If you’re going to be in southern Ontario this weekend, be sure to take a bemused glance at Toronto’s Downhome Show, “a celebration of East Coast food, drink, comedy, and music,” according to the show’s website. The show, designed to give ex-pat Maritimers a little taste of home, does a fine job at capturing the richness and variety of the East Coast Experience, from the Bologna Eating Competition to the Miss Downhome Pageant (featuring supposedly east coast women wearing fishing gear and bikinis), and of course, Jimmy Flynn. Yeah, they’ve sure got us pegged. The three-day event (run by a group simply calling itself “Downhome Productions”) is so over the top, it almost seems ironic—almost. East coast celebrities will also be involved; actor Gordon Pinsent has already been lined up to judge this year’s Miss Downhome Pageant. Reportedly, organizer Sheryl Snook commented that “Mr. Pinsent brings the kind of much-needed dignity to a contest that involves bikini-clad women dancing fiddle jigs.” Uh-huh. With all due respect, we doubt Mr. Pinsent has the dignified chops to pull that kind of spectacle out of the patronizing muck—I guess we’ll just have to wade through it in our rubber boots, me’ son.
US standard time
Daylight saving time in Nova Scotia will be extended next year in order to stay in sync with the United States. The US, which adopted the changes as a way to save energy (ostensibly, more sun=less electrical light), will make the switchover in March 2007. Daylight saving time will begin three weeks earlier in the spring, and get a one-week extension in the fall. To date, most Canadian provinces have already fallen in line with the US time change plan in order to keep the two countries coordinated, although some provinces aren’t yet on board (including Newfoundland—as if the Newfoundland Standard Time Zone isn’t wacky enough as it is). We’ve got mixed feelings—sure, we’ll see a bit more sunlight, but if the US Congress suddenly decides to do away with July, do we have to do that too? Besides, they won’t go metric for us! Give and take, people!
Throw another trip on the barbie
Commonwealth Games bid committee members will likely be heading back to Australia in July. The Commonwealth Games Federation has invited all three cities competing for the 2014 Games (Halifax, Glasgow, Scotland and Abuja, Nigeria) to send officials to a July “bid-process briefing” in Melbourne. In March, a 17-person delegation made similar journey to Australia for a budgeted cost of $500,000. Halifax bid organizers are quick to point out that a July visit—which would involve no more than four people—would be significantly cheaper. Still seems like a long way to go for a briefing, doesn’t it?
Feeling a draft
The latest draft of the epic regional development plan arrived at city council on Tuesday. Years in the making, the plan outlines a 25-year growth strategy for the municipality designed to save taxpayer dollars and provide direction for the immediate future of our fair city. The plan will go to the public on May 16th at city hall before a final draft is approved; concerned citizens are expected and encouraged to comment on the draft at that time (hopefully, this means you).
Make your comments now: [email protected]
