Blogging Nova Scotia Relaunch

On June 1st Blogging Nova Scotia will begin its third year on reporting news around the province. To coincide with the anniversary the site will be relaunched and tightly focused on provincial updates.

My goal will be to bring all Nova Scotians the latest updates from the provincial government and how they affect each of us. Law changes, ideas being considered, where tax dollars are being spent and of course the weekly gas price predictions and results. I will also show how each decision will affect both us and businesses in our area.

There will also be a new URL which will be found at http://bloggingnovascotia.blogspot.com so make sure you update your bookmarks. The site will debut on June 1st 2008 with a new design (currently in progress) and a better organization scheme.

Spread the word and thank you to everyone who has supported me in the past. I welcome any effort to help promote the relaunch and hope to see you all on the new site.

Relaunch

I am almost ready to relaunch Blogging Nova Scotia, I just need to consider the direction I am going to take.

The blog before has been very unfocused and mainly just reposted some news that I found interesting. I would like to make this blog more useful by providing content not found anywhere else.

I am considering changing the blog to focus on decisions being made by the provincial government, both good and bad. Look at what they are doing and report on what is being considered and what they are implementing. I can then take their decisions and predict how it will shape the future of the province as a whole.

I am open to other ideas if you wish to comment here. There will be more information available once the relaunch nears. No date has been set as of yet.

Time Off

I have decided that I am taking time off from Blogging Nova Scotia. I have no plans on closing it down but there is a lot going on in my personal life that demands my full attention.

I will be back once I get everything squared away and bring everyone the top news around the province.

Tuition Prices Hurting More Than Students

The simple fact is that high tuition costs are hurting everyone in Nova Scotia. Over $2 million dollars have been written off as part of the Provincial Student Loan program. In addition to this figure is $10 million which has been turned over to the government from the Royal Bank for recovery. Student Loans are counting for almost 2/3 of all debts that the province has written off since 1999.

The 2008 budget, being released tomorrow, is supposed to have good news for students but how far they plan to go is still unknown.

The written off loans are from over 400 students who will now have bad credit to deal with for at least the next 7 years. Tax payers will have to swallow these debts since the loans are now paid direct to the province in an effort to lower the interest charges.

Related Links
Chronicle Herald

Gas Too High? Take The Bus

The Premier commented today on the high gas prices. Stations across Nova Scotia are now charging more than $1.30 per liter for regular self serve. Rodney MacDonald is sticking to his guns that his government will not lower taxes to make up for it.

New Brunswick lowered their prices last year when gasoline prices started to get out of control. People near the border still drive across to fill up their tanks when needed to save a few dollars.

The Premier of Nova Scotia today said if you can't afford the gas prices, get a Hybrid car or take a bus. How can he expect us to do either in our current state? Hybrid cars are fairly expensive and unless you need a new car your not likely to buy one to get a few extra kilometers out of a fill up. The bus service is still such a joke that unless your willing to leave really early, you can't go anywhere. Not to mention that most places outside of Halifax don't even have a bus service.

More people would be willing to use public transportation if it got you to your destination in a timely manner. Transfers, delays and a route system that is impossible to understand is not doing the system any good. Rodney MacDonald is right about the taxes however. The province is not in a position to lower taxes anywhere right now, especially on one of the biggest cash cows they have.

Budget To Be Released Tuesday

The Nova Scotia Budget for this year will be announced on April 29th.

We have learned that students are in for a very big treat this year and that the budget will be balanced. Everything else is fair game and may or may not be included.

Some of the hot topics this year which may be mentioned are (in no particular order):

Road conditions
Seniors
Smaller class sizes
Lower emissions
Debt levels
Crime and violence
Health care (wait times and beds)
Infrastructure
Tuition costs

If you have others include them in the comments section and I will add them. After the budget is released I will compare it to the needs we have identified. There will be a grade level for each section so we can determine if this is in fact a good budget.

Gas Price Prediction For April 25th 2008

It is Thursday again which means gas prices change for the people of Nova Scotia tomorrow. Here is my prediction for gasoline prices on April 25th 2008.

Your not going to believe this, but I predict another raise of 2-4 cents per liter

Gasoline Prices In New Brunswick
April 17th 2008 - 120.4
April 25th 2008 - 125.6
Difference -

Gasoline Price Globally
April 17th 2008 - $114.97 U.S. Per Barrel
April 25th 2008 - $118.28 U.S. Per Barrel
Difference -

To find out which zone you are located in, check out the map provided by Service Nova Scotia. You can also get a copy of the latest gas prices across the province by viewing the official report release.

This prediction is in no way official and should only be used as informational. Any decision to purchase or not to purchase gasoline on any given day rests with you. All prices are based on self serve regular unless otherwise specified.

Judge Defends Youth Act

Judge Jamie Campbell was in Halifax to defend Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act. He believes the system is working and is proud to be a part of it.

"It recognizes that kids work differently from the way adults do, and they're developing (and) they're growing — they're changing a lot faster...It's a system that knows it's not perfect . . . and knows it's never going to get perfect, but we'll just have to keep trying,"

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1050949.html

The system is certainly far from perfect, which is what the public has been saying for years. It is designed to rehabilitate youth instead of punish them for their crimes. The problem is that the system is not doing enough to rehabilitate young criminals and does not recognize repeat offenders. If the same youth is in front of a judge for the second, third, forth time, rehabilitation is obviously not the answer.

The simple fact is that young people know they are likely not going to punished much at all for committing a crime. The act could even lead youth down a dangerous path later in life. If they start off committing minor crimes and not held accountable, the crimes could escalate as they get older.

If the system is not perfect, change it. Find out what is not working and change the act to reflect it.

Trailer Park Boys Want More Canadian Content

Rob Wells (Ricky from the Trailer Park Boys), is asking that more Canadian Content be shown on television. At a CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunication Commission) meeting he said that his show would never have been aired had it not for the old laws forcing a percentage of programming to be Canadian. These laws have since been clawed back which has canceled other shows like Cold Case.

Radio stations are also forced to play a percentage of Canadian music on their station per day. This is why you can still hear classic Celine Dion or Bryan Adams when listening to todays biggest hits.

I love a lot of the Canadian content that is out there, but most of it simply does not compare to big budget shows like CSI or 24. The only Canadian show I try to watch faithfully is The Border and once in a while Corner Gas. It is pointless to force Canadian content on people if the shows are not worth watching in the first place.

While they are in the middle of making changes, they can consider lifting the regulations on American TV like HBO and others.

Before people start thinking I am anti-Canadian or supporting big media corperations, think about this. If Canadian shows are forced to be played on air, TV companies are going to pay very little money and create terrible content that is cheep so they meet the requirements. If the playing field was left open than great Canadian shows will still be aired as they are today and new shows will have to be worth watching to put on the air.

I see the television and radio similar to the internet. The best content will rise to the top while the people who put no effort in to their work will fail. Don't tell me what I can or can not see, watch, read or listen to because otherwise I will find my own way of getting what I am looking for.

Gas Price Prediction For April 18 2008

It is Thursday again which means gas prices change for the people of Nova Scotia tomorrow. Here is my prediction for gasoline prices on April 18th 2008.

I predict gas prices will go up by 3-5 cents per litre.

Gasoline Prices In New Brunswick
April 10th 2008 - 116.7
April 17th 2008 - 120.4
Difference - +3.7

Gasoline Price Globally
April 10th 2008 - $110.88 U.S. Per Barrel
April 17th 2008 - $114.97 U.S. Per Barrel
Difference - +4.09

To find out which zone you are located in, check out the map provided by Service Nova Scotia. You can also get a copy of the latest gas prices across the province by viewing the official report release.

This prediction is in no way official and should only be used as informational. Any decision to purchase or not to purchase gasoline on any given day rests with you. All prices are based on self serve regular unless otherwise specified.