career, as well as many others. It's a big band style, just guitar, bass, keys, drums and sax, but the point here is the intimacy, and room for the players to shine.

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One of the most successful musical groups of the 1970s, brother and sister duo, the Carpenters, introduced a unique and inimitable sound that changed the world of popular music forever.

Many of the contemporary female singers we hear these days all refer to Karen Carpenter as one of their main influences.

Jann Arden, KD Lang, and Shania Twain to name a couple.

If you happen to be anywhere even close to the Savoy Theatre on February 12th you will want to check out the show 'Tribute to the Carpenters' featuring Laurel Martell.

This tribute features the vocals of Laurel Martell, a performer who fell in love with the Carpenters at the age of eleven. Laurel is backed by a talented group of local musicians assembled and directed by studio owner (Lakewind Sound) and multiple East Coast Music Award winner, Fred Lavery.

Listen (runs 10:15min)