That's right. One more day. I'll be here tomorrow for the Melford announcement, and then I drive to Lunenburg tomorrow night, then airport and T.O. on Wednesday. I'm still processing what all has happened over the past three months, as I've always been so busy that I'm not sure whether I'm coming or going most days, but I hope that I got to help out and entertain a few people during my time here.
I've met amazing people, and I understand why people are fighting so hard to get more jobs and facilities here--it's a beautiful place with great people and a lot of potential. You're facing a hard battle, but I know that good things will happen in Guysborough--starting with tomorrow's announcement--and if anyone can turn around the economy it's the Guysborough RDA and the council. People here really care.
I wish you all the best of luck, and will be following events here from Toronto. Some of you may even be subjected to a few more interviews from me:)
Thanks to everyone who helped me out with answers to stupid questions, directions and just being friendly to me on those days when I felt very alone.
For anyone who wants to keep up with my exploits, I've started a new blog as I'll no longer be a Guysborough Girl (though I will always remember it, from the raccoon on the roof and the giant pointsettia to Keltic and Melford and everything in between). You can check it out here: http://jenthejournalist.blogspot.com/
Wish me luck as I set off on another adventure.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
This Guysborough Girl's days are numbered...
So, I'm leaving the end of this month to head back to cbc.ca in Toronto. Same game, different place, better shoe shopping. It was a really tough decision, and I'll really miss parts of Guysborough. At the same time, I'll be glad to get my hands on sunny weather Starbucks double chocolate chip blended cream frappucinos.
Until then, chocolate pie at the bakery is an excellent substitute.
Life has been busy here at the Journal. Someone stole the alligator from the playground in Mulgrave, Seafreez has said that it won't have any work this summer, the Deep Panuke recommendations are coming in, and, of course, last night was Guysborough Council.
Normally a highly efficient, orderly council, last night was anything but. The first item on the agenda was the presentation from the Concerned Citizens of Lincolnville, same one as last time but this time it was on the agenda and sent to committee for consideration. This went fairly well, until council said it wasn't going to be forcing any resignations or creating any committees during the meeting.
It turned into a screaming match where I'm pretty sure councillors were trying to explain that things have to be done in due process, i.e. sent to committee, notice given, etc. I can't say for sure, because no one stopped to listen. The Concerned Citizens might be better off without their contingent from Halifax, who kept yelling at council to strike a committee instantly. They also kept referring to Robert's Rules of Law--the parliamentary procedures--as governance, but someone should perhaps explain to them that municipal councils operate according to council bylaws.
Looks like someone isn't doing their homework and is misleading the Concerned Citizens. No wonder they're disappointed if they're being told that something can happen instantly and it doesn't. Problem is, councils don't work that way.
Then came a banner. By this point, the council had allowed for a question and answer session to pursue, with a lot of questions but no time for answers. And heckling from the advocates of Robert's rules.
The banner stated five demands, including a public apology for last month's walk out on the unplanned presentation, the resignations of Sheila Pelly and Alonzo Reddick, the closure of the landfill and a new committee.
Council put forward plans to meet in Lincolnville for their regular meeting next month, but were told they wouldn't be welcome in the community, that no one invited them.
So, what happens next? We'll have to see whether any one from the community shows up at the next meeting if council holds it in Lincolnville, or if council backs out and awaits an invitation. Staff is reviewing the demands, so we'll see what happens there. The one thing that can't happen is the removal of Sheila Pelly, unless she chooses to resign--which I think is unlikely--because council can't fire councillors. That's got to wait another year and a bit for the elections in October 2008, but I fear that's not going to be taken well by the Concerned Citizens, who feel like they're not being represented, or by their quasi-advisors who really should take the time to look up due process and the rules governing the operations of council.
I understand the citizens of Lincolnville are upset, no one wants a landfill near their community. What may help them is to play the game, go through the processes of council, and get advisors who can do the necessary research and behave themselves.
Until then, chocolate pie at the bakery is an excellent substitute.
Life has been busy here at the Journal. Someone stole the alligator from the playground in Mulgrave, Seafreez has said that it won't have any work this summer, the Deep Panuke recommendations are coming in, and, of course, last night was Guysborough Council.
Normally a highly efficient, orderly council, last night was anything but. The first item on the agenda was the presentation from the Concerned Citizens of Lincolnville, same one as last time but this time it was on the agenda and sent to committee for consideration. This went fairly well, until council said it wasn't going to be forcing any resignations or creating any committees during the meeting.
It turned into a screaming match where I'm pretty sure councillors were trying to explain that things have to be done in due process, i.e. sent to committee, notice given, etc. I can't say for sure, because no one stopped to listen. The Concerned Citizens might be better off without their contingent from Halifax, who kept yelling at council to strike a committee instantly. They also kept referring to Robert's Rules of Law--the parliamentary procedures--as governance, but someone should perhaps explain to them that municipal councils operate according to council bylaws.
Looks like someone isn't doing their homework and is misleading the Concerned Citizens. No wonder they're disappointed if they're being told that something can happen instantly and it doesn't. Problem is, councils don't work that way.
Then came a banner. By this point, the council had allowed for a question and answer session to pursue, with a lot of questions but no time for answers. And heckling from the advocates of Robert's rules.
The banner stated five demands, including a public apology for last month's walk out on the unplanned presentation, the resignations of Sheila Pelly and Alonzo Reddick, the closure of the landfill and a new committee.
Council put forward plans to meet in Lincolnville for their regular meeting next month, but were told they wouldn't be welcome in the community, that no one invited them.
So, what happens next? We'll have to see whether any one from the community shows up at the next meeting if council holds it in Lincolnville, or if council backs out and awaits an invitation. Staff is reviewing the demands, so we'll see what happens there. The one thing that can't happen is the removal of Sheila Pelly, unless she chooses to resign--which I think is unlikely--because council can't fire councillors. That's got to wait another year and a bit for the elections in October 2008, but I fear that's not going to be taken well by the Concerned Citizens, who feel like they're not being represented, or by their quasi-advisors who really should take the time to look up due process and the rules governing the operations of council.
I understand the citizens of Lincolnville are upset, no one wants a landfill near their community. What may help them is to play the game, go through the processes of council, and get advisors who can do the necessary research and behave themselves.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
It's May!
I can't believe it snowed on May 1. That's just depressing.
So, I was off for the end of last week to go home, recuperate, and move my fiance to Ontario. I spent my time off packing up my apartment frantically, and didn't get as much work done as I had hoped. So, it was a long, hard start to the week this week, but the paper made it out AND I can breathe through my nose. Things are looking up.
I've already been to Canso twice this week, both on Monday.The first was for the end of the Reading Circle, and the second was for the ever-lively council. Council passed it's code of ethics, so it was actually more quiet than usual, with nothing really controversial on the agenda. They have a meeting Monday with Seafreez, which is pretty exciting, and the light-bulb campaign is starting, but otherwise, things in the Town of Canso are pretty much the status quo. At this rate, Guysborough is going to move up a notch for controversy, as I expect both the civic centre and the Lincolnville demands to return next week.
I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on some of the issues in the county, but I'm still out of the loop on so many things. I feel like being new, and not from here, puts me at a huge disadvantage. And, because of the regular turnover at the Journal, our coverage of some things has been spotty at times, combined with a system of archiving stories based on the reporter's whims for saving documents at the time (i.e. I have named two stories fisherman).
I feel like I'm constantly chasing things down, only to find out they're old, and missing other things because I would have never expected them to be important. As Mayor White told me the other night, coming into Guysborough County is kind of like moving in mid-way through a soap opera--there are a lot of confusing sub-plots, spinoffs, and back stories that a newcomer can't possibly grasp. You can get the gist, but never the whole story unless you've been following for a while.
Also, my interests are pretty different from the main audience, so sometimes I feel like I might miss things. The bulk of the population is considerably older, and sometimes our interests differ. I try, really hard, to catch news on everything I think will interest people, but I haven't been following the Continuing Care Strategy/health/seniors issues beat for very long.
I guess I've just been spending a lot of time feeling like I'm floundering. I get cryptic hints that I can't figure out (PS--If anyone knows what 'Watch if Fletcher buys that building" means, please let me know, and I will be eternally in your debt), and there's a lack of background information available about issues that have been going on for years. Back with the CBC, I could just go to the archives and get more information than I ever could need, while here, I need to talk to three or four people with different stories and memories and try to figure out which is the most reliable.
In addition, I'm feeling quite lonely, with council meetings being the closest thing to a social life. My friends are in Halifax, Toronto, and Calgary, my fiance is in Ontario searching for a job, and I'm working my butt off and still feeling behind in Guysborough, Nova Scotia.
Luckily, the next few days are kind of quiet meetings-wise, so while it does mean I have to work harder to find news stories, it also means that I'll have an evening or two to myself for a change. This whole working all day, all night, and over the weekends thing is getting exhausting. But, for now, my weekend is free and clear. I think I'm going to sleep.
So, I was off for the end of last week to go home, recuperate, and move my fiance to Ontario. I spent my time off packing up my apartment frantically, and didn't get as much work done as I had hoped. So, it was a long, hard start to the week this week, but the paper made it out AND I can breathe through my nose. Things are looking up.
I've already been to Canso twice this week, both on Monday.The first was for the end of the Reading Circle, and the second was for the ever-lively council. Council passed it's code of ethics, so it was actually more quiet than usual, with nothing really controversial on the agenda. They have a meeting Monday with Seafreez, which is pretty exciting, and the light-bulb campaign is starting, but otherwise, things in the Town of Canso are pretty much the status quo. At this rate, Guysborough is going to move up a notch for controversy, as I expect both the civic centre and the Lincolnville demands to return next week.
I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on some of the issues in the county, but I'm still out of the loop on so many things. I feel like being new, and not from here, puts me at a huge disadvantage. And, because of the regular turnover at the Journal, our coverage of some things has been spotty at times, combined with a system of archiving stories based on the reporter's whims for saving documents at the time (i.e. I have named two stories fisherman).
I feel like I'm constantly chasing things down, only to find out they're old, and missing other things because I would have never expected them to be important. As Mayor White told me the other night, coming into Guysborough County is kind of like moving in mid-way through a soap opera--there are a lot of confusing sub-plots, spinoffs, and back stories that a newcomer can't possibly grasp. You can get the gist, but never the whole story unless you've been following for a while.
Also, my interests are pretty different from the main audience, so sometimes I feel like I might miss things. The bulk of the population is considerably older, and sometimes our interests differ. I try, really hard, to catch news on everything I think will interest people, but I haven't been following the Continuing Care Strategy/health/seniors issues beat for very long.
I guess I've just been spending a lot of time feeling like I'm floundering. I get cryptic hints that I can't figure out (PS--If anyone knows what 'Watch if Fletcher buys that building" means, please let me know, and I will be eternally in your debt), and there's a lack of background information available about issues that have been going on for years. Back with the CBC, I could just go to the archives and get more information than I ever could need, while here, I need to talk to three or four people with different stories and memories and try to figure out which is the most reliable.
In addition, I'm feeling quite lonely, with council meetings being the closest thing to a social life. My friends are in Halifax, Toronto, and Calgary, my fiance is in Ontario searching for a job, and I'm working my butt off and still feeling behind in Guysborough, Nova Scotia.
Luckily, the next few days are kind of quiet meetings-wise, so while it does mean I have to work harder to find news stories, it also means that I'll have an evening or two to myself for a change. This whole working all day, all night, and over the weekends thing is getting exhausting. But, for now, my weekend is free and clear. I think I'm going to sleep.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Quick update
Just wanted to let everyone know I'm back on my feet from being sick. I've got a whirlwind next two days to get the paper out, including Canso council tonight, so I should have a good entry for Wednesday!
Monday, April 23, 2007
I've been a bad blogger...
...and unfortunately will continue to be one for the next day or two. This lovely spring weather has come just in time for me to be quite sick. I'm crawling out of bed long enough to work on the paper, but lack the energy and creativity to blog. Hopefully I'll be back online soon.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
I've hit the two month mark!
Wow. In some ways, I feel like I've been here forever, working really hard, in other ways I feel very, very new as I continue to make wrong turns and appear blissfully unaware of the issues that matter in Guysborough County. Today, we got the paper done by supper time (hurrah, though it did mean we didn't order any food in, which was slightly disappointing).
I went to a really interesting meeting tonight. It was a discussion on immigration, the benefits of having immigrants in the community, the ways to attract them, and the hurdles they face.
It must be really scary coming to a new country with a very difficult culture and then have trouble integrating with the community, that is, not feeling accepted or welcomed.
It also really set me to thinking. I'm very new to this community, and have been facing hurdles of my own. I can't imagine how much harder it would be to have culture shock (I mean, beyond the differences from moving from Halifax and Toronto to here!).
For example, I'm currently living in the basement of The Journal. Luckily, the exterminator came over the weekend, so my bunny rabbit Al and I aren't finding cellar bugs (or sow bugs as they're called here) in our beds. However, I'm still living under my work in a one room apartment, which is slightly less than glamourous, or comfortable.
My fiance can't find work in the area, so he's looking West. It's awfully lonely here without him, as we've spent the last three years attached at the hip. We've always planned to return to Ontario, where he's from and where I fell in love with cbc.ca, but the plan was always to go together. Now it looks like he might be moving very soon. Which leaves me in a tricky situation, as I do really like a lot of the people here, the area is beautiful, and am getting great job experience and portfolio pieces, but at the same time, I want to be with him. And be able to afford a place for us to live.
The final hurdle is similar to what the immigrant community voiced tonight. It's a feeling of not being included. I have no family here. I had to look up Guysborough on the map when I took the job! Luckily, a good friend of my Mom's works at the RDA, so I have a bit of a support net. People are very friendly, but I'm generally out of the loop. I don't know who's who or what's what. I have a loose grasp of some of the things happening here in the last two months, but past that, I'm up the creek without a paddle. Or on my way back from Sherbrooke at night without a map. Either way, I'm lost.
I keep intending to go to yoga, but my job keeps me really busy. In some ways, that's a good thing, as I spend less time missing James, my friends, people my own age, malls, and starbucks, but it also means that I lack real roots. Without an address, a private line, or even a changed cell phone number, in many ways I still feel transient, ready to pack up and go when the work or loneliness gets too overwhelming. These last two weeks have been particularly difficult, as we've been quite busy, Sharon, our office manager, is on vacation in Mexico, and Melissa, the graphic designer, put in her notice for this spring. I've started having nightmares about having to come up with story ideas, do them, edit them, and lay out and proof the paper.
I had an opportunity to move to Toronto this week, and work casually for cbc.ca. The job would have started early May. And, it was quite tempting. James could find work, I could get into the mother corp system, and there are an awful lot of fab shoe stores in Toronto. I could spend hours alone at nine west (and well over my year's reporter salary). But, it's also hard. I'm learning so much working here, and I haven't been here very long so would feel really guilty about bailing. There are no guarantees that this casual work could turn into something, either, which would leave James and I high and dry.
When I moved here, I wasn't sure what to expect. In some ways, everything has far exceeded my expectations, while in others, life here is really hard--for newcomers and long-time residents alike. Across the county, work is scarce. Money is tight. Teens and twenty-somethings are packing up and leaving in droves. The county's in a tight spot, and desperately needs positive things to happen. The RDA and all the councils--Guysborough, Mulgrave, St. Mary's and Canso--are working so hard to make positive changes, but economic renewal is a really slow process.
Luckily, for many of the residents, there are tight-knit support groups in the form of family and friends. People are incredibly active in their communities, a fact I'm becoming more and more aware of as volunteer week progresses. People are able to live happily here because of these things, things that newcomers aren't hooked into.
So, even if it takes a while, even if it happens long after I'm gone, I hope someone acts on the recommendation from tonight's meeting to form a newcomer's group--a way to meet people, interact, learn what's what and get involved in the community. It certainly would help any one new to the community, not just those coming from overseas but even those like me coming from the south shore. I'm sure that if/when the Keltic and Melford terminals projects get going, there will be more newcomers, and they will face some of the same hurdles faced tonight, and may too have trouble setting down roots.
To end on a happy note, my school-related work is done! Now I just need to wait on the marks, and hit up the ceremony on May 17. James is packing up our Halifax apartment and selling off our furniture, so things are progressing and my to-do list is getting shorter. And, even better, I have nothing on my calendar for tomorrow. I will get to work on some stories, make some calls, and hopefully have an early night--especially necessary since I'll be at volunteer ceremonies Friday and Saturday nights!
I went to a really interesting meeting tonight. It was a discussion on immigration, the benefits of having immigrants in the community, the ways to attract them, and the hurdles they face.
It must be really scary coming to a new country with a very difficult culture and then have trouble integrating with the community, that is, not feeling accepted or welcomed.
It also really set me to thinking. I'm very new to this community, and have been facing hurdles of my own. I can't imagine how much harder it would be to have culture shock (I mean, beyond the differences from moving from Halifax and Toronto to here!).
For example, I'm currently living in the basement of The Journal. Luckily, the exterminator came over the weekend, so my bunny rabbit Al and I aren't finding cellar bugs (or sow bugs as they're called here) in our beds. However, I'm still living under my work in a one room apartment, which is slightly less than glamourous, or comfortable.
My fiance can't find work in the area, so he's looking West. It's awfully lonely here without him, as we've spent the last three years attached at the hip. We've always planned to return to Ontario, where he's from and where I fell in love with cbc.ca, but the plan was always to go together. Now it looks like he might be moving very soon. Which leaves me in a tricky situation, as I do really like a lot of the people here, the area is beautiful, and am getting great job experience and portfolio pieces, but at the same time, I want to be with him. And be able to afford a place for us to live.
The final hurdle is similar to what the immigrant community voiced tonight. It's a feeling of not being included. I have no family here. I had to look up Guysborough on the map when I took the job! Luckily, a good friend of my Mom's works at the RDA, so I have a bit of a support net. People are very friendly, but I'm generally out of the loop. I don't know who's who or what's what. I have a loose grasp of some of the things happening here in the last two months, but past that, I'm up the creek without a paddle. Or on my way back from Sherbrooke at night without a map. Either way, I'm lost.
I keep intending to go to yoga, but my job keeps me really busy. In some ways, that's a good thing, as I spend less time missing James, my friends, people my own age, malls, and starbucks, but it also means that I lack real roots. Without an address, a private line, or even a changed cell phone number, in many ways I still feel transient, ready to pack up and go when the work or loneliness gets too overwhelming. These last two weeks have been particularly difficult, as we've been quite busy, Sharon, our office manager, is on vacation in Mexico, and Melissa, the graphic designer, put in her notice for this spring. I've started having nightmares about having to come up with story ideas, do them, edit them, and lay out and proof the paper.
I had an opportunity to move to Toronto this week, and work casually for cbc.ca. The job would have started early May. And, it was quite tempting. James could find work, I could get into the mother corp system, and there are an awful lot of fab shoe stores in Toronto. I could spend hours alone at nine west (and well over my year's reporter salary). But, it's also hard. I'm learning so much working here, and I haven't been here very long so would feel really guilty about bailing. There are no guarantees that this casual work could turn into something, either, which would leave James and I high and dry.
When I moved here, I wasn't sure what to expect. In some ways, everything has far exceeded my expectations, while in others, life here is really hard--for newcomers and long-time residents alike. Across the county, work is scarce. Money is tight. Teens and twenty-somethings are packing up and leaving in droves. The county's in a tight spot, and desperately needs positive things to happen. The RDA and all the councils--Guysborough, Mulgrave, St. Mary's and Canso--are working so hard to make positive changes, but economic renewal is a really slow process.
Luckily, for many of the residents, there are tight-knit support groups in the form of family and friends. People are incredibly active in their communities, a fact I'm becoming more and more aware of as volunteer week progresses. People are able to live happily here because of these things, things that newcomers aren't hooked into.
So, even if it takes a while, even if it happens long after I'm gone, I hope someone acts on the recommendation from tonight's meeting to form a newcomer's group--a way to meet people, interact, learn what's what and get involved in the community. It certainly would help any one new to the community, not just those coming from overseas but even those like me coming from the south shore. I'm sure that if/when the Keltic and Melford terminals projects get going, there will be more newcomers, and they will face some of the same hurdles faced tonight, and may too have trouble setting down roots.
To end on a happy note, my school-related work is done! Now I just need to wait on the marks, and hit up the ceremony on May 17. James is packing up our Halifax apartment and selling off our furniture, so things are progressing and my to-do list is getting shorter. And, even better, I have nothing on my calendar for tomorrow. I will get to work on some stories, make some calls, and hopefully have an early night--especially necessary since I'll be at volunteer ceremonies Friday and Saturday nights!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Week seven--and the blogs are still coming
So, school is technically over for me. I mean, graduation isn't until May, and until the webmaster puts up my new stuff on the journal website (from two weeks ago) I may not feel done. But, it's basically over.
It's a weird feeling. But, I actually felt like a working journalist today when I got an unhappy phone call.
You see, a local school had a health day, and distributed pamphlets to the students about sex. It explained sexual acts pretty explicitly, and at least one parent was unhappy that her 8th grader received this without her permission. So, she wrote us a letter about it and cited some descriptions of sexual acts in detail.
After some talking around the office, we decided not to print the descriptions. We have a lot of older and very religious readers who were going to be offended by the letter anyway. We decided it would be best not to cause any further upset, and replaced the section saying the pamphlets contained graphic descriptions.
Today, the author of the letter called. She was not impressed that we didn't want to print it, saying the point was that she didn't want to read it, or have her daughter read it. I heard her out, and explained that all letters to the editor are subject to editing, and we didn't feel comfortable printing one section of the letter, so either had to omit that part, or omit the whole letter. I then encouraged her to write another letter, if she felt strongly about the omission, explaining how upset she was that The Journal didn't want to present that information to its readers but her daughter was given it at school.
She seemed much calmer when she said goodbye, so now I'm just waiting to see if I get the letter.
I feel like I handled it pretty well, even though my stomach is still is knots every time I have to deal with unhappiness.
Speaking of unhappiness, Guysborough Council last night was wild. Everyone talks about how crazy Canso Council can get, but it really had nothing on last night! The Save Lincolnville Campaign showed up at council and issued its demands for changes in representation, and council adjourned before it was finished. I'm still working on the story for next week's Journal, but it's definitely going to be a hard one. It's a very emotional issue, and I don't think last night went particularly well for either side. Nothing was resolved either, so this may be opening a can of worms with allegations of racism becoming quite prevalent.
It's a weird feeling. But, I actually felt like a working journalist today when I got an unhappy phone call.
You see, a local school had a health day, and distributed pamphlets to the students about sex. It explained sexual acts pretty explicitly, and at least one parent was unhappy that her 8th grader received this without her permission. So, she wrote us a letter about it and cited some descriptions of sexual acts in detail.
After some talking around the office, we decided not to print the descriptions. We have a lot of older and very religious readers who were going to be offended by the letter anyway. We decided it would be best not to cause any further upset, and replaced the section saying the pamphlets contained graphic descriptions.
Today, the author of the letter called. She was not impressed that we didn't want to print it, saying the point was that she didn't want to read it, or have her daughter read it. I heard her out, and explained that all letters to the editor are subject to editing, and we didn't feel comfortable printing one section of the letter, so either had to omit that part, or omit the whole letter. I then encouraged her to write another letter, if she felt strongly about the omission, explaining how upset she was that The Journal didn't want to present that information to its readers but her daughter was given it at school.
She seemed much calmer when she said goodbye, so now I'm just waiting to see if I get the letter.
I feel like I handled it pretty well, even though my stomach is still is knots every time I have to deal with unhappiness.
Speaking of unhappiness, Guysborough Council last night was wild. Everyone talks about how crazy Canso Council can get, but it really had nothing on last night! The Save Lincolnville Campaign showed up at council and issued its demands for changes in representation, and council adjourned before it was finished. I'm still working on the story for next week's Journal, but it's definitely going to be a hard one. It's a very emotional issue, and I don't think last night went particularly well for either side. Nothing was resolved either, so this may be opening a can of worms with allegations of racism becoming quite prevalent.
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