Musquodoboit Valley Planning Committee

Development Initiatives   

Project Update
The Musquodoboit Valley Planning Committee is a sub-committee of the Middle Musquodoboit Agricultural Society and has embarked on a community planning initiative to allow the community as a whole to participate in the development of the future of the Musquodoboit Valley.  This process has been taking place for the last 6 months and through this work the community has developed a list of areas and projects that they feel are avenues for moving forward.  Below are the highlights of the report. The summary handout provides more detail.

 

Community Promotion and Coordination

We plan to develop a community marketing plan, a community events calendar and find opportunities for groups to work together.  We need to continue to make this process inclusive and keep everyone informed and involved.

 

Forestry

Perform research to find market opportunities for timber and non-timber products in our woodlots and work with woodlot owners to explore these opportunities.

 

Healthy Community

Support and work with these existing groups in health services, recreation, housing and arts & culture to develop and maintain a healthier community.


Local Food

Work with local producers to explore avenues for selling locally through Community Share Agriculture, encourage the selling of more local products at the Musquodoboit Valley Co-op, develop and implement a buy local marketing campaign locally, produce a local food guide and support community and school garden projects.

 

Small Business

Providing training and support for small businesses to help them understand and maximize these new technologies and explore other marketing avenues, develop a business directory, encourage local buying and lobbying for improved high speed services throughout the Musquodoboit Valley.

 

Tourism

Host workshops to explore what makes our region unique, how the community feels about developing a tourist industry and determining if we could become a tourist destination.  This is a process that will take time but will allow us to strategically develop our tourist industry to match the community’s lifestyle.


Volunteers

Learn new ways to handle the much needed volunteer base in our community, find ways to work together, utilize other skills within our community, develop a volunteer strategy and implement new ideas to be a leader in rural volunteering approaches.


Youth

Talk with youth, listen to their ideas and find ways to actively involve them in the community recognizing the unique skills they possess.

 

Local Energy

There are already active energy projects in the works by private organizations and we did not see a specific role for this group to play at this point in time.

 

Technology

Although many people in the Musquodoboit Valley are being served with High speed internet, there are still many who are not.  Nor is the high speed service equal to the services provided to other areas of the province.  We see an opportunity to continue to lobby for

 

Library Facility

A summary of the library survey results have been sent to the consultant hired by Halifax Public Libraries, the Halifax Public Libraries Board and to Steve Streatch, Municipal Councillor in the hopes that they will understand our need and desire for a public library in the Musquodoboit Valley.

 

What’s next?

The next step in this process is to determine who (existing community group or individuals) will act as the lead for each project. The lead will work with hired facilitators (should the application be approved) to support the moving of their initiative forward.  The lead for each project will sit on combined group who will meet quarterly for the purpose of communication and sharing.  This information will also be reported back to the community so they are involved and informed.  The group will also seek funding opportunities and supports for the various projects.



Are you or your group interested in helping in any of the following areas?  If so please let us know. We need you and whatever time you can offer.

 

·         Helping to develop ways to ensure the community is informed and communication amongst groups is improved

·         Developing a Community events calendar   

·         Working on a Community marketing plan    

·         Interested in opportunities for your woodlot

·         Willing to be on a woodlot owners working group to guide a consultant to look for opportunities

·         Are you a local food producer interested in new avenues to sell your product?

·         Interested in helping to develop a Local Food Guide

·         Willing to help organize or participate in Local food events to promote local producers

·         Developing a “Buy local” campaign to encourage more local purchasing

·         Supporting community and school garden projects with skills, knowledge or resources

·         Developing a listing or directory of local businesses

·         Interested in learning more about marketing your business better 

·         Lobbying for better and cost effective high speed service throughout the Musquodoboit Valley

·         Participating in long-term Tourism planning and development for the Musquodoboit Valley

·         Ideas for operating a tourism business in the future

·         Interested in volunteer recruitment, appreciation and management (developing a Volunteer strategy)

·         Helping community groups work together   

·         Engaging Youth in the community

CONTACT US  at dvanwychen@northnovacable.ca or 384-2973

 

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Join the discussions on Facebook about these and various topics affecting our community at http://www.facebook.com/pages/musquodoboitvalleyca/103931782977625?sk=wall

 

For further inquiries, or if you’d like to add your feedback to the process, please contact Denise VanWychen dvanwychen@northnovacable.ca or 384-2365.

Discussion groups are under way to consider the future of Musquodoboit Valley. Topics being discussed include:

·         Tourism and community promotion

·         Health and recreation

·         Community housing

·         Technology

·         Small business

·         Local energy production

·         Agriculture / sustainable food production

·         Forestry

·         Possibility of forming a local governance body to move common development initiatives forward.

o    Need for more community coordination among existing groups

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Community Housing

Resources and links

CMHC Seed Funding
http://www.cmhc.ca/en/inpr/afhoce/fias/fias_001.cfm
CMHC PDF Funding
http://www.cmhc.ca/en/inpr/afhoce/fias/fias_004.cfm
Canada/Nova Scotia Investments in Affordable Housing Agreement (In Nova Scotia, this is administered by Department of Community Services.  Link below).
http://www.cmhc.ca/en/inpr/afhoce/fias/fias_005.cfm
http://www.gov.ns.ca/coms/housing/

Grants for housing, recreation, etc....

Municipal Planning Strategy

Land Use by-law

Interactive Zoning map

Affordable housing

 Technology

Small Business

Local Energy Production

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Sustainable Food Production
Meeting notes (Nov. 24, 2011)

Meeting notes (Jan. 19, 2012)

 

Resources and Links Av provided for the group:

·         This is the website for ACORN - here you will find information about where to find organic produce/ where to find a CSA/ what products I can use on my organic farm and where to get them...and about upcoming events like the Greenhouse workshop and Vandana Shivahttp://www.acornorganic.org/index.html 

·         This is a CSA manual from the ACORN website...a must read for those interested in starting out http://www.acornorganic.org/pdf/CSAmanual.pdf 

·         This is Pictou County's Local Food Guide on-line...they have hard copy versions as well http://www.pictourda.ca/local-food/
This is a video about a CEDIF http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq-AXDqSgRM

·         Business Development Specialists; Claire Hanlon-Smith (893-4491) can help with Marketing and making those business decisions about how best to sell your products

·         Lastly, just want to remind you that there are great links on-line that can show quick clips of cover cropping and green manuring techniques; tillage practices in vegetable production; weeding and mulching strategies; plasticulture and polytunnels; and marketing ideas.... http://www.extension.org/article/18726

·         And for those of you who wanted to learn more about season extension; composting; potting mixes; chicken tractors; simple greenhouse building, etc.  Eliot delivers an informative (1.5 hr) keynote talk at a recent conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBKr9kPrpzU&feature=related

·         Av Singh, Organic & Rural Infrastructure Specialist, AgraPoint  (phone;  902-896-0277 email:  a.singh@agrapoint.ca)

Resources and links

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Resources and links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WitVAqmNN1w cross laminated timber video

http://woodlotinfoshop.ca/index.php?r=Site/ViewEvent&id=77 Woodlot conference March 31st in Milford

http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/strategy/pdf/Strategy_Strategy.pdf NS Natural Resource Strategy 2010-2011*** Interesting*** http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pages/182?lang=en_CA  Squeezing more value from trees

http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/publications?id=32683      The State of Canada`s forests

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjOkukTlDVw&feature=related non-timber forest products

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfSPx5iYIpA Weberville forest management

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2011JTI0077-000717.htm# news article about BC plant and CLT

http://www.sfmcanada.org/english/pdf/SFMBooklet_E_US.pdf sustainable forest management Canadian Council of Forest Ministers

http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/library/publications/forestry.asp NS forestry Publications listing

http://gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20080923006 2008 Forestry Action plan

http://www.gov.ns.ca/econ/cdtrust/ Community development trust fund 2008-2011

http://www.novascotiaforests.ca/assets/files/Info_Sheet_5_Fast_and_Fascinating_Fact_Sheet.pdf Ecology action center- good listing of available research

http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/forestry/reports/State-Of-Forest-Report-April-2008.pdf State of the forest report 2005

http://www.gov.ns.ca/pfpmb/ Primary Forest Products Marketing Board

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94ZaHFGsq-o&feature=youtu.be  Association of Sustainable Forestry – leaving a legacy Part 1

http://www.fnswo.ca/ federation of ns woodlot owners

http://www.nslffpa.org/ NS landowners forest and fibre products association

http://www.nswooa.ca/ NS woodlot owners and operators association

 

Non Timber forest products

 

 

Local Governance

 

Resources and links

Other general resources and links

Foundations offering grants

Tatamagouche local trading - http://orderchaos.net/lets/

Sustainable Communities

Rural Research Centre – NSAC - http://nsac.ca/rrc/

 

Population Statistics

Middle Musquodoboit: Includes Elderbank, Meagher’s Grant, Lower Meagher’s Grant, Chaswood, Cooks Brook, Lake Egmont http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/communitycounts/profiles/community/default.asp?gnew=&table=&acctype=0&chartid=&mapid=&dcol=&sub=&ptype=geo&tid=&gview=6&glevel=com&yearid=2006&gnum=com939

 

Upper Musquodoboit: Includes; Moose River,  Elmsvale , Dean, Pleasant Valley http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/communitycounts/profiles/community/default.asp?gnew=&table=&acctype=0&chartid=&mapid=&dcol=&sub=&ptype=geo&tid=&gview=6&glevel=com&yearid=2006&gnum=com940

 

For information about future meeting dates or if you have ideas to share, please contact:

Denise VanWychen

Email: dvanwychen@northnovacable.ca

Tel: 902-384-2973

OR

Post your comments and suggestions on the MusquodoboitValley.ca FaceBook page.

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