CBC Maritimes

Prince Edward Islanders may soon be prohibited from the use of their hand-held cellphones while driving.

Maritimers are being urged to eat only local food today as part of a challenge among the four Atlantic provinces. The contest is really a campaign designed to raise awareness about the importance of buying local meat, baked goods and produce. The challenge is being promoted by the provinces through the departments of agriculture.

The ministers were the first to officially pledge to eat only locally produced food today. We talk to John MacDonell, Nova Scotia's Minister of Agriculture, about the challenges faced by farmers trying to sell their goods.

Drivers on Prince Edward Island may soon be forced to do what drivers in Nova Scotia are supposed to be doing - and that is NOT talking on their hand-held cellphones. It's been illegal to talk and drive in Nova Scotia for the past year-and-a-half.That is unless you have a speakerphone. Since the ban came into force in Nova Scotia, police have handed out tickets to about 4-thousand drivers that have been fined for having one hand on the phone and the other on the wheel in Nova Scotia.

To find out how effective that's been in keeping drivers focused on the job at hand we reached Nova Scotia's Minister of Transportation Bill Estabrooks. After we talked to him, we spoke with Ron MacKinley, his couterpart in PEI to find out what the plan is there.

Let's face it, parents usually start off with the best of intentions. We plan to be calm, wise and reasonable when our kids start acting up. But sometimes it feels like they were born knowing how to push our buttons.
And as far as parenting goes, that's where the rubber hits the road. You can either shine or sink.
Today, on the Maritime Noon phone-in, we hear about both.
The times you are most proud of as a parent - and the times you wish you could take back.
I have two guests who've agreed to share their parenting stories and listen sympathetically to yours.
Sandra E. Martin is the senior editor at Today's Parent magazine. She has two daughters about to turn seven and three.
Lezlie Lowe is a writer for the Coast newspaper in Halifax, and she does a monthly parenting column for the CBC's afternoon show in Mainland Nova Scotia. She also has two daughters,one of whom started school this week!