New Waterford, Nova Scotia
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New Waterford (2001 pop.: 6,944) is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
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[edit] Geography
New Waterford is located north of Sydney and northwest of Glace Bay.
[edit] Economy
New Waterford is a fishing port and former coal-mining community that has been in economic decline in recent years. There are ongoing efforts to revitalize the area's economy including a slow but steady increase in jobs in the technology sector. Many residents had been reliant on the, now closed, coal and steel industries. The last local mine closed in 2001. New Waterford's current main industry is the Catalogue Teleservices Company call centre for Speigel and Newport News.
The town owes its name to the many immigrants originating from Waterford, Ireland. Most were fisherman who arrived here either via Newfoundland or directly from Ireland in the first decades of 19th century.
[edit] Residents
Senior citizens make up a disproportionate number of town residents due to a long running unemployment problem and the economic development plans of the government which focused on propping up older declining industries. This had the effect of worsening employment prospects for younger workers resulting in a large amount of migration of these younger workers from Cape Breton, to other areas of the country where opportunities were available. The most popular destinations were in Ontario and Alberta. Many of these workers retained strong ties to Cape Breton and New Waterford and though they often emigrateed in young adulthood and raised families out-of-province many would return after retirement. This is a common pattern in Cape Breton, some rural areas of mainland Nova Scotia and other less-populated areas of the maritime provinces because of the low cost of housing compared to other areas in Canada.
[edit] Seasonal Work
The Cape Breton Dream refers to a process that some Cape Bretoners take part in. A person will work in a more prosperous area for six months then return to their hometown for six months, either working at a lower-paying job or collecting government Employment Insurance benefits. Often this process is repeated for several years, allowing them to reside where they were raised for at least a portion of the year in spite of the difficult economic circumstances in the area.
[edit] Eight-thirty whistle
At 8:30pm every day the local volunteer fire department sets off its air raid siren. This originated a long time ago, when a curfew was established, and continues in tradition to this day. The original intent of the whistle was to let small children know that they were to be inside or on their parents property. It is common for people who are away talking to loved ones in town when the whistle blows to get nostalgic when they hear it.
[edit] Substance abuse
Though some recent improvements have been made with the economy, continued high unemployment rates and other factors have lead to substance abuse problems that plague this and many other areas of Cape Breton. The abuse of prescription drugs like Oxycontin and other illegal drugs has increased and has had a profound effect on the community. [1]
Alcohol abuse is another problem. Heavy drinking, particularly among the young is part of the culture. Consumption often starts young, in the early to middle teen years, and continues throughout life. Historically, heavy drinking was an accepted part of the industrial culture.
[edit] New Waterford Girl
The town was the setting for the 1999 comedic coming-of-age film New Waterford Girl.
New Waterford Girl is a dark comedy about Moonie Pottie, a gifted teenager, who dreams of life beyond her small town. She becomes inspired when a 15-year-old girl from New York moves in next door. Starring many local actors and mostly Canadian talent, it is set in the mid 70's. Most of the scenes in the movie were filmed in the neighbouring town of Glace Bay. One anachronism in the movie was that it portrayed a one room school house in use, but Breton Education Centre was built in 1970 and has been in use since. [2]
[edit] Events and celebrations
[edit] Coal dust days
Coal Dust Days is a week long celebration of the community taking place approximately the third week of July (July 15th to the 23rd in 2006). The activities range greatly, from crazy sunglasses day to meat darts. The most noted activities are Plummer Avenue Day, the Tavern Tour, and the Street Dance.[3] Musical performances are also spread across the week with performances by almost every one of the many local bands. [4]
[edit] Davis day
Davis Day is an informal holiday celebrating the death of a Cape Breton miner, and father of 10, William Davis. He was shot to death by the coal company security force in Waterford Lake during a mining strike on June 11, 1925. Davis was not participating in the protest, which took the form of a march from the company power plant (by Waterford Lake) and ended by the railroad tracks between Daily Road and May Street. He was shot along with two other men, who survived. Davis Day is also known as Miners Memorial Day.
[edit] Coal bowl
New Waterford is the site of the annual New Waterford Coal Bowl Classic basketball tournament, which brings in teams from all across Canada to compete in a weeklong event. The Coal Bowl takes place during early February.
[edit] References
- ^ "Illicit Trade in OxyContin Plagues Atlantic Provinces", The Canadian Encyclopedia.
- ^ "New Waterford Girl", IMDb.
- ^ {{ cite news |url=http://www.coaldustdays.com/events.php |publisher=Coal Dust Days |title=Coal Dust Days 2006 }}
- ^ "CB Locals band list", CB Locals.
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Nova Scotia |
|---|---|
| Counties | Annapolis - Antigonish - Cape Breton - Colchester - Cumberland - Digby - Guysborough - Halifax - Hants - Inverness - Kings - Lunenburg - Pictou - Queens - Richmond - Shelburne - Victoria - Yarmouth |
| Regional Municipalities | Cape Breton - Halifax - Queens |
| Incorporated Towns | Amherst - Annapolis Royal - Antigonish - Berwick - Bridgetown - Bridgewater - Canso - Clark's Harbour - Digby - Hantsport - Kentville - Lockeport - Lunenburg - Mahone Bay - Middleton - Mulgrave - New Glasgow - Oxford - Parrsboro - Pictou - Port Hawkesbury - Shelburne - Springhill - Stellarton - Stewiacke - Trenton - Truro - Westville - Windsor - Wolfville - Yarmouth |
| Other Communities | Bedford - Bible Hill - Cole Harbour - Dartmouth - Dominion - Eastern Passage - Fall River - Glace Bay - Greenwood - Halifax (former city) - Liverpool - Louisbourg - Lower Sackville - New Minas - New Waterford - North Sydney - Sydney - Sydney Mines - Weymouth |
