CBC Maritimes

Recent Topics

• Ottawa explains cutting assistance for literary magazines in the Maritimes and across Canada / Highlights from a major Maritime fundraiser for Haiti / Phone-in: Would it be easier to give if there were fewer charities ?

  February 9, 2010 3:45 PM

  

  Maritime literary magazines - where many prominent Canadian writers first saw their work in print - are losing some federal funding that could be critical

  It may be a drop in Ottawa's budgetary bucket, but to the editors of two small Maritime magazines where many Canadian writers get their start, it's what keeps them alive. It's the subsidy they used to get from the federal government help cover the cost of publishing and distribution.
  The Fiddlehead and The Antigonish Review are both prestigious publications with international reputations. They published the earliest work of renowned Canadian writers such as Alistair Macleod, David Adams Richards, Lynn Coady and Margaret Atwood.
  But the publications have annual paid circulation of fewer than 5,000 copies, and under new rules, that means they are no longer eligible for a subsidy from the Canada Periodical Fund, which is administered through the federal Department of Canadian Heritage.
  Jeanette Lynes of the Antigonish  Review and Ross Leckie of The Fiddlehead told us that they wondered how their journals could carry on.
  Then Scott Shortliffe,  Director of the  Periodical Publishing Policy and Programs with the Department of Canadian Heritage, explained the rationale behind the reorganization of funding criteria.
  
  Local musicians & celebrities performed at the "Halifax for Haiti" benefit concert on Monday, February 8th. They wowed a crowd of nearly 7000 people with music that ranged from rock & hip hop to opera. "Halifax for Haiti" raised more than $135,000, and when those funds  were matched by the federal government, the total raised for the Red Cross topped $270,000.
  Jerry West prepared a soundscape of the event for us. As well, Moncton is planning a  "Concert for Haiti: Big Bands, Big Hearts" at 6:30 p.m. at the Central United Church, 150 Queen St. on Wednesday, February 10th.
  
  
  Speaking of Haiti, it's focused us on a particular branch of charitable fundraising - emergency relief in Haiti. The CBC Haiti site lists 25 organizations to which you can contribute, and there are easily dozens more that aren't as well-known.
  But beyond emergency relief there are ongoing year-round charitable efforts. They can be international or local. They can touch on everything from the environment to medical research into a specific disease; from local food banks to protecting wildlife.
  For the potential donor, the decision-making process can get complicated. Within any branch of charity, you can't help but notice that some organizations seem to overlap. Or - if you want to look at it another way, they compete.
  Do the administration and fundraising costs of charities operating in the same sphere lead to ineffeciencies in getting the greatest bang for the donor's buck ?
  Our guest was Cathy Barr, Vice-President of Operations at Imagine Canada, which conducts research into trends and issues for charities and non-profits.
  Our question: Would it be easier to give if there were fewer charities ?
  
  

  Podcast - requires flash to listen

• NB not acting on suggested Family Court reforms / Why NS is putting an end to permits for private citizens to cut firewood on Crown land / Phone-in: Genealogist Terry Punch on tracing your family tree

  February 8, 2010 4:42 PM

  

  While New Brunswick drags its feet on implementing reforms in Family Justice, children are often the casualties of an adversarial system marked by delays and a lack of mediation services

  It's rare for a judge to speak publicly about government policy.
  But on Friday, February 5th, Justice Raymond Guerette told an audience of the New Brunswick branch of the Canadian Bar Association - including two former ministers of justice - what was on his mind.
  Justice Guerette had chaired The Access to Family Justice Task Force which delivered a report to the provincial government in January of 2009 (to read the report, click here ). It featured dozens of recommendations on how to administer justice properly to men, women & children caught up in divorce and custody issues.
  But Justice Guerette said that instead of acting on those recommendations to make it less stressful and  expensive to get a divorce, the government had done things which made it more difficult and costly. He went on to say that he and his task force members felt betrayed, but was more concerned about the people caught up in a system which is decades behind the times.
  We spoke with Brenda Noble, who practices family law with the firm of Barry Spalding in Saint John. She was also a member of the Access to Family Justice Task Force.
  
  
  
  Nova Scotia has traditionally opened up its Crown land for logging - to forestry companies, small private firms and individuals who wanted to cut their own firewood.
  But soon, the latter - those individual logging permits - will be a thing of the past.
  Cumberland County is one of two areas in the province where individuals are still allowed to cut firewood. But later this month, Nova Scotia will stop granting permits there.
  Alan Eddy, regional director for the province's Department of Natural Resources, explained.  
  
  It's safe to say that a century from now, some Canadians will be tracing their family tree back to Haiti - specifically, to early 2010, when their great-grandfather or grandmother left because they'd lost their parents and other family members in the earthquake. And as for those who died in the earthquake, there might be little record of them ever having lived.
  Genealogist Terry Punch has long been interested in the natural disasters and wars that have forced people to migrate to other countries. Many Maritimers can probably trace their ancestries to events as diverse as the Irish Potato Famine or the Nazi invasion of European countries.
  Terry's discussed the ways that an understanding of these terrible events can provide a richer  background for our genealogical research. He's the author of 3 volumes of Erin's Sons: Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada 1761-1853.
  He also answered questions about tracing your family tree.

  Podcast - requires flash to listen

• Could new deal with US on "Buy American" mean more work in Canada for a Maritime firm ? Cape Bretoners prepare to return west as tar sands projects resume / Phone-in: Jim White's advice on using paint, stain or wallpaper

  February 5, 2010 2:11 PM

  

  Changes that remove "Buy American" clauses might be too little, too late, because the deadline for spending is February 17th. But the deal could drop inter-provincial trade barriers which have limited the growth of some Maritime firms

  When the US launched its massive $800 billion stimulus package last year, the so-called "Buy American" provision shut out Canadian bidders from much of the work.
  But today, Ottawa has announced a deal to ease those restrictions. It also gives companies in both countries permanent market access to projects at the sub-federal level - meaning they can bid and work on public works projects at the provincial, state or municipal level.
  The agreement applies only to U.S. funding delivered under the current stimulus program, and not to any future legislation that might include similar "Buy American" clauses.
  As well, some interprovincial barriers in Canada will have to drop...with some exceptions.
  We spoke with Steve Ross, the General Manager of the Cherubini Group of Companies, a steel fabrication company based in Dartmouth.
  
  
  From boom to bust - and now, back to boom ?
  Work in the Alberta Tar Sands is beginning to pick up again. Several major construction projects have been announced in the last few weeks, and together, they're worth billions of dollars.
  That's good news for the economy of Wild Rose Country. But what does it mean for people on this side of Canada ?
  The CBC's Wendy Martin looked into how it might affect some highly mobile workers from Cape Breton - who are in the same boat as many other Maritimers laid off during the recession in Alberta.  
  
  There are days in winter when the scene outside looks pretty black and white. So we look indoors to get the burst of colour to brighten our moods. But before you go crazy with pots of paint, perhaps some professional advice would help.
  Jim White operates Lake City Paint and XXL Painting in Dartmouth. He answered your questions about using paint, stain and wallpaper.

  Podcast - requires flash to listen

• NS Auditor-General on problems with P3 schools' contracts / Irving-supplied gas stations close in Massachusetts / Phone-in: Doug Bethune answers automotive questions

  February 4, 2010 1:46 PM

  

  People who were opposed to the P3 approach to building schools in the 1990s found their concerns validated in the latest report of Nova Scotia's Auditor-General

  When Public-Private Partnerships were all the rage in the 1990s, provincial governments sold the concept as a way to construct and operate schools more cheaply than they could on their own. The efficiency of the private sector, it was argued, would save taxpayers' dollars on building & running these public insitutions.
  In Nova Scotia, it didn't take long for cost overruns to raise questions about this new model. The Conservative government of John Hamm first reduced the number of planned P3 schools, and then abandoned the approach entirely.
  But more than 30 P3s were built before the programme ended. And now, the P3 contracts that establish "who's responsible for what" have become a problem, as evidenced by the latest Auditor-General's report.
  Jacques Lapointe says the Department of Education has not met the "very high duty of care" required in managing the massive financial obligations : $830 million over 20 years.
  He joined us to discuss the weak points in accounting and the challenge of planning for the day the leases expire. [To read the Auditor-General's report, click here .]
  
  
  This week, Irving Oil's parent company, Fort Reliance, announced that "current economic conditions" have forced the company to abandon a plan to build a new office complex on the Saint John waterfront.
  As an illustration of those "current economic conditions", about two dozen gas stations in New England supplied by Irving Oil have closed in recent weeks.
  For years, Irving has been steadily developing markets for its fuel from Maine as far south as Rhode Island. It provides gasoline to more than 300 stations throughout the Northeastern US, and although the company doesn't own those stations, the gas is sold under the Irving banner.
  Martin Luttrell, a business reporter with the Telegram and Gazette in Worcester, Massachusetts, told us about the closure of Irving-flagged stations owned by the CK Smith fuel company. Then, we spoke with Liza Dubé, Public Relations Director for Irving Oil Marketing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
  
  Our automotive expert, Doug Bethune, talked about turmoil in Toyota land - from sticky accelerator pedals and concerns over electrical systems to inconsistent brake feel in certain 2010 models of its flagship hybrid, the Prius. He also answered your questions about cars, trucks and vans.
  
  
  
  

  Podcast - requires flash to listen

• Raj Patel, author of "The Value of Nothing : Why Everything Costs So Much More Than We Think". Phone-in : "In our society, are there things more important than price ?"

  February 3, 2010 2:11 PM

  

  Raj Patel examines the many ways we undervalue important things as long as we end up with cheap prices in the short term.

  "Free cellphone with our 3-year plan." "Six months free digital cable if you switch to us." "No money down, no payments until 2011."
  Every day, we swim through an ocean of tempting commercial offers, like fish looking at tasty morsels dangling from lines. And even when we know from experience that there's a hook in that bait, a complex set of  wants, needs, emotions and calculations can make us bite something that.
  But what's missing in those low-price or even "free" come-ons ?
  Raj Patel has explored both the almost mystical role that "price" has played in society and the things that aren't taken into account when we make judgments based on the so-called "sticker price" of everything from cheap food to flat-screen TVs.
  On the other side of the ledger, he looks at the value of unpaid work and of rediscovering the idea of "the commons".
  Dr Patel is the author of "The Value of Nothing : Why Everything Costs So Much More Than We Think". Our question : "In our society, are there things more important than price ?"
   
   

  Podcast - requires flash to listen