Pictures were about the FMC trip to Halifax
A meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) brings me to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Primarily the issues do deal with municipalities and tend to general over Canada, so there is little to write about that would be of interest to the North Shuswap. They too in Halifax have had a cool and wet spring (now summer). The first day of jet lag was warmed by unusual spotted sunshine dotting the landscape. White skin was in vogue, as the locals quickly tried to grasp some sunshine on to their newly hatched like, bodies. Halifax its self is much like Vancouver was 40 years ago, old houses in around the business center, the some homes in slight state of dis-repair and slow. A noticeable contingency of the Canadian military, they are mostly naval personnel; young kids in their blue and whites with tags of bars showing their rank. History is everywhere the sandstone building of brown and red dot the city, a city rebuilt after the disastrous explosion of military ships that temporarily emptied the harbor of water, during the War to end all wars, war.
One of the tours I took; was the cooling system for the government buildings in Dartmouth. Apparently it is a large cost of a building is to keep it cool, in fact it its costs are higher than to keep it warm. Dartmouth devised a plan of pumping cold sea water from the depths of the harbor into rock drilled 500’ deep. It does this through the winter season using the rock as a “cold sink” to hold the 5 degree water to be used later in the summer. They had planned to save $250,000 per year but the increase in energy costs (the use coal fired electrical generators) pushed the saving for cooling their buildings to $400,000 per year. The system is quiet and they do not have to maintain air conditioners and will be a major factor in future savings of the system.
This same sort of technology could be used in the Shuswap for their buildings, better in fact because there would be no need for the special piping because of the corrosiveness that the sea water has on equipment.
The trade show had some on interesting displays that could be of value to the North Shuswapians; soil stability company (with an office in Vernon) that drills a rebar in the soil to keep the stability, of a low impact method taking up very little room; it uses drought resistant grass that adapts to a range of soil conditions and takes 8-12 weeks to establish. Biomass heating systems, solar heating systems ….Improving travel in small & rural communities by giving arrange of opportunities such as walking, cycling, transit or carpooling. Why herbicides should be used and the stringent safety measures that are gone through to make sure they are safe. Rain barrels systems;”1 inch of rain on a 1000’ square rood will produce 600 gallons of water”. Composting systems-that produce in10 days; from unstable putrescible waste.
The question is so often asked is it worth it to the tax payer to send out all the politicians to these conferences. Hard question to answer so many different people go there and different ones get different things out of these meetings. Often most people you talk to feel it is a perk for all the thankless work they do and the long hours they put in, for little pay they get. Dealing with governments is not like anything else, I have ever dealt with. It is not like you get up in the morning go to work and you have accomplished something. It is nebulous; you can try to push some great way of saving the planet and virginity, only to find yourself pushed out. Meanwhile mention one thing in passing and it comes to be, with little or no effort. The efforts of rural directors going to FCM have resulted in a “gas tax fund” for the North Shuswap well into the $100,000s of dollars. Though I personally was not involved in that push for federal tax dollars to come back to the North Shuswap, it was the collective work of local governments that brought it about. I think the fund to the North Shuswap is well in the $400,000 range. That buys a lot of lobster and flights to Halifax. Do I find the talks especially illuminating and do I take in every talk; no- I do not. It is much too much for me and I have to often take a walk or do something to get your head out of the fog. I do what I can socialize, eat and drink what I can… for all of you and enjoy it. I did discover a grant opportunity for the culture and arts that may be of use the CSRD.
It is never forgotten from my end that it is your tax dollars that allow me to be here and I appreciate, that. Thanks to all of you, for allowing me to be at these conferences.
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