The Mountain and the Valley

Ernest Buckler died in Bridgetown, in 1984. (He was born in West Dalhousie, 1908).

From the back cover of “The Mountain and the Valley“,
”set against the backdrop of the Annapolis Valley’s natural beauty, The Mountain and the Valley captures a young man’s spiritual awakening and the growth of artistic vision.” Published in 1952.

Today, in 2022, Annapolis County is attempting to develop a municipal plan. Indeed, the County includes four distinct regions: South Mountain, the Valley, North Mountain and the Bay of Fundy shore. Each region depends on a different mix of resources: forestry, agriculture, fishing and mining.

Within the County, we have separate municipal units: Annapolis Royal and Middleton as well as a number of smaller villages. To plan the future of the County, requires representation from the four landscape units, the different resource sectors, the various municipal units, and the business community, as a whole.

We need a consortium of citizens who can agree on a planning methodology, the mechanism for understanding our geography, e.g. land use, population distribution, river networks, road networks, climate conditions, housing stock, etc.

Without an agreed methodology, plus access to common geographic information, it will be impossible to reach a consensus on a common future.

These discussions cannot be left to County employees or an external consulting company. Instead, we need a citizen consortium, with representative voices from the different geographies, sectors, and communities.

With a common geographic database, we can at least share our understanding of the County, its resources and hence possible future.

Let us follow in Ernest Buckler’s footsteps and in his artistic vision.

Acknowledgements

I have benefited from conversations with my new neighbour, Rob Jarvis, with Jane Nicholson, with John Wightman, with Brian Reid. Edward added the graphics. Heather shared the gardening.

Reference

Ernest Buckler, 1952, The Mountain and the Valley, McClelland and Stewart Inc.
(link to 2010 edition HERE)