Did you know?  

Nova Scotia Health is committed to the inclusion of patient and family voices in our setting priorities and making important decisions that impact their lives, our community, and the whole health care system.

By Richard Bell 

On a recent stop for an event at Carroll’s Corner, Central Nova MP and Immigration Minister Sea Fraser told the Cooperator that after a six-year struggle, doctors and nurses practicing at the Eastern Shore’s three hospitals would finally become eligible for the Canada Student Loan Forgiveness for Family Doctors and Nurses. 

It has been one of my traditions to herald the New Year by going outside at midnight to hear the guns going off along the Shore.

Dobbit Bakehouse closed its doors with a great farewell party on New Year’s Eve. The shop supplied the community for 15 years with wonderful breads, scones, pizza dough, cookies, treats, and coffee.

The Deanery is gearing up for an exciting winter of activity indoors and out. Not everyone realizes we are open year round–If you have ideas for creative ways to connect with nature, and each other, please be in touch! The trails are open and the kettle is on.  

By Pearl Akers 

There was a bumper crop of wishes for the CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS WISHES TREE this past fall. Gifts for 63 children from 30 families totaling $4500 were donated by more than 42 people in the community. Gifts ranged from gift cards for the teens to clothing, bedding, and every toy imaginable, from the traditional Barbies to the newest attraction unfamiliar to some of us old-timers.   

Central Nova MP Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship was at the Carroll’s Corner Community Centre today to announce 5 grants totaling $322,727 for four projects across the Eastern Shore.

By Richard Bell 

The fate of the management of the Shearwater Flyer trail is sitting in the hands of Minister of Lands and Forests Tony Rushton. 

By Kelly Corkery  

What should seniors be considering when they think about selling the family home? 

By Mary Elizabeth O’Toole 

If your sewing machine is on the fritz, you need to call Rick Pehrsson in Lawrencetown. After retiring from a career spent fixing things, he discovered a passion for fixing sewing machines and learning each machine’s history.  

By John English

Imagination is a quality generally associated with children, and with creative people like musicians or artists or writers.  I think I can safely say that all the great works of art I can think of began as thoughts or concepts in someone’s head – Michelangelo’s David, Beethoven’s 9th symphony, Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale. 

By Richard Bell 

Jake Reeves, Cadet Chief Warrant Officer of the 2741 Eastern Shore Army Cadet Corps in Gaetz Brook, has been awarded the most prestigious award for an army cadet across Canada. He was named Canada's Most Outstanding Army Cadet for 2022-2023 and will be the National Army Cadet Representee for the year 2022-2023. 

By Savayda Jarone - herbalist 

Spices take the chill out of winter. Added to food, teas, and other home remedies, they promote circulation and the sensation of warmth. 

17-year-old Isaac VanWychen received the 2022 Male Youth Performance Player of the Year award at the Soccer NS Night of Excellence. VanWychen, who lives in Middle Musquodoboit, will be playing soccer this fall on a soccer scholarship at St. Francis Xavier University. He was a member of the NS Canada Games Soccer team that represented Nova Scotia at the Summer Canada Games in Niagara in August of last year. Van Wychen also plays table tennis and will be representing Nova Scotia at the Canada Winter Games in February 2023 as a Table Tennis athlete.

By Richard Bell

More than 80 people showed up at the Old School Gathering Place on January 18 for a meeting to bring the community together to launch community-based planning for the future of the Eastern Shore District High School building and to learn about all the exciting projects already in the works. Central Nova MP and Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, MLA Kent Smith, and HRM Councillor David Hendsbee were all in attendance to listen and learn from the group.

By Richard Bell

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s (NSHA) surprise announcement that the emergency room at Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital (ESMH) in Sheet Harbour would be closed for the entire month of January stunned the community, generating a flood of social media posts going as far as questioning whether the province might close the entire hospital down.

By Richard Bell

The fight to allow Robin Clayton to continue to keep his horse Angel at his home on East Petpeswick Road may be headed for a final decision at the January 12, 2023, meeting of the Harbour East-Marine Drive Community Council. Clayton applied for a variance to allow him to keep the horse last spring, and HRM’s Planning Department recently rejected his request, forcing him to make a final appeal to the Community Council.

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By Richard Bell

Sad news for Dobbit Bakehouse fans. We received the press release below this afternoon announcing the closing of Dobbit Bakehouse. The shop's wonderful treats and coffee have fueled all of at the Cooperator since the paper began in 2014. We will sorely miss the many conversations we had there. Best wishes to Paul, his partner Jim, and all the staff. [The photo shows owner Paul Nichol with his "Jake the Baker" national award in 2018 from Bakers Journal for his work mentoring young people and raising funds for community groups.]

Here's the press release:

Musquodoboit Harbour, NS -- After nearly 15 years, the rural artisan bakery featuring baked breads and sweets made with local, natural ingredients announces its closure.  Paul Nicholl built and operated the bakery after leaving the IT industry decades ago.  The bakery became a hot spot for lively discussion at its café tables, and a source of indulgence with sweets not often found in other bakeries.  Dobbit Bakehouse introduced some European styled breads with modest scepticism from locals, but they were quickly embraced alongside its renowned Granny’s Brown and Granny’s White breads.  Dobbit Bakehouse is also one of the original vendors at the Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers’ Market.

“This industry is very demanding both physically and emotionally” says Nicholl.  “Although not yet ready for retirement, I cannot keep up the pace required and expected of our customers.  Ingredient prices are soaring (butter up 56% in 12 months). And the pandemic was a rough ride which required 110%.  I’ve nothing left in the tank.”

“I will miss serving our regular customers.  Our seasonal customers when they return for the summer.  A youngster’s first bite of a meringue,” says Nicholl.  “The support from the community has been awesome.  I mean, where else would a community start a Go-Fund-Me page for the staff to recover their lost wages when the roof caved in several years ago?  The Eastern Shore rocks!”

The bakery will continue to operate until the end of December 2022., [email protected]