Communities and businesses in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will continue to benefit from ferry service between Digby, and Saint John, N.B.

Premier Darrell Dexter and New Brunswick Premier David Alward announced today, March 21, that each province would invest up to $1 million per year in Bay Ferries to operate and maintain the route for three more years.

"The Digby-Saint John ferry service is important to the fishing, agriculture and tourism industries," said Premier Dexter. "Investing in the businesses and good jobs associated with these industries is what jobsHere, the plan to grow our economy, is all about. Both provinces will work with the federal government to find a viable long-term solution beyond 2014."

"Our investment in this vital link strengthens New Brunswick's economic advantage as a leading transportation and logistics hub," said Premier Alward. "This partnership also provides certainty to help workers and businesses grow our communities through new and better jobs."

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The following newcomer/local resident meetings will take place on Saturday, April 21st in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia:

10:00am – End of the Line Pub in Bridgetown, NS

1:45pm – St. Luke’s Church Hall in Annapolis Royal, NS

The following newcomer/local resident meeting will take place on Saturday, April 28th

8:30am – Fire Hall in Middleton, NS

Each meeting will be scheduled for 1 hour (refreshments will be served) and these meetings will discuss needs of newcomers, community projects and community events. Newcomer and local resident meetings will be held in the Meteghan and the District of Clare beginning in May 2012. Other newcomer and local resident events will be posted as soon as the dates and locations have been confirmed.

A new Hal Theriault theatre production “Travelling the Road’ is soon to hit the stage at the Annapolis Basin Theatre in Cornwallis Park. The first of two evening performances will be held on International Women’s Day, March 8.

Set in a nursing home, ‘Travelling the Road’ plays out the story of  two elderly residents and a middle aged volunteer who share the paths of life each of them has travelled.

Theriault says the audience sees the characters at various stages of their lives, including their marriages, families, careers and how they became involved in their communities.

“The other three members of the ensemble cast depict these older women in their younger years,” said Theriault. “All of these women are believable.

“Although it is an all-women’s cast, it is a play for both men and women as we are all getting older.”

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Jean-Paul Deveau remembers when Acadian Seaplants fit in his bedroom.

Now they are moving into a 100,000 sq. ft production plant in Cornwallis Park.

"We're at capacity now across the street," said Deveau at a press conference to announce funding for the project. "We are expanding our facilities to set ourselves up to be competitive on global basis and to build the economy of Nova Scotia."

The $4 million expansion project will take another two years to complete and will allow Acadian Seaplants to increase production and develop new product lines.

Greg Kerr, the Member of Parliament for West Nova was on hand Monday, Feb. 20 to announce a $490,000 repayable loan from the Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency.

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Annapolis Royal made the North American-wide list for Best Old-House Neighbourhood.

The editors of This Old House have tracked down 61 great neighborhoods that have promising futures, strong communities, and homes that truly deserve a long-term commitment – and Annapolis Royal is among them.

The 2012 Best Old-House Neighborhoods appear online at www.thisoldhouse.com/best-places.

This Old House scoured the United States and Canada to find unique, tight-knit neighborhoods for their fifth annual search for the Best Old-House Neighborhoods. These places might not be on your radar, but deserve to be, according to the magazine’s editors.

“Located at the junction of the Annapolis and Allain rivers, Annapolis Royal is a waterfront community of just under 500 residents, many of them artists, writers, or retirees,” This Old House says on its website of winners. “The town is proud to be one of North America’s oldest continuous European settlements. It was founded as a French colony in 1605 and eventually served as the capital of Acadia (later Nova Scotia) until 1710, when it became the capitol of British Nova Scotia. Later, the town became home to merchants, commercial fisherman, and sea captains who built elegant houses along St. George Street. Today, the waterfront is populated with shops and art galleries, as well as the Historic Gardens, a 17-acre horticultural wonderland that tells the story of Nova Scotia through the gardens and crops planted here over the centuries.”

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"We may not be big, but we’re small." That’s Dave’s business motto in the fictional account of a small, second-hand record store in Toronto called the Vinyl Cafe, made famous by Stuart McLean’s radio program.

The motto is apropos for this story about a real Toronto record dealer, Michael Robertson, who is preparing to pack up his collection of vintage 78 rpm records and move his online music business and young family to Bridgetown because, well, it’s not big, it’s small.

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Talk about stimulating growth.

Acadian Seaplants Ltd. is doubling the capacity of its Cornwallis Park plant that manufactures a compound aimed at alleviating stress in crops. The company’s $4-million, multi-year plan involves buying and upgrading a plant on Conestoga Street, across from its existing facility.

"We’re building this facility to double the capacity, but we’re also doing that while we’re at capacity," said Jean-Paul Deveau, who heads the Dartmouth-based biotech firm that exports to 70 countries.

"So our biggest challenge is to, literally, move across the street without shutting it down.

"It’s kind of like we’re going to take the engine out of the car without turning the car off. It is a major challenge. But I have to give credit to our people. They are absolutely fantastic."

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