History of Nova Scotia
with special attention given to
Communications and Transportation

Chapter 42
1999 January - March


Index with links to the other chapters




Ogden's Tenth Law
Travelling to the future is like any other trip.
It is hard to know about the destination until you arrive.
Frank Ogden
http://www.drtomorrow.com/lessons/lessons10/laws.html
http://www.cyberdenone.com/


1999 January

$2,700,000 Annually for Streetlights

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality pays a yearly fee to the Nova Scotia Power Corporation for street lighting. The amount budgeted for the fiscal year 1998-1999 is $2,700,000 which covers electricity, fixtures and repairs, says CBRM internal auditor Bob MacNeil. The electric company buys and installs the lighting fixtures, connects them to a power source, supplies the electricity used to operate the lights, and maintains and repairs them. CBRM decides the locations and the brightness (power) of each fixture installed. NSP spokesperson Stacey Lewis says NSP's response time in replacing damaged street lights after they have been reported has been reduced from fifteen days to five days. The number to call to report broken or damaged street lights or other power-related problems is 564-5457.
[Cape Breton Post, 25 January 1999]

1999 January

Largest Call Centre
in Atlantic Canada

The largest call centre in Atlantic Canada is owned and operated by Convergys Corporation, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Located in Dartmouth, it has 66,000 square feet 6130 square metres of floor space with 500 workstations for 1000 employees. The place is so huge the management has put up street signs at busy intersections inside the building, so employees can find their way around. The call centre, which deals exclusively with incoming calls from AT&T (American Telegraph & Telephone Company), handles 30,000 calls a day, or about 11,000,000 calls a year. The switching technology installed to route these calls is so extensive it could handle all telephone traffic for the city of Dartmouth, home to about 100,000 people. The Dartmouth call centre, opened late in 1998, cost $9,000,000 to build, and will cost about $3,000,000 a month to operate.
[The National Post, 5 April 1999]

1999 January 5

Pennsylvania Coal Unloaded at Sydney

Another shipment of imported American coal was unloaded at Devco's International Pier in Sydney on this day. The 50,000 tonnes of coal from Pennsylvania is headed for Nova Scotia Power's (NSP) Lingan generating station — part of a 400,000 tonne order the power company placed in October to offset production problems with its main supplier, the Cape Breton Development Corporation (Devco). U.S. coal was also unloaded in November and December, at the International Pier in Sydney and at Auld's Cove on the west side of the Strait of Canso, said NSP spokesperson Stephanie Ryan. "It's part of our inventory management plan with Devco," Ryan added, noting the remainder of the coal order will arrive later this month and in February. The 600-megawatt Lingan power station, which resorted to burning an oil-coal mixture in December in an effort to conserve coal stocks, has returned to using coal as its exclusive energy source, Ryan said. Devco's Prince Mine continues to supply coal to the power company's Point Aconi generating station. Unusually warm weather in the fall of 1998 kept NSP's electricity demand low but December, January and February are the months when the highest demand for electric power occurs, Ryan said.
[Cape Breton Post, 6 January 1999]

U.S. Coal Did Not Save Money for NSP

Rumours that Nova Scotia Power Inc. was saving money by importing U.S. coal to make up for Devco's delivery problems in the past year seem to have been off the mark. Utility spokesperson Stacey Lewis told the Cape Breton Post there had been an increase in coal costs during the year. She was responding to a Post query as to why a 40 per cent drop in crude oil prices during the year had not been reflected in lower electricity rates for consumers. "The price of coal went up this year," she said, adding other cost increases including wage increases and a hike of $2,000,000 in the cost of grants-in-lieu of taxes. She noted there were no power rate increases in 1997 or 1998 and none are planned in 1999.
[Cape Breton Post, 16 January 1999]

1999 January 6

Ukrainians Celebrate Christmas

Sydney's Ukrainian community will begin to celebrate Christmas today. About 50 families of Ukrainian descent will gather around 10pm at Holy Ghost Ukrainian Church in Whitney Pier for Christmas Eve mass. Rev. Petro Rudnik, who has been with the parish for just over two years, will preside. The traditional mass is said in Slavonic, with some parts in English for those who don't understand the Ukrainian language. Many Ukrainian families serve the traditional Christmas meal Christmas Eve; it is known as the Sviata Vechera or Holy Supper. The feast consists of 12 meatless dishes (for the Twelve Apostles) which may include kutia (a wheat, honey and poppy seed concoction), picked herring, borsch, pyrohy (pierogis), mushrooms, sauerkraut, meatless cabbage rolls and traditional honey cakes.
[Cape Breton Post, 6 January 1999]

Q: Why doesn't the Ukranian Church celebrate Christmas on December 25th, like the Protestants and Catholics do?

A: The Ukranian Church does celebrate Christmas on December 25th.

The question is: When does December 25th occur?

We use a calendar to keep track of the days of the week, and the various annual holidays. The modern calendar, used by all Canadians for civil purposes (business, schools, newspapers, airline and television schedules, etc.) and for legal purposes (dating documents, etc.) is the Gregorian Calendar, which came into effect in September 1752. Before that, the Julian Calendar was the calendar used for civil and legal purposes.

Okay, that's for civil and legal purposes. What about religious purposes? When the changeover from Julian to Gregorian took place in 1752, the Anglican Church was required by law to switch to the Gregorian Calendar (that was actually written into the law). The other Protestant churches made the change in September 1752 or soon after. The Catholic Church had been operating on the Gregorian Calendar since October 1582. That is, most religions adopted the Gregorian Calendar for figuring when religious holidays occur.

However, some churches, including the Ukranian Church, decided to stay with the traditional Julian calendar, which had been used for figuring religious holidays for more than a thousand years. To this day, these churches use the Julian Calendar for that purpose.

The Julian Calendar is still running, along with the Gregorian Calendar. The only difference between them is the Leap Year Rule. The Julian Calendar operates with 100 leap years every 400 years, while the Gregiorian Calendar operates with 97 leap years every 400 years. That is, there is a cumulative difference of three days every 400 years.

In October 1752, there was an eleven-day difference between the two calendars. That's why eleven days were omitted from the legal and civil calendar in September 1752, to adjust from the Julian to the Gregorian. The difference between the two calendars remained at eleven days until 1800, which was a leap year in the Julian but not in the Gregorian — this increased the difference to twelve days. In 1900, the difference increased to thirteen days; it will remain at thirteen days until 2100.

In 1998, the difference between the two calendars was thirteen days, with the Gregorian Calendar running ahead of the Julian. Christmas Eve occurs on December 24th in both calendars. Thirteen days after December 24th is January 6th. When the Julian Calendar arrives at December 24, the Gregorian Calendar has arrived at January 6. So two churches, both celebrating Christmas Eve on December 24 (according to their own calendars) mark the occasion thirteen days apart.

In 2100, the difference will increase to fourteen days, and the Ukranian Christmas Eve will be celebrated on January 7th according to the Gregorian calendar.


1999 January 15

Government Regulations Online

From this day, public has online access to the full text of Nova Scotia's consolidated regulations, the rules that relate to specific statutes. The regulations, previously available in the form of ink-on-paper through the Office of the Registrar, are now available on the Internet at Consolidated Nova Scotia Regulations. This access is free of charge. An official printed version of the regulations can be ordered online. The website will be updated every two weeks, within one week of publication of the Royal Gazette Part II. Provincial statutes are available electronically at the website of the office of the Legislative Counsel.
Sources:
Nova Scotia government press release http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=19990115004
Registry of Regulations website
http://www.gov.ns.ca/just/regulations/

1999 January 22

Town of Bridgewater
Computer Systems Not Y2K Compliant

"Year 2000 update is seriously behind schedule"


The Town of Bridgewater will spend $47,952 this year to try and make its financial systems year 2000 compliant. On January 22, Council voted to buy new financial software from Procom Data Services Inc. before March 31. Council was told that the financial system had been identified as software that is not Y2K compliant. "Our options are to repair or replace it," said director of finance and administration Malcolm Pitman. The financial systems include systems for payroll, accounts payable and receivable and the town's general ledger. Council had earlier expected that matters could be ironed out "under our support agreement with Aztek Technologies Inc." but "delays have given us a low level of confidence in Aztek ability to create a Y2K product we will have in time," said Mr. Pitman. "Therefore, to ensure continued operations of the town's finance department, as we draw closer to the year 2000, alternatives to Aztek have been looked at," he said. "The timetable set for their year 2000 update is seriously behind schedule," Mr. Pitman said. "We would recommend this software be replaced now because of the Y2K risk." Procom, the firm providing the new software, is a Newfoundland company formed in 1982. They only provide municipal software. In the past few months, they have expanded into Nova Scotia and their client list now includes Stellarton, Berwick, Hantsport, Amherst, Middleton and Mahone Bay. Staff will be trained in-house to use the new software.
[The Bridgewater Bulletin, 3 February 1999 ]

1999 January 27

LaHave River Railway Bridge
Structural Assessment

A structural inspection and assessment is to be carried out on the CN rail bridge across the LaHave River at Bridgewater with an eye towards making it a key component in a rails-to-trails project. Lunenburg West MLA Don Downe has announced the provincial government will contribute $856 towards the bridge audit. That money is to be provided under the government's Sport and Recreation Planning Assistance Program. The former railway bridge links portions of a rails-to-trails corridor within the Town of Bridgewater. Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. announced earlier that it would contribute $80,000 towards upgrading the four-span bridge. Mayor Ernie Bolivar said "In order to get this done, and be eligible for provincial funding, we had to have an engineering assessment done on the overpass to make sure it was sound. "If it used to hold a train, it will hold people." Mayor Bolivar said the bridge and its railings will be upgraded and a look-off tower will be built. There will also be a parking lot off King Street north so people will be able to leave their cars for a walk on the new trail. The provincial government's contribution to the bridge audit is 50 per cent of the cost of the inspection. The town will cost-share the study. Once completed, the rails-to-trails project will go from one town boundary to another, said the mayor. "It will go through the 47 acres of land we purchased from CN Rail. "We're picking it up over by Apple Berry Farm Market Ltd.," he said. It will go over in front of the Atlantic Superstore and on to Silver's Hill. Another phase, will see the rails-to-trails project go from the bottom of Silver's Hill, up to the railway overpass and up to Starr Street, the mayor said. "It's in pieces now," the mayor said. "But eventually it will be all joined together." The last train crossed the bridge in the morning of 9 September 1991. It was a long and heavy train powered by six diesel locomotives: CN 1786 in front, followed by 1760, 1758, 1765, 1764, and 1754. Most of the train consisted of a set of flatcars fitted with racks to support rails in continuous lengths of 1482 feet 452 metres.
[The Bridgewater Bulletin, 27 January 1999 and other sources.]

1999 February 3

New Technology Enables Students to Video Conference

Grade 6 students at John Bernard Croak Memorial School in Glace Bay now can speak to other students across the country, without leaving the classroom. Reg Johnston, vice-principal and Grade 6 teacher, said a program development grant from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union enabled the students to set up a video conferencing site in the classroom. "We have all the necessary software to allow us to conference with students throughout Canada." Johnston said they are the only elementary class in the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board to have such technology in the school. The equipment includes a video camera, an eyeball camera attached to the computer and a digital camera. Project funding of $2,400 was provided by the Nova Scotia Teacher+s Union, supplemented by the John Bernard Croak Memorial Home and School Association and the Entrepreneurship Education program at the University College of Cape Breton.
[Cape Breton Post, 3 February 1999]

1999 February 9

Sydney Mines Railway Station

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has turned over the former Canadian National Railway station in Sydney Mines to the Sydney Mines Community Events Committee. The building will house a heritage museum to promote the rich history of steel and coal in Sydney Mines and surrounding communities. It has been vacant since July 1995. Chairman James Tobin said the committee has been negotiating the past three months for ownership of the building with the assistance of Deputy Mayor Brian Boudreau and District 17 Councillor Walter Stewart. The committee has been in operation since last August and is responsible for organizing community events such as Canada Day celebrations and the Christmas parade. "I can't stress enough how much we appreciate the cooperation we received from municipal officials including the mayor, councillors, clerks and legal council," Tobin said. "The hope of the committee is to turn this building into something the community can be proud of." The committee has already received donations of artifacts for the museum as well as some donations.
[Cape Breton Post, 9 February 1999]

Restoration Plans On Track

Restoration of the former CN railway station at Sydney Mines is on track, says Sydney Mines Community Events Committee chair James Tobin. The Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) turned the vacant building over to the committee in February. It will eventually house a heritage museum to promote the history of coal and steel in Sydney Mines and area. About $200,000 was spent on renovations prior to the station's closure in July 1995, but vandals destroyed most of the work and broke about 40 windows in the years that followed. Tobin says since the committee took ownership of the site in February 1999, the interior of the historic building has been cleaned, walls have been repaired and primed and are waiting for paint. "The outside has also been cleaned up and some roofing has been replaced and the basement was brought up to fire standards," he explains, adding all the work was done by grant workers provided by the Sydney Mines Renewal Association. The Irving Oil Company has offered to supply a new furnace and hot water heating system, including installation, free of charge for the building. Tobin said "The furnace we have is obsolete and we knew we couldn't put any artifacts in the building without proper heating." The committee originally hoped to have the museum ready for the upcoming tourist season but a lack of funding has set the opening schedule back, Tobin says. When the committee took over the building it estimated renovations would cost about $60,000. "We still need about $35,000." The committee has sent off proposals to their MLA, Premier Russell MacLellan and Economic Development and Tourism Minister Manning MacDonald looking for funding. "If we get some money from the government maybe we'll be able to open in June or July but if not, we're into the fall," Tobin notes.
[Cape Breton Post, 6 & 17 April 1999]

1999 February 9

Dominion School Gets 20 Computers

A gift of technology has benefited a local school. On February 9th, two officials from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration in Sydney presented twenty IBM computers to Macdonald Complex in Dominion, Cape Breton. School principal Mickey Gouthro said the donation is appreciated. "This is an example of great community supporters." He said they have a computer lab which includes 24 computers. "Some of the computers were used to upgrade the older models we had," he said. Gouthro said representatives from the federal government department approached the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board, offering the donation. Through the board's technical committee, they identified Macdonald Complex as a school which could benefit from the donation. Bill White, director of the case processing centre for the Department of Citizen and Immigration, said they work closely with the school board as they deal with surplus equipment. White said they require 180 computers to handle the Department+s processing needs. "We renew our technology on a regular basis. Rather than sending these computers back to Ottawa for disposal, we decided to distribute them within our community."
[Cape Breton Post, 11 February 1999]

The Macdonald Complex has two websites,
at http://www.cbv.ns.ca/macdc/
and http://fox.nstn.ca/~rmacdon2/index.html



1999 February 12

Town of Berwick
Natural Gas Franchise

The following advertisement appeared in the Kentville Advertiser today:

The Town of Berwick is submitting an application for a franchise to distribute natural gas in the town and surrounding area. The franchise area applied for is from the Cambridge Road in the east to the Long Point Mountain Road / Aylesford Road in the west, and from the Prospect Road north to Highway 221. The rationale for the application is to ensure early and complete access to gas for the area and to maximize local benefits. The Town plans a series of information sessions to advise and consult with citizens on the issue of gas distribution. The first will be held in the Town Hall Gymnasium at 236 Commercial Street, Berwick, at 7:00pm on February 17, 1999. All interested parties are welcome; Town officials and staff will give an overview of the process and application and attempt to answer all questions.

Above is the complete text of the 8.7 cm × 16.0 cm display ad.

1999 February 12

MacAskill's Brook Pump House Shut Down
After 100 Years

It was the end of an era in Glace Bay Friday, February 12th. The old MacAskill's Brook pump house, off Tower Road, was shut down after some 100 years of service to make way for a new automated water facility. Bill Kuta, of Glace Bay, worked at the old pump house for 11 years; he was the last person to leave the station Friday afternoon. Kuta and four other men operated the station, putting chemicals into the water, starting and shutting down the pump and "generally maintaining a good water supply for Glace Bay," Kuta says. Their jobs are now redundant, as the new pumping station is completely automated and will be operated from Sydney, he adds. Kuta and his colleagues will be placed in other jobs with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
[Cape Breton Post, 13 February 1999]

1999 February 13

Port Morien Legion to House Computer Site

Troy Jenkins, councillor for municipal District Two, says a new computer site project in Port Morien will not only provide new services but will help create a bond between the youth and seniors. Jenkins said the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 55, has been awarded a seniors/youth computer site Internet connection through Industry Canada, in recognition of the International Year of Older Persons. Jenkins, who represents Port Morien on the Cape Breton Regional Municipality council, is also treasurer of the legion. He said a youth drop in centre is also being set up in connection with the site. He said the youth of the district will volunteer to teach seniors computer skills, while seniors will teach youth the history and culture of the area, including the contributions of veterans. Jenkins and LeRoy Peach were appointed as co-chairs to work on acquiring this site.
[Cape Breton Post, 13 February 1999]

1999 February 18 1:00am

CBC Strike Halts Local Broadcasts

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's local and regional radio and TV programming was replaced by canned music and national newscasts in Cape Breton Thursday on the first day of a national strike by the Corporation's technicians. The strike meant local radio programs at CBC Sydney like Information Morning, Mainstreet and regional programs like Maritime Noon were replaced by canned material. Halifax-based First Edition, the CBC's regional supper hour TV news program, was replaced by a national news cast. The strike began across the country about 1:00am Atlantic Time, after three days of talks failed to bring the 1,800 members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) and CBC closer on the major issues of wages and job security. The union represents some ten full-time and three part-time workers at CBC Sydney including video journalists, technical producers, and transmitter, maintenance, camera and editing technicians. Members of the Canadian Media Guild were honouring the CEP picket lines. The guild represents some 22 journalists, producers, sales and administrative-office employees at CBC Sydney, according to local president Shawn Hirtle. The guild did direct several members who are still on probation at CBC Sydney to report to work. By this morning (February 19th), CBC plans to replace Information Morning in Cape Breton with a regional program based in Halifax that spokesperson Susan Mitton described as a mix of Information Morning-type programming and music.

The strike continued until the company and the union agreed on a new collective agreement, which was ratified over the first weekend in April. The workers were back on the job by Tuesday, 6 April.

[Cape Breton Post, 19 February & 5 April 1999]

1999 February 23

Silver Dart Anniversary Remembered in Baddeck

The Canadian air forced lived up to its motto on this day, overcoming adversity in the form of wicked winter weather to launch its 75th anniversary celebrations at the Bell Museum in Baddeck. The Canadian Forces Air Component — best remembered as the Royal Canadian Air Force — combined the ceremonies with the 90th anniversary of the flight of the Silver Dart in 1909. The weather was much as it was for the first Silver Dart flight in 1909 and again when a replica of the frail craft lifted off the ice in the teeth of high winds and blowing snow at the 50th anniversary in 1959. This year there was no ice on the Baddeck Bay but those who braved nose-numbing cold to watch an abbreviated ceremonial flypast from the observation deck at the museum were pretty happy to get back inside, especially a kilted piper and rows of shivering air cadets. The ceremonies had to be started later, at 12:30 instead of 11:00am, because of the delayed arrival of the official party from Greenwood and Halifax. But the cold and schedule changes didn't appear to dampen the spirit of the gathering which included Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor James Kinley and provincial Natural Resources Minister Ken MacAskill.
[Cape Breton Post, 24 February 1999]

1999 February 25

Nova Scotia Communities
Get OnLine

John Manley, Minister of Industry, and Russell MacLellan, Premier of Nova Scotia, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement under the Community Access Program (CAP) that will help continue the process of connecting Nova Scotian communities, including neighbourhoods of Halifax, to the Information Highway by March 31, 2001. Under this federal-provincial agreement, the Government of Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia will invest $4,000,000 each over three years, for a total investment of $8,000,000. "This agreement helps empower Nova Scotians to seize the opportunities offered by the global, knowledge-based economy," said Minister Manley. "This MOA also helps the government reach its goal of making Canada the world's most connected nation by the year 2000." Through CAP, the Federal Government aims to connect up to 10,000 remote, rural and urban communities by the end of the fiscal year 2000. The signing of this Memorandum of Agreement will result in the addition of 130 new community access sites in Nova Scotia over the next two years, which will more than double the current number of sites in the Province. The Nova Scotia component of CAP will be administered through the Nova Scotia Technology and Science Secretariat and Industry Canada. "This further connectivity will give users enhanced access to Nova Scotia's emerging knowledge-based economy," said Senator Al Graham, Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister Responsible for Nova Scotia. "Residents will see benefits through economic and social development as they become connected to the rest of the world via the Information Highway..."
[Excerpted from http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/261ce500dfcd7259852564820068dc6d/85256 613004a2e1785256723006ac0ec?OpenDocument ]

Remarkably, there is no list available of the CAP sites now in operation in Nova Scotia. Neither the federal government nor the provincial government have seen fit to provide such a list. There is a webpage at http://cap.unb.ca/cp/capsites/nssites.html which masquerades as a list of Nova Scotia CAP sites, but it is riddled with errors and omissions. I looked at this list on 9 March 1999, and identified more than thirty errors and omissions. In all the blather about CAP sites, you would think the politicians would see the public relations value in providing an up-to-date list of existing CAP sites, but somehow this concept has escaped them.


1999 February 25

Eastern Regional Health Board
Spends $2,800,000 On Y2K

The Eastern Regional Health Board (ERHB) has its Y2K plan on track to ready the region's computer systems for the new millennium. ERHB Chief Executive Officer John Higgins said that the Eastern Region will be "Y2-OK" well before the year 2000 rolls around. Higgins said, "our approach to year 2000 readiness has been to adopt a plan and get down to work. We are committed to continuity of patient care into the new millennium." He said that the board has enlisted competent and experienced people to develop and implement the region's Y2K plan. Ed Davis is Director of Information Systems and Communications for the Eastern Region and Sandy MacIntosh is Y2K coordinator. MacIntosh leads the teams responsible for ensuring that the Eastern Regional Health Board's nine acute care hospitals meet the year 2000 computer challenge. "There should be no surprises after June 1," said MacIntosh. He said that the bulk of the work is scheduled to be done before mid-year. This includes fixing or replacing equipment found to be affected by the year 2000 date change, and making sure that supplies are available from reliable and constant sources. Estimated costs of the project are $2,800,000. Work is progressing according to schedule. All equipment that relies on computer chips is being checked to determine whether its function could be influenced by the date change. ERHB hospitals being readied for the year 2000 include Buchanan Memorial in Neil's Harbour, Eastern Memorial in Canso, Guysborough Memorial, Inverness Consolidated Memorial, Sacred Heart in Cheticamp, St. Martha's Regional in Antigonish, St. Mary's Memorial in Sherbrooke, Strait Richmond in Cleveland, and Victoria County Memorial in Baddeck. The Eastern Regional Health Board is also responsible for Public Health and Addiction Services programs on Cape Breton Island and in Guysborough and Antigonish Counties.
[Cape Breton Post, 25 February 1999]

1999 February 26

Cost of Hard Drive Data Storage
Falls Below 4¢ per Megabyte

Future Shop, Halifax, in full-page advertisements in the Halifax Daily News and the Nova Scotia edition of The Globe and Mail on this day, offers for sale two hard drives at prices below 4¢ per megabyte. Both per-megabyte figures include the 15% retail sales tax, which applies to the store selling price, not to the net after the rebate.
Historical notes about Cost of Hard Drives

1999 February 26

Sydney Tar Pond Website Launched

The Joint Action Group for Environmental Cleanup of the Muggah Creek Watershed (JAG) launched its website this day. JAG's mandate is to find a remedial solution to the Sydney Tar Ponds, the former Coke Ovens site and impacts of the municipal landfill — all parts of the Watershed area. The group plays an advisory role to government. It serves to identify what is required to remediate the site and recommends solutions to government to act upon. Jennifer Baker, vice-chair of the public education and participation (PEP) working group which has been in charge of getting the website designed and into operation, says the information available at the location includes a history of JAG, its structure, a description of Muggah Creek and toxins contained in the 700,000 tonnes of sludge, a list of JAG working groups, and links to other agencies represented by JAG members. Joanie Cunningham, project manager for MediaSpark, said there will also be a motion database that can be searched on the website by group, month and year. A calendar of scheduled meetings, including press releases, will also be posted . There will also be a library of reports including the memorandum of understanding signed by JAG and the three levels of government. There will be no email capability.

A video that graphically depicts Sydney's toxic waste dump should not be aired on JAG's Website for everybody to see, said Avvie Druker, president of the Industrial Cape Breton Board of Trade. The Board wanted the video The Legacy pulled from the Website before today's launch because they believe it is counter- productive to their economic development efforts. The trade board president attended last weekend's premier's economic summit on the economy and asked chairwoman Patricia Ripley, Deputy Minister of Priorities and Planning to intervene. Provincial government spokesman Jim Vibert said the provincial representatives, who are members of JAG, think the website is responsible. The Priorities and Planning Committee — generally referred to as government's inner cabinet — has been advised by Transportation and Public Works the video is also a responsible representation of the Sydney tar ponds. "They consider it to be factual and realistic and therefore responsible," Vibert said. JAG chairman Bucky Buchanan said only three minutes of the 17-minute video is featured on the Website. "The Legacy talks about the history of steel making and shows the tar ponds and the coke ovens site." He said he shares the board of trade's concern for the economy, but he does not think the video paints a bad picture.

Sources:
Cape Breton Post, 28 Jan., 24, 26 & 27 Feb. 1999
Joint Action Group website at http://www.muggah.org/

1999 February 27

Nova Scotia Firm Becomes National Player
Ford Signs Software Pact With TIM Dealer Services Inc.

A high-tech firm based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has signed a deal with Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. that turns it into a national player in providing computer services to Canadian automobile dealers. Ford, the No. 2 auto maker operating in Canada behind General Motors of Canada Ltd., has chosen TIM Dealer Services Inc. to provide software systems that tie together administration, accounting, finance and insurance and vehicle inventory management for dealers.

The deal will boost TIM's size by tripling the number of dealerships it counts as clients to more than 450 from the current 150. It will also strengthen the company's national presence by diversifying TIM from its base in Atlantic Canada, home to about two-thirds of its current customers. "It's a stepping stone for us," said Richard MacDonald, TIM president and co-founder. "It's our first major manufacturer relationship." About 300 of Ford's 600-plus dealers in Canada will be expected to sign up with TIM, although they will not be forced to do so, Ford spokesman John Arnone said yesterday. Ford dealers with old software systems that have been in place for years need to be upgraded to more modern standards, Mr. Arnone said. "We saw opportunities to improve customer satisfaction across the board," he added. By using a personal computer-based system, TIM allows all departments of a dealership to have access to customer records, which presents "a realm of customer satisfaction opportunities," Peter Stoddart, information technology manager for Ford's Fordstar computer operations.

The Ford hookup with TIM is the second exclusive software supplier-auto maker deal in less than three months as manufacturers seek to take advantage of information technology to improve customer retention and satisfaction. Toyota Canada Inc. and Reynolds & Reynolds (Canada) Ltd. signed a $40-million deal in December. The Ford-TIM contract represents revenue of tens of millions of dollars for TIM over several years, sources familiar with the deal said. TIM's current annual revenue are between $1-million and $5-million. "It's probably the most significant contract for a computer supplier to the retail side of the automotive sector in Canadian history," said industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers, who heads DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. "It's the first time that any of the major vehicle companies has broken away from the big two [ADP Dealers Services Ltd. and Reynolds & Reynolds]," Mr. DesRosiers said. Those two companies, both Canadian units of U.S.-based giants, are estimated to provide about 75 per cent of Canada's 3,100 new car dealers with software. Installation of TIM software at the Ford retail outlets is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by the end of 2000. Mr. MacDonald said the contract won't mean an immediate job increase at TIM, but it is likely to mean more positions in the medium term. Oakville, Ont.-based Ford signed up TIM to provide some software services to the Quebec City dealer who took over all its outlets in that city in the auto maker's "Project Q" dealer consolidation.

The Globe and Mail, 27 February 1999
Vulcan's Anvil, Atlantic Canada's Small Business E-Zine, V2 N3
    http://www.vultech.ns.ca/anvil/news4.htm

Reference: TIM Dealer Services Inc. website at
    http://www.tim.ca/

1999 March

Last School Connected

...We have already gone a long way to making Canada the most connected nation in the world. Last March (1999) Industry Canada's SchoolNet program linked a three-student school in Pictou Island, Nova Scotia, to the Internet. With that, Canada achieved a visionary goal. Every Canadian public school, first nations school and public library wanting to be connected by the SchoolNet partnership has been brought on line. Canada has won a race where speed was of the essence. It is a race where the countries of the world that can train their populations with Internet skills will enjoy the benefits of a knowledge based economy. We are the first country in the world to build such an extensive education network, a network that connects these schools and their communities to the world. In this session of parliament, we will push forward on the next phase of our SchoolNet program. We will increase classroom access to high speed Internet service. We will stimulate the production of Canadian multimedia content and applications...
Source:
Statement by Hon. John Manley, Minister of Industry, in the House of Commons
Hansard, 36th Parliament, 2nd Session, Wednesday, 3 November 1999
http://www.parl.gc.ca/36/2/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/017_1999-11-03/han017-e.htm

1999 March

Glace Bay Men Recreate
S&L Steam Engine Era in Cape Breton

If you enjoy going back in time, jump aboard the Sydney & Louisburg (S&L) Railway with Gus O'Neill of Glace Bay for an adventure you're not soon to forget. O'Neill, 74, built a working model replica of the S&L Railway's steam era, dating back to 1895. The breathtaking display — depicting about 38 miles 61 km of main line track through Glace Bay to Sydney then Louisbourg — stands at waist level, filling an entire room. O'Neill, who worked 36 years for S&L Railway including in the bridge and building repair division, also created a video of the remarkable display, with the history of the railway narrated by brother Gerald, 68, a former 39-year employee with S&L, and video taping by Andy Newell, a 32-year employee. "The best part of it all is letters I received from people who enjoyed the video," he said. "One fellow — a former engineer with the railway — said he watched it four times and it was the best night he has ever enjoyed since going on pension." O'Neill built almost everything from scratch, researching colours and the tiniest details to capture everything as it once was. There are street signs, stop signs, cars, animals and people depicted in the busy towns. Even the hustle and bustle of the Main Street crossing in Glace Bay was recreated.
[Cape Breton Post, 1 March 1999]

A note on spelling:
The Town now uses the spelling Louisbourg,
but the S&L Railway used the spelling Louisburg.


1999 March

Continental Standard for Securing Truck Cargoes

Cargo must not, leak, spill, blow, fall from, fall through
or otherwise become dislodged from the vehicle

A new securement standard for cargo carried by trucks is being discussed across North America. The document covers such commodities as logs, lumber, metal coils, large boulders, concrete pipe, automobiles, crushed vehicles, and paper rolls.

The criteria, known as the North American Cargo Securement Regulations, was addressed at a consultation session for local truckers in Sydney. Sean McAlister was one of two presenters for the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, which co-hosted the session along with a member of the Department of Business and Consumer Services.

McAlister said about 140 agencies across North America including shippers, carriers, drivers, government regulators, enforcement officers and manufacturers, have helped develop the new standard. Four years of scientific research and two years of development was involved in composing the final draft.

The outcome is a list of regulations that will be used from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and country to country to end existing inconsistencies. The main objective is to standardize the methods used by truckers to contain or secure cargo so that it may not, leak, spill, blow, fall from, fall through or otherwise become dislodged from the vehicle, or swing or shift upon or within the vehicle to such an extent that the vehicle's stability is adversely affected. The cargo securement system must withstand the forces that result if the loaded vehicle is subjected separately to each of the following:

Although far from implementation throughout North America, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration will soon begin the rulemaking process to adopt the standard. The North American Cargo Securement Standard is based on a research project spearheaded by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators. Ideally, the new standard would mean that a load properly secured in Walla Walla, Washington, for example, would also be legal in Halifax, Quebec, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. Every component of the cargo securement system, including anchor points, would be required to work at or below its rating or working load limit. Several specific commodity types would also require special attention. Currently in the United States, federal cargo securement regulations are adopted for reference by more than 30 states. In Canada such regulations are mostly left up to each separate province to adopt, with the result that the requirements for a legally-secured load vary widely from one province to another. It is hoped that all of the jurisdictions throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico will adopt the new standard as a replacement to their current cargo securement regulations.

Sources:
Cape Breton Post, 2 March 1999
North American Cargo Securement Regulations
    http://www.ab.org/ccmta/Model.htm
Uniform Cargo Securement Standard for Highway Transport Vehicles
    http://www.ab.org/ccmta/ccmta.html
http://www.landlinemag.com/November_98/cargo_securement.html
http://www.truckline.com/safetynet/index.html
http://www.tfhrc.gov/trnsptr/rttdec97/tr1297p7.htm

1999 March

Cape Bretoners Honoured for Preserving History

For all the uncertainty about its future, Cape Breton is blessed with a fascinating past. The Federation of Nova Scotia Heritage has recognized the island's place in history by presenting its most prestigious award to a Cape Bretoner who has devoted much of his life to the development, promotion and preservation of that history. Retired University College of Cape Breton chemistry professor Dr. Donald Arseneau has been presented the Dr. Phyllis R. Blakeley Lifetime Achievement Award for his leadership in the heritage field. At the same time, the Cape Breton Centre for Heritage and Science has received the federation's Outstanding Exhibit Award for Lest we Forget, an exhibit devoted to the island's military heritage.
[Cape Breton Post, 3 March 1999]

1999 March 1

Water Rates to be Equalized

Water rates in all areas of Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) will be brought in line over the next five years as the utility is standardized in terms of quality and delivery. On this day, CBRM council voted to adopt a five-year water rate schedule, which by law is subject to approval by the Utilities and Review Board. Discussions on the issue have been stalled since October. Water rates in all areas of the CBRM will reach $326 per year by 2004, by which time the utility will be standardized in accordance with Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. Rates will gradually increase in areas without treatment to cover projected revenue shortfalls from funding the individual projects, said utilities manager Mike MacKeigan. "By the time they get to $326.00, everyone should be on a level playing field in terms of quality." Sydney residents, who already have fully treated water, will continue to pay $326.00. The rate for residents in North Sydney, for example, will jump from $148.70 now to $326.00 in 2004. Water rates for Sydney Mines will go from $174.00 this year to $326.00 in five years. The current water rate in Glace Bay is $194.56, but if the new rate structure is approved, the cost will climb to $215.80 for 1999-2000 and to $326.00 in 2000-2001. The municipality now operates eight water systems under the same regulatory and rate structures which have been in place for years, left over from the time before amalgamation. Many of the water rates have been in existence since 1992-94 and at least one dates back to 1989. The rate-setting process is made more complex due to the wide variation in the existing rates and current differences in water quality. (Sometimes people are unsure what territory is included in the CBRM. Many people not familiar with Cape Breton Island believe that the Cape Breton Regional Municipality covers the entire Island, when it actually includes only one of the four counties on the Island. CBRM covers all of Cape Breton County but not Richmond, Victoria or Inverness counties.)
[Cape Breton Post, 2, 3, 13 & 23 March 1999]

1999 March 7

300 Days To the Triple Zero

Only 300 days remain until January 1, 2000.

How Long Have We Known About This Problem?

The Bank of Montreal got its first solid warning about the seriousness of the situation in the mid-1970s, when the computer problem (later to become known as Y2K) first struck the bank's operations. The software that calculated 25-year mortgages fizzled when that 25-year horizon reached the year 2000, recalled Peter Leblanc, a senior vice-president of the bank, in 1997. In 1976, Mr. Leblanc, then a junior programmer, helped repair the software for the long-term mortgages. But another 20 years passed before the bank moved to fix its entire system.
[The Globe and Mail, 7 January 1998]

1999 March 18

Canso Strait Pipeline Contract Awarded

Sable Offshore Energy Incorporated (SOEI) announced today that a Nova Scotia joint venture has been awarded a construction contract for the pipeline crossing of the Strait of Canso. The contract was awarded to Venture Utility Contractors Ltd. and Pentzien Canada Inc. (V&P) of Halifax. The work consists of installation of a 1.5-kilometre-long, 219-mm (eight-inch) pipeline to carry natural gas liquids across the bottom of the Strait of Canso. The liquids are to be extracted from natural gas at the Goldboro Gas Plant and transported to the Point Tupper Fractionation Plant where they will be separated into propane, butane and condensate.

The contract also includes installation across the Strait of Canso of a parallel 219-mm (eight-inch) natural gas lateral pipeline for Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline (M&NP), connecting the natural gas main transmission pipeline to customers in Cape Breton

Sable Offshore Energy Incorporated
    http://www.soep.com/
News Release, Mar 18/99, Contract Awarded For Strait Of Canso Pipeline Crossing
    http://www.soep.com/soep-bin/pr-get?62

Installation of these dual pipelines was completed on 14 June 1999, and pressure testing of the liquids pipe was completed about 2 December 1999


1999 March 25

Shaw Buys Access

Shaw Communications Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, agreed today to pay $167,000,000 (Canadian) for a 75 percent stake in Access Communications Inc. of Nova Scotia, and all of Access Television Bedford/Sackville Ltd.
[The New York Times, 26 March 1999]

1999 March 25

Coast Guard Will Place Navigational Markers on Mira

Boaters on the Mira River won't have to worry about where the buoys are this summer. Word that the Canadian Coast Guard has accepted responsibility for putting out the navigational markers this season has been welcomed by boaters who campaigned last fall against a Transport Canada plan to privatize the river and 56 other inland waterways and harbours in the Maritimes. Basically the legislation for the new policy has been changed and the minister hasn't signed it yet so we'll be putting in the buoys for this season, the Cape Breton Post was told Thursday, March 25th, by Dave Smith, leader of the coast guard team implementing the program called Modernization of Marine Aids and Navigation Systems. What will happen in subsequent years remains to be seen, said Smith. The program targets uncharted or inadequately chartered waters or waters where the service is provided for a single user or a small number of users. The federal department figures it could save $20,000 a year by handing responsibility for the Mira buoys over free of charge to a non-profit private group such as a municipality or boat club and offering free training in their placement.
[Cape Breton Post, 26 March 1999]

1999 March 28

Englishtown Ferry Returned to Full Service

The Englishtown ferry's annual mechanical refit has been completed and it was returned to regular service on this day. The ferry, operated by the provincial government, can carry up to twelve passenger vehicles at a time. It travels across St. Ann's Bay, Victoria County, between Englishtown and Jersey Cove, 24 hours a day, every day.
[Cape Breton Post, 30 March 1999]

1999 March 30

Government Communications Go Digital

New Public Safety Radio Service

On this day, the Nova Scotia government and MT&T jointly announced an agreement to design and install a new provincewide public safety radio service. The service will provide digital mobile radio communications for the RCMP and a variety of government departments. As well, a number of public safety groups will use the service, including the Emergency Health Service, volunteer fire departments, and Nova Scotia Ground Search and Rescue. The new service will mean that for the first time ever, emergency agencies will be able to communicate seamlessly with each other. The new service replaces the existing analog Nova Scotia Integrated Mobile Radio System, now twenty years old. The Technology and Science Secretariat is handling this project for the government.

"The new system provides emergency response personnel with world-class communications tools, enabling them to respond faster, more effectively," Premier Russell MacLellan said. "Nova Scotia has one of the best emergency response capabilities in the world. We have a superior ambulance service, highly skilled ground search and rescue personnel, and outstanding emergency measures services. We want to build on these strengths and provide our professionals with the communications tools they require." The new public safety radio service will also support public works agencies with mobile radio communications in the field. "This public safety radio service will enhance communications for a wide variety of the province's field services," said Colin Latham, president and CEO of MT&T. "It will enable public safety agencies to better communicate among themselves as well as improve the safety of personnel in the field."

The network will be managed and operated by MT&T Mobility, a subsidiary of MT&T. Use of the system will be shared by government and commercial otrganizations. "Government is the priority anchor tenant for this new system," said Mr. Latham. "The service will also be available to commercial users such as transport, courier and forestry companies, but we will ensure that emergency response users have the highest priority on the system. Public safety organizations need quality communications tools to do their jobs."

Source: http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=19990330003

Reference:
Trunked Mobile Radio System (TMRS) website at
    http://www.iwan-tmrs.com/

1999 March 31

Last School Connected

On March 31, 1999, Canada succeeded in becoming the first country in the world to connect its public schools and libraries to the Internet...
Source:
    http://www.connect.gc.ca/en/ar/1003-e.htm



"In March 1999, we became the first nation in the world to connect all of our public schools and libraries to the Internet. We completed this mission when our School Net team crossed Northumberland Strait in a rented lobster-fishing boat one cold day last March. It was loaded with a computer, a modem, and a satellite dish. These Industry Canada employees connected a tiny three-student school on Pictou Island, Nova Scotia, to the Internet — the last school in Canada. For CPR fans, it's the Craigellachie of SchoolNet. Our ad in today's newspapers celebrates SchoolNet's success and thanks our non-profit and business partners — and some of these partners are represented in this room today..."


Wayback Machine
Wayback Machine
http://web.archive.org/index.html

"Use the Wayback Machine to view web sites from the past."


Archive of This Document:
History of Nova Scotia, Chapter 42

The Wayback Machine has copies of this webpage from the early days:
Archived: 2001 February 8
http://web.archive.org/web/20010208225137/http://www.alts.net/ns1625/nshist42.html
Archived: 2001 April 20
http://web.archive.org/web/20010420150918/http://www.alts.net/ns1625/nshist42.html
Archived: 2001 November 22
http://web.archive.org/web/20011122060009/http://www.alts.net/ns1625/nshist42.html
Archived: 2002 January 27
http://web.archive.org/web/20020127163100/http://www.alts.net/ns1625/nshist42.html



Index with links to the other chapters



Go To:   History of Railway Companies in Nova Scotia
    http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/300/nova_scotias_electronic_attic/07-04-09/www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625railways.html
Go To:   History of Electric Power Companies in Nova Scotia
    http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/300/nova_scotias_electronic_attic/07-04-09/www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625electric.html
Go To:   History of Automobiles in Nova Scotia
    http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/300/nova_scotias_electronic_attic/07-04-09/www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625automobiles.html
Go To:   History of Telegraph and Telephone Companies in Nova Scotia
    http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/300/nova_scotias_electronic_attic/07-04-09/www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625telephone.html
Go To:   Index to other online Nova Scotia History
    http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/300/nova_scotias_electronic_attic/07-04-09/www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625histindx.html
Go To:   Home Page
    http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/300/nova_scotias_electronic_attic/07-04-09/www.littletechshoppe.com/ns1625index.html

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Latest content revision:   2001 April 24