It goes from bad (Stephen Harper’s visit) to worse (a Haligonian killed in Afghanistan) for the city. But you gotta love those Tall Ships. Full links apres jump.
MILITARY MIGHT
from Winnipeg and Toronto
Stephen “I can’t believe he’s the prime minister” Harper was in town yesterday, handing out a piece of pork worth billions. “Canada’s 12 Halifax-class frigates will undergo a $3.1 billion, mid-life refit starting in 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Thursday,” reports the Winnipeg Sun. The best part of the event wasn’t the money for the warships, but the exclusion of Rodney “I can’t believe he’s the premier” MacDonald. “MacDonald complained he had not been advised about Harper’s trip to Halifax and that he had not been invited to the event,” says the Toronto Star today. The RodMac v. Steve feud is over the Atlantic Accord, and it’s brought out the stern despot in Harper. Always nice to see his true colours.
MILITARY PAIN
from Ottawa
The Ottawa Sun mentions a painful irony about the soldier from Halifax who died in Afghanistan this week:
Capt. Jefferson Francis volunteered for the patrol in Afghanistan that ultimately took his life.
Francis, 34, was in an armoured vehicle when a roadside bomb detonated Wednesday near Kandahar, killing six Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter. (story here)
The news from Afghanistan just isn’t getting any better.
ON SAIL
from Portland (Oregon) and cyberspace
In case you’re not hearing enough about the impending arrival of the big boats, Portland’s dBusinessNews site is there:
A great event for all ages, the Tall Ships and surrounding activities are sure to entertain and amaze. Cruise Halifax Harbour in a tall ship, relax and take in the sites of the waterfront, look out for whales, harbour seal and seabirds. You can take in the action at different points along the boardwalk, including historical re-enactments, arts & crafts displays, musicians, vendors, and an open air café. (story here)
It’s great and all that these tourist-friendly vessels harken back to ye olde glory days, but don’t forget a lesser-known modern sail happening. The Marblehead to Halifax ocean race runs every two years; in 2007 it’s on, and at least the BYM boating news site is paying attention.
The race is a 360-mile sprint that takes sailors straight offshore across the Gulf of Maine to Cape Sable and then up the Southern coast of Nova Scotia to Halifax. The 20 foot tides of the Bay of Fundy make the passage around Cape Sable a challenge to navigators in trying to determine how far offshore to go to avoid being swept into the Bay of Fundy by the incoming flood tide while still sailing the shortest route. (story here)
Boats leave Massachusetts waters this Sunday. Watch for them trickling into the Northwest Arm starting Wednesday, the day before the officially exciting Tall Ships hit the harbour.
Watch for Halifax mentioned on ye olde Internette. Send links here.
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2007.