History of Nova Scotia
with special attention given to
Communications and Transportation
Chapter 68
2000 October 1-21
Index with links to the other chapters
2000 October 1
First Candidate for Mayor of Halifax
to Have an Election Campaign Website
Mr. Peter Kelly became the first candidate for Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality (comprising the former cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, the town of Bedford, and the municipality of Halifax County) to have an official website for the election campaign. It is believed that this website was launched on 29 August 2000. The earliest known public mention (the earliest I saw) of Mr. Kelly's campaign website was in a display advertisement in the Halifax Daily News, 1 October 2000. The ad reproduced here appeared on the front page of the Daily News, 7 October. This campaign website was the first ever set up by any candidate for the office of Mayor of the metropolitan Halifax-Dartmouth area. The election was held on October 21st.
[The Halifax Daily News, 1 & 7 October 2000]
Reference:
Mr. Kelly's campaign website at http://www.peterkelly.ns.ca/
Entry page hit counter readings:
01640 at 5:10pm Monday 2 October
01962 at 5:30pm Sunday 8 October
02777 at 3:20pm Thursday 19 October
03137 at 6:00am Sunday 22 October
2000 October 1
First Candidate for Mayor of CBRM
to Have an Election Campaign Website
There was a newspaper report that Mr. Steve Drake, one of eight candidates for mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality (Sydney, Glace Bay, Whitney Pier, Louisbourg etc.) in the election to be held on October 21st, had a campaign website at the URL shown below, but when I tried to look at it I got an error message telling me this webpage is "unavailable at this time." However, the report of the existence of this website seems credible, and it would be the first-ever campaign website set up by a candidate for mayor of CBRM.
Reference:
Mr. Drake's campaign website at http://www.drakeformayor.net/
2000 October 3
Michelin Makes 150-Millionth Tire
BRIDGEWATER — Michelin North America (Canada) Inc.'s three plants in Nova Scotia reached a major milestone October 3rd, 2000. The plants at Bridgewater, Granton and Waterville produced their 150-millionth tire.
The accomplishment is "significant" in the company's Nova Scotia history, said Corporate Communications Manager Norma Nixon. "It's not just about 150 million of the best tires in the world; it's about the employees who made it happen. "It's about their skills, their hard work and their dedication to excellence," she said. "It's about working together with pride in our past and confidence in our future."
It took the three plants 15 years to produce their first 50 million tires. The second 50 million tires were made in the next eight years. This time, 50 million tires were produced in just six years. It's "a testament to the outstanding efforts of Michelin employees in Nova Scotia," said a company news release.
Michelin facilities have undergone over $320,000,000 in expansions and modernization projects scheduled for completion by 2002. Since 1998, over 200 production employees have been hired in Nova Scotia and the company has one of the best records of "employment stability" in the province, the news release said. About 3,500 Nova Scotians produce passenger car, light truck, truck and earth-mover tires at the three Nova Scotia plants.
[The Bridgewater Bulletin, 4 October 2000]
Michelin's 150,000,000th Tire Made in N.S.
MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Kings West.
Nova Scotia Legislature
RESOLUTION NO. 2929
31 October 2000
MR. JON CAREY: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:
Whereas tire number 150 million rolled off the Michelin production lines in Nova Scotia in October 2000; and
Whereas this great success is due thanks to the firm's hard-working and dedicated employees in Waterville, Granton and Bridgewater; and
Whereas beginning in 1971, it took 15 years of hard work to mark production of the first 50 million tires, it took eight years for the next 50 million and just six years to reach the current level;
Therefore be it resolved that members of this House applaud Michelin's milestone in tire production in Nova Scotia as well as its 3,500 employees at its three production facilities who are committed to a quality product, their communities and a job well done.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask for waiver.
MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver.
Is it agreed?
It is agreed.
Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.
The motion is carried.
Source:
Nova Scotia Hansard, page 7678, 1 November 2000
http://ftp.gov.ns.ca/legi/hansard/han58-1/h00oct31.htm#[Page 7678]
2000 October 3
Halifax Rehabs Old Water Pipes
The Halifax Regional Water Commission has been digging into the city's long-buried past this summer and using new technology to save old water pipes clogged by iron.
The ongoing project to fix up, not rip up, old water mains has saved the municipality big bucks, Carl Yates, the commission's general manager, said yesterday.
Workers blast the old cast iron pipes with high-pressure water to clean out deposits of iron that have narrowed them, then spray them with epoxy (synthetic resin) lining — the newest method to rehabilitate aged pipes.
"It costs $125 a metre to put in epoxy coating, a third of the cost of replacing," he said.
"On average, we're probably doing five kilometres per year. It's like doing the laundry — it's never done, you just keep at it."
Some Refurbished Pipes Go Back to 1864
The oldest water main to be given a new lease on life so far dated back to 1864, Yates said. This year they're working on pipes laid during the 1930s and '40s that have been reduced to 10 centimetres in diameter from 15 centimetres by iron accumulation.
Crews have been busy this past summer digging holes every 150 metres along streets in the square bounded by Quinpool Road, Chebucto Road, Connaught Street and Oxford Street.
Water delivery to homeowners hasn't been disrupted because crews run temporary, external water lines while working on the mains, Yates said. It's part of a project that began in the early 1990s to identify old water mains that can be rehabilitated.
"Over the years, especially before we had Pockwock and Lake Major treatment plants on line, some of the water was not, shall we say, as passive as it is today," said Yates.
"Over time, there's a build up of iron inside. It causes two problems: it reduces your carrying capacity in the pipe and, also, under real high-flow conditions, sometimes you may have some scouring of the pipe wall and you might pick up some of that iron." The epoxy lining should extend the life of the water mains for at least 50 years, he said.
[The Halifax Daily News, 3 October 2000]
2000 October 4
Centre Lands National IT Award
Earns $10,000 in Information Technology Prize Money
Mark Currie, a teacher at Centre Consolidated School in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, recalls an almost surreal feeling as he and two colleagues travelled to Ottawa last month to accept a national award for innovative use of technology. "Call it inferior thinking on my part but I kept thinking what did we do to deserve a national award?" he admitted last week. As it turned out, Mr. Currie, his fellow technology assistant Anita Kingdon and former Centre principal Jeff DeWolfe had plenty to be proud of as they arrived at the four-day convention, offered exclusively to members of the Network of Innovative Schools, or NIS.
Mind you, some of the things Mr. Currie would previously have described as unique to the school's technology program don't seem so unique any more. "But I can now see we're right up there," he said.
The school, which had previously made the NIS honour roll, learned in May it had been named a member of the prestigious cross-country network.
"There are various things that come from that," said Mrs. Kingdon. Foremost among them, a $10,000 cash prize. But Centre will also have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of ongoing research programs, "and we'll have a whole network of support behind us," she said.
The school, which applied to the program last November via a proposal outlining both the history and proposed future of Centre's IT program, was also able to send three delegates to the NIS conference held in Ottawa two weeks ago.
Involving delegates from a total of 55 schools — 30 of them named to the network this year and another 25 from last year — the conference was "pretty intensive," said Mrs. Kingdon. "They were introducing a lot of new information, bringing in people (such as motivational speaker Stephen Covey) to make us think and encouraging us to keep going."
There was also plenty of opportunity for networking, said the educators, who count teachers from a school in the Yukon among their newest contacts. And lots of ego-stroking. "That's something that as teachers we're not used to," said Mrs. Kingdon. "But they really kept pumping us up, telling us how innovative we really are." The pair said the experience at the conference showed them that while Centre is more or less in the middle of the pack in terms of how much hardware and software it possesses, the most important factor remains how this technology is used.
Centre technology assistants Mark Currie and Anita Kingdon,
and former principal Jeff DeWolfe, accept a certificate
naming them to the national Network of Innovative Schools
during a recent conference in Ottawa. The award was
presented by Kathryn Fredericks, NIS program manager
with Canada School Net, and Rae Stoness, executive-director
of the Canadian Association of School Administrators.
"There was a school there that had only four terminals with fairly unreliable Internet service yet I'd really like to model our web page on that school because it was so community-oriented," said Mr. Currie.
Now back in class, the pair are poised to implement the latest phase in the school's IT program, that is, a mentorship program for teacher development. Using up to $6,000 of the award money, the school will basically hire substitutes to cover the classrooms of full-time teachers who, because of their own interest and expertise in the use of technology, will then be freed to work as mentors in other classrooms.
Both Mr. Currie and Mrs. Kingdom believe it will greatly enhance the school's IT program, particularly as right now, classroom teachers have only Mr. Currie to help them out. "This will add up to three others besides Mark," said Mrs. Kingdon.
The rest of the award money will be used toward software, support materials, such as specialized publications, and conference fees.
[The Lunenburg Progress-Enterprise, 4 October 2000]
References:
Network of Innovative Schools
http://www.schoolnet.ca/nis-rei/e/
2000-2001 Member Schools
http://www.schoolnet.ca/nis-rei/e/2000-2001_members.html
2000-2001 Member, Network of Innovative Schools
Centre Consolidated School
Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia
"At Centre Consolidated School the learning community is connected to the Information Highway via portable computers that are shared between classrooms. Each computer can access the Internet and students and teachers use them to collaborate on a variety of learning projects on-line. One group of French students uses e-mail to communicate with students in France. Students also research and publish on the web information about the geological history of Nova Scotia, with help from experts in the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Geological Survey of Canada. The web page is maintained by students and showcases student work as well as information for parents. Teachers are also taking advantage of ICT opportunities and are designing on-line courses and contributing to the Nova Scotia Department of Education's Junior High Network Project, which shares the best practices in ICT learning across the province. The school is now working on developing a core of ICT mentors on its staff and promoting media literacy throughout the school."
http://www.schoolnet.ca/nis-rei/e/schools2000/centre_consolidated.html
Centre Consolidated School website
http://www.ednet.ns.ca/educ/schoolpages/ccs/index.html
2000-2001 Member, Network of Innovative Schools
Canso High School
Canso, Nova Scotia
"Located on the tip of mainland Nova Scotia, Canso is known in communications history as the place where the North American end of first Trans-Atlantic Cable came ashore. Today, Canso High School continues this tradition, having made lap-top computer technology available to every student since 1997. Students and teachers have immersed themselves in the equipment, and are now using the Internet to do job shadowing with professionals located far away from their rural community. In partnership with Sable Offshore Energy, Canso High School is developing a thematic unit on Offshore Energy, where students use e-mail and the World Wide Web to explore the physics, chemistry and history of the diverse topic. This innovative project will result in a CD-ROM, produced by students, which will be shared as a teaching resource with schools across the country."
http://www.schoolnet.ca/nis-rei/e/schools2000/canso.html
Canso High School website
http://www.cansohighschool.com/
2000-2001 Honour Roll, Network of Innovative Schools
Mabou Consolidated School
Mabou, Nova Scotia
Network of Innovative Schools — 2000-2001
http://www.schoolnet.ca/nis-rei/e/2000-2001_members.html
Mabou Consolidated School website
http://mabou.ednet.ns.ca/mcs/home.htm
2000-2001 Honour Roll, Network of Innovative Schools
Kingston and District School
Kingston, Nova Scotia
Network of Innovative Schools — 2000-2001
http://www.schoolnet.ca/nis-rei/e/2000-2001_members.html
Kingston and District School website
http://www.go.ednet.ns.ca/kingston/
2000-2001 Honour Roll, Network of Innovative Schools
Guysborough Academy
Guysborough, Nova Scotia
Network of Innovative Schools — 2000-2001
http://www.schoolnet.ca/nis-rei/e/2000-2001_members.html
2000 October 9
Kelly Opposes Plan to Remove Rail Line
Peter Kelly wants CN to stop in its tracks. The railway company announced earlier this week that it intends to start removing the second track of the main rail line from Rockingham through Bedford and Sackville to Windsor Junction. Mr. Kelly, who represents Bedford on Halifax regional council and is a mayoral candidate in the October 21st election, sent a letter to CN on Thursday saying that its actions appear to be contrary to its agreement with the municipality. In a letter dated September 21st, CN said it would remove some sections of track between Halifax and Windsor Junction but it would keep the rails for the next year, giving the city time to complete a major commuter study, Mr. Kelly's news release states. He asked CN to refrain from removing any rail until after the next council session on October 10th.
[The Halifax Chronicle-Herald, 9 October 2000]
2000 October 9
Statia to Develop Storage Wells
POINT TUPPER — Statia Terminals is forging ahead with its plan to develop underground salt storage wells for hydrocarbons such as natural gas.
The company is now able to store 7,400,000 barrels of crude oil and other refinery products in above-ground steel tanks. The liquids, which belong to worldwide interests, are shipped in and out at the company's docking facilities.
Last year the company obtained an exploration permit to explore about 15 square kilometres around two underground salt caverns near Jimmys Point, just west of Point Tupper.
Project development officer Joe Calnan says Statia hopes to develop a new underground storage area with a capacity of about 20,000,000 barrels.
Both Mr. Calnan and Statia Terminals Canada president Paul Crissman said the increased "natural" storage capacity will open the door to new opportunities for both the company and the area. "We'd just as soon see those jobs here as anywhere else," Mr. Crissman said. Mr. Calnan said the project won't become a reality overnight. "If we start today, we'd be lucky to (start storage) in two years' time," he said.
There are a number of steps the company has to carry out, including a lengthy environmental assessment, retesting of the two existing caverns and construction of a pipeline between the company's facilities and the underground storage area. Mr. Calnan said local residents will be kept informed as the plan develops.
Storage wells are created in underground salt deposits by pumping water in and the brine out, forming a space for new liquids. Salt dissolves in water but not in hydrocarbons. Under extreme pressure, the salt turns into a plastic-like material and fills the crevices, sealing the walls. The storage method is especially good for high-pressure hydrocarbons such as natural gas and byproducts like ethane, propane and butane. The system requires a lesser investment than steel storage tanks. Statia is now working on getting leases in place and has applied for an underground storage licence.
[The Halifax Chronicle-Herald, 9 October 2000]
2000 October 11
Moreland Readying Picton Castle
for Second World Voyage
Galapagos, Pitcairn Island, Tahiti, Bora Bora,
Fiji, New Guinea, Bali, the Seychelles, Zanzibar...
LUNENBURG — Picton Castle Captain Dan Moreland harbours no grudge against the people who've admitted they initially thought his dream of turning a former Danish fishing trawler into a class A tall ship a bit unlikely. In fact, he says he respects them. "Because it was unlikely," said the esteemed skipper and sailor trainer, who upon returning from a tour of the Great Lakes last week, spoke to the Lunenburg County First Chowder Club. "There are times when I still have to pinch myself."
But the refit project, which between 1996 and 1997 pumped more than $2,000,000 into the local economy and inspired a new era in the local marine services industry, did come off in time for the vessel's maiden 'round-the-world voyage from November of 1997 through June of 1999. And now, following a busy summer training young sailors as part of the Lunenburg-based Tall Ships Millennium Challenge initiative, followed by her Lakes tour, the vessel is preparing to cast off again.
Within the next two weeks, people from all over North America will begin arriving in the port for a couple of weeks of orientation prior to the vessel's departure on her second world voyage.
Capt. Moreland describes his motives for undertaking such ambitious cruises as purely selfish. "I made a world voyage in my early 20s and I've never been able to explain it. So I guessed the best revenge was to do this so that every few years there would be 40 more people who won't be able to explain it either."
Picton Castle, which is scheduled to depart Lunenburg November 4th, will follow a route similar to its previous circumnavigation, dropping anchor at such exotic destinations as the Galapagos, Pitcairn Island, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Fiji, New Guinea, Bali, the Seychelles, Zanzibar, Cape Town, Barbados, and Bermuda.
"I tell people I'm in a bit of a rut," the captain joked to a record 115 luncheoners. "I find I have to go to Tahiti every couple of years." Of course, for many, the time and money required to participate in the vessel's 18-month, 'round-the-world cruises makes them "fairly inaccessible," which is what made the ship's activities this past summer so special, said Capt. Moreland.
As part of its involvement in Tall Ships Millennium Challenge, the barque Picton Castle, together with the brigantine Eye of the Wind, helped give 500 Canadian youth the opportunity to sail aboard a tall ship. "It was an extremely worthwhile undertaking," said the captain, who noted that between them, the two ships carried what amounted to 10 per cent of the total cadet population involved in the Tall Ships 2000 program.
The Lakes tour, which directly followed the ship's Tall Ships visit to Halifax and Lunenburg in late July, provided a further opportunity to "share the ship" not only with people interested in undertaking shorter sail training stints, but also with as many as 150,000 dockside visitors.
The vessel also began a public campaign to collect educational materials, including used text books, computers, pens, paper and pencils, which it will distribute during the coming world tour. This was something we decided to do following the last world tour, said the captain, who noted while in North America a textbook that is just two or three years old often ends up in a landfill site, the books used by educators in other parts of the world can be as much as 20 or 30 years out of date.
"You have to remember that books are more expensive for them than they are for us." Capt. Moreland said people have been "very forthcoming" with their donations. "We currently have about 20 tons of material. But we still have room for more." Of particular interest are boxed sets of text books in either French or English, and for any grade level from Primary to college level, he said. These donations can be taken directly to the ship at its dock on the eastern end of Bluenose Drive in Lunenburg.
[The Lunenburg Progress-Enterprise, 11 October 2000]
2000 October 11
Threadneedle Turns to Webpage and Mail Order Business
MAHONE BAY — Threadneedle House of Mahone Bay is celebrating a new season by putting the focus on their webpage and mail order business. In 1994, Mary Gillies began Threadneedle House in a tiny bedroom in her house at Indian Point. She quickly realized those tourists who bothered to hunt her down wanted Nova Scotia designs to stitch.
Mary launched her webpage 18 months ago and has filled orders for as far away as Australia. "It's building every week," she says. "I'll send anything anywhere. It's service that counts. If we don't have it in stock I'll search the world for them."
Mary fills the bill with eleven of her exclusive designs including Lupins, her most popular by far, as well as the Three Churches and Peggy's Cove as seen from the ocean. She starts each of her works with a camera — ending up with needlepoint canvases and kits. "They have grown and grown and grown," she says.
By 1997, she progressed to a small shop in Mahone Bay and within a year ran out of space. She then more than doubled her floor area by moving to a facility between the Teazer and Jo-Ann's Market. "By reputation," Mary's told she is one of North America's best suppliers. She has three complete lines of wool and specialty thread. Her needlepoint canvas is both printed and hand painted. She carries kits from England and a wide range of popular accessories. Victorian style scissors in a case are strung by a chain for wearing around the neck. She has laying tools and opticaids to clip on eyeglasses and magnify the piece.
Mary learned basic needlepoint at her grandmother's side. An introduction to the exciting world of open canvas work greatly expanded her options and capabilities.
[The Lunenburg Progress-Enterprise, 11 October 2000]
Reference:
Threadneedle House website
http://www.threadneedlehouse.ns.ca/
2000 October 16
High-Speed Internet Service
for Every Town and Village in Canada
The federal government is formulating a plan to spend well over $1,000,000,000 to enable every community in Canada to have extra-fast access to the Internet by 2004. Liberal cabinet minister John Manley spent Monday, October 16th, his last day in the job as Industry Minister, announcing a task force that will design a strategy to bring high-speed broadband Internet services to every town and village, no matter how small.
[The Halifax Sunday Daily News, 22 October 2000]
Government of Canada Announces Commitment
to Bringing High-speed Broadband Internet Services
to all Canadian Communities
16 October 2000
HALIFAX, October 16, 2000 — On behalf of the Prime Minister, John Manley, Minister of Industry, announced today at Softworld 2000 in Halifax, the Government of Canada's commitment to achieving the goal of high-speed broadband access to all communities by 2004.
The Minister announced that a National Broadband Task Force will be established to advise the Government of Canada on how best make high-speed broadband Internet services available to businesses and residents in all Canadian communities by the year 2004.
As a first step, the Task Force, to be chaired by Dr. David Johnston, President of the University of Waterloo, will map out a strategy and advise the Government, by March 31, 2001, on best approaches for achieving this commitment.
"Through the Connecting Canadians initiative, and a dynamic private sector, more and more Canadians are realizing the benefits of the Internet and information and communications technologies," said Minister Manley. "With today's announcement, the Government is taking the first step to expand on maximizing these benefits by providing access to the necessary tools — highspeed broadband networks — which will allow all Canadian communities to reap the rewards of the 21st Century economy."
The Task Force's mandate will include consideration of, and advice on:
- the needs and characteristics of communities which without government involvement will not likely gain access to private sector-delivered high-speed services by 2004;
- the technical, institutional and financial barriers which could delay provision of such services by the private sector;
- the roles governments might play in overcoming these barriers; and
- the carriers and other organizations who may be receptive to deploying these services in such communities and what the Government of Canada would need to engage them.
Canada must ensure it has a high-speed, high-growth economy and an improved quality of life. Access to high speed broadband networks will translate into strong investments across Canada and opportunities for all Canadians.
It will address the digital divide in this country that separates urban from rural and remote communities. These small communities which stand to benefit the most from high-speed broadband services may be the last to have these services available to them without government involvement. Access to high-speed broadband will provide the foundation for improved services such as distance learning and telehealth as well as provide small business with access to broader markets.
A bold vision, a coherent strategy and strong partnerships will lead to sustained innovation and increased prosperity. Together, this will ensure a strong Canadian presence in the New Networked Economy.
Source:
Industry Canada news release, 16 October 2000
http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/Welcomeic.nsf/
261ce500dfcd7259852564820068dc6d/
85256779007b79ee8525697a00468c17?OpenDocument
Mandate of the National Broadband Task Force
16 October 2000
The government believes that Canadians in all communities deserve access to the new networked economy. Canada has been well served by a dynamic private sector and a progressive regulatory environment. We want to build on this success. Our goal is to work with all stakeholders to make high speed broadband internet services available to businesses, and residents in every community in Canada by the year 2004.
A Broadband Taskforce chaired by David Johnston, President of the University of Waterloo will map out a strategy and will advise the Government of Canada by March 31st, 2001 on approaches for achieving this objective. It will:
1. Examine and report on the situation in a number of communities representing the full range of circumstances in Canada with respect to number of households, distance from existing high speed infrastructure, institutional needs, existing local infrastructure and infrastructure soon to be available. From this examination, the Taskforce will consider and advise on the following:
- Given the recent CRTC decision regarding access to basic telephone service and low speed internet access, consider the types, characteristics and needs of communities which without government involvement will not likely be served by high speed broadband internet access by the private sector by 2004;
- The technical, institutional and financial barriers that may delay the provision of such service by the private sector;
- The roles that governments might play in overcoming the barriers;
- The carriers and other commercial organizations who may be receptive to deploying high speed service in these communities and what the government would need to do to bring them to the table;
- Take into consideration the recent CRTC decision (99-16) regarding access to basic telephone service and basic low speed access to the Internet;
- The models and contractual arrangements which the government might use which are neutral with respect to technologies and maximize the role and risk-taking of the private sector; and
- Whether or not pilot projects would be useful to provide both the private sector and the Governments of Canada with insights and experience that would usefully inform an approach to a broader effort and if so what aspects the pilots should test.
2. Advise on the rate of uptake of current high speed internet use that would result in capacity constraints in inter-regional transmission, and the role of the Government of Canada, if any, in resolving and upgrading them.
3. Provide other general advice as it sees fit on how the government should move towards meeting its objective.
Source:
Industry Canada news release, 16 October 2000
http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/Welcomeic.nsf/
261ce500dfcd7259852564820068dc6d/
85256779007b79ee8525697a00468c17?OpenDocument
2000 October 17
The Little Search Engine that Could
Halifax's GenieKnows.com
Barrie Romkey and his partners in Halifax's GenieKnows.com have three wishes for searches on the Internet — they should be fast, produce quality results and be stress free.
"I was frustrated by the lack of useful search tools on the Internet," Mr. Romkey said in a telephone interview. "The thing people are interested in is the relevancy and quality of Web sites."
So two years ago, the Halifax land developer teamed up with psychologist John Manning and Rami Hamodah, a 25-year-old Dalhousie University computer science student, to find a way to make Internet searches easier and more effective — without the junk.
The trio of East Coast entrepreneurs came up with GenieKnows.com. The free Web site offers users simultaneous access to its own information database and 27 of the Web's highest quality search engines including Yahoo, Altavista and Google, Mr. Manning said.
But what sets GenieKnows apart from many of its competitors is a three-tiered filtering ystem which they believe provides the most comprehensive searching power available.
Here is how it works: Imagine you want to find information about tigers. The most basic search will likely be to enter the keyword "tiger" and let your search engine go to work.
On one popular search engine the first two hits using that keyword are devoted to the "Flying Tigers" leather bomber jackets and the Detroit Tigers baseball team — there is no mention of the four-legged variety.
Plug in the same keyword on GenieKnows and your first hit will be the Tiger Information Centre. "We think that what we're doing is unique and isn't being done by anyone else to the best of our knowledge," said Mr. Hamodah, who is the technological brain behind GenieKnows' smart technology.
In the tiger example, GenieKnows seeks out the Web's most popular tiger sites, but there is no guarantee you'll get relevant information. That's when level two kicks in to find the most relevant sites for tiger enthusiasts. Of course, with a tide of spam to contend with, it's not easy to keep your search clean.
The third filter finds spam and assigns it a correspondingly low ranking denoted by the number of blue genie lamps under a result — five is the most relevant. All this is accomplished in a matter of seconds, all unseen to the user.
Over time GenieKnows tracks user patterns, cataloguing the sites people visit and the time they spend at each — all of which determine a site's ranking. One visit won't change a Web site's lamp count, but if 5,000 people regularly visit and spend time there, its priority will shoot up. "It's not the quantity, it's the quality," Mr. Hamodah said. "Our site could give you a million end results, but if they're not quality it's no good for the end-user."
This technology is also applied to other more specific search tools on the site, including online auctions, classifieds, used cars and online retailers. There is also a research tool for academic publications which the trio believe to be unique to their Web site.
The three principals have pumped close to $1,000,000 into the site which draws about 250,000 visitors a month from 88 countries. Now they're in the midst of courting venture capital and expect to take the 10-person operation public soon. "We didn't want to go to The Street with a vision," Mr. Manning said. "We wanted to show what our site could do."
[The National Post, 17 October 2000]
Reference:
GenieKnows.com search engine
http://www.GenieKnows.com/
2000 October 20
Car Painter Off to National Competition
ITALY CROSS — Shawn Falkenham of Italy Cross, Lunenburg County, is going to the Canadian Skills Competition. The competition is open to competitors under the age of 22 testing skills in computer numeric control, information technology involving software applications, sheet-metal work, car painting and IT (information technology) and PC (personal computer) network support.
This is the first year car painting has been involved in the event. Mr. Falkenham will be taking part in the car painting component of the competition. The competition involves eight other provinces and takes place October 20 to 22 in Edmonton at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Mr. Falkenham works for Highway 103 Autobody and Collision Centre. He's worked there part time since 1996. The 20 year old finished high school in 1998 and went to Kingstec in Kentville where he graduated at the top of his class in Autobody Repair winning the North's Autobody Award in the process. At the competition he has to go through a four-step process which includes preparing car panels to be painted, preparing a fender and hood to be painted, repairing a dent in the front fender and painting the fender again.
"I'll have to shade the colour to get an exact match and then repair it so it becomes an invisible repair," says Mr. Falkenham, adding the competition is a combination of time, accuracy and skill. They also look at how much material he wastes.
Mr. Falkenham was the only one chosen to participate out of three qualified painters in Nova Scotia. "I'm excited about it, to be able to represent Nova Scotia in this field," he says. "I'm glad that I had the proper training at school and here at work every day to be able to excel in my field."
Highway 103 Autobody and Collision Centre owner Kevin Robar feels it's exciting and pleasing to see someone take an interest in this trade. "There's a need for that type of an attitude," Mr. Robar says. He adds that he's had young people work for him before who were only there for the paycheque. He explains when Mr. Falkenham first started working for him he had a knack for the work and an interest in it. "That's what makes you successful," Mr. Robar says.
Mr. Falkenham says he owes a majority of his success to Mr. Robar because of the hands-on work he was given. "The hands-on was limited at community college. Only half of your time was hands-on and that's where you actually learn." He says it will be interesting to see how he fares against people his own age across the country.
The winners of this competition go to Seoul, Korea for the World Skills Competiton which only happen every two years.
[The Bridgewater Bulletin, 11 October 2000]
References:
2nd Annual Nova Scotia Skills Competition website
http://skillsns.ednet.ns.ca/Events/NSComp.htm
Results of the 2nd Annual Nova Scotia Technological Skills Competition
14 April 2000
http://skillsns.ednet.ns.ca/2000/results.htm
Skills Canada — Nova Scotia website
http://skillsns.ednet.ns.ca/Programs/SkillNS.htm
Skills Canada website
http://skillscanada.com/
3rd Annual Nova Scotia Technological Skills Competition
25 April 2001
More than 200 of the best secondary , post-secondary and apprenticeship students from across Nova Scotia will compete in over 25 skilled trade, technological, and employability skills contests. Gold Medalists may represent the province at the Canadian Skills Competition in Edmonton, Alberta, May 31-June 3, 2001. Secondary Level Competition — Competitors must be enrolled in a secondary school and be 21 years of age or less during the calendar year of the competition. In other words, must be less than 22 years of age as of 31 December 2001.
http://skillsns.ednet.ns.ca/skills2001.htm
Contest List — 2001 Nova Scotia Trade and Technology Competition
http://skillsns.ednet.ns.ca/Events/Contests.htm
2000 October 21
New Rules for .ca Domain Names
Unregistered Domain Names Risk Scary Fate
Thousands of websites may not work after Nov. 1 deadline,
registrar warns
Some Canadian companies with .ca websites could have their biggest fright two days after Halloween.
If they haven't re-registered the ".ca" domain names for their sites, they could find those sites shut down, a domain registry service in British Columbia warned yesterday.
November 1 is the deadline for re-registering .ca domain names under the new rules governing the distribution of the names, which act as a company's identifier on the Internet.
The University of British Columbia had set up and administered the .ca domain names since 1987, but transferred the authority for the name registry to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority last summer.
Now, .ca domain owners are required to re-register their domain names with CIRA-authorized registrar companies or risk losing them, warned Stephen Smith, president of Webnames.ca, one of the registrars. So far, only about 18,000 of the 100,000 .ca domain names listed in the CIRA database have been re-registered.
"CIRA says that on November 1, if people have not re-registered, their Web sites will just not work," Mr. Smith said.
"In the worst case scenario if all these names represent working Web sites ... there could be 80,000 Web sites that aren't going to work come November 2."
Re-registering simply requires going to a registrar company and paying the necessary fees — $20 per domain name for CIRA and an additional fee of about $30 levied by the registrars. After November 1, CIRA will double its portion of the fee to $40.
The reason CIRA requires re-registration is that the rules have changed. Under UBC's old rules, only federally incorporated companies with a presence in more than one province could get a .ca domain name.
First Come, First Served
"Under the new rules, it's a first come first serve basis, solely based on Canadian presence requirements," Mr. Smith said.
Midnight tomorrow is the last time anyone can register .ca domain names under the old rules.
CIRA promises that even after the November 1 deadline, .ca names on the list will be reserved for 30 days, to December 1. If they haven't been re-registered by then, the owners lose their rights to that domain name.
[The National Post, 21 October 2000]
Reference:
CIRA, The Canadian Internet Registration Authority
http://www.cira.ca/
When the new rules come into effect, any qualifying individual or organization will be able to register an unlimited number of .ca Domain Names.
Under existing rules, only organizations (not individuals) are allowed to register Domain Names in the .ca Domain and are limited to only one Domain Name registration.
Source:
CIRA website FAQ file
http://grive.cira.ca/en/fqa.html
CIRA Announces New, Broader Rules
for .ca Domain Registration
New rules will open the Registry to more Canadians
17 October 2000
OTTAWA — The long-awaited new rules for .ca domain name registration are now finalized and available on the Canadian Internet Registration Authority's (CIRA) Web site at www.cira.ca. The new rules will come into effect when CIRA takes over operational control of the .ca Registry on or about November 1st, 2000.
"The original rules made sense for the size, usage and vision of the Internet in the early days," says Maureen Cubberley, Chair, CIRA Board. "However, with the increased usage and rapid commercialization of the Internet, the Canadian Internet community agreed that the rules for registering domain names were too restrictive and had to evolve.
Under existing rules, organizations are only allowed one Domain Name; the Domain Name must refer to the organization's legal name, operating name, or registered Canadian Trademark; top-level domains (companyname.ca) are only available to federally incorporated organizations; and registrations are only available to Canadians.
Under the new rules:
- Anyone meeting basic Canadian Presence Requirements can register a .ca domain name
- Organizations and persons can register more than one .ca name
- Top level domains (xyz.ca) are available to anyone on a first come first served basis
- Generic domain names are accepted
In addition, CIRA is setting up a registration system that allows for real-time registrations, eliminating the waiting period that currently exists. This is an important development for Canadian electronic commerce and will ultimately increase the number of registrations in the .ca domain space at a much faster pace than in the past.
About CIRA
CIRA is a not-for-profit organization mandated to operate the .ca top-level domain. It is responsible for setting policy, managing and operating the .ca domain database and registering Domain Names.
About the transfer of the .ca Registry
On or about November 1st, 2000, CIRA will take over the responsibility of the .ca Registry from the University of British Columbia. On September 18th, 2000, CIRA announced the beginning of the pre-transfer registration period. During this period, CIRA informed all existing .ca domain name holders that they had to pre-register their domain names in its Registry. To date, approximately 45% of the 98,000 .ca Registrants have pre-registered through the services of a CIRA certified Registrars. There are now over 35 certified Registrars. The list is available at www.cira.ca.
Source:
CIRA news release, 17 October 2000
http://grive.cira.ca/en/E17oct.html
The new rules
Who is Eligible to Hold a .ca Domain Name?
Posting date: 31 October 2000
Effective date: 8 November 2000
1. Overview. After public consultation, CIRA has determined that the .ca domain space should be developed as a key public resource for the social and economic development of all Canadians. Accordingly, persons who wish to register a .ca domain name or sub-domain name on and after 8 November 2000 must meet certain Canadian Presence Requirements.
While the Canadian Presence Requirements for Registrants set out below still require a connection to Canada, they will enable a much broader group of persons to register a .ca domain name than under the rules of the University of British Columbia (UBC) registry.
Existing Registrants under the UBC system will not have to meet these Canadian presence requirements when they apply to re-register with CIRA a domain name that is the subject of an existing registration. CIRA hopes this will make it easier for existing registrants of the registry operated by UBC when they apply to CIRA for a new registration.
CIRA is committed to reviewing these Canadian Presence Requirements from time to time in order to ensure they remain in the best interests of Canadians and the .ca registry.
2. Canadian Presence Requirements. On and after 8 November 2000 only the following individuals and entities will be permitted to apply to CIRA (through a CIRA certified registrar) for the registration of, and to hold and maintain the registration of, a .ca domain name:
(a) Canadian citizen. A Canadian citizen of the age of majority under the laws of the province or territory in Canada in which he or she resides or last resided;
(b) Permanent resident. A permanent resident as defined in the Immigration Act (Canada) Revised Statutes of Canada 1985, chapter I-2, as amended from time to time, who is ordinarily resident in Canada (as defined below) and of the age of majority under the laws of the province or territory in Canada in which he or she resides or last resided;
(c) Legal representative. An executor, administrator or other legal representative of a Person listed in paragraph (a) and (b) above;
(d) Corporation. A corporation under the laws of Canada or any province or territory of Canada;
(e) Trust. A trust established and subsisting under the laws of a province or territory
of Canada, more than 66.7% of whose trustees meet one of the conditions set out
in paragraphs (a) to (d) above;
(f) Partnership. A partnership, more than 66.7% of whose partners meet one of the
conditions set out in paragraphs (a) to (e) above, which is registered as a
partnership under the laws of any province or territory of Canada;
(g) Association. An unincorporated organization, association or club:
(i) at least 80% of whose members:
(A) are ordinarily resident in Canada (if such members are individuals); or
(B) meet one of the conditions set out in paragraphs (a) to (f) above (if such members are not individuals); and
(ii) at least 80% of whose directors, officers, employees, managers, administrators or other representatives are ordinarily resident in Canada;
(h) Trade union. A trade union which is recognized by a labour board under the laws of Canada or any province or territory of Canada and which has its head office in Canada;
(i) Political party. A political party registered under a relevant electoral law of
Canada or any province or territory of Canada;
(j) Educational institution. Any of the following:
(i) a university or college which is located in Canada and which is authorized or recognized as a university or college under an Act of the legislature of a province or territory of Canada; or
(ii) a college, post-secondary school, vocational school, secondary school, pre-school or other school or educational institution which is located in Canada and which is recognized by the educational authorities of a province or territory of Canada or licensed under or maintained by an Act of Parliament of Canada or of the legislature of a province or territory of Canada;
(k) Library, Archive or Museum. An institution, whether or not incorporated, that:
(i) is located in Canada; and
(ii) is not established or conducted for profit or does not form part of, or is not administered or directly or indirectly controlled by, a body that is established or conducted for profit, in which is held and maintained a collection of documents and other materials that is open to the public or to researchers;
(l) Hospital. A hospital which is located in Canada and which is licensed, authorized or approved to operate as a hospital under an Act of the legislature of a province or territory of Canada;
(m) Her Majesty the Queen. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second and her successors;
(n) Indian band. Any Indian band as defined in the Indian Act, Revised Statutes of Canada 1985, chapter I-5, as amended from time to time, and any group of Indian bands;
(o) Aboriginal Peoples. Any Inuit, First Nation, Metis or other people indigenous to Canada, any individual belonging to any Inuit, First Nation, Metis or other people indigenous to Canada and any collectivity of such Aboriginal peoples;
(p) Government. Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, a province or a territory; an agent of Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, of a province or of a territory; a federal, provincial or territorial Crown corporation, government agency or government entity; or a regional, municipal or local area government;
(q) Trade-mark registered in Canada. A Person which does not meet any of the foregoing conditions, but which is the owner of a trade-mark which is the subject of a registration under the Trade-marks Act (Canada) Revised Statutes of Canada 1985, chapter T-13 as amended from time to time, but in this case such permission is limited to an application to register a .ca domain name consisting of or including the exact word component of that registered trade-mark; or
(r) Official marks. A Person which does not meet any of the foregoing conditions, but which is a Person intended to be protected by Subsection 9(1) of the Trade-Marks Act (Canada) at whose request the Registrar of Trade-marks has published notice of adoption of any badge, crest, emblem, official mark or other mark pursuant to Subsection 9(1), but in this case such permission is limited to an application to register a .ca domain name consisting of or including the exact word component of such badge, crest, emblem, official mark or other mark in respect of which such Person requested publications.
3. For the purposes of this policy:
(a) "ordinarily resident in Canada" means an individual who resides in Canada for more than 183 days in the twelve month period immediately preceding the date of the applicable application for registration of the .ca domain name or sub-domain name and in each twelve month period thereafter for the duration of the domain name registration; and
(b) "Person" includes an individual, a corporation, a partnership, a trust, an unincorporated organization, association or club, the government of a country or any political subdivision thereof, or any agency or department of any such government, and the executors, administrators or other legal representatives of an individual in such capacity, a "person" as defined in the Trade-marks Act (Canada) and a Person intended to be protected by Subsection 9(1) of the Trade-marks Act (Canada).
4. Notwithstanding paragraph 1 above, each registrant of a .ca domain name or sub-domain name registration which is registered in the .ca registry operated by UBC prior to 8 November 2000 shall be deemed to satisfy the Canadian presence requirements described in paragraph 1 above with respect only to an application by such registrant to CIRA to register such .ca domain name or sub-domain name.
Source:
CIRA website
http://www.cira.ca/en/documents/txt/Canadian.txt
List of all CIRA-Certified .ca Registrars
as of 21 October 2000
- 2ic Systems Inc. (SmarttNet)
http://www.smartt.com/
Language: English
- Aloak Inc.
http://www.aloak.ca/
Language: English
- Arvic Search Services Inc.
http://www.arvic.com/
Language: Bilingual
- Baremetal.com Inc.
http://baremetal.com/
Language: Bilingual
- Canadian Consulting & Online Services Inc.
http://www.cancon.net/
Language: English
- Canadian Domain Name Services Inc.
http://www.cadns.ca/
Language: English
- Canadian Internet Technologies Inc.
http://www.canadiandomain.com/
Language: English
- CanHost Inc.
http://www.canhost.ca/
Language: English
- CA Registry
http://www.registry.ca/
Language: Bilingual
- CVO.CA Inc.
http://www.cvo.ca/
Language: English
- Digital Internet Gaming Services Ltd.
http://www.digs.ca/
Language: Bilingual
- DomainPeople, Inc.
http://www.domainpeople.ca/
Language: English
- DomainsAtCost Corp.
http://www.domainsatcost.ca/
Language: English
- Dot.ca
http://www.dot.ca/
Language: English
- EasyDNS Technologies Inc.
http://www.easyDNS.ca/
Language: English
- E-Gate Communications Inc.
http://domains.egate.net/
Language: English
- Endless Communications Inc.
http://www.endless.net/
Language: English
- Energetex Engineering
http://www.energetex.com/
Language: Bilingual
- FastWebServer
http://fastwebserver.com/
Language: English
- GMA Services Inc.
http://www.CdnDomainRegistry.com/
Language: English
- Groupe iWeb Technologies Inc.
http://www.iweb-hosting.com/
Language: Bilingual
- Hostmaster.ca Corporation
http://www.hostmaster.ca/
Language: English
- Internic.ca Corp.
http://www.internic.ca/
Language: English
- Kenneth Jarvin
http://www.domain.ca
Language: English
- London Webmasters — a division of 1263090 Ontario Inc.
http://lweb.net/
Language: Bilingual
- Look Communications Inc.
http://www.easyhosting.com/
Language: Bilingual
- Mediafusion
http://www.mediafusion.ca/
Language: Bilingual
- Mesut Bulent TURKOGLU
http://www.sibername.com/
Language: Bilingual
- Mondenet Technical Services Inc.
http://www.domains.mondenet.com/
Language: English
- MTS Communications Inc.
http://mts.mb.ca/
Language: English
- Reseau d'Informations Scientifiques du Quebec (RISQ Inc.)
http://www.webdomain.qc.ca/
Language: Bilingual
- Reseau Internet Quebec Inc.
http://www.riq.qc.ca/
Language: Bilingual
- Trillium Internet Company Inc.
http://trillium.ca/
Language: Bilingual
- Tucows International Corp.
http://www.tucows.ca/
Language: Bilingual
- Webnames (UBC Research Enterprises Inc.)
http://www.webnames.ca/
Language: Bilingual
- Worldwide Online Corp.
http://www.wwonline.com/
Language: English
- ZiD.com Division of ZYMOS Computer Systems Inc.
http://www.domain-name-canada.com/
Language: Bilingual
Source:
CIRA website http://www.cira.ca
Index with links to the other chapters
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 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 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: 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: 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 revision: 2001 January 25