Olivier Broussard  Wins Spelling Bee

SYDNEY - A second chance gave a local family its fourth consecutive Cape Breton Post Postmedia Canspell Spelling Bee win on Saturday.

Olivier Broussard, who misspelled his first anticipated championship word, made no mistake on his second chance at the title and followed in the footsteps of his sisters Paryse and Claudine in becoming the third Broussard to win the event.

“I was not really sure if there was two ‘bs’ on ‘quibble,’ but I figured it out,” said Broussard about the second championship word.

“I feel pretty excited. I was nervous (up there).”

In the final round of the event at Cape Breton University, the 12-year-old home-schooled student from Port Hawkesbury outlasted 11-year-old MacKenzie Sechi of Mountainview Elementary, who was among the final two spellers for the second year in a row.

Olivier’s win follows Paryse’s in 2011 and Claudine who was champion in 2009 and 2010.

A fourth Broussard, Julien, was also in contention this year and all four practised together for the competition, which attracted a total of 38 students from 20 schools.

By outlasting them all, Olivier Broussard earned a $5,000 education award presented by Egg Farmers of Canada.

“I’m actually pretty surprised,” his mother Nicole admitted about Olivier’s win.

“He has a lot of outside interests. He likes fishing and plays the fiddle and goes to a lot of concerts, so his interests are very divided. I sometimes wondered if he could possibly focus enough to study the 1,150 word list you need to learn in order to be here.”

Those interests may have helped him on Saturday, though.

“Because he is a fiddler and he performs in public a lot on his own, I think that gives him an extra sense of peace when he is up there and relaxation in that he’s performed under crowds before.”

She also suspects her son has a skill that can prove very valuable in spelling bee competitions.

“I guess he’s one of those kids that can look at a word and memorize a word when he sees it. He surprised us today and we are very thankful to the Lord for helping him do that because he gave him the mind and his work ethic has always been good.”

The next challenge for Cape Breton’s champion will come March 28 in Toronto when he takes part in the Postmedia Canspell National Spelling Bee.

He’ll be going there with modest expectations.

“I hope to do pretty good, but I don’t expect to win,” said Olivier.

“I’m just going to have fun.”

This year’s national sponsors are CBC and the Egg Farmers of Canada. CBC reporter Hal Higgins was the local host, while Brian Dwyer, Shauna Walters and Susan Kelly served as judges.

Cape Breton University professor Todd Pettigrew was back as the pronouncer.

Cape Breton Heads Canada's Most Romantic Place

C. difficile outbreak declared over at regional hospital
SYDNEY — The latest outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the island’s largest hospital is being declared over.Officials with the Cape Breton District Health Authority made that declaration Friday and lifted visitor restrictions related to the six-week outbreak, in which six patients with hospital-acquired C. difficile died.

An outbreak — when three or more patients have the bacterium — is determined to be over in accordance with specific national standards.

“The main thing that we follow is the guidelines and the definition set by the Public Health Agency of Canada as to the number of cases that have to occur within a certain time period in order to call it an outbreak and then we have to reach a certain number before we call it off,” explained Dr. Shoaib Ansari, the health authority’s infectious disease specialist.

Currently, there is one patient at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital with hospital-acquired C. difficile, related to the outbreak. As of last week, two other patients were linked to the outbreak. One has since been transferred to another facility within the district and the other was discharged.

Ansari said it will take some time to determine the exact cause of death in the six outbreak-related deaths, noting they fall into one of three different categories — C. difficile was directly related to the death; C. difficile played a role, but not the primary role, in the death; or the patient had C. difficile but died from other medical problems.

Some of the six deaths here fell into the latter category, but Ansari could not be more specific than that at this time.

“It’s very difficult to say right now how many of those six were just only due to C. difficile,” he said. “Each case is being studied, but hopefully over the next few days to few weeks, that number will be shared with the public.”

Now that the outbreak is over, Ansari said a final report on it will be prepared. The district has also identified two main areas it needs to focus on as they move forward.

“One is hand hygiene and this does not apply to only a doctor going into a room, it applies to doctors, nurses, the X-ray technicians, the blood lab collection people, the transport people, the patient’s relatives — that when they go in, they wash their hands ” he said. “The second thing which we have identified is how the entire cleaning of the room, the cleaning of the floors, and the waste management is being done.”

However, even with improvements in these areas, Ansari stressed that future outbreaks are very possible as C. difficile can never be eliminated entirely.

“No major hospital can ever have a zero percent C. difficile rate. It’s just impossible. It’s medically impossible to do that,” he said.

 ljgrant@cbpost.com

Country market attracting visitors, raising money to maintain legion
By Sharon Montgomery-Dupe - Cape Breton Post

PORT MORIEN — It’s a place where everyone knows your name and if they don’t they will ask.

An old-fashioned country market will be held the Royal Canadian Legion 2-4 p.m., Saturday.

Yvonne Kennedy, one of the organizers, said the market’s success has left everyone shocked  and delighted.

“We held the first one and there was such a huge crowd, the atmosphere was lovely; people came from North Sydney, from everywhere,” she said.

“One of the venders who does crafts with her friend said, ‘I don’t care if we only sell one thing. We ate all afternoon, met all kinds of people, we had a grand time.’”

Kennedy said rural communities have a unique character as well as charm.

“There is an old saying, ‘It takes a whole village to raise a child.’ Well in rural communities it takes a whole village to maintain the community organizations.”

As a result Kennedy, whose husband John is treasurer of the legion, came up with the idea to organize an ongoing community event to raise money for the legion and help other organizations at the same time.

It was decided to hold a country market the first Saturday of every month.

Kennedy said a big drawing point is that there is no admission.

“We don’t charge to come in, we just want people to come in.”

The market has 13 tables rented by vendors who are selling everything from knitted products to handcrafted jewelry in the upstairs section of the legion and in the downstairs legion members host a flea market.

“The downstairs is all tables for the legion, we are selling our own stuff. Most things are $1, but there are some treasures priced individually,” she said.

There is also a book table and DVD table.

“We have a new neighbour from Alberta and put him on the book table, felt it would be a great way for him to meet the residents.”

There are lots of other attractions including a country cafe with homemade french fries.

 Every month a different community group sponsors a home baking table and other community organizations set up tables, raising money for their own needs.

Saturday, St. Paul’s Anglican Church will have a knitted goods table and St. Mary’s Catholic Church will be selling tickets on a Valentine’s basket.

She said profits go toward paying for the new legion roof.

Donations of items and furniture for the legion tables are welcome.     -  smontgomery@cbpost.com

Business people share skills in CBU videos
SYDNEY — A small business development centre at Cape Breton University is launching a series of online videos to help entrepreneurs sharpen their business skills.

 “Entrepreneurs in Action” is a series of six videos, each 20 minutes in length. The first three videos on marketing, finance and strategy are complete and can be found at http://www.cbu.ca/sbdc . The remaining three videos on accounting, operations and human resources are in production and will be available in the coming months.

 Each video contains content developed by CBU faculty as well as a local business person’s testimonial on the importance of the role that topic plays in running their business successfully, CBU says in a release.

Featured in the videos are owners or representatives of Cape Breton businesses Smart Shop Place, Halifax Biomedical, Venture Solutions, Subway, Creative Catering and the Inverary Inn. CBU faculty members Keith Brown, George Karaphillis, Jacquelyn Scott, and Derrick Hayes, as well as content experts Mary Beth Doucette and Jeff Young, lent their expertise to the project.

Mary Jane Morrison, the director of CBU’s small business development centre, said in the release the online videos provide clients and business owners with information in both accessible and convenient ways, at any time and from any location convenient to the entrepreneurs.

“They can review the material multiple times and continue using the material as a reference when needed throughout the course of their business endeavours,” she said.

Heart of Steel enshrines part of Cape Breton
February 3, 2012 - 4:34am By GREG McNEIL The Canadian Press  

SYDNEY — A new documentary has been produced to serve as a reminder of the steel industry in the Cape Breton community of Sydney after all remnants of it have gone.

Heart of Steel is a 42-minute recounting of the history of steel production in Sydney during the last century, produced as part of the $400-million Sydney tar ponds and cove ovens cleanup.

"The last vestiges of steelmaking are about to disappear in less than two years," said Randy Vallis, director of the federal aspects of the remediation project.

"We felt that we needed to capture the story of steelmaking. We needed to put this together."

Opening minutes of the video remind viewers of the pink smoke and smell of cabbage the steel mill once produced.

Images, old photos and video footage in the documentary trace the plant’s history from its origins in 1901 through to its closure in 2000 and including the current remediation process.

Much of the historical context for the film is told by the late Robert Morgan, a well-known local historian.

Former plant employees also loaned their memories about the glory of the plant’s peaks and valleys. One of those low points was Oct. 13, 1967, when the steel plant owner at the time decided to shut the plant down.

Camaraderie among the multicultural staff of men and women is also mixed in with stories of labour disputes and the plant’s importance to both the First World War and the Second World War efforts.

Much of the growth in Sydney was tied to the steel plant, which was one of the most important plants in North America during and just after the Second World War.

"The steel plant created the community," said Sydney (Sid) Slaven, a former employee of the plant who was interviewed for the documentary and attended a recent media screening.

"The steel plant is gone, but the community lingers on. We’d like the people to know what part was played by the steel plant, particularly the workers, that came here from all over the world to work at it."

Also in the documentary is Ray Martheleur, who became superintendent of combustion engine utilities at the mill after deciding medical school was not for him

"I was emotional, but not to the point of crying," Martheleur said about his reaction to the finished film when he first viewed it Jan. 26. "I was talking to my wife about it when I went home. I was sad because everything is gone."

Following a media screening the next day, former plant employee Eric Parsons said the film was the first time the true story of the plant had been told.

Vallis hopes the documentary will be incorporated into future interpretative themes on the remediated site of the former plant.

"I heard (afterward) from so many people who had children that had no idea what steelmaking was about," said Vallis. "Personally, until I saw this movie develop I didn’t really understand myself. It’s incredible to see and understand just what these people did."

For now, the movie will be distributed to schools, universities and libraries. Copies for the general public are available by phoning 902-564-2528.

"We’ll keep making them as people request them. Because it is their story and such a rich culture here, that’s why we are going to get the message out," said Vallis.

Winter festival kicks off Saturday
SYDNEY — The Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s second annual Winter Festival begins today and continues until March 18.

The following events are taking place today through Friday: • Today–March 17: Micheline’s Snow Shoe Exploration’s at Ski Ben Eoin

Each week there will be guided tours from beginner to advanced levels. There are 12 km of trails. Tuesday, beginner session, 1 p.m.; Wednesday, advanced session, 10 a.m.; Saturday, all levels, 2 groups, 1 p.m.

Contact Micheline, lobelia4@gmail.com; cost $5 plus trail fee, rental available.

• Today: 1 p.m. Explore the Washbrook in Winter, Southend Community Centre, Hillview Street, Sydney. For more details visit the Baille Ard Recreation Association’s Facebook page.

• Today: 1:30-3 p.m. Winter festival Kick-off skating party, Centre 200, Sydney. Free admission. For more information contact Colleen Carey, 563-0901 or cacarey@cbrm.ns.ca.

• Today: Rossignol Cup “Dual Slalom” Ski Ben Eoin.

• Today: Saturday Night Shredz, Ski Ben Eoin.

• Today: 8:30 p.m.-12 a.m. Round and square dance, Cedars Hall, Sydney. Music by Rodney MacDonald and Friends; $7 admission for those 19 and older.

• Today, Sunday: Two Rivers Wildlife Park Winter Frolic, Marion Bridge. For more information, 727-2483.

• Sunday: 12:30–1:30 p.m. Skating party, North Sydney Civic Centre. Free admission.

• Sunday: 2-4 p.m. Celebrate Family Literacy, McConnell Library, Sydney. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Non-perishable food donations welcome for Loaves and Fishes.

• Feb. 6-March 16: 9:30-10:30 a.m. Golden Steppers Walking Club, Northside Community Centre. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. For more information contact the Northside Civic Centre, 794-7576.

• Monday: 7–9 p.m. Snowshoe Jaunt under the Moonlight, Ski Ben Eoin. Guided tour which takes one to two hours. All levels. Cost $5 plus trail fee, rental available.

• Tuesday: 7 p.m. Film night, McConnell Library, Sydney. Celebrate African Heritage Month with a showing of the NFB film Mighty Jerome, the compelling story of the rise, fall and redemption of one of Canada’s greatest athletes, track and field star Harry Jerome. Call 562-3161 to register.

• Thursday: 2:30-3:30 p.m. Valentine’s crafts, Reserve Library. Call library branch to register, 849-6685.

• Thursday: 4-5 p.m. Valentine’s crafts, Dominion Library. Call library branch to register, 849-3590.

• Friday: Strawberry Shortcake Interlude, St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Glace Bay. Takeout from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Eat-in or takeout from 4–6 p.m. Tickets are $6 per person. For more information, 849-1597.

• Friday: 2:45-3:45 p.m. Valentine’s crafts, Donkin Library. Call library branch to register, 737-1154.

• Friday: 6 p.m. Valentine’s Supper, MacDonald Hall, St. John The Baptist Church, North Sydney. Roast beef dinner with live music. Tickets are $15 per person. Wine will be served at $4 per glass. For tickets or more information, 794-3392.

Health authority slicing surgeries to save money
SYDNEY — The Cape Breton District Health Authority will cap the number of elective surgeries it performs as it tries to save $2 million by the end of the fiscal year.

It’s one of a number of measures the district will have to take to balance its budget by March 31, CEO John Malcom said.

“We’re running a deficit at this point of the year of about $2 million, so we’ve had to take steps to make sure that we can balance our budget at year-end and not experience a deficit,” Malcom said. “Under the rules of the province, if we run a deficit in one year we have to pay it back next year. So, you end up having to make cuts.”

Surgeries account for about half of the deficit, he said, noting the district is performing “substantially more” surgeries this year than last year. That’s because the district was able to hire additional nurses, and has a full complement of surgeons and anesthetists.

“We’ve actually allotted more OR time for surgery, so our wait-lists are down in most services,” Malcom said.

On a busy day, there could have been 16 elective in-patient surgeries performed at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. That will now be capped at 11 for the last quarter of the current fiscal year, which could save about $250,000.

“The 11 number would be consistent with where we were in 2010, so we’re quite optimistic that by doing this we’re not going to add to our wait-lists, but we’re not going to also continue to make the progress we made in reducing it like we did in the first 10 months of the year,” Malcom said.

The district recently decided to cut back Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital’s operating room hours to a daytime service only, which sparked community protest. The move is expected to save approximately $52,000 a year in nursing overtime costs.

The district is also deferring equipment purchases until the coming fiscal year, reviewing whether vacancies need to be filled immediately, reorganizing management, and reducing positions. With the approval of the Department of Health, Malcom said the district can also use some revenues to help eliminate the deficit.

Layoffs are not on the table currently, but can’t be ruled out as the district looks forward to 2012-2013, Malcom said. At that time, the district will have to deal with a budget cut of three per cent, or almost $7 million.

“I appreciate that people don’t like, necessarily, what we’re doing but they would like it a lot less if we have to add $2 million worth of cuts next year to our programs and the challenge we already face.”

The district’s annual budget is about $250 million.  -  nking@cbpost.com

Erin Pottie - Cape Breotn Post

SYDNEY — The Cape Breton Regional Municipality might authorize a study exploring the construction of a new library at a new location.