Nova Scotia

Please Support the Film and Television Industry in Nova Scotia #NSFilmJobs

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In my full-time job, I work as a Production Accountant, at Arcadia Entertainment in Halifax, NS. My position and many other film jobs in Nova Scotia rely on the financing of our productions, to stay employed. Financing for film and television comes from many sources, but arguably the most important is the Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit. Our Liberal government made a promise to maintain our Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit for 5 more years!

Premier McNeil

This financing source is now in jeopardy and so is our entire industry in Nova Scotia, because our current Minister of Finance, Diana Whalen, has an agenda to reduce, or eliminate, the Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit. (She won’t tell us what the changes are until April 9th when the budget is released!) DON’T STOP READING! I know this might sound unimportant to some of you – why should you care about this? Well let me tell you. [Read more…]

A Visit to the Beach in Winter

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The drive is longer than I’m used to, the roads covered in a slippery labyrinth of packed ice and snow. Inching forward, the car bounces left and right, up and down, and is rocked by the wind. I finally arrive at the beach, but there is no parking. Instead, snow covers the parking lot. I pull off to the side of the road, then put on my winter parka and pull up the hood. Stepping out of the car, the ocean wind hits me like a wall, whipping at my hood. Yet it still smells like the beach and invigorates me. I breathe in deeply and feel the cold, damp air enter my lungs.

Winter at the Beach

I walk up the stairs, onto the boardwalk, my boots crunching on the crisp, hard-packed, snow. A vast grey sky, with wispy thin white clouds, stretches out before me. The ocean below is a greenish charcoal, topped with frothing whitecaps. The deafening roar of small pebbles, pounded onto the beach, by the icy cold Atlantic swell, overpowers every other sound. [Read more…]

The Top 10 Winter Activities in Atlantic Canada

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It’s been a pretty mild winter so far, here in Atlantic Canada, but the snow and cold have finally arrived. We can’t ignore it, so we have two choices: embrace it or hide away in your house with the heat on high until summer. For those of you who want to embrace winter I’ve come up with a top 10 list of fun winter activities to try in Atlantic Canada. How many have you tried?

Top 10 Winter Activities in Atlantic Canada

1) Skiing: Who guessed that this would be first? Downhill and Cross Country Skiing has been a favourite winter past-time since the mid 19th century in the Atlantic Provinces. Wentworth Mountain was the first ski hill to have a chair lift and Martock was the first to install a half-pipe. Most mountains have amazing ski school programs for first time skiers. Did you also know that children in grade 4 & 5 can get a snow pass from the Canadian Ski Council? It only costs $30 and gives them 3 lift tickets each for almost every ski hill in Canada!  [Read more…]

12 Days of Christmas Ornament Countdown – Day 8

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This handsome man is pretty special to us. He comes to our tree straight from the Rebecca Cohn auditorium, where we have watched The Nutcracker, by Symphony Nova Scotia, many times. My mother-in-law, Carol, started taking my daughters to see the Nutcracker when they were small and it became a Christmas tradition. The Nutcracker is a wonderful story about a toy nutcracker who comes to life, to save a little girl from the ferocious Mouse King, in an enchanted kingdom. The enchanting music, by Tchaikovsky, and the ballet dancing, and the giant puppets, always put me in the mood for Christmas.

Symphony Nova Scotia, Halifax Dance and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia put on a wonderful performance of The Nutcracker, every year. If you haven’t been and you’re from Halifax, you simply must go!

An Interview with Glen Canning – A Rae of Light

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Just over six months ago I heard about Rehtaeh Parsons for the first time.  I was moved greatly by the story of her life. If you haven’t heard her story; Rehtaeh Parsons was raped at a party by four boys and then bullied relentlessly for 18 months until she took her own life on April 17, 2013, at the age of 17.

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REHTAEH PARSONS WAS MY DAUGHTER is one of the first articles I read after hearing about Rehtaeh for the first time. It is written by her father, Glen Canning. I found myself unable to stop the tears from falling down my face as I sat in my chair at work. The article still brings me to tears today, and I can’t even begin to imagine how Glen Canning wrote it, only 3 days after his daughter was pronounced brain-dead and did not regain consciousness. I have two daughters. I had no idea how far bullying could go until I heard Rehtaeh’s story.

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A Ford #Fiesta Road Trip!

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The trend with cars, these days, is to make them smaller than ever and more fuel-efficient. With the price of gas as high as it is, I can hardly argue this concept. Even so, I was wary of letting go of my large minivan, with all of its cup holders, trunk space and dvd system. Test driving the Ford Fiesta changed my mind.

Ford Fiesta Review

We took the Fiesta for a road trip from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Saint John, New Brunswick. It’s approximately a 4 hour drive, not including stopping time. [Read more…]

Sparks Fly & Self Regulation in our School System

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Have you heard of self-regulation? I hadn’t before I heard about Sparks Fly and met Luke MacDonald, owner of Aerobics First, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was blown away when I started talking to Luke about this program. Self-regulation is the ability to manage your own energy states, including emotions, behaviors and attention, in ways that are socially acceptable. I am sure all of us know someone who could use help with managing their energy states, especially in situations where we are required to focus on a task, such as school.

RunForLifeFacebookCover

Enhancing a child’s ability to regulate him or herself has a dramatic impact, not only on the child’s wellbeing and capacity to learn, but an equally dramatic impact on the wellbeing of parents and educators. With this thought in mind, Sparks Fly was created. Run for Life in partnership with the Halifax Regional School Board and Luke MacDonald have created the Sparks Fly initiative to incorporate physical activity with academic success in elementary classrooms. Inspired by Dr. Stuart Shanker’s keynote at “The Collision” in Waterloo and Dr. John Ratey’s book “Spark”, Sparks Fly is an initiative that will mix physical activity with self-regulation principles in an educational setting. [Read more…]

Lets All Go Fly a Kite…at Neptune Theatre

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“Winds in the east, mist coming in. Like somethin’ is brewin’ and bout to begin. Can’t put me finger on what lies in store, But I fear what’s to happen all happened before”

Anyone who knows the Walt Disney movie, Mary Poppins, knows that this line opens the show. My daughters, mother-in-law and I had the opportunity to go see the musical Mary Poppins, put on by Neptune Theatre, in Halifax. We were blown away by the performance.

Neptune Poppins 2

Neptune Theatre had some big shoes to fill, when they took on the story of Mary Poppins. I had my doubts at the beginning of the performance. I am a huge Disney fan, and Mary Poppins is one of my most cherished characters. She is so dear, to so many people, I wondered if this take on her story would be a disappointment.

Let me say with resounding conviction, Mary Poppins is alive at Neptune Theatre, and practically perfect in every way! [Read more…]

The Halifax Vacation Superstore by Maritime Travel

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I like to travel, a lot. So, I thought it was about time I went to the Halifax Vacation Superstore by Maritime Travel. I wanted to see what it was all about. The moment we walked through the door, I was excited. I could see signs everywhere of the places I wanted to go: Cuba, Florida, Europe, Cruises. The decorations were fantastic: bright, colourful and palm trees everywhere. It certainly got you in the mood to book a vacation.

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Halifax Cookie Cravings Giveaway

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Halifax Cookie Cravings Giveaway

I’m so happy to introduce you to Halifax Cookie Cravings, a local business in Halifax, Nova Scotia, run by Diana. She makes cookies with delicious, locally sourced, ingredients and delivers them (when possible) on her beautiful bicycle!

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Diana makes many different types of cookies including birthday confetti, chocolate praline, peanut butter filled with chocolate buttercream and potato chip! (Made from Covered Bridge Potato Chips) [Read more…]