Colonel (Ret’d) Stogran was not re-appointed for a second term as the Ombudsman for Veterans Affairs despite many calls for a second term.   Mr. Guy Parent was appointed the new Veterans Ombudsman on November 12^th.

The House of Commons held a ‘take-note’ debate on veterans’ issues in the House of Commons on November 2^nd.  MP Peter Stoffer pushed for this debate in recognition of the very serious issues facing veterans and their families and to ask for an inquiry into the practices of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He also introduced a new bill (C-592) to allow modern day CF veterans’ access to veterans’ hospitals and departmental long term care beds.

Come join us for an evening of music, refreshments, and a silent auction as we light our Christmas Tree in honour of those who make a difference in our life while helping to support health care in our community, and services that are vital to our neighbours.

If you would like to have a candle lit in memory or honour of someone, please contact the Foundation at (902) 869-6128 or visit www.cobequidfoundation.ca

A light will shine brightly on our tree in the lobby in honour or memory of your loved one and will remain lit through the holiday season.

Presented by RBC, Bedford and Lower Sackville Branches

“The idea came from my husband’s company, who were asked to fill as many shoeboxes as they could,” said Wendy James, owner/operator of Wendy’s Neverland. “I thought, what a great idea to involve all Wendy’s Neverland children. It is teaching them to give to others and think about how lucky their lives are compared to other children of the same age. This is part of Samaritans Christmas boxes appeal.”

The children and parents all enjoyed filling the boxes with an array of great gifts, including school supplies, hair brushes, small toys, cuddly toys; some of the people who helped fill the boxes even put in a photo or letter telling the recipient about their lives in Canada.

“We managed to fill 40 boxes in total,” said Wendy, “so we’re very pleased and very happy to know a child in need will be getting a great gift from our children at Christmas. I want to say a big “thank you” to all the parents that helped fill the boxes.”

On Nov. 10, Wendy delivered all of the boxes personally to Gateway Community Church in Sackville, where collections were held.

The Cobequid Community Health Centre Foundation wish to thank all the donors, individual participants, teams and volunteers whose hard work and dedication made this possible.  We are convinced that our success is due to the spirit of our community and the support we have received throughout the years.  For more information regarding up coming events please visit our website at www.cobequidfoundation.ca

There is an opportunity to perhaps access funding for the park land. The Aviva Community Fund is Donating 1 million dollars to groups/community developments across Canada.  Last year a camp from PEI won $100,000; anything is possible if people all place a vote.

The voting starts Monday October 25th, at 1p.m., and continues to Nov 5th. Each person can vote 10 times, only once each day.  The only chance of winning is by receiving a high number of votes.  So if you are interested in supporting the efforts of the WAAA to access funds for the MacDonald Sports Park in Waverley, go to www.waverleycommunity.ca , and vote to Rejuvenate MacDonald Sports Park.

If you would like to help win funding for the MacDonald Sports Park in Waverley, members of the Waverley Amateur Athletic Association ask that you pass this onto your friends in hopes of obtaining as many votes as possible.
 

“As many of you are now only too aware, the HRM has been going through a mandated review of its District Boundaries and thru the first half of this year a number of public meetings and information sessions were held.  From these reviews and public sessions the Committee of which I am a member of, recommended to Regional Council that the number of Councilors be reduced to 20.  This recommendation was rejected by Council and the status quo of 23 was upheld.
      
The second part of this review is now underway; by Provincial mandate all HRM Districts are supposed to be within a +/- 10% of each other, currently a large number of Districts are outside this mandate with our District 2 being one of the largest in both size and population.
     
To get to the mandated goal a number of HRM Districts will have their boundaries changed to either add or lose population, changes are needed in this District because it is much too big.  
The Committee has met a number of times and have come up with proposals and are now going to residents again with open public meetings to present those proposals.
     
There will be a public meeting in Fall River at the new Rec Centre on the Fall River Road; this meeting will take place in the multi purpose room on Wednesday, November 10th at 7:00pm.
 
This is your chance to be heard, I hope to see you there.”

Fire Fighters were called to the scene at 351 Beaver Bank Rd. at 2:39 a.m.

This is the second fire in the past 13 months to rock the small HRM community of Beaver Bank.

In September 2009, a fire completely destroyed the Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre. That fires cause remains unknown.

More information to come when available.

With the exciting move, Humphreys is pleased to announce the start of the new Advantage Homework group! “Kids can come down and do their homework,” she said. “This is not tutoring, this is just helping with homework, although we do have tutoring for those who are interested. Our Homework group is geared towards assisting students with homework completion, all under the supervision of a person who is ready to offer help whenever it is needed.”

The fee for homework help is $150 for 10 hours. “The Advantage Homework sessions are very affordable,” says Humphreys. “We can assist with French Immersion as well as English.”

Humphreys says she made the move to 1480 Fall River Rd, in part, to make the journey from school to the Learning Centre safer for the children who walk to the Centre at the end of the school day, as well as to accommodate the Centers need for better utilized space. “Our new location is closer to schools, and the main concern parents had was children crossing the street,” said Humphreys. “I wanted to do as much as I could towards ensuring the safety of children as they travel from school to the centre.”

Humphreys says it is rewarding to know the services the centre provides make a difference in the lives of children. “Our main program is our Reading program,” she said. “Advantage Reading, Writing, and Spelling. When I get positive feedback from a parent, telling me their child is doing better due to the help they have received through our Centre, it gives me such a good feeling.” Humphreys smiled, looking over the heads of the children seated around a table, doing their homework.

“To know we are making a positive difference in a child’s education and future is so rewarding,” said Humphreys, pausing for a moment before continuing. “That is why we are here.”

“We’re proud to have Inn on the Lake as our first Ascend Collection membership hotel in the Choice family,” says Tim Oldfield, managing director, Choice Hotels Canada. “The commitment to providing outstanding guest services demonstrated by Susan Nelson and her entire team is inspirational to other hotels and we’re pleased to officially honour their hard work.”

Nelson owns the Inn on the Lake with her husband Ron, and she is general manager of the property.

The Rookie of the Year award is designed to recognize a new property that has entered the Choice Canada system, embraced Choice programs and demonstrated a passion for providing exceptional guest customer experience, while symbolizing the qualities expected of an hotelier within the Choice system. Inn on the Lake joined the Choice Hotels’ Ascend Collection in December of 2009.

“I can’t say enough how impressed I’ve been with my team in making the past year so successful,” says Nelson. “We are honoured to receive this award.”

Inn on the Lake features 39 guestrooms and suites and offers guests a boutique hotel experience amid four acres of parklands, including a private white sand beach, tennis courts, a lakeside gazebo and gardens. An elegant on-site restaurant, Encore, and cozy English style Gastropub, Oliver’s, cater to hungry travelers, while uniquely appointed rooms feature fireplaces and whirlpool tubs for comfort, relaxation and romance. Added amenities such as a complimentary shuttle to and from the Halifax International Airport, complimentary high-speed Internet and an on-site business centre provide guests with convenience and added value.

Reservations at Inn on the Lake can be made by calling 800.4CHOICE or by visiting innonthelake.com

About Choice Hotels Canada:
From Victoria, B.C., to St. John’s, N.L., more than five million guests each year stay with Choice Hotels CanadaTM (CHC). CHC is the nation’s largest hotel franchisor, with 300 privately run properties currently open and under development, under seven brands: ComfortTM, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Econo Lodge® and Rodeway Inn®. In addition, via its Ascend CollectionTM membership program, Canadians have upscale lodging options at historic, boutique and unique hotels. CHC properties are 100 per cent franchise owned and operated by individual hoteliers, entrepreneurs and lodging/hotel management companies. CHC offers comprehensive support services to its franchisees including sales, marketing, purchasing, reservations and other supportive services. CHC offers high-value lodging options ranging from limited to full service, in the economy to mid-scale markets. CHC is part of Choice Hotels International® which franchises 6,000 hotels in more than 35 countries and territories worldwide. CHC is represented in every major and most secondary markets across all provinces, conveniently located near major airports and highways, shopping centres, entertainment districts and tourist attractions. For reservations call 800.4CHOICE (800.424.6423) / 800.BO.RÊVES (800.267.3837) or visit choicehotels.ca.

“Saturday, July 10th was a very special day for Fall River Taekwon-Do as Mr. Jeff Dixon and Mr. Darrell Foley became Fall River Taekwon-Do’s first Black Belts,” said Mr. Stoerig.  “This was the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication….well done and congratulations!!!!  Thank you to Mr. Bob St. Laurent of LeBlanc Taekwon-Do and Mr. Richard Killeen-Payne and Mr. Blaine Blackie of Fall River Taekwon-Do for their excellent participation and assistance in the grading.

Terrific team spirit was evident with the large number of fellow students and family members who came out to cheer and support these gentlemen,” said Mr. Stoerig. The day was topped off with a congratulatory dinner at Boston Pizza in Sackville.

On Sept. 18, an ICTF seminar was held in Nova Scotia.  “What a privilege and honour it was to once again welcome Kwan Jang Nim Cariati back to Nova Scotia,” said Mr. Stoerig.  “The weekend commenced with an in-depth Instructor technical training and grading session in which Mr. Blue earned his 4th Dan, Mr. Carr his 6th Dan (congratulations Sirs) and myself 6th Dan.  This focus continued into Saturday’s seminar where Kwan Jang Nim Cariati provided all Students and Instructors new insight and appreciation of all aspects of our fundamental movements, giving explanation to and improving our patterns and self-defence/sparring.”
“As before, smiles filled the room as participants experienced Kwan Jang Nim’s rigorous and intense training in a totally enjoyable atmosphere,” said Mr. Stoerig.  “Every student was able to become directly involved in the seminar through demonstration and asking questions.  Immediately following the seminar, the Head Instructors of ICTF do jangs met for a question and answer session with Kwan Jang Nim Cariati and to discuss future developments for the ICTF in Nova Scotia.
The Head Instructors are:
·         Mr. Bill Stoerig, 6th Dan – Fall River Taekwon-Do
·         Mr. Robert Carr, 6th Dan – Carr Taekwon-Do
·         Mr. Bryan Blue, 4th Dan – Blue Taekwon-Do
·         Mr. Randy Muise, 3rd Dan – Muise Taekwon-Do
·         Mr. Robert LeBlanc, 3rd Dan – LeBlanc Taekwon-Do
As the provincial representative in Nova Scotia, it’s exciting to reflect that in only one year we’ve built the ICTF into one of the largest martial arts groups in the province,” Mr. Stoerig said.
“What a fantastic event and weekend, we can’t wait for the next one Kwan Jang Nim.”

For more information, please go to:

http://www.ictf.info/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=147%3Aictf-technical-seminar-in-nova-scotia&catid=1%3Alatest-news&lang=en