More doctors and other health professionals from the U.S. want to move to Nova Scotia, according to Nova Scotia Health. (Province of Nova Scotia)

The unstable political situation in the United States may be good news for the Nova Scotia health care system.

More doctors and other health professionals working in the U.S. are looking to move north. One of the places they’re calling is Nova Scotia. And some of them also want to move to Queens County.

Lauren Murphy, director of recruitment and volunteer services with Nova Scotia Health, says they’ve seen an increase in applications from people from the U.S.

“Honestly, we’re hearing some pretty amazing stories,” she told QCCR this week.

“We’re hearing people who maybe have family members who are trans who don’t feel safe anymore. We’re hearing about people who are Canadians but have been living in the U.S. for years and working in their health care system and not feeling safe anymore and wanting to come back to Canada. We’re hearing from people who are internationally educated but living in the U.S. and again not feeling safe. It’s a scary time in the States and I do think people are seeing Canada as that safe space.”

Murphy said that the health care professionals reaching out to Nova Scotia Health recruiters are extremely qualified and experienced. They include doctors, nurses and other professionals.

“And the beauty is that the hospital setting in the U.S. is very very similar to what we have in Canada in terms of the level of care. And so being able to hire someone from the U.S., they can pretty much hit the ground running. As horrible as it is, maybe there is some silver lining that people can find a new home here in Nova Scotia and build roots and bring family or create families, and that’s great for our economy and great for us as a province.”

Murphy did not say how many doctors or other health professionals are interested in making the move from the U.S. to Nova Scotia.

According to data obtained in January 2024 by the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, more than 1,000 health-care positions were still waiting to be filled in Nova Scotia. That includes professionals other than doctors and nurses.

And in March, about 96,000 Nova Scotians were still without a primary care provider. That was down from February’s number of just over 104,000. About nine per cent of the population is still looking for a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Murphy acknowledged that there’s a global shortage of health-care professionals. Jurisdictions like Nova Scotia have been looking in other countries to fill those spots.

The process can take some time, especially as candidates navigate immigration and licensing requirements. Nova Scotia Health has its own immigration team to help make it easier for clinicians or other professionals to move here.

Nova Scotia recently opened a new centre to help speed up the licensing process for internationally trained physicians. It takes about 12 weeks to complete and doctors agree to practise in the province for at least three years.

Murphy says American-based doctors also ask her recruitment team about the differences in culture and taxation.

“It’s a huge step to move to a different country,” she said. “A lot of the conversations start off very exploratory. If you’re thinking about the U.S., you’re also potentially talking to a candidate who is coming from a state that doesn’t pay tax.

“But … we really are seeing people who are like, ‘No, we have to do this, we’re taking the plunge.’ And we’re really seeing those numbers now.”

Some of those doctors and other professionals are interested in moving to Queens County. 

Dr. Al Doucet is the chair of the Queens General Hospital Foundation, which works with Nova Scotia Health to bring doctors to the area.

He was out of the country and unavailable for an interview Friday. But he said in a text message that the foundation is getting inquiries from physicians and physician assistants about moving here.

Nova Scotia Health recently named Liverpool-based Dr. Alison Freeman the MD recruitment and retention lead for the South Shore.

To help with those recruitment efforts, Nova Scotia Health is holding a provincial career fair on March 27 at 11 locations around the province. Officials will be at the Michelin Social Club in Bridgewater from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Murphy says the job fair targets Nova Scotians who are interested in a first-time position with Nova Scotia Health or transferring to a different part of the province. More than 220 people were hired through last year’s job fair.

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Susie and Joan Stephenson of Port Joli visit the Bookmobile recently at its stop in Port Mouton. (Rick Conrad)

It’s the last one in Nova Scotia. And it’s still motoring along the South Shore.

Each week, the Bookmobile brings books, DVDs and other materials to about 15 communities in Lunenburg and Queens counties, from Chester to Caledonia.

A mobile library has been operating on the South Shore since the 1970s.

Other library systems around Nova Scotia have stopped the service. The Cape Breton Regional Library had the only other one and it retired its Bookmobile in November 2024.

So now, the South Shore has the only remaining Bookmobile in the province. And it shows no signs of slowing down.

Ashley Nunn-Smith is the CEO and chief librarian of South Shore Public Libraries.

“Our Bookmobile has been on the road for 50 years. But it’s much beloved, it’s very much a fabric of the community. For example, a few weeks ago, we had someone bring the books out to Caledonia in their van because the Bookmobile was having some mechanical issues and not only did people come out to pick up their items, but they had almost like a tailgate party. They just hung around the back of the van and chatted with their neighbours. There was nothing keeping them there other than that sense of community.

“It’s not just about the books, although that’s wonderful to drive books out to people. It’s really about a sense of community.”

Joan Stephenson of Port Joli was at a recent Bookmobile stop at Coastal Queens Place in Port Mouton. Stephenson and her daughter Susie are some of the regular patrons the Bookmobile serves every three weeks at this location. It visits certain communities on a weekly basis, while others are on a tri-weekly schedule.

“We remember when we had to fight to get a Bookmobile because the county didn’t want it,” Stephenson says. “And instead they put streetlights on our road and fought the Bookmobile, and we said it’s a different kind of enlightenment.”

In 2021, the library put a new custom-built Bookmobile on the road at a cost of about $500,000, with an accessibility lift, Wi-fi and seven electrical outlets where people can charge their devices.

Last year, the mobile service had an average of 1,100 monthly visitors who checked out 3,000 items, accounting for about 15 per cent of the library’s overall visits and circulation. Fuel and maintenance take up about two per cent of the library’s total $1.9-million operating budget.

Nunn-Smith says that because the South Shore has fewer physical library locations than other library systems around Nova Scotia, having the Bookmobile is essential.

“I think that by having the library on wheels we can bring it to more spaces than we would be able to reach with brick and mortar locations. We’re able to reach more communities that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise. We reach Port Mouton and Mill Village. Those places, it wouldn’t be feasible to operate a library branch, and so we’re able to bring the library to them.”

Susie Stephenson says she remembers the anticipation as a kid waiting for the Bookmobile to visit, a feeling she still has years later.

“When we lived in Broad River, we all went and we’d come home with clothes baskets full of books. The eight of us would just sit around and read. And you’d do it until you had to eat.

“It makes it accessible and it keeps me in reading material. And it keeps me interested and not depressed. I can sit and read a book and look at it. … I’ll take two or three bags lots of times.”

Her mother Joan says it’s something she looks forward to every three weeks.

“I can’t be away too long. My husband’s disabled. So it’s fun to come here. And the wonderful thing is the people who drive and work on the Bookmobile over all these years we’ve had it have always become our friends. They know what you’re looking for and we laugh. They want to know how your trip was or how your surgery was. They become friends.

“We love it. We love the Bookmobile. I’m an old lady and hopefully it will outlive me.”

The Bookmobile visits Caledonia every Saturday from 10 a.m to noon in the NSLC parking lot. It will be back in Mill Village at the fire hall on April 4 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and in Port Mouton at Coastal Queens Place on April 4 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

You can find the schedule for the Bookmobile on the South Shore Public Libraries website.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Lucy the Lobster will once again use her canny crustacean conjecturing on Sunday to predict whether we’ll see six more weeks of winter. (Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl photo)

Organizers call it a shellebration, while lobster lovers think of it as the most delicious time of year.

The eighth annual Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl is set to crack open on Saturday at businesses, galleries and community centres along Nova Scotia’s South Shore. 

Each February, the month-long festival highlights the South Shore’s most famous and lucrative export.

Stephanie Miller Vincent is the co-ordinator of the South Shore Tourism Co-operative, which organizes the event.

“It’s one of the reasons that the lobster crawl happens in February. It’s peak lobster season, yes. But we all know that we get into that spot where we need a little nudge, maybe a little nip with a claw to get us going.”

More than 70 events are scheduled, with more being added as Feb. 1 gets closer.

Two of the biggest events are coming up on Sunday, or Groundhog Day. In Barrington, people will wait to see if Lucy the Lobster sees her shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. 

And at the Quarterdeck Resort at Summerville Beach, near Liverpool, a dozen restaurants from around the South Shore will compete for the title of best lobster roll. 

Local author Pam Wamback has written a children’s book called Lucy the Lob-Star, about Lucy’s rise from the depths to become a famous weather forecaster.

Lots of food events are scheduled, like a chowder showdown. And many restaurants and bars will be featuring additional lobster dishes on their menus. But the month also features arts events around the South Shore, including local artisan markets.

• Go here for a complete list of Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl events

Liverpool’s Queens Coast Trading Company has even created a special tea blend dedicated to Lucy the Lobster. 

Miller Vincent says the lobster crawl is especially important for local fishermen and businesses in light of the tariff threat from the United States.

“And certainly the events that are happening in the U.S. and the conversations that are being spoken about makes us remember that … we should be looking at home first and shopping. And listen, the South Shore’s got some amazing products and amazing shops, restaurants, marketers, whatever it might be. There’s no better time to go see them than it is in February.”

As for Lucy’s prediction on Sunday?

“Lucy has been right every single year, and I don’t want to jinx her. Last year she was the opposite of Punxsutawney Phil and Shubenacadie Sam. And in the long run, she was absolutely right.

“You know, we did end up with the weather that she predicted. So she’s going to be right, no matter what that is. And the best thing is, no matter what she predicts, we still have at least six more weeks of lobster season.”

For more information on the Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl, visit their website at lobstercrawl.ca or follow them on Facebook.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Lobster traps on the wharf in Port Medway. Fishermen head out to start their season on Tuesday morning. (Rick Conrad)

Queens County fishermen will be heading out to set their traps on Tuesday morning at 7.

Known as Dumping Day, the first day of lobster season on the South Shore is usually the last Monday in November. But weather delayed the opening this year to Tuesday.

Lobster fishing area 33 covers ports from Cow Bay to Shelburne, while LFA 34 takes in the rest of southwestern Nova Scotia and Digby county.

Fishermen in LFA 34 will head out at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

About 680 vessels fish out of LFA 33, according to the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association.

The first day can be a long one. While LFA 33 crews can set their traps beginning at 7 a.m., they can’t start hauling them in until midnight. Some boats come back to port, but others decide to stay on the water for a few days.

Lobster is Nova Scotia’s biggest seafood export, with $1.3 billion shipped out of the province in 2023.

According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, overall catches in LFAs 33 and 34 were down last year, but still combined for a value of almost $318 million.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Ronnie Conrad on the West Berlin Wharf on Friday, on the last day of lobster fishing season. (Rick Conrad)

Friday was the last day of lobster fishing season on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.

And fishermen at wharves in Queens County say it was a good one.

Ronnie Conrad of West Berlin has been fishing for 44 years. He said conditions on the water were rougher than last year, with more wind, but catches were up. 

“(It’s) been a real good season. It started off good, but it didn’t sound like it was going to be a real good season all over, but I call it a real good season.

“We were up probably stock-wise another 25, 30 per cent.”

Almost 1,700 licensed vessels fish along Nova Scotia’s southwestern shore, from Cow Bay near Halifax, around the southwestern end of the province to the Bay of Fundy.

The season opened in lobster fishing area 33 on Nov. 26. That’s the area from Cow Bay to Shelburne. And it began a couple of days later in LFA 34, which takes in the rest of southwestern Nova Scotia to Digby County. 

Conrad said he thinks most fishermen in both districts did well.

“Overall, I think everybody came out pretty good. Southwest, District 34, was down all fall and all winter, but they had a real good spring. So that was a plus for them.”

He said he usually fishes about 25 kilometres off shore in the winter time, leaving at 3 in the morning and getting back about 12 hours later. And for the first few days of the season, if catches are good, he and his crew will be out for up to 20 hours, hauling as many as 500 traps total, double what they would do on a normal day.

This year, though, he decided to stick closer to the coast.

“Normally, I go out there probably about 16, 17 miles in the wintertime. But this year, I didn’t venture out that far because there weren’t any lobsters offshore.

“It got cold quick. It started off colder than last year too. It keeps the catch down. Lobster won’t crawl in cold water. This spring it warmed up quick and we had an excellent spring. Everywhere along the coast we had a real good spring.”

Lobster fisherman Mike Mattatall unloaded his last catch of the season at the wharf in Port Medway on Friday. (Rick Conrad)

38-year-old Mike Mattatall from Sable River has been fishing most of his life. For the past three years, he’s had his own boat out of Port Medway. 

“Every season is so different. Last year was probably a little more in catch, but the average price through the winter helped sell some more lobsters through (last) winter because the water was warmer. Colder water made the winter pretty slow this year.”

Mattatall said prices started out around $9 a pound this season, went up as high as $20 in the winter when the catch was scarce and settled around $7 a pound this spring.

Just because the season’s over, though, it doesn’t mean the work stops. Fishermen will spend the summer and fall fixing up their boats, building new traps and spending some time with their families.

But you won’t hear people like Mattatall and Conrad complain.

“It’s a lifestyle, though. I don’t really know what it is, comparable to other kind of work. You’d probably have to come do it and tell me how much different it is than your job. It depends on who you are. We don’t find it hard. We like it.”

Conrad says he’s not going to retire yet.

“My wife wants me to be done now, but the money’s just too good yet, so I’m gonna hang in for another year or two anyway.”

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Stephanie Miller Vincent is the co-ordinator of the South Shore Tourism Co-operative. The organization held its annual general meeting Tuesday at the Quarterdeck Resort in Summerville Centre. (Rick Conrad)

Tourism operators on Nova Scotia’s South Shore are looking forward to a good season, optimistic that visitors will return to the area after a disappointing 2023.

Stephanie Miller Vincent is the co-ordinator of the South Shore Tourism Co-operative, which counts almost 120 members from Peggys Cove to Barrington. 

“We’re a resilient group. We’re also a really optimistic group. And weather will play a factor, the economy will play factor, but we know we’ve got first-class product, we’ve got things to offer that nobody else has in other regions of Nova Scotia or Canada, so we’re looking forward to a really great year.”

The co-operative held its annual general meeting on Tuesday at the Quarterdeck Resort on picturesque Summerville Beach. About 40 members from hotels, restaurants, municipalities and chambers of commerce around the South Shore got an update on the group’s efforts to boost tourism and to extend the season beyond the summer and early fall.

Wildfires, floods and rain contributed to a challenging 2023 tourist season for the area’s businesses. The South Shore, the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores and Cape Breton saw declines in room nights sold compared with 2022, while accommodation numbers in the rest of the province were higher than the year before.

Hotel stays, or room nights sold, on the South Shore for the May to October 2023 period were down about five per cent over 2022.

Those at the meeting on Tuesday said early indications are that this year’s bookings are up over last year.

Jill Forrest, the general manager of the Quarterdeck, said early bookings look good.

“It’s promising for this upcoming year for sure. We are in a last-minute trend, it seems. Even last year, people tend to wait and see what the weather’s going to do and pull that final trigger on booking and knowing where they’re headed. But things are looking very good for the year.”

Susan Corkum-Greek, MLA for Lunenburg and Nova Scotia’s minister of economic development, told the co-operative’s members that she checked with the province’s tourism officials before the meeting to get an idea of what the season might bring. 

“And we have early indicators of early bookings. We know for instance that the Yarmouth ferry has a higher percentage of advance bookings, The hotel association is saying that. Room nights are not the only indicator but it shows buy-in intention and says something of length of stay.”

The co-operative’s annual lobster crawl in February always attracts a lot of attention. This year, the group says its marketing efforts resulted in more than 100 media headlines, reaching about 270 million people, with an advertising value of just under $7 million.

About 100 of the co-operative’s members held 128 events around the South Shore connected with the lobster crawl. And just under 80 per cent of those who attended a lobster crawl event were from Nova Scotia, according to a survey conducted by the co-operative.

Miller Vincent says it’s always difficult to predict what the season will be like. But she expects staycations to be big again this year.

“You’re always trying to look at the data,” she says. “We always look at the price of gas, but we’ve got more flights coming into Halifax so that’s important. The economy will probably keep people closer to home and looking to see not only what’s in their own neighborhood but what’s next door. Staycations have become more important than before Covid because we recognize what we’ve got here.”

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The Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl Festival kicks off Thursday. (Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl Facebook page)

By Rick Conrad

Get your shell cracker ready, sharpen your lobster pick and loosen your belt. Thursday marks the beginning of the Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl Festival.

The month-long celebration of the succulent shellfish includes businesses all along the South Shore, from Barrington, the lobster capital of Canada, to Peggys Cove, and as far inland as Kejimkujik and New Ross.

Things really get going on Friday, when Lucy the Lobster marks Groundhog Day in her own special way. If you’re at the Cape Sable Island Causeway at 8 a.m., you’ll get to see if Lucy predicts a longer winter.

The South Shore Tourism Co-operative launched its first lobster crawl in 2018 to help bring visitors to the South Shore in a typically slow time of year.

Stephanie Miller Vincent, the co-ordinator of the co-operative and the festival, says that with more than 100 events at 80 different businesses around the South Shore, it’s a great excuse to get out of the house.

“February is the longest shortest month of the year and we all need a reason to get out and crawl,” she says.

“There are just always great reasons to either come and visit the South Shore or crawl around the South Shore if you already live here.”

The festival features five signature events — Lucy and her shadow on the 2nd, the Lobster Roll Off competition at the Michelin Social and Athletic Club in Bridgewater on Feb. 4, the inaugural Chowder Chowdown Showdown on Feb. 11 at the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown, the Tail End Party at the Old Fish Factory in Lunenburg on Feb. 23, and the Beachside Bingo Brunch Buffet at the Quarterdeck Inn in Hunts Point on Feb. 25.

The chowder showdown is already sold out and there are only a few tickets left for the lobster roll competition, Miller Vincent says.

But there are events all over the South Shore to tickle your lobster fancy. The Region of Queens is also getting in on the lobster-loving action with Light Up Queen’s, an outdoor nighttime party in Centennial Park on Feb. 24.

“The economic value of lobster crawl has increased every year,” Miller Vincent says. “It’s now an anticipated event. We have businesses that stay open because of lobster crawl or extend their hours because of lobster crawl.

“It’s a little bit of everything. It’s truly taken a month where hibernation might have been the most popular activity and really encouraged people to get out.”

If you’re really into the crawl, you can find something to do for all 29 days of February, Miller Vincent says. You can pick up a passport at participating businesses or on the website at lobstercrawl.ca, track your progress and enter to win prizes. 

As for Lucy, she gets to return to her bottom-dwelling ways a few days after she sees her shadow or not.

“Lucy is often a different Lucy. She does her duties, spends a couple of days at the spa at Capt. Kat’s (Lobster Shack in Barrington Passage) so you can pop by and get a ‘shellfie’ with her and then Lucy gets released,” Miller Vincent says.

“We do not eat Lucy, nor do we allow anyone else to eat Lucy. Lucy gets released.”

For a full schedule, visit lobstercrawl.ca or follow Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl on Facebook.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Queens Place ice surface. Photo Ed Halverson

The team announced on June 29 that they would be leaving Liverpool and a week later staff at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre posted to social media that Jim Bottomley is bringing Junior B hockey to the LCLC.

Owner Jim Bottomley says travel time for the coaches and players and the opportunity to increase the fanbase were the main reasons for moving the team from their home at Queens Place in Liverpool.

Bottomley encourages his hockey players to be student athletes which means most of the team lives in and around Halifax to be close to their universities. He says relocating to Bridgewater will make a big difference in the amount of time the players need to spend on the road, especially during the winter months.

For the past ten years the Liverpool Privateers have built a competitive team and a devoted fanbase and Bottomley hopes that support will follow the team a half an hour up Highway 103.

“That’s our biggest loss is the fans were so supportive down there and since they announced the move, I’ve heard from a number of fans that said you can still count on us coming up [to Bridgewater] so I’m looking forward to that,” said Bottomley. “But we had the best fans in the junior, Nova Scotia junior Hockey League over the last number of years and we’re just hoping that it will continue right there in Bridgewater. It’s going to be a South Shore team so hopefully everybody along the shore there will come and support us.”

Head coach Ryan Faulkenham and the rest of his staff will be staying on.

Bottomley says a few players from Bridgewater have suited up for the Privateers. He plans to expand those ranks by making his players and staff available to minor hockey organizations across the South Shore.

“If they want the players or coaches to come out anytime to work with their teams we’ll be there. We want to be involved in the community; we want the players out around the community.,” said Bottomley. “We want to basically a community team that’s well representitive throughout the whole South Shore, not just right in Bridgewater.”

One of the things that will remain constant in the move from Liverpool to Bridgewater is Bottomley’s desire to win.

“I think what Bridgewater lost in the last number of years was a quality hockey team that was competitive. You know I’m not in the business just to put a hockey team on the ice. I want to win every year I love winning and we’re going to try as the year goes on, we’ll continue to build our team,” said Bottomley.

The name of the new Bridgewater team is being kept under wraps until the official kick-off event at the LCLC on Thursday July 13 at 6:00pm.

Bottomley says there’s a great deal to organize and many plans to make before the hockey season opens September 15.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

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International students atop Castle Rock in Chester. Photo Yumimphotography courtesy SSRCE

It didn’t take long for the International Students Program to recover from the pandemic.

The program was closed for the better part of two years and only reopened in February.

Coordinator for the International Students Program Carolyn Bolivar-Getson says since then, the number of international students visiting the South Shore has rebounded.

“We had to cut off our numbers this year. We’re back to full-fledged pre-COVID numbers based on the amount of home stays that we have. The home stays are what we’re looking to acquire more of, at this point in time, to grow the program,” said Bolivar-Getson. “But the students are there. The students are there, and the students are ready to come.”

Currently 122 students from countries around the world are enrolled at schools across the South Shore and Bolivar-Getson expects that number to increase to 135 or more in the fall.

Bolivar-Getson says international students are often the first introduction many local students have to a diverse culture.

“In some of these schools, it’s the only diversity that we have. When I look at these schools and how well the international students integrate into the Canadian families and into the classroom, it’s wonderful to see,” Bolivar-Getson.

Coordinators do their best to match students with families who have similar interests to ensure a positive experience for everyone.

Anyone wishing to be a host family for an international student can contact Carolyn Bolivar-Getson at cbg@ssrce.ca.

Bolivar-Getson says the experience of opening your home to an international student is often the start of a life-long relationship.

“They’re part of your family. When you become involved in the Nova Scotia International Student Program, you’re opening your heart and your home,” Bolivar-Getson. “We’re not looking for someone to rent somebody a room. We want families that want to make students part of their family, and that’s the best way to explain it.”

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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