Like me, Contrarian reader Stan Jones voted at one of the continuous advance polling stations his riding (though presumably he did so sans caméra).  These polls were among the innovations Elections Nova Scotia introduced to combat flagging turnout, by making it easier for people to vote. They proved popular, but as Jones points out, they had the unintended consequence of lessening the analytical usefulness of poll-by-poll returns: [I]t does seem to complicate poll-by-poll analysis, since it looks to me as if all those votes are reported with the Returning Office as the poll, rather than some district poll. For example, in Yarmouth, some...

06 November, 2013

Here's a nice touch: As part of the promotion for the Savoy Theatre's forthcoming production of Les Misérables (May 24 to 29), the Cape Breton Post and Seaside Communications have put together a video describing the Savoy's fascinating history and architecture: The narrator, Steve "Beak" MacDonald, pretty much grew up with the Savoy. His parents, Scotchie and Mary Marsh MacDonald, were major supporters of the theatre when it hosted Rotary Club musicals in the 1960s and '70s. Actors, musicians, and crew members associated with the productions were often billeted in the MacDonalds' home on Sydney's Wentworth Park. Here's an image of the theatre entrance...

09 May, 2013

In the 1979 Canadian federal election, the Liberals thought they had a shot at defeating MP Fr. Andy Hogan. They nominated the popular mayor a Glace Bay and sent a young hotshot cabinet minister, one Jean Chretien, into the riding to campaign. While shaking hands on Commercial Street, Chretien found himself in front of NDP headquarters. Without skipping a beat, he plunged inside and began working the room, greeting the mostly elderly women working the campaign office. In seconds he had them cooing and giggling and shaking his hand. He was utterly charming, and they were utterly charmed. That's what a real...

08 April, 2011

The Globe's Michael Valpy has a thoughtful piece on the burgeoning interest in Remembrance Day commemorations, especially among young people. The graphic below accompanies the article. While researching his namesake, Rev. Miles Tompkins, a First World War army chaplain, Contrarian reader Miles Tompkins came upon some sobering numbers: The waste of human life hit Cape Breton and the Diocese of Antigonish very hard. The diocese runs from Our Lady of Lourdes in Stellarton to the tip of Cape Breton, and even included the Italian Mission and a Syrian Parish in Cape Breton. Well over 500 boys from this diocese were killed in...

11 November, 2009