Stephen Harper's gone and snubbed us again. That new four surface arena now under construction off Hammonds Plains Road will not be the beneficiary of any federal government stimulus money. The city got the word a couple of weeks back the project didn't qualify for stimulus cash and this week the feds confirmed no means no. That leaves the city about $20 million short but the mayor's promising work will continue. Council may end up borrowing the money now to finish the job. You might recall before the June 9th provincial election, indications were the new rink met the requirements for federal stimulus cash, but after Rodney MacDonald's Tories got the boot, suddenly Ottawa had a change of heart. The area's councillor, the mayor and the premier have all said they don't beleive it's dirty politics, but considering other arenas in other parts of the country have received federal aid, it's hard not to think this is federal Tory payback.
In the meantime, the city's still waiting for word from the feds on stimulus money for a couple of other projects, a new Woodside ferry and a new library for the downtown. The mayor says he doesn't think Ottawa will turn down those projects too. We'll see.
Pride Week this week in Halifax has certainly come a long way over the last 20 years. When the first gathering was held you could have counted the participants on two hands and many of them wore paper bags over their heads to protect their identities. In recent years the festival has not only attracted several thousand participants, but many thousands more line city streets on to watch the annual Pride Week parade. This year's parade is scheduled to begin Saturday afternoon at 1:30, forming up at Cornwallis and Lower Water, then heading down Barrington, up Spring Garden and on to South Park. The mayor will participate again this year, and for the first time Nova Scotia's premier will march in the parade. Previous premiers have forgone the opportunity, but Darrell Dexter, who's been involved in previous years, plans to participate now that he's the premier. While homophobia is still a problem for some people, there's a general acceptance of the gay community these days. Indeed, Pride Week has become such a tourist draw, the city this year gave the event a $25,000 grant.
Rumours a local radio station is about to undergo a metamorphasis. There's talk of a major format change with an announcement perhaps as early as today. Metro Halifax's radio market is in a state of flux these days. A new Rogers music station, Lite 92.9 is getting ready to launch in a few weeks. CFDR, the city's last remaining AM station, is about to go off the air for good and of course, there was also last year's format change at 920 CJCH-AM to the Bounce at 101.3 on the FM dial. There's been talk at least one other station has been pondering a change in its format. As well, another radio license for the city may be about to be issued by the CRTC. Stay tuned.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on Halifax's radio market these days.
I'm not sure if I was influenced by the Indiana Jones movies, or it's my passion for history, but I've long been fascinated with archeology. Anyone else sharing that passion might want to check out an archeological dig starting this weekend in Cumberland County. The public's invited to participate in day long digs held over the next four weekends at the Beaubassin and Fort Lawrence national historic sites. It will cost you $36.70 and you can register by calling 1-506-364-5080.
Have a great day. Get involved. And if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.
Have a great day. Get involved. And if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.
