The new Bedford High School - Opportunity for Performance Space

Last week, the Charles P. Allen High School Wind Ensemble premiered a new musical work, “Qawwali Party” at a concert with the Acadia University Percussion Ensemble and professional musicians Mark Adam and Kinan Azmeh.

By all accounts, it was a stellar concert, and our young musicians

impressed the audience and the professionals alike.    Unfortunately, the concert didn’t take place in our own community, because we have no appropriate venue.  It was held in Dartmouth.  And when the students at CPA stage their musicals each year, they have to rig up the gym to fill in for a proper stage.  Our students do their best to overcome site limitations, but my question is:  should they have to?

The construction of a new high school will give us the option of having a proper facility for arts performances by students and community groups alike.

Just before the provincial election, the provincial government announced that a new high school would be built for the Charles P. Allen catchment area.  The first stage of development involves site selection; the short list of three finalists has been drawn up. All three sites are in the general vicinity of the new development underway in Bedford West.

As we have seen with recent construction at Citadel High and Halifax West High, while the province has in the past built shells for “arts enhancements”, it does not equip or furnish the auditorium or theatre.

The province expects the residents of the local catchment area to complete the facility. If residents decide we want such a facility, we will have to set up a non-profit organization, and we will have to raise money -- a lot of it. 

Recently, a group of concerned citizens organized a public meeting to look at some possible ways to build a performance centre.  We were shown examples of what has been done elsewhere.  You can view the designs by clicking here.

Another public meeting will be held within weeks to give residents more information - including potential costs, designs and how the process works. In the meantime, please check out the designs on my site, and let me know if you would like to see this kind of facility at our new high school - and (if so) how you think we should pay for it.  I can be contacted via email at kelly@kellyregan.ca.

I am very happy to assist in this process, but I am determined that residents will determine the future of this project. 

We Deserve Better Condominium Protection

With the surge of condominium development in Bedford Birch Cove over the past few years, I’ve been hearing an increasing number of concerns from owners, and from property developers – concerns that Rodney MacDonald’s Conservative government has been slow to address. The Liberal Party has been proud to support the condo owners in convincing the government to adopt a fair approach to property assessment by including condos in the cap on assessment increases. But we have other issues that need action.

The Issue

Condos are a good choice for young people wanting to buy a first home, and for older people wanting to move away from the burdens of maintaining a house and property. Unfortunately, the lack of regulation for condo construction and management has resulted in expensive structural problems, or costly errors in continuing maintenance. Rather than the carefree ownership that condo ads promise, owners have sometimes been burdened with high repair bills, legal wrangles, and lowered property values as problems become public knowledge.

The Liberal Response

Following consultation with all stakeholders, Liberal MLA Diana Whalen proposed legislation last fall to clarify regulations for condo development and to protect condo owners. The legislation would require the original seller to put a portion of the sale price aside for five years to pay for any structural repairs that came along. A Liberal government would act on that legislation. I would also support the creation of an Ombudsman to help manage the relationship between condo boards and the owners of individual condos. This legislation would work for everyone: it would provide condo buyers with assurance that they wouldn’t be stuck with the cost of structural repairs as a result of shoddy construction; property developers would have clear regulations to guide their practices; and boards and owners would have a mechanism to resolve disputes.

Bedford – Birch Cove has a vibrant condo community. To keep it thriving, we need to make sure owners and developers are clear on the options they have.

Immigration Has Always Been Essential To Nova Scotia’s Prosperity. It still is.

As the grand-daughter of immigrants, I know how much they contribute to the prosperity of their new home. The fact is, all Nova Scotians, except for the Mi’kimaq , are immigrants – some just got here sooner than others.

And every wave of immigrants, going back to France, England, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, South Asia, East Asia and the Middle East took their rightful place in their new country. They worked hard and built a province. Today’s immigrants are doing the same, as will tomorrow’s immigrants. Because for Nova Scotia to continue to grow and prosper, we will need people from all over the world to say “Yes. I will be a Canadian and a Nova Scotian.”
I know how hard it is to leave your home and forge a new future. It takes a lot of courage. The Nova Scotia Liberal Party understands that the strength of this province has always been, and will always be, found in the people who choose to call it home.

The Liberal Party and I are committed to an immigration policy that will help new arrivals integrate into Nova Scotian society and make their home here. We will work closely with organizations like MISA to provide immigrants the support they need wherever they settle in the province.

 If you have come to this beautiful province and become a citizen of Canada, you are entitled to be an essential part of our long, proud democracy. You are entitled to vote. It is the greatest demonstration of your citizenship, of your right to stand up and be counted.

Together We're Better.