Ernest Blair Experiment

Last night, I attended the Plannapolis meeting at the Lawrencetown Fire Hall, hosted by Annapolis County and by Stantec.

Attendance was excellent, with over seventy community members. This was my second meeting, as I also attended the one in Centrelea.

What did I learn?
What questions remain?

The format was similar between Centrelea and Lawrencetown. The only difference was the attendance of Stantec Senior Planner, John Heseltine.

My impression was that the municipal planners would be responsible for the six coloured areas on the map and Stantec would look after the rest of the county. Coloured areas include Cornwallis, Habitation, Upper Clements Park, East End, Bridgetown and Water Supply areas. Also on the map was a large area of South Mountain designated as a ’wind resource’.

It was a lively session, with many perspectives from the agricultural community. At one level, it is positive that the province has determined there is a need for a review of municipal planning. On another level, it does beg the question, what has happened over the last twenty-plus years.

A long time ago, there were identifiable planning staff. There was a vibrant planning program at COGS. Certainly, I can recall Nick Lasch, Phil Hore, Mike Donnelly and, more recently, Ed Symons.

Fundamental to the planning process is understanding and mapping the land use. This includes agriculture, forestry and other resources. There was a time when GIS technology was used to provide this baseline information. Is that still the case today?

In Annapolis County, what is the separation between lands managed by the province, (e.g. crown lands) and those managed by the county? Within the county, why is Bridgetown a separate entity, but not Middleton, Annapolis Royal etc? I think the answer, was that Bridgetown found itself in financial difficulty. Should that impact the planning process?

Is the situation in Annapolis County similar or different from Kings County or Queens County? Are there province-wide standards for planning? If you do not know the resource, where and how much, how can you plan?

There should be sufficient residual resources at COGS/AGRG to develop a current county-wide map of land uses. Or does that infringe on the rights of citizens and communities? or COGS?

The citizens have shown initiative and direction with MapAnnapolis, perhaps a somewhat similar approach could be applied to Plannapolis.

Acknowledgements

These are the personal view of a long time, Annapolis County resident, on and off, since 1980. They have been influenced by students and colleagues at both COGS and AGRG. Edward added the graphics. For more details on the current process, check the Plannapolis website.

Postscript

I wonder whether the reaction to ’resource planning’ is a characteristic of rural Nova Scotia. Edward tells me that Beavercreek Winery has been sold, presumably, with the Tavern too. Hope new owners will maintain their investment.

I share with you the large Horse Chestnut tree across the road.

Yesterday (Wednesday) Heather and I conducted a guided walk through Andrew’s old property from the Hunter organic orchard on Highway #201, to the Annapolis River (see “Times Have Changed” blog post).

The last time we conducted a similar hike was in 1975 in Gros Morne National Park for Black Feather outfitters in Ottawa. On that occasion, it was a ten-day event, including hiking along the Long Range Mountain trail.

This time, it was a three-hour hike for two couples from Ottawa, and a father from Mount Rose (North Mountain). Our objective was to demonstrate the changing ecology from South Mountain to the Annapolis River, as well as the changes in land use over the last twenty years. The land has been used by the Mi’kmaki for a much longer period.

The experience allowed small group interaction. The couples had spent time overseas enjoying other landscapes and cultures.

Heather and I recognized that under COVID conditions we had missed the stimulation of interacting with other age groups and interests. We thank Celes for the initiative, and Abby and her group for their insights and interests.

Today, I attended the Plannapolis consultation at Centrelea. What I found most striking, was the lack of any appreciation of the unique economic opportunity presented by the technology and education at COGS (NSCC’s Centre for Geographic Sciences). I fail to understand why today, GIS technology is not a standard for community meetings. This allows a common understanding of our geography, land use, people and culture.

Second, Abby and her partner met at COGS. Imagine how many young professionals we have graduated from Lawrencetown since 1980 (The year when I started teaching there). It seems obvious to me that this represents both an educational and an economic opportunity — and opportunities lost if not exploited.

Acknowledgements

Heather shared her knowledge and ‘sense of place’ on the guided walk. Rob and Sinead gave us permission to conduct the walk on their property. Pierre at Ironworks for the excellent Hunter Brandy. Edward added the graphics. Celes Davar at Earth Rhythms has brought Experiential Tourism to the Annapolis Valley.

Reference

Annapolis County-wide Plan Review, prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd., May 9, 2022.

This morning, Heather and I shared a zoom call with Celes Davar, Earth Rhythms.

He operates an experiential tourism business in the Gaspereau Valley of Nova Scotia. Our paths have crossed several times over the last forty years.

In an earlier email, he had forwarded information on the STAR (Strategic Tourism for Areas and Regions) visioning session for a new tourism strategy for the Annapolis valley. This week, there were sessions from Windsor to Annapolis Royal. I chose to attend the event at the Bridgetown Motor Inn. It was hosted by ACOA and the Valley REN.

As you might imagine, the small group of attendees was Bridgetown-centric in their interests. Thus, one of my concerns was a collaboration between the different communities throughout the Annapolis Valley region. As a previous board member of the Valley REN, I had noticed the lack of inclusiveness across the region.

To counter this reality, it is my belief that the overall focus should be on understanding our ecological landscape and the relationship of the different communities to these regional assets.

My second observation is that there is a shortage of staff in the hospitality industry, especially in rural Nova Scotia. To offset this, there should be a concerted effort to engage students and faculty within post-secondary educational institutions. With individuals, like Celes, moving into the region, there is the opportunity to become world leaders in the ’ creative rural economy. There exists an amazing resource of artists, musicians, and storytellers in the region. This links back to opportunities for experiential tourism.

Finally, from Celes, Nisoge’katik is the name for the village of Paradise in Mi’kmaq (check placenames.mapdev.ca). It means ’the lower ground’

Postscript

From Wade Davis,

”The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts of being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit.”

Tonight, we went down to Lunn’s Mill to purchase beer in support of Ukraine.

Acknowledgements

Participants at the STAR session in Bridgetown at the Motor Inn. Celes for a stimulating Zoom call. Heather shared the background research. Edward added the graphics, David and Paulette Whitman for their extensive knowledge of the Lawrencetown history and stories.

Reference

David and Paulette Whitman, 2009, Lawrencetown and the Annapolis Valley: An Old Fashioned, But New Scrapbook, Bailey Chase Books.