Community & Culture

Fulfilling Dreams at the East Preston Empowerment Academy

By Karen Bradley Last month, we shared the importance for local and rural economic development to arise from the region’s women and youth. The East Preston Empowerment Academy (EPEA) is one of the Eastern Shore’s community-based programs created to foster the development of skills and employability for young people, women, and others on the western side of the Shore. EPEA has a strong mission statement, “to empower and equip members of our community with the necessary skills, tools and confidence to fulfill their lifelong dreams.”

March 28, 2020

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At a Crossroad: Rebuilding after Dorian

By Mary Elizabeth O’Toole In the last issue, Jim Turner described some of the organic farm strategies he uses at his Nova Bluewater Farm in DeBaies Cove. This month, we continue the story with more about the growth of the farm.

March 28, 2020

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Sue Henry's Whale Talk

Editor’s Note: The Sheet Harbour and Area Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs asked Sue Henry to make a presentation to the March 4, 2020 Chamber meeting regarding the announcement that the Whale Sanctuary Project was going to Sherbrooke/Port Hilford rather than Sheet Harbour/Mushaboom. The construction cost of the project was estimated at $20 million, with annual maintenance between $1 million and $2 million. The Cooperator is printing her talk at length because Henry engages with some of the perennial issues dealing with the often painful difficulties of negotiating conflicts between proposals for new developments and strong local opposition to such proposals.

March 28, 2020

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Farewell to an Old Piano

By Jacqueline Sanford I love working on projects with my Dad. A few weeks ago, we took apart an old upright piano that sat in my dining room. Long past its best, with broken keys and hammers, and now too big to fit out through the patio door, it was destined to be a dust collector in my house for years to come. But Dad suggested we tackle it and gave up his whole day to help.

March 28, 2020

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Feral Frolics: Part 3

By Karen Schlick The story so far: I adopted five cats, a mother with three kittens and the presumed father. That cat, black with a white chest spot, was the only one I had a pact with, after he died. “Come back, if you can, and let me know it’s you.”

March 28, 2020

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The Cooperator Needs You Today

The community of people that produces the Cooperator is scrambling to keep the Eastern Shore’s only local newspaper alive in the rapidly changing COVID-19 economy. You should be getting the April issue in your mailbox by March 30. Now more than ever, we need you to become a Monthly Supporter so that we have the funds we need to keep bringing the paper to you in this increasingly challenging economy.

March 27, 2020

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New Zealand: Visiting Family Down Under

[Editor's Note: Because of space limitations, we published this story in two pieces edited for length. This version is the complete story as submitted by the author.] By Leslie Hauck

March 18, 2020

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Going Organic at Nova Bluewater Farm

By Mary Elizabeth O’Toole Nova Bluewater Farm, located on a hill in DeBaies Cove, offers spectacular ocean views – and one of the few pockets of fertile farming soil in an area best known for its rocky soil and rugged coastline. The farm belongs to Jim Turner and his partner Paul Nicholl, who bought the farm in 2002. Turner is a horticulturist, and one of the few certified organic farmers on the Eastern Shore. The farm has been certified as organic since 2008 and does not use chemicals or synthetic products, relying instead on integrating living systems.

February 26, 2020

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The Caretakers of St. Anthony's Cemetery

By Janice Christie In September of 2009, the Bradleys, Jim and Margaret, were taking a road trip along the Eastern Shore on their way to Cape Breton. They made a stop at a little local island called Sober Island.

February 26, 2020

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Keeping It Local at Dobbit Bakehouse

By Kathy MacPherson When people talk about the importance of supporting the local economy to create local jobs, I think about Paul Nicholl and his Dobbit Bakehouse in Musquodoboit Harbour. Almost everything about Dobbit’s is locally sourced, from the ingredients right through the bakers themselves (of whom I am one!).

February 26, 2020

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