CREDA File

Welcome to the CREDA File, a monthly column on economic development issues and activities in Cumberland County from the files of the Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association - published monthly in the Citizen newspaper.

September 2008

 

Those of us who live and work in close proximity to the Bay of Fundy already know what a wonder of nature it truly is. Now the rest of the world is about to find out as the Bay of Fundy has been officially nominated as a participant in a worldwide contest to choose the New Seven Wonders of Nature. The Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership will coordinate the Fundy voting effort.

The Bay of Fundy has been compared in marine biodiversity to the Amazon Rainforest. In addition to having the highest tides in the world, the Bay of Fundy achieved nominee status in the contest for globally significant features including: outstanding geology; UNESCO designation for the Joggins Fossil Cliffs as a World Heritage Site and the upper Bay of Fundy as a Biosphere Reserve; summer feeding area for over a dozen species of whales; critical feeding ground for 90% of the world’s population of semi-palmated sandpipers; and the best site in the world for tidal power potential.

Voting for the new seven natural wonders of the world commences immediately with the first milestone in the contest occurring on December 31, 2008 when nominees will be shortlisted to the final 21. Over 1 billion votes are expected by the conclusion of the contest. Voting can take place through www.bayoffundytourism.com website where a Facebook fan page for the Bay of Fundy as a New 7 Wonder has also been set up.

The mission of Bay of Fundy Tourism is to raise the profile of the Bay of Fundy as a Canadian nature tourism icon. This non-profit association is supported by the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Departments of Tourism, Fundy-based Regional Development Associations including CREDA, Regional Tourism Associations, municipalities and tourism businesses.

The Broadband for Rural Nova Scotia initiative has enlisted Montreal-based OmniGlobe to deliver high speed Internet to un-served civic addresses scattered throughout rural HRM. OmniGlobe joins EastLink and Seaside Communications to ensure that broadband is available province-wide by the end of 2009. Seaside has been contracted to provide broadband to un-served areas of Cumberland County.

Currently, the service providers are focused on leasing the right tower and pole sites, as well as completing required public consultation and permit applications. This means that the service providers are leasing up to 400 sites across the province, where towers and poles will be erected to deliver high speed to rural homes and businesses. Once a site has been leased, and residents living close by have been consulted about the proposed tower or pole, the municipality can issue a building permit. Construction crews will get to work when the permit is issued. In addition, the service providers are using existing towers to reduce costs and reduce the number of towers on the landscape.

Over the coming months, many chambers of commerce and library boards in rural Nova Scotia are scheduled to hear presentations on the broadband initiative.

Further information on the Broadband for rural Nova Scotia initiative can be found at: www.gov.ns.ca/econ/broadband.

If you have any questions or want further information regarding CREDA call 667-3638. CREDA is Quality System registered to ISO 9001:2000.