March 2010 Archives

NS decision on gas pricing means customers near border will continue to head to NB for fill-ups / Refugee groups on Ottawa's new policies / Green plastics / Phone-in: your 2009 income tax return

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Cross-Border Gassing : It looks as if gas station operators in the Amherst area will continue to see their neighbours' licence plates disappearing into the distance on the road to Aulac or Sackville, New Brunswick. The Utilities and Review Board...
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Forestry at the crossroads : what's the highest use for trees ? A driver safety course designed for seniors / Phone-in: Mary Anne White and Richard Wassersug on The Science of Every Day Life

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Newsprint, Houses, or Biofuel ?  So far, Nova Scotia's forest industry has dodged the bullet. In the past decade, more than 200 pulp and paper mills across North America have closed - many of them in neighbouring New Brunswick, Québec...
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Switching struggling Maritime forest companies to energy producers / We dig deeper into the root cellar idea - for houses and institutions / Phone-in: Art Irwin with advice on damp basements and answers to home heating questions

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

From Energy Consumer To Energy Producer ? A drop in lumber exports to the US, industry consolidation, and layoffs and closures at pulp mills have all added to uncertainty in one of the region's most venerable business sectors. But is...
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Cattle producers sue Ottawa over the 2003 BSE crisis / The search for authentic Maritime foods / Phone-in: Jim Merkel, author of Radical Simplicity - your ideas for a more sustainable life

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

See You In Court: On May 20th, 2003, at the height of the BSE scare, the US closed its borders to Canadian beef. The action threw this country's cattle industry into crisis.   The public feared that bovine spongiform encephalopathy could...
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What's the most important point for you in the failed deal between NBPower & Hydro-Québec ? And... Does the public have the right to know when soldiers are wounded ?

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

The Maritimes' Energy Future: The deal might have been abruptly unplugged, but the debate continues to arc and spark across the region. The $3.2 billion plan to sell some NB Power assets to Hydro-Québec officially went dark on Wednesday. Premier...
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Collapse of the proposed deal NB Power-Hydro Quebec deal / Phone-in : From savages to spiritual icons, Hollywood has played fast and loose with native culture. How have movies shaped perceptions of aboriginal people ?

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Unplugged : It was described as a "game-changer" in the Eastern Canadian energy scene.The proposed deal to sell NB Power assets to Hydro-Québec caught New Brunswickers, regional utilities and Atlantic Premiers unawares last October, and provoked a ferocious political backlash.Premier...
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Maritime projects to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions : injecting CO2 into concrete and trimming methane emissions from dairy herds / Phone-in: "Do you think carbon-trading will reduce greenhouse gas emissions ?"

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Today's Show Is Brought To You By The Element Carbon... and the gas molecules that include it. We explored ways that the Climate Change issue has penetrated some very traditional businesses in the Maritimes - creating opportunities, but also some...
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Cosmetic pesticides : should the Maritimes be on the same page ? Students learn how indiscreet messages can backfire / Public services you'd live without to balance the books / Phone-in: Questions about hearing loss

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Variety Is The Spice Of Legislation: Mild weather has sent people's minds into fast forward when it comes to lawns and gardens. But this season promises to be different in more ways than temperature or the amount of rain. Different...
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As older Maritimers give up their driving licences, how will they get around ? Phone-in : Which reduction or elimination of a government service would you be willing to accept ?

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Put Yourself In Jim Flaherty's Shoes : You know, the traditional new pair of shoes the federal finance minister buys and puts on during the photo op before delivering the budget.For that matter, put yourself in the shoes of any...
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We list water as our most important natural resource, but why do we waste so much ? Phone-in : Would you support a driving retirement program for seniors ?

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

From Morning Shower To Brushing Before Bed : Our days start with water consumption and continue in one way or another until we turn in at night. We drink water, wash dishes and clothes in it, and flush away our...
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Acadian Lines' proposed cuts to NB and NS bus service get rough ride from passengers / Ottawa's about-face on C@P cuts / Shifting constellations / Phone-in : buying or selling real estate

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

You Can't Get There From Here : From Port Hawkesbury in Cape Breton to Pennfield and Miramichi, New Brunswick, bus service is often the only link between small communities and cities - where government offices, post-secondary institutions and medical facilities...
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What will federal funding cuts mean to Maritimers who depend on C@P sites ? Your thoughts on diversity and multiculturalism in the region / Phone-in : questions about stars, constellations, planets and any object in the night sky

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Cut Adrift From The Online World : When you need to apply for a tax credit or passport application or pension benefit, and an official tells you to "download the online form from the government website and print it off",...
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Multiculturalism - threat to a strong, unified society or word for what's always existed : a changing mix of ethnicity, race and culture that ultimately enriches the country ? What do you wish to make of Canada's increasing diversity ?

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

What Will It Mean To Be Canadian in 2010 ? What do "we" look like and sound like ? Do we subscribe to a set of shared values ?  Should we ? Did we ever ?Those sensitive and complex questions...
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NS steel fabricator unhappy about millions in public money for new competitor / Interview about 1963 airline crash inspires memorable response / Phone-in: Marjorie Willison answers gardening questions

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

New Kid on the Steel Block : Green energy might come from natural elements like wind and tides, but harnessing it depends on something else : cold, hard steel.Towers and blades for windfarms and underwater bases for tidal turbines generate...
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As Maritime rinks slump at Brier, region's fans find new team to cheer / Will change in federal budget make it easier for Maritime entrepreneurs to attract foreign investors ? Phone-in: Doug Bethune answers your automotive questions

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

I'se The B'y That Sweeps The Ice : It's the Holy Grail of Canadian men's curling - the Brier.And the quest has led the top curling foursomes from across the country to Halifax this year. But for Maritime rinks, this...
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Clearing up mixed messages about Ottawa's commitment to help the most innovative Maritime companies / Phone-in: your questions about filing 2009 income tax returns

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Well, Do You Want To Fund Innovation or Not ? "Innovation" was one of the key words in the latest federal budget. Now, innovation is all well and good, but it involves more than turning good ideas into great products...
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Locked-in pension ? Need money ? You might be in the crosshairs of a scam artist / Phone-in: how to care for people with dementia (and support the caregivers)

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Are You The Target of This Scam ? Let's say that early in your work history you had a job with a company and put away money in RRSPs. After changing employers, those funds became "locked in".All right - what...
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How a 1963 airline crash provides insights into Canadian society of the era / Phone-in: Genealogist Terry Punch

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Then and Now - What An Airline Crash Can Reveal : On November 29th, 1963, five minutes after taking off from Montréal, Trans-Canada Airlines flight 831 crashed nose-first into the bush near the town of Ste-Thérèse-de-Blainville. The crash killed 118...
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Ottawa tables a budget that's long on austerity and short on new spending. Phone-in : what do you like - and not like - about the federal budget ?

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Slaying the Deficit Dragon or Wishing Upon A Star ? When it comes to federal budgets, "recalibration" can apparently be translated as"boring". The latest from Ottawa is all about reining in Canada's deficit - $54 billion dollars this year -...
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Large egg producers withdraw request that Marketing Council reduce size of free-range flocks / Phone-in: Dietitian and cookbook author Mary Sue Waisman answers questions on how to plan a diet that meets your needs for nutrition and energy

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Small Farms in the Big Picture [Eggs] :The egg is such a staple of our diet, that refrigerators come with special trays for them.But the eggs we put in those trays can have very different pedigrees. We can buy cheaper,...
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First up : the Maritime Noon Herb Garden sprouts into action / Phone-in : Sara Iverson and Boris Worm answer your questions about the current state and future of the oceans

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Thyme's Up ! The Maritime Noon studio might have a lot of microphones and weather gauges and a laptop and electronics buttons, but it also has lots of natural light. Which had been going to waste, in a way. So...
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HMCS Halifax crew returns from Haiti / NS Premier : "If it's good for Moncton, it's good for Halifax" / Phone-in : Mary Anne White and Richard Wassersug answer questions about The Science of Everyday Life

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Safely Home : The 225 crew members of HMCS Halifax are happy to be home after a six week humanitarian aid mission to Haiti. The ship and crew were hastily deployed after the earthquake that pulverized the impoverished nation on...
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Delivering from farm gate to urban consumers / Restaurateur who wants to "Buy Local" can't get reliable supply / Phone-in: Dan Steeves - sharing advice and stories on how to quit smoking

Posted by Costas HALAVREZOS

Cutting Out the Middlemen : In varying degrees, many beef, pork and poultry producers in the Maritimes are struggling these days. Everything from cheap imported meat to more centralized processing (see February 26th show) are making it hard to remain...
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