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Debbie Banks can't think of any one thing that made her and her husband, Ken, want to move to a remote island off Nova Scotia's coast 14 years ago. But both agreed that Pictou Island was where they wanted to be.

At the time, the couple - she, who had relocated to Nova Scotia from Quebec, and he, from Toronto - bought some land and a fish shanty on the tiny island. Ken moved the 10 by 12 foot shanty from the fishing wharf to their land, and they set up housekeeping. Like their family, the shanty evolved in stages over the years, "like an amoeba," laughs Debbie. The couple have three daughters, Caitlyn, 12, Laura, 10, Rebecca, four. The shanty has grown into a home measuring a comfortable 24 by 48 feet.

Pictou Island sits peacefully in the Northumberland Strait, six miles off the northeast coast of the province. The island is approximately six miles long and measures one and a half miles at its widest point. It is a largely wooded area, with spectacular coastline, and one main road that traverses its length. Enough room for the approximate 30 permanent residents living on the island.

It's not easy being a resident of Pictou Island if you're in a hurry to go places. The ferry to and from the island takes 45 minutes to cross to the mainland, and the nearest town, Pictou, is a 15-minute drive from the mainland ferry landing. In November, ferry service stops for the winter, and private plane is the only way across the water. Mail is flown in twice a week to the post office run by the Banks'.

Until last year, the island boasted a full-time school, but rising costs forced its closure. Now the Banks girls and one other full-time resident child are taught through home schooling and correspondence courses. The school is now a community building featuring a computer centre with Internet access.

Living on the island takes planning and organization. "You can't just go out to the corner store if you run out of milk," says Debbie. The tendency for residents to become more self-reliant and resourceful is what Debbie likes best about living on the island.

"When we first moved here, I didn't know anyone," she explains. "But you adapt, you learn how to amuse yourself, you learn to bake your own bread." Besides taking care of her family, Debbie keeps herself busy taking a computer course and doing "any kind of craft you can think of."

There was a brief time though, albeit short, when the Banks' second-guessed their decision to live remotely. When Debbie was pregnant with their second daughter, she and Ken "sort of panicked," and moved to the mainland. Debbie says she was worried about what they would do if there were any problems with the baby, especially with toddler Caitlyn to take care of. But after Laura arrived, the family realized how much they missed their island home, so back across the water they moved.

Debbie says if she lived on the mainland, she would "be busy running to town, back and forth to the mall, wasting a lot of time and money." And while she knows there are quality ways of spending free time in town, such as going to the library, she has found that island living has been a growth experience for her.

"You become busy in ways that you're always improving yourself and improving how you live," she explains.

Debbie says there is something about the island that draws certain people. As a young girl she attended school on the Magdalen Islands off Canada's East Coast, and believes that the tranquility and remoteness of island living "is part of my psyche." Debbie describes herself as a very private person, and Pictou Island appeals to that part of her personality.

But she admits island life isn't for everyone. "You either fall in love with this place and want to be here, or you can't take it."

While island residents have formed a social bond of friendship and mutual help, Debbie says neighbours aren't on each others' doorsteps constantly. Privacy is respected. But when asked to relate a unique feature of living on the island, Debbie describes the way the community has come together to address problems. In the past year, island residents became concerned about medical response time if an emergency struck any of them. So as a group, the residents took a First Response course to enable themselves to provide initial medical help in the event of an emergency.

"It's how we gel as a community," Debbie says. "We see what needs we have, and we do something about it."

The island population explodes during the summer months, as visitors and tourists invade the peace and quiet. "We never see the girls then," she says. "They're outside all summer, having a great time tearing around with the other children who visit the island. It's nice for them." Debbie laughs that during the summer rush, she and Ken sometimes think they will have to move somewhere even more remote to avoid the crowds.

But winter is Debbie's favorite time of year. She says the quiet winter months give her family time to become close again, and to Debbie, that's one of the most attractive aspects to living on the island.

"Over the winter the girls get to know one another again. I see them touching base, sharing their time together, and I feel good about that,"says Debbie. She knows if the family lived in town, chances are they wouldn't share that level of closeness because of the influx of outside influences.

Debbie says her girls have never broached the subject of living anywhere else. They don't complain of feeling isolated or cut off from what some would see as the appeal of town life, with its movie theatres, shopping malls and fast food outlets. The Banks girls are enjoying their unique lifestyle as much as their parents.

And while Debbie would like to see more permanent families move to Pictou Island--"It would be marvelous for the school to get going again"--she is happy watching her family thrive in their island paradise.

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Permanent fixtures on the Canadian landscape; the grain elevators of the Prairies and the Lighthouses of the East Coast, serve as important reminders of our history. Rows of elevators built along railway lines indicated the wealth and prosperity of Canada's grain farmers. Lighthouses welcomed immigrants to their new homeland, and, to this day, light a safe passage for fishing vessels on their way into the harbor. Over time, these structures have made way for concrete and new technology, yet the romance still remains.

Join us in the exploration of the past, present and future in the second instalment of this two-part series celebrating grain elevators and lighthouses.

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The prairie grain elevator has braved the elements for close to a century. It's a proud symbol of the family farm that has been the backbone of Canadian agriculture since settlers first began working the land. And while farming as a way of life battles for its very existence, the winds of change have already laid claim to the weathered, wooden structures of the past.

Located in nearly every town along the line of railway track, elevators began dotting the Prairie countryside in the 1890's. Built by various grain companies, the number of elevators grew as rail subdivisions, or "short lines", were added to the main branches of the railway. By the 1930's, close to 6,000 standard wooden grain elevators were constructed in the western provinces.

Comprised of a series of bins, the standard elevator was built to hold grain prior to shipment to Canadian and foreign markets. Farmers would deliver their grain to the elevator, where the company agent determined grade, dockage and final value. The grain was then dumped into a holding pit, carried up to the top of the elevator by a continuous belt equipped with cups, know as the "leg", and deposited in a storage bin. To ship the grain, it would be emptied from the bin back into the pit where the "leg" would carry it up to a direct spout and into the waiting rail car.

Although built for the practical purpose of holding grain, elevators quickly became a stoic symbol of progress, proudly announcing the arrival of the railway. Farmers were glad to travel fewer miles to deliver their grain and the local general store was glad to cash the grain cheques and do a little business.

Times may have changed, but for John Wall of Isabella, and for many others, elevators continue to evoke a certain fascination. "I remember going (to the elevator) with my father with horse and sleigh or wagon," recalls Wall with a smile, as he remembers the smells and sounds of the elevator he first experienced as a child. Wall continued hauling grain to Isabella when he took up farming in the 1950's, relying on the community for most of his needs. But in 1981, the Isabella elevator, like many located on railway "short lines", was closed. Although Isabella had already lost its school and many businesses, the loss of the elevator was the final blow. "If you go to a different place to haul grain, you pick up the cheque and go to another town for your goods," explained Wall. "We bought from Isabella as long as we could." The Isabella General Store served area families until 1996 when the building was converted to a museum.

Shirley Kalyniuk, mayor of Rossburn, agrees that losing an elevator is a devastating blow for any community. Rossburn lost the services of its elevators several years ago, and while the economic impact is obvious, from the loss of a significant tax base to a decline in local business, it goes much deeper than that. "You don't have a town if you don't maintain it," she says. And while the town is holding its own in spite of the closure, Kalyniuk expresses concern for the farmers. "Having to haul farther, especially during harvest, adds more stress," she explains, "at a time when farmers are already stressed."

However, concern for the family farm seems to be missing from the decision-making process of grain companies and railways as they continue to point fingers at one another while closing short-line rails and small elevators. The new prairie landscape is now dotted with "high-throughput terminals" located on the main lines.

With 1,199 licensed country grain elevators operating in 1996, (according to Statistics Canada), the standard wooden grain elevator seems to have lost its place in a world of concrete and profit margins. But as the winds of change continue to blow across the family farm, one can only hope that the integrity and pride exemplified by these Prairie structures will weather yet another storm.

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Nestled between the western boundary of Riding Mountain National Park and the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border, the small community of Inglis, finds itself in a unique situation, thanks to the very factors that threatened its survival.

Home to a row of five wooden grain elevators built between 1920 and 1950, the community is working hard to preserve this rare example of the elevator rows that once adorned small communities across western Canada.

Located at the very end of the Russell subdivision CPR line, threat of closure loomed over the community since the 1950's. As a result, grain companies were unwilling to upgrade the Inglis elevators, leaving them almost exclusively in their original condition. In a rare twist of fate, the elevators continued to operate until 1995. By this time, hundreds of wooden elevators had been demolished and the elevator rows had disappeared. Except at Inglis, where 45 years of speculation resulted in the preservation of five standard grain elevators.

Declared a National Historic Site by Canadian Heritage in February, 1996, the elevators are in need of restoration. The Inglis Area Heritage Committee has launched a major corporate fundraising campaign to raise $2 million for the project. According to Marcia Rowatt, chairperson of the restoration committee, approximately $115,000 has been raised from the private sector. The project is expected to take four years to complete and will include an interpretative centre for the Canadian grain industry. As well, feasibility studies are being conducted on the possibility of converting space for commercial uses such as a coffee shop or bakery.

For more information, contact:

Inglis Area Heritage Inc.
Phone: (204) 564-2243
or visit the Website: http//www.techplus.com/iahc/when.html

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From its origins as the little one-room schoolhouse to today's march into cyberspace, education in rural and remote Canada has evolved significantly over the years.

Some teaching methods and classroom concepts have changed, however, the original goal to grant all Canadians accessible and equitable access to education, has remained the same.

Not an easy task when you consider Canada's size. But the federal government, as part of its "Connecting Canadians" program, is working to make Canada the most Internet connected country in the world.

On March 30, 1999, Canada became the first country to connect all of its public schools, including First Nations schools, and public libraries to the Information Highway.

Under Connecting Canadians, SchoolNet, an Industry Canada program, funded by the federal and provincial governments, along with the private sector, students can access distant databases, libraries and even online courses for post-secondary education.

This is good news for those students living in rural and remote locales who can instantly connect to the information and textbooks they require without leaving their communities, their jobs or their families. It will also give them access to rural and urban students across Canada and to classrooms across the globe.

Technology, though, has its critics. Some teachers suggest online learning, which allows some students to submit assignments and even complete exams online, will isolate students from valuable learning environments, along with their instructors.

Organizers of the program, however, are quick to point out that technology will act to assist, not hinder, learning in the classroom.

"I do not believe that technology will replace teachers," says Elsie Boisjoly, Executive Director of SchoolNet. "Computers and the Internet are only tools that can enrich the learning experience.

"It's all about giving rural and remote Canadians the same tools urban students have," she says, pointing out that rural classrooms of the future will have great advantages.

"Learning will no longer be defined by the walls of the classrooms," says Boisjoly. "There will be opportunities for kids in rural schools to learn from the best teachers located in different communities through Internet video conferencing and other technologies. Online mentorship will explode. Learning will be more and more learner-centered."

More work still lies ahead for the SchoolNet program. According to a 1999 Statistics Canada survey, there is one computer available for every seven students at the secondary level, one for every eight intermediate students, and one for every nine elementary students. Boisjoly says students need more.

By March 31, 2001, Boisjoly wants to have 250,000 connected computers in schools, the equivalent of one connected computer per classroom.

In addition, "SchoolNet" will also foster the creation of 20,000 grassroots projects to provide learners with an opportunity to participate in online learning activities and build Canadian content.

Boisjoly says all of these goals will help give rural and remote students the keys to the future.

"In a knowledge-based economy, where learning is your competitive advantage," says Boisjoly, "expertise will open new opportunities for all Canadians."

For more information, contact:

Canada's SchoolNet
Tel: 1-800-575-9200
Web site: http//www.schoolnet.ca
TTY: 1-800-465-7735

First Nations SchoolNet
Tel: 1-800-575-9200
Web site: http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal
TTY: 1-800-465-7735

Connecting Canadians
1-800-575-9200
Or through Internet: http://www.connect.gc.ca
TTY: 1-800-465-7735

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Alana Lojeck is a 17-year old student attending her first year of university at Dalhousie. During the months of April and May, The Rural Times staff solicited various high schools in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, looking for a student who would be leaving their rural community for the first time in order to pursue secondary education. Alana will write for The Rural Times (fall and summer issues) detailing her experiences away from her home.

June, 2000

Graduation loomed in the not-too-distant future. There I was, wandering rather aimlessly through the monotony of high school, when I found myself suddenly bombarded by choices. Do I want to go to university, and if so, where? What should I study? How will I afford tuition?

Such decisions, I was informed, had to be made as soon as possible. Oh, and by the way, these choices would affect the rest of my life.

Who makes these rules, anyway?

Some decisions came easily. I've always known that I would leave my hometown. Although it's somewhat remote, it is incredibly beautiful, drawing hordes of tourists every year. Being young and non-conforming, however, I've received my fair share of disapproving glances from the mainly older, traditional inhabitants. Bidding farewell to my town came naturally.

I was initially skeptical as to the actual importance of university, so that whole issue proved to be somewhat of a problem. If I were interested in learning simply for the sake of learning, I figured a library card would be more than adequate.

Also, I had heard numerous horror stories of university life. Accounts (most often true) of the poverty students face, for example, being forced to frequent food banks and steal toilet paper-were less encouraging. The prospect of paying back a $40,000 student loan was daunting enough for me.

Fortunately, I was able to receive enough scholarships and bursaries to cover my tuition. I worked all summer and will continue part-time through the year to pay for rent and other expenses. That may be tough, but at least I'll have the comfort of knowing that I can start my career without being in debt.

So, free spirit and all, I'm off to university to dabble in the Humanities. Instead of deciding at 17 what to do with the rest of my life, I've decided to experience everything I can, and to let those experiences lead me to the next step. After all, life is for learning.

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Those wanting a first-hand account of the Canadian Arctic without having to face the weather need look no further than the Internet. Log on to http//www.frozentoes.com and you'll find yourself in a new northern cyberworld that offers educational resources, stories, and tips for living North of 60.

Created as a virtual classroom for teachers and students, Frozen Toes provides a northern perspective on topics such as history, geography and the environment.

"This site is a virtual northern field trip," says Julian Tomlinson, Coordinator of The Arctic Millennium Expedition. "Instead of sending students and teachers out on the land, with can cost an upwards of $20,000, this will give everybody access."

Tomlinson says the idea for the site was established during frequent trips to the Arctic...after his laptop computer was able to handle the harsh elements.

"We will not only be able to highlight uniquely northern knowledge," said Tomlinson. "We will also be able to provide a snapshot of life in Canada's Arctic at the turn of the millennium."

Earlier this year, Tomlinson put Frozen Toes to the test on the Arctic Millennium Expedition - a five person, 7,000 km trek across Canada's Arctic with the purpose of sharing knowledge, exploring cultures and celebrating Canada.

From the trip's origins in Inuvik, through to communities such as Paulatuk, Taloyoak, Igloolik, and finally ending in Iqaluit, the team posted pictures, observations and journals on the Frozen Toes Internet site.

The experiment was successful. Daily visitors to the site could read what it is like to be a Toronto-based vegetarian roughing it in an environment where vegetables don't sprout. Others could read about the team's adventures with uninhibited polar bears.

These sorts of first-hand accounts, according to Tomlinson, will add excitement in the classroom, instead of children being faced with mere numbers and statistics.

For more information
contact: Darrell Fraser
Tel: (867) 872-7500
Email: dfraser@auroracollege.com
Internet: http//www.frozentoes.com

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For many Canadian children the first page of a new book is filled with excitement.

But for those who have difficulty reading, it's a different experience. Instead of enthusiasm, there is despair and frustration in finding words too difficult to understand.

In the southwestern Alberta community of Pincher Creek, (area population 6,700), a community-focused program is trying to help put the fun back into reading by helping children overcome their fear.

Partnership Approach to Literacy (PAL) is a program designed to boost students' reading skills and, at the same time, improve classroom work. The program has also helped in breaking down the stigma for those who have difficulty reading.

"This program helps students develop a more positive attitude about reading in the classroom," says PAL coordinator and creator Kathy Day.

"For so long literacy has been kept a hush-hush subject." "Now it's out there, and it is very important."

PAL was created as an off shoot of the Adult Literacy Program at Halton Community School, where Day served as its coordinator. Through the success of the adult program Day was inspired to develop a program to help spot problem readers early on.

With initial funding from the National Literacy Secretariat, PAL was up and running for the 1998/99 school year. The program was followed up with an evaluation by the University of Lethbridge, which declared the program a success. (As a result of this evaluation, funding for the PAL program has continued and is being expanded.)

The funding has also enabled Day to take PAL on the road where individual communities pay $3,000 for PAL coordinators to come in and lay the groundwork to develop their own program.

The program works like this. PAL coordinators train the tutors, who are volunteers, (often grandparents and high school students), and who are specially selected for this program through a process of screenings and interviews. Once they undergo an adult literacy program (offered through PAL or the community), they are paired with a student to read together on a regular basis, emphasizing the child's reading interests.

"We encourage 'paired reading'," says Day. "We first have the student and their PAL tutor read together without concentrating on pronunciation and grammar points." "It's only after the story is understood are such things as pronunciation and rhyming patterns examined."

Day says that PAL's relaxed method encourages children to participate in the program and allows reading to become enjoyable, as it was meant to be.

For more information, contact:

Kathy Day, PAL coordinator
Tel: (403) 627-5711
E-mail: kmday@telusplanet.net

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A recent study released by Statistics Canada suggests small towns are not always those who lose people. The report, commissioned by the Canadian Rural Partnership and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), states that although rural communities did suffer a 12 per cent net loss of teenagers between 1991 and 1996, the population of 26 and 64-year-olds grew by 4 per cent in most provinces during that same period of time. Additionally, of those people who leave their rural community, 25 per cent return within 10 years. The study entitled "Rural Youth: Stayers, Leavers and Return Migrants" is available on the Statistics Canada Internet site: http//www.statcan.ca, or on the Government of Canada's rural Internet site: http//www.rural.gc.ca.

The Canada Information Office (CIO) recently released the results of its national survey that examined Issues and Challenges in Communicating with Less Literate Canadians. In surveying Canadians with lower levels of literacy, the study found that they want to be better informed on issues that are relevant to their everyday lives, with 14 per cent indicating that they receive enough information from the government. Of those surveyed, 81 per cent favour direct telephone contact as their preferred means of communicating with government representatives. The survey further revealed that 56 per cent of respondents use evening television as their main source of information, while 18 per cent get their information from newspapers. For more information on this study, or to obtain a copy, contact the Canada Information Office at (613) 992-1692 or visit the Internet site: http//www.cio-bic.gc.ca or on the Government of Canada's rural Internet site: http//www.rural.gc.ca.

Since 1879, the Canadian Cadet Movement has been providing Canadian youth, ages 12 to 18, with a variety of challenging and rewarding structured activities free of charge. Its aim is to develop in youth attributes of leadership, good citizenship, and physical fitness through activities such as public speaking, resume writing and work skills, canoeing and sailing, mountain biking, mountain climbing, gliding, music and survival skills ( just to name a few). There are approximately 54,000 cadets in 1,140 corps and squadrons across Canada (66 per cent are located in rural locations) with nearly 22,000 cadets attending summer camps located in 28 rural locations. Currently the Canadian Cadet Movement is looking for Cadet Instructors. If you are between 18 and 64, and are interested, contact the nearest Cadet Headquarters nearest you or visit the Internet site: http//www.vcds.dnd.ca/cic

If you have news clips you would like to share with The Rural Times, Please Contact:
Toll-Free:1-888-781-2222
Fax:1-800-884-9899
E-Mail: ruraltimes@agr.gc.ca

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Marc Topola
Box 1210
Assiniboia, SK
S0H 0B0
(306) 642-5599
E-mail: mtopola_pcr@qlo.com

Christine Black
1 Stone Road
4th Floor
Guelph, ON
N1G 4Y2
(519) 826-4128
E-mail: cblack@frl.on.ca

Susan Felsberg
General Delivery
Mud Lake, Labrador
A0P 1K0
(709)896-5947

Ishbel Munro
Coastal Communities Network
R.R. #2
East Bay, NS
B0A 1J0
(902) 379-2688
E-mail: coastalnet@auracom.com

Make your rural voices heard!

Rural communities are filled with valuable information, stories, legends, quirks and characters, and we at The Rural Times, want to ensure all voices are heard and stories are told. Therefore, we are calling on rural Canadians from across the country to join our Newsletter Advisory Group. Membership is voluntary and will only require participation in one conference-call meeting per month. Volunteers should have a good understanding of rural issues that happen in their community, province or territory, and be ready to suggest great story ideas that reflect rural life.

Join the rural team!

For more information, contact:

Andrea McDonald
Newsletter Coordinator/Editor

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