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OTTW 1004 design cover
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CANADIAN
PUBLICA
TIONS
MAIL
PRODUCT
SALES
AGREEMENT
40069411
From Hackett’s Cove to the International Space Station
PLUS: Joan Baxter: cross-continental volunteer
•
Renewable energy mapping
•
Clare’s self-sufficiency project
•
Eurobuilt: windows for climate change
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OPEN TO THE WORLD, A UTUMN 2007
1
O P E N TO T H E WO R L D, A U T U M N 2 0 0 7
Contents
FEATURES
Radio active
Nautel is an international exporter of radio transmitters and a leader
in digital technology. What’s next? Developing products that could
revolutionize space travel. by Carol Moreira
Food for thought
Where does our food come from? It’s a simple question that
generated the Slow Food movement. by Lindsay Cameron Wilson
Fields of green
Applied research in tidal, wind, and solar power is raising the profile
of green energy alternatives. by Allison Lawlor
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Carbon copy
As the inevitable shadow of high-priced
and carbon-emitting fossil fuels looms,
the Municipality of Clare is sowing its
own seeds of self-sufficiency.
by Joe Fitzgerald
DEPARTMENTS
Snap Shots
3
Business Case
7
Navigator
8
Sustainable Prosperity
10
Vantage Point
32
12
22
26
18
NOVA SCOTIA
TORONTO
MONTREAL
NEW YORK
WASHINGTON
BOSTON
LONDON
PARIS
Page 3
The late Noel Redding, bass player for
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, could
have told you about his talent; so could
James Taylor. That’s because both musi-
cians played his instruments. “He” is
master guitar-maker George Rizsanyi,
and he creates his handcrafted custom-
made guitars (www.rizsanyiguitars.com)
in his windowless studio: an old barn in
OPEN TO THE WORLD, A UTUMN 2007
3
SnapSHOTS
O
P
E
N
T
O
T
H
E
W
O
R
L
D
King of strings
Quality before quantity: Luthier George
Rizsanyi with one of his handcrafted guitars.
SANDOR
F
IZLI
a transient guitar-maker in the mid-
1970s that inspired the Hungarian–
born, Ontario–bred factory worker to
take up the craft, but his family was
always musical. “I first had a guitar in
my hands when I was five,” he says.
In 1976 Rizsanyi apprenticed with
Croatian–born guitar-maker Joe
Kovacic, known as Joey Lado, near
Oxbridge, Ont.; worked with violin-
maker Bruce West near Bradford, Ont.;
and was an employee at a Toronto
musical-restoration house called The
Pinehurst, located on Nova Scotia’s
South Shore.
“There’s an Old World sense of pride
here that most everyone who does a craft
does it to the best of their ability,” he
says on the phone from his workshop.
“Quality before quantity.”
Rizsanyi is a “luthier,” and at 52, he
is a master. It was a chance meeting with
Page 4
Twelfth Fret, before he struck out on
his own. “I was quite good at restora-
tion. Still am. Most people don’t trust
just anybody with their really good
instruments.”
It was Rizsanyi’s humble beginnings
in repair work that taught him how to
make a world-class guitar, a skill he
also teaches. Among his varied accom-
plishments is the Six String Nation
Guitar, a custom-made instrument con-
structed out of historically significant
pieces of Canadian wood, metal, and
bone. It was assembled over a decade
and includes decking from the Bluenose
II, Pierre Trudeau’s canoe paddles, and
Paul Henderson’s hockey stick. The
guitar, played for the first time on
Canada Day 2006, is meant to be a
symbol of national unity, and it isn’t
the last one of its kind he’ll bring into
the world.
“I plan on building another at some
point,” says Rizsanyi. “This next guitar
I’d like to hand to a musician I know
[and tell him to] play it when he’s ready
and pass it to somebody else. I’d love
to see this guitar travel across the coun-
try. It’s a big form of communication
that the guitar and music affords us.
I’ve had people who don’t speak a word
of English working in my shop. We
don’t need it to get our point across; we
do it through music, through guitars.”
—CARSTEN KNOX
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4
Snap SHOTS
One year, a 32-piece brass marching band
from Germany played in the streets of
tiny Tatamagouche. Another year, an
accordion player serenaded partygoers
table to table. And last year, when a regu-
lar performer didn’t show up, organizers
presumed he must have passed away.
“Only death keeps them from coming to
Oktoberfest,” says co-founder Claire
Mueller with a wry grin.
For the past 27 years in rural
Tatamagouche on Nova Scotia’s North
Shore, the last weekend of September has
been synonymous with Oktoberfest
(www.nsoktoberfest.ca). Locals anticipate
it all year long, tourists plan vacations
around it, and more than 3,000 men,
women, and children pass through the
doors of the North Shore Recreation
Centre into a recreated Bavarian dance
hall, eager to dance and sample German
beer, sausage, and sauerkraut.
Top musical talent is always on tap,
and goodwill flows freely. “When you
walk into the arena, it’s not an arena any-
more,” says Mueller. “You are immedi-
ately transported to Munich. From the
smells to the music to the sights, it’s elec-
A bit of Bavaria
“There’s an old
world sense of pride
here that most
everyone who does
a craft does it to the
best of their ability,”
says Rizsanyi
The first Oktoberfest began with a Royal Bavarian wedding in 1810, when Crown Prince
Ludwig I decided to commemorate his marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony. Held in
Munich, the merry-making events featured a horse race, beer, food, music, and dancing. It
was so popular that anniversary celebrations continued each year. Oktoberfests have been
held in Munich for nearly 200 years. — S.C-M
Through the years
Oktoberfest in Tatamagouche
NOV
A
SCOTIA
T
OURISM,
CUL
T
URE
AND
HERIT
AGE
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The Canadian town with the most art galleries per capital than anywhere
in Canada is not Toronto, Ottawa, or Vancouver but rather Lunenburg, a
tiny heritage town on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.“Lunenburg inspires a
feeling in people, it’s not something tangible, it’s more of an experience,”
says Stuart Simpson, the owner of North Shore Canadian Art.“Artists
and galleries converge here.”
Simpson is also president of the Art Galleries Association of
Lunenburg (www.lunenburgart.com), which was formed in 2005 to boost
the growing fine arts community. Membership is currently full, at 20 gal-
leries. “We have so much high-quality art here,” says Simpson.“That’s
why we needed to market ourselves to the world as an arts destina-
tion.” The AGAL produces a catalogue that is distributed to auctions and
art shows across the country. A foldout and a map of the town showing
the galleries has also been created, and they have been distributed to vis-
itor centres and tourist outlets.
“We’ve had a great response,” says Simpson, who sells nationally recog-
nized Canadian art and specializes in original paintings by William deGarthe,
one of Nova Scotia’s best-known marine artists.“We held an art show late
last May as a fundraiser for the town’s opera house, which is being restored.
We had 90 works on display, and 700 people came through in three days.
That’s not bad for a town of fewer than 2,500 people.”
Mariette Roodenburg is a photographer, the owner of Anderson
Gallery, and a member of the AGAL. She recently moved to Nova Scotia’s
South Shore from Holland after falling in love with the area during a holi-
day. “If you combine your energies and networks,” she says,“you accom-
plish more than if you work single-handedly.”
Susan Hudson opened Peer Gallery Contemporary Art in Lunenburg
as an artists’ co-operative in January of 2002.The gallery exhibits the work
of 12 Nova Scotian artists who have established regional and national rep-
utations. Originally from Montreal, and the gallery’s president, Hudson has
lived in Lunenburg for the past decade.“I was drawn to the area because
of the sheer beauty of the architecture and the varied landscape,” she says.
Hudson believes that being part of the AGAL is not only beneficial for its
members but also for the community.“Artists add to any place they are
part of,” she says.“People come to see the art, then they visit the restau-
rants and shops, and all of a sudden the place becomes a destination.”
The fact that visitors can stroll from gallery to gallery is a big advantage,
according to Steven Rhude, a contemporary realist painter whose vivid
work is inspired by marine culture. Rhude is the former president of the
AGAL and currently the association’s secretary.“The art is concentrated
here,” he says.“It’s unique to be able to walk around a town and visit this
many galleries on foot.”
The art on display at the various galleries includes original oil and
watercolours, acrylics and drawings, contemporary prints made using tech-
niques of stone lithography, copper-plate etching and woodcuts, colourful
contemporary pottery, Nova Scotian folk art, and handwoven clothing.
“Artists need inspiration, and Lunenburg is a living centre of cultural
heritage and old-world social values,” says Simpson.“It’s home to the aes-
thetically inclined, whether you were born here or you’re just visiting.The
art scene here is a manifestation of the feeling that Lunenburg radiates.”
— CAROL MOREIRA
Art of the finest kind
tric.” Mueller is French Canadian from
Grande Rivier on the Gaspé Peninsula,
but her husband, Dieter, hails from
Bamberg in Bavaria. “Sometimes I think
I’m more Bavarian than he is,” she says,
laughing. In fact, Mueller, a champion
hog grower, launched the festival in 1980
after being challenged by her hog-feed
salesman. He used to come by every
other week with feed for Mueller’s pure-
bred hogs, and he became friends with
the couple. One day he invited the
Muellers to an Oktoberfest in Debert,
N.S. When the Muellers arrived, they
were horrified to find canned sauerkraut
and Scottish music masquerading as the
famous Bavarian festival. “I remember
saying, ‘That’s not an Oktoberfest,’ ” she
recalls. The salesman quipped that if she
was so unimpressed, then she should
organize a proper Oktoberfest in
Tatamagouche.
That’s exactly what the Muellers did.
At the time, the pair also ran The Pork
Shop in Tatamagouche (they retired in
1998), and many of their customers were
German. They posted a sign promoting
Oktoberfest events on the meat shop’s
wall—the only advertising they did—and
85 people showed up. By the third year,
attendance had soared to 365, and the
following year it was too big for them to
handle on their own. The solution? In
1983 they joined George and Enis Vogel
and Julius Zarand to form the North
Shore Bavarian Society. Today 50 volun-
teers are required to put on Canada’s sec-
ond-largest Oktoberfest (the biggest one
takes place in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.).
The secret to Oktoberfest’s success is
that its organizers don’t treat it as simply
a moneymaking event. “We wanted to
give people the feeling of being in
Germany for one night,” says Mueller.
The economic spin-off from the festival
is broad. Businesses report increased
sales, accommodations are booked to
capacity, and local causes reap the finan-
cial rewards. For example, each year the
Bavarian Society donates funds to com-
munity projects and school bursaries.
“Oktoberfest is a great tradition that
extends the tourism season,” says Joyce
Mingo, the executive director of Central
Nova Tourist Association. “It’s an event
that the community talks about year
round.”
— SHELLEY CAMERON-MCCARRON
AGAL members on Lunenburg’s Railway Wharf
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OPEN TO THE WORLD, A UTUMN 2007
7
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
A
t Halifax–based biotechnology
company Origin BioMed Inc., the
motto “not too fast, not too slow” comes
up frequently. “We have been patient with
our growth—expanding one desk, one
phone, and one computer at a time,” says
president and
CEO
Robert Cervelli. “Our
success to date is proof that strategic and
steady growth is the best growth.”
When it launched in 2001, Origin
BioMed’s goal was to have a big impact on
the pharmaceutical industry with its impres-
sive portfolio of over the counter drug prod-
ucts. Instead of aggressively pushing those
products into the marketplace, Origin
BioMed (www.originbiomed.com) dedicated
the first two years of business to conducting
pilot marketing. By doing so, the company
made sure that its products targeted undevel-
oped health niche markets and ensured it
was prepared for significant growth.
In Canada alone, Origin BioMed’s prod-
ucts are in Shoppers Drug Mart, the largest
drugstore chain, as well as in Lawtons
Drugs, London Drugs, and Pharmasave.
These national pharmacies carry many of the
company’s products, including Neuragen
®
,
its leading topical drug that provides rapid
relief of diabetic and post-shingles pain.
Origin BioMed’s focus is on developing
innovative topical drug products for the
relief of specific conditions causing pain,
using the highest quality active ingredients
with scientific and clinical effectiveness. By
accessing qualified pharmacists, medical
researchers, and clinicians, Origin BioMed
products are supported by scientific commu-
nities worldwide.
“About 60% of people with diabetes
have mild to severe forms of nervous system
damage. The damage includes impaired sen-
sation or pain in the feet or hands and other
nerve problems,” says Cervelli. “Our lead-
ing topical drug, Neuragen
®
, has proven to
be effective in relieving pain for up to 70%
of patients in clinical trials.”
In January, Origin BioMed took its prod-
uct portfolio to a new international market
by signing a distribution deal for Neuragen
®
.
SciTrove Inc., a Tokyo–based marketing and
distributing company for products in the life
sciences sector. SciTrove will help Origin
BioMed produce a promotional campaign
targeting the Japanese market. As well,
Origin BioMed has begun to expand into
American drugstores, including launching a
Neuragen
®
pilot
program
with
CVS
/pharmacy, the largest drugstore chain
in the United States with more than 6,200
outlets; the company has also established an
American subsidiary in New York City.
With products already taking their place
on pharmacy shelves around the world,
Origin BioMed is continuing to break into
new markets with the support of investing
partners such as Nova Scotia Business Inc.
(
NSBI
). Co-investors
NSBI
Venture Capital
(www.novascotiabusiness.com) and Avrio
Ventures Limited (www.avrioventures.com)
are providing financial assistance as the
company expands internationally and
embarks on a
U.S.
expansion.
Avrio Ventures is a Calgary–based ven-
ture capital firm that supports the develop-
ment of Canadian commercialization and
growth-stage companies with a focus on
industrial bioproducts, nutraceutical ingre-
dients, and food technology.
“Origin is addressing real consumer
needs and demands through plant–based
medicines and botanical drugs,” says Aki
Georgacacos, general partner at Avrio
Ventures. “With its strong team, propri-
etary product line, and brand presence, the
company is in a great position to capitalize
on the tremendous growth and opportunity
in the market for neuropathic pain relief.”
NSBI
is helping Origin BioMed through
its venture capital division,
NSBI
Venture
Capital, which offers its venture capital part-
ners valuable insight into Nova Scotia’s
most promising companies.
NSBI
Venture
Capital is a mid- to late-stage investor with
the ability to do follow-on investments in its
portfolio companies. It focuses on Nova
Scotia businesses in key provincial sectors,
including information and communications
technology, defence and aerospace, energy,
advanced manufacturing, and life sciences.
Stephen Lund,
NSBI
president and
CEO
,
and
VP
and
COO
Pat Ryan view venture cap-
ital as a valuable investment tool. When
NSBI
and Peter MacNeil,
NSBI
Venture
Capital’s investment manager, learned of the
chance to partner with Avrio Ventures on an
investment with Origin BioMed, there was
no doubt that this division offered the right
services for the company’s growth plan.
“Partnerships with national players in the
life sciences sector give our local companies
the right tools to grow and compete,” says
MacNeil.
— MARY-ELEANORWALKER
B
U
S
I
N
E
S
S
C
A
S
E
“Partnerships with national players make the
difference by giving our local companies the right
tools they need to grow and compete”
— Peter MacNeil
Specializing in neuropathic pain relief, Origin BioMed is experiencing international growth
with support from Canadian venture capital investors
Page 7
N
A
V
I
G
A
T
O
R
oan Baxter is insatiably nosy. “That’s why Africa is
the perfect place for me,” says the former executive
director of the Halifax–based Nova Scotia Gambia
Association (
NSGA
). “There is something new to learn
every single day.”
That being said, her recent stint with the
NSGA
(www.novascotiagambia.ca) brought Baxter moments of exhilara-
tion that alternated with apprehension. “Can we pay the salaries at
the end of the month? Is there going to be time to write those
reports to donors? I was the chief financial officer, human
resources, general manager, communications officer—all at the
same time,” says Baxter, a native of Dartmouth,
N.S.
, who spent
22 years in Africa working as an author, journalist, and anthropol-
ogist. “I learned more this year managing an
NGO
than I ever
would have in 20 years watching from the sidelines.”
Baxter first went to Niger in 1982 as a young media studies grad-
uate of the University of King’s College in Halifax. Africa ended up
becoming home. “I was married there, and our children grew up in
Africa,” she says. “There is a magic there that you can’t explain.”
Baxter recently resigned from the
NSGA
in order to resume her
writing career and to return to Sierra Leone, where her husband
heads a development project for food security and peace reconcili-
ation. From 1993 to 1997, she was a science writer for the World
Agroforestry Centre and a journalist for the
BBC
World Service
and Associated Press. She also contributed to Canadian media,
including
CBC
Radio, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and The
Chronicle-Herald. Baxter has been writing a non-fiction book for
the last three years, which is tentatively titled As the Library
Burns: The Theft of Africa’s Wealth and Wisdom and is scheduled
Author and journalist Joan Baxter is returning to
Africa, where she will continue to play a vital role as
a volunteer with the Nova Scotia Gambia Association
J
Thevolunteer
OPEN TO THE W ORLD, A UTUMN 2007
8
for publication in October of 2008. Baxter
will continue working with the
NSGA
as a
volunteer, in the Sierra Leone office and on
a new project that will involve doing mass
education on
HIV/AIDS
prevention and
HIV
voluntary testing and counselling.
Baxter’s experience has given her a
“substantial understanding of and feeling
for the people of West Africa, the nature
of international development work, and of
our work, which is working on the ground
with people in a sustainable way,” says
Margaret-Anne Bennett,
NSGA
’s board
chair. “We will miss her enthusiastic leader-
ship, but Joan had a very successful year in
leading the organization through a time of
transition.”
The
NSGA
was created in 1989 by Brian
Devanney, an English teacher at Halifax
West high school, and a group of five vol-
unteers, three of whom were also teachers.
Today the organization works with all age
groups, although its focus is still on the
health and education of young people. The
peer-education program focuses on many
health issues, including
AIDS
, malaria,
tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infec-
tions, healthy relationships, food and nutri-
tion, and gender equity.
Page 8
The
NSGA
has expanded out of The
Gambia and into Sierra Leone, which endured
a horrific decade-long war that ended in 2002.
The organization went into Sierra Leone
immediately after the war. “In many places,
schools had been closed for over a decade,”
says Baxter. “There was no formal education.
Lots of communities didn’t even know that
HIV
exists.”
Nova Scotia is well known in The
Gambia because of the work of the
NSGA
.
“The historical link between Nova Scotia
and Sierra Leone is well known,” says
Baxter, who points out that black Loyalists
from Nova Scotia founded the capital of
Freetown in 1792, led by a man called
Thomas Peters. “When we move around
The Gambia in an
NSGA
vehicle, people
shout, ‘Nova Scotia!,’ which they know
from their own history.”
The connection and concern Nova
Scotians feel for West Africa is palpable.
“It is an absolutely wonderful feeling,”
says Baxter. “People here care about the
work the
NSGA
is doing and they want
to make a difference. Some Nova Scotian
children even donated their Christmas gifts
to help. When that happened, I got chills.”
— CAROL MOREIRA
OPEN TO THE WORLD, A UTUMN 2007
9
“Africa is not just wars
and famine. There are
many, many positive
things happening. It is
really and truly an
inspiring place”
“I was married in Africa, and our
children grew up there,” says Joan
Baxter. “There’s a magic that you
can’t explain.”
SANDOR
FIZLI
Page 9
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10
on Eberle saw his first vinyl win-
dow back in 1986, at a home
show that was being held in the Halifax
Forum. “I was intrigued by the unique-
ness of the multi-chamber design and the
green properties of the window,” he says.
When he learned that the product was
made in part by environmentally friendly
recyclable material, he was hooked. “The
product will last for generations, and then
it can be reprocessed.”
Today Eberle is the president of
Eurobuilt Inc. (www.eurobuilt.com), a
Hubbards,
N.S.
–based company that
designs and manufactures European–
inspired windows and doors that are lead-
ing the industry in energy efficiency,
safety, and durability. The vinyl frames
are made from polyvinylchloride; the
technology involves taking a vinyl
compound, melting it into a liquid, and
pushing it through a shape known as a
die. “It’s kind of like making noodles,”
jokes Eberle.
This method of creating frames using
molds allows Eberle to build features into
his products that help them perform bet-
ter. Eurobuilt’s frames have five hollow
chambers, containing multiple layers of
“dead air,” which increase resistance to
heat loss in winter in northern climates
and reduce loss of cool air in southern
climes. The unique centre-gasket system
further eliminates air exchange through
the frame components. “Energy efficiency
and energy conservation are issues we’ve
been dealing with since we began,” says
Eberle.
In 1981 Eberle first moved to Atlantic
Canada from Ontario to work as a sales
representative for a company that manu-
factured wood-burning stoves. “I was
exposed to alternative-energy concepts
back then,” he says. “I can remember
people getting away from oil and burning
wood.” Eberle learned his new business
as he went along, since he had no prior
knowledge or experience with window-
and-door technology. In 1989 he incorpo-
rated his company.
When Eberle first discovered vinyl
frame technology, North Americans
weren’t interested in it because it was
expensive. When consumers started
buying the products, the price-driven
mass market created pressure to reduce
costs. Vinyl windows became smaller,
slimmer, and cheaper in North America,
but they have remained heavy, rugged,
and increasingly more multi-chambered
in Europe. Eurobuilt’s products provide
a more energy efficient, high-quality
alternative.
“Today there’s a whole lot more inter-
est in North America than there was 20
years ago,” says Eberle. “It’s an education
process, and there is more and more inter-
est all the time. In the 1980s energy con-
servation was a high priority, and the issue
has come around again, not only in north-
ern climates but in the south as well.”
Eberle works with his wife, Mary,
Using green technology to manufacture tilt-turn windows
and doors, Eurobuilt Inc. has a market niche all sealed up
R
S U S T A I N A B L E
P R O S P E R I T Y
A turn for
the better
Page 10
OPEN TO THE WORLD, A UTUMN 2007
11
who is the office manager, and another
eight to 10 full-time employees. Eurobuilt
windows and doors are designed using
“tilt-turn” technology, which also was
developed in Europe; the dual action
allows the windows and doors to swing
inward as well as pivot into a tilt position
that opens more at the top. If it’s sunny
out, the temperature in the room will
increase; the warm air rises and stratifies
at the ceiling. The window can be tilted
inward so that hot air escapes from the
top, while cool fresh air simultaneously
enters at the bottom. This allows for an
automatic air exchange without requiring
any energy use or fans.
The windows also swing in for easy
cleaning, all with the operation of a sin-
gle handle. They can even act as a fire
escape in case of emergencies. “Because
our product is performance based,” says
Eberle, “it’s tested and certified.” In the
United States there have been recent
changes to building codes; energy effi-
ciency and impact performance, such as
high winds and water from hurricanes,
are the two major factors influencing
those changes. “The building industry is
facing critical issues, like energy conser-
vation in any climate and using green
technology,” says Eberle. “We are almost
a shoo-in because we meet the new codes
and address those concerns.”
Eurobuilt’s rain-screen products are
ideally suited for high rises and buildings
in coastal areas that experience powerful
winds and driving rain. Most of the com-
pany’s business is international exports,
with most of it coming from the states of
Alaska, Washington, New Jersey, North
Carolina, and Colorado. From providing
windows for an Oregon resort that has to
buffer 100-kilometre-per-hour winds to
condominiums in Barbados to high rises
in Dartmouth and Halifax, business is
booming. “We’ve got a great long-term
product,” says Eberle. “Everything
installed is forever.”
— SHANNON LONG
Ron Eberle at the newly built W Suites
in Halifax. The 82-unit building has
Eurobuilt windows and doors.
“In the
1980s energy
conservation
was a high
priority, and the
issue has come
around again, not
only in northern
climates but in
the south as well”
— Ron Eberle
Page 11
ackett’s Cove is a tiny fishing vil-
lage on the South Shore of Nova
Scotia. It’s a quiet spot; the only
views are of the tree-studded coastline and the lit-
tle islands that border this part of the Atlantic
Ocean. The only main road leads to the famous
but remote and scenic attraction of Peggy’s Cove.
So it’s no surprise to learn that when Denis
Colville launched his engineering company,
Nautel Ltd., almost 40 years ago, he figured if
business didn’t work out, he could sell the prem-
ises as an oceanside home.
Fortunately things did work out, and today
Nautel (www.nautel.com) is a well-known producer
of radio transmitters and is now on the cusp of
breaking into the space industry. Nautel staff is
buzzing after an unexpected approach just over
a year and a half ago by Texas–based Ad Astra
Rocket, a company that is developing plasma
rocket-propulsion systems that are expected to
OPEN TO THE W ORLD, A UTUMN 2007
12
by CAROL MOREIRA
phototography by SANDOR FIZLI
Space
H
Nautel is an international
exporter of radio
transmitters and a
leader in digital
technology.What’s next?
Developing products
that could revolutionize
space travel
John Whyte (left) and Tim Hardy at Nautel’s
seaside location in Hackett’s Cove.
quest
Page 12
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13
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OPEN TO THE W ORLD, A UTUMN 2007
14
revolutionize space travel. Ad Astra approached Nautel
after learning about its expertise in radio-frequency ampli-
fication. Nautel exports radio transmitters to 170 countries
around the world, using the latest digital technology and
producing transmitters that are compatible with all of the
digital-transmission methods being used internationally.
Digital radio is currently poised to become the greatest
revolution in radio broadcasting since the introduction of
FM
. The digital signal delivers high-quality audio and
allows up to three stations to be transmitted on one signal.
It also provides great efficiency; a digital broadcaster can
serve a broadcast area using only 1/100th the power
required with analog (
AM
and
FM
) broadcasting.
With this in mind, Ad Astra asked Nautel to create and
develop radio-frequency amplifiers for plasma generation
and acceleration in the propulsion systems of electric
spacecraft. Nautel staff members have been only too
happy to take on the challenge. “This technology repre-
sents a quantum step forward in spacecraft propulsion.
We’re doing world-class work. It is very exciting to be
involved,” says Tim Hardy, Nautel’s head of research.
“We’ve never developed a product for space before.
There’s a lot of new learning. It’s an important step for-
ward in a core technology we have. We’re branching out
and applying technology we understand in new ways.”
John Whyte, Nautel’s marketing manager, describes the
project with Ad Astra as Nautel’s “Honda racing program”
because of the way it is pushing the company’s engineering
limits. Seven of the company’s 34 research and develop-
ment staff members are part of the work that involves con-
verting power from solar cells to radio-frequency power,
which are then relayed to an antenna that heats plasma.
Plasmas are electrically charged fluids that can be
heated to extreme temperatures by radio waves and are
controlled and guided by strong magnetic fields. The
temperature of a plasma starts at about 10,000 centigrade,
but present-day laboratory plasmas can be 1,000 times
hotter. These temperatures are comparable to those in the
interior of the sun. “No known material could survive
contact with such plasma, but a magnetic channel can be
built that guides the plasma so that it never has to touch
material walls,” says Hardy. “Ad Astra uses extremely
intense magnetic fields, generated by superconducting
magnets, to create a kind of magnetic pipe or nozzle.”
Whyte compared the technology to building a
microwave oven to cook plasma in space. The device has
to be small, lightweight, and hard enough to withstand
space travel. When developed, the technology will mean
that spacecraft and satellites will be much more mobile
because propulsion will be far greater. For example, a mis-
sion to Mars would currently take about a year, but the
new technology would allow it to be done in one month.
Hardy says the cost of keeping the space station in orbit
could be greatly reduced because the amount of fuel
required could be cut from around 7,000 kilograms a year
to around 120 kilograms, with fuel costing $20,000 per
kilogram. That’s a savings of 98%, or a potential savings of
$1 billion over an eight-year period. “Electric rockets are
much more fuel efficient because they use electricity
instead of chemical combustion to produce higher-velocity
The technology will
mean that spacecraft
and satellites will be
much more mobile
Page 14
OPEN TO THE WORLD, A UTUMN 2007
15
exhaust gases,” Hardy explains. Adds Whyte: “It’s pretty
crude the way rockets work today. It’s just a mass of chemi-
cals burning. Plasma will revolutionize space travel. Plasma
rockets have exhaust velocities way above those achievable
by chemicals, so fuel consumption is very low.”
ONE-STOP SHOPPING
Whyte says that Nautel is well placed to work on Ad
Astra’s specialized project because Nautel does almost
everything in-house, so the company’s standards of quality
control are first rate. “We’re very innovative with produc-
tion,” says Whyte. “Lots of companies outsource aspects of
production, but we do almost all of it in-house. It gives us
control over quality and the ability to tackle very special-
ized development.”
The original building that Colville thought he might
one day sell is now being used to house administration,
marketing, and sales staff. The former residence is connect-
ed by a tunnel to a large green building, complete with
an annex that houses a fully integrated, ISO 9001:2000–
certified manufacturing facility. “Our staff of 150 works
here on everything from
R&D
, metal stamping, painting,
machining, circuit-board assembly, testing, and packing,”
says Whyte. “It’s all under our roof.”
The wooden boxes that transport Nautel’s products are
also made in this complex of buildings. Even the copper
coils inside the transmitters are made here; only the little
fans nestling nearby them are not. There’s a strong sense of
community as employees work on all of the different areas.
On one floor, women are moulding piles of delicate,
spaghetti-like, co-axle wires for use in circuit boards, while
nearby men work on casting many types of metal casings.
Having so many long-term employees aids quality con-
trol too; until staff recently started to retire, workers in
production had an accumulated 500 years of service.
Nautel is so much a part of the local scene that it even has
its own radio station for research use that transmits to the
area. There’s also a fully operational Nautel subsidiary,
staffed by 25 employees, in Maine. “By using two facili-
ties, we increase our scheduling flexibility,” says Whyte,
Having so many long-term
employees helps with quality control
Page 15
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16
“guaranteeing on-time shipments to customers.”
The partnership with Ad Astra is producing palpable
excitement at Nautel because it’s allowing the company to
diversify its core business, which is already growing well.
Nautel’s revenue is currently in the $20-million to $30-
million range. Over the past three years, Nautel’s revenues
have grown by a total of 50%.
The company produces about 30 products, including
medium-wave
AM
and
FM
radio broadcast transmitters
(analog and digital); navigational radio beacons;
Differential Global Positioning System (
DGPS
) transmit-
ters; medium-frequency telegraph and
NAVTEX
transmit-
ters; and amplifiers for dielectric high-frequency heating
applications. The room-sized
NA 300
kilowatt AM trans-
mitter is the biggest transmitter it makes. “We’re recog-
nizing we have a relatively narrow market focus,” says
Hardy. “The broadcast-radio business is a big part of our
revenue, and that makes us a bit dependent on that partic-
ular industry. This is a way of diversifying. It’s hard for
any business to jump into a new field, but we’re pushing
back the boundaries.”
The space-linked
R&D
work has received $1.8 million
from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s (
ACOA
)
Atlantic Innovation Fund. Hardy notes that repayment of
the loan was contingent on making money from the new
technology, which he is confident that Nautel will ultimate-
ly do. At the moment, Nautel is in the proof-of-concept
phase (building a model with mainstream parts to prove
their engineers can do the work). Nautel and Ad Astra hope
that by 2011, the new plasma-propulsion system will be
tested on the International Space Station.
“It’s higher risk and potentially a higher return on
investment, although it will be a few years before we see
any revenue,” says Hardy. “Right now we’re working on
the performance matrix, which requires small size, high
efficiency. When we’ve learned to do this for the cus-
tomer, we can use the technology in other, more main-
stream businesses, such as our core broadcast business.”
Nautel hopes to eventually make money from other
spin-offs; there are many plasma applications used in the
industry, such as semi-conductor processing, waste dis-
posal, and coatings on glass. “At Nautel we have a strong
culture of self-funding our growth. It’s rare for us to go
out and look for funding,” says Hardy, of the loan from
ACOA
. “Nautel understands the importance of
R&D
.
Annually, about 10% of our revenue goes toward
R&D
.
The
ACOA
funding considerably reduces the risk; it would
be difficult for us to entirely fund a major project like this
at this level of risk.”
Franklin Chang Diaz, Ad Astra’s chair and
CEO
, is
pleased to have forged the partnership. “Nautel’s compact
and lightweight high-power
RF
technology is critical to a
successful space application,” he says. “In addition, the
low-voltage requirements of these
RF
transmitters make
them compatible with the voltage output of space-borne
solar-power arrays, eliminating costly and bulky power
transformers and other intermediate power-conditioning
equipment.”
I
“At Nautel we have a strong culture of
self-funding our growth”
— Tim Hardy, head of research
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18
by JOE FITZGERALD
n the spring of 2005, Martin Prauhart, an Austrian who summers
in Nova Scotia, approached Jean Melanson to ask if he’d be inter-
ested in travelling to Prauhart’s hometown of Gussing to see the
remarkable achievements it had made in environmental sustain-
ability. “I was skeptical at first,” admits Melanson, the warden of
the Municipality of Clare. “But Martin was enthusiastic, and after
a few meetings it sounded like something we could do.”
I
O
Y
P
OPEN TO THE WORLD
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
arbon
C
As the inevitable shadow of high-priced
and carbon-emitting fossil fuels looms, the
Municipality of Clare is sowing its own seeds
of self-sufficiency, based on its kinship with a
comparable community in Austria
Page 17
OPEN TO THE WORLD, A UTUMN 2007
19
SANDOR FIZLI
Something in the air: Jean Melanson at
Comeau Lumber, where power is being
generated by burning sawdust and bark.
Page 18
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20
Gussing is a small farming community near the bor-
der of Hungary. Agriculture was its main industry for
decades, but as a result of globalization it became eco-
nomically depressed. Today Gussing produces all of its
own heat and electricity, has cut its carbon emissions by
more than 90%, has created new jobs, and has attracted
global investors, scientists, and politicians to witness the
town’s self-sustainability model. It is also home to the
European Centre of Renewable Energy.
“We’re demographically similar to Gussing,” says
Melanson. “I became convinced that we should explore
the possibility of doing here [in Clare] what they had
done there, which was basically to become more self-suf-
ficient in renewable energy and to produce our own ener-
gy through renewable resources.”
To get a good cross-section of his community,
Melanson proposed the idea to representatives at
Université Sainte-Anne and local businesspeople, then
contacted the South West Shore Development Authority
(www.swsda.com), which began organizing what became
an exploratory mission to Gussing. The response was
enthusiastic, and in June of 2005 a delegation of 19 busi-
nesses, including the Spectacle Lake group of companies,
ADI
Horner Engineering, Nova Scotia Business Inc.
(www.novascotiabusiness.com), the Municipality of
Clare, and representatives from the Departments of
Energy and Natural Resources and Université Sainte-
Anne, travelled to Austria for 10 days. The delegates
attended workshops and studied the various models
Gussing was using to produce energy.
In the early 1990s, Gussing began its own renewable-
energy project, when town officials decided to stop pay-
ing for expensive fossil fuels. They began by building a
district heating system fuelled by locally available bio-
mass in the form of trees. As it became more successful,
they expanded the system and incorporated technology to
produce electricity and heat at the same time, through a
process called co-generation. Because of this leadership
in community–based renewable energy, they have
become home to the European Centre for Renewable
Energy and have also explored the use of solar cells,
solar panels, and biodiesel.
With the advancements in renewable energy practices,
a learning program called a Solarteur school, which is
run through the local high school as a trade; it has been
established throughout Europe. The school teaches
renewable energy practices and technical skills such as
how to install heat pumps, solar cells, and solar panels.
One of the founders of the Solarteur schools is a resident
of Gussing.
“It was quite an eye-opener for us,” says Melanson.
“Each of our local businesses had its own particular
interest. For example, Comeau Sea Foods had a lot of
excess fish oil and thought it could convert this into
biodiesel and run some of its generators. Spectacle Lake
Pork Farm was interested in the methane it could capture
from its manure, and for many years Comeau Lumber
has been producing power by burning sawdust and bark.
It can now sell the excess electricity it generates back to
Nova Scotia Power.
A.F.
Theriault & Son is a local pri-
vately owned shipyard, and [its members] are now on our
steering committee.”
Université Sainte-Anne explored the possibility of
implementing a certified Solarteur school; it is a future
consideration for the university, which is venturing into
using wood chips to co-generate heat and electricity.
“This would be a project to address our energy needs,”
says Sebastien Dol, a communications agent with
Université Sainte-Anne. “It could be used as a demon-
stration project of community heating, with neighbouring
houses and businesses hooked up on the same system.”
Although opportunities abound, Clare and Gussing
comparisons should be kept in context. “We still have rela-
tively cheap sources of energy here,” says Jason Hollett, a
Department of Energy program administration officer and
the organizer of the exploratory mission, “whereas the cost
of [Gussing’s] energy is two, three, four times as much as
ours. They have economic as well as environmental driv-
ers, and right now we’re working on environmental drivers.
The economics will catch up eventually.”
“I became convinced that we should explore
the possibility of becoming more self-sufficient
in renewable energy”
— Jean Melanson, warden, Municipality of Clare
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21
and municipal governments and by an organization called
the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, or the
FCM
.
“The municipality joined a program called Partners for
Climate Protection, and it lays out five milestones,” says
Hollett. “Clare has done the first three. The fourth is
implementing the plan, and the fifth is monitoring it.”
Clare spends $40 million each year on energy costs;
$28 million of that is from residential use, including
heating, electricity, and transportation. The remaining
$12 million is being spent on commercial energy use.
Clare is now ready to begin implementing plans to reduce
its environmental footprint and become self-sufficient in
renewable energy. “Clare has taken a leadership position
on using renewable energy,” says Hollett. “They took a
big risk and invested their own money to travel to
Austria. They are implementing great ideas and viable
concepts. The project is moving forward.”
I
Clare’s first step was to design a community master
plan, which was completed last winter. “Basically, you
map out your community and do an inventory of where
your energy is used and where it comes from,” says
Hollett. “You know how many kilowatt hours are used,
you know what greenhouse gases are produced from
what sources. With that snapshot of the community, you
do an analysis of what the opportunities are to reduce
that energy use and produce your own energy from
renewable resources, whether it’s wind, biomass, or
solar. The next step is to develop a plan to realize those
opportunities. That’s where Clare is today; it has com-
pleted those three steps.”
Without the dedication of the municipality, the initia-
tive wouldn’t be moving forward; this dedication has also
brought other partners on board. The first three project
milestones were funded through the federal, provincial,
Without the dedication of the municipality,
the initiative wouldn’t be moving forward
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22
by LINDSAY CAMERON WILSON
It’s a warm, sunny, August day in Hants County, and
Allison and Jessica Hayes-Conroy are weeding the garden
at Dr. Arthur Hines Elementary School in Summerville. In
May the students planted the garden, but over the summer
the weeds took over. Somewhere beneath the surface, seeds are
soaking up nutrient-rich soil, beginning the transformation into the
potatoes, onions, carrots, and corn they are destined to become.
As the 26-year-old twins pull weeds and till the soil, the leafy
tops of vegetables become visible in rows. The Hayes-Conroys,
who hail from Riverton,
N.J.
, are living in Nova Scotia while con-
ducting their PhD field research. Allison attends Clark University
in Worcester, Mass., while Jessica attends Penn State. Both are
students in the social and political discipline of geography.
Allison is researching how everyday life with food—from tasting,
smelling, and chopping to growing, tending, and shopping—can
inspire social and political activism. Her focus is Nova Scotia’s
Slow Food movement, mainly because of its vibrant and friendly
yet politically active membership. “My work focuses on human
motivation for creating social change and for being part of a
movement,” says Allison.
Jessica is researching school gardens, both in Nova
Scotia and in Berkeley, Calif., to determine how economic
and gender differences affect the students’ experiences.
“I am interested in what sorts of visceral experiences
are created through the garden and cooking program,”
says Jessica. “I want to know what it takes to try to create
positive emotional experiences for schoolchildren so that
programs like this garden can be more effective at creat-
ing nutritional and social change.”
Although their research began as separate proposals,
when two bodies of research both stem from food, they
are bound to intertwine. “Both of us are interested in the
moods, feelings, and sensations that arise through the
interaction with the material world,” says Jessica. “In this
case, it’s with food.”
Needless to say, the scope of the sisters’ research is
wide, but their focus narrows as they crouch in the soil and
corral their thoughts. The garden at Dr. Arthur Hines was
spearheaded several years ago in the spring of 2004 by
Food for
I
SANDOR
FIZLI
Where does our food come from? It’s a simple question that generated
the Slow Food movement. In Nova Scotia the answer has schoolchildren
gardening, farmers’markets thriving, and people preserving our
unique culinary heritage
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23
Flower power: Allison (left) and Jessica
Hayes-Conroy amidst the bounty at
Dr. Arthur Hines Elementary School’s
student-tended garden.
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24
says Kienapple. “This relationship is essential not only to the
success of our local agricultural production but also to the
preservation of Nova Scotia’s culinary heritage.”
Tending a garden is the perfect place to start. Students plant
seeds in the spring and harvest the produce in the fall; then, in
the small kitchen off the gym, three Grade 6 students at a time
take turns working with a supervisor, who teaches them how to
prepare lunches with the vegetables they have grown. Finally,
the fruit of their labour is sold and served through the school’s
lunch program.
ne day each fall, the menu gets a boost from Chef
Michael Howell, the co-owner of Tempest restaurant
in Wolfville,
N.S.
, and a Slow Food member. “I am
motivated by a belief that slow food and its ideals
are important to impart to the younger generation,” says Howell.
While the children are both nervous and excited, they feed off the
energy and immediacy of preparing the food. “The kids ask ques-
tions, some more relevant than others, like, ‘What can I do with a
turnip?’ and ‘What’s coconut milk?’ ” says Howell. “Sometimes
it’s, ‘Have you ever cut yourself with a knife?’ or ‘What’s it like
being on
TV
?’ It’s a worthwhile project I believe in.”
Howell’s recipes are relatively quick and simple, and they
adhere to the standards of the school’s healthy lunch program.
The Nova Scotia Department of Education recently passed a
new provincial food-and-nutrition policy that sets standards for
the food and beverages allowed to be served and sold in schools.
Vending machines containing junk food have been removed and
replaced with more nutritional alternatives.
Occasionally, Howell pushes the envelope a little. “I’ll bring
in fish sauce and curry paste and create a Thai vegetable curry,”
he says. “The key is to keep the kids interested while teaching
them to be creative with the ingredients they have.” Sometimes
the food is a hit; other times it’s a miss. Either way, everyone
gets a chance to taste familiar vegetables—squash, potatoes,
corn, parsnips, onions, and carrots—in new ways.
“What the school garden is also doing is tying educational
concepts—math, science, biology, socialization—to what goes
on in a garden,” says Kienapple. While the garden isn’t an offi-
cial Slow Food Nova Scotia project, the organization has been
involved in the process by bringing in Howell to harvest and
prepare the food.
Soon these concepts will be captured on film. Kienapple and
Aldous, with the help of funds raised by the convivium (for the
definition of a convivium, see “Power in Numbers” on page 25),
are making a video to document the process of creating and
working in the Dr. Arthur Hayes garden. Kienapple is currently
in discussions with Acadia University to market the video both
as both a health and an educational tool. “We hope the video is
more inspirational than educational,” says Kienapple. “We’re
marketing it to education officials to encourage implementing
gardens in more school districts.”
The opposite of fast food
The Slow Food movement began in 1986, when fast-food giant
McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Rome on a site near the
Spanish Steps. Carlo Petrini, an Italian journalist and lawyer, was
horrified. His response to the “McDonaldization” of food—the
encroaching reach of bland international food made in a highly
mechanized fashion—was to launch a grassroots revolution in
food politics that would eventually reach around the world. His
goal: to unite those who savour the sensual pleasures of good
food with those concerned with the social and ecological implica-
tions of the erosion of traditional methods of food production.
He called the movement Slow Food.
By 1989 Slow Food had become an international non-profit
organization consisting of nearly 1,000 convivia, or chapters (a
single chapter is called a convivium), with more than 80,000
members. In May of 2003, Slow Food Nova Scotia launched. Its
leader, Brian Kienapple, is a former CBC-TV producer who
became passionate about the concept while travelling in Italy in
2000 and 2001. On his journey, he witnessed heritage ingredients
made by regular folk and produced on a day-to-day basis—from
classic Chianti vineyards and cheese aged in a former Etruscan
tomb to a flavourful breed of pig in the town of Greve.
The four Slow Food principles are to promote local, fresh,
and healthy food produced by small-scale artisans; to encourage
natural growing practices, especially organic and sustainable meth-
ods; to preserve our culinary history and culture so we have
diversity in food choices; and to reconnect producers and con-
sumers so they can educate each other.
— L.C.W.
Kathy Aldous, a program co-ordinator of health promotion at the
Hants Shore Community Health Centre and a former board mem-
ber of Slow Food Nova Scotia (www.slowfoodns.ca). Aldous’s
plan was to get students involved with the production of vegeta-
bles while simultaneously—and surreptitiously—promoting
healthy eating. “The children are learning skills in the garden and
kitchen,” says Aldous, “skills that are being lost in this modern
world of two-income families and convenient supermarkets.”
Even though the program has had its challenges, such as finding
time to integrate it into the school day and consistent funding, the
garden is becoming an important part of the school. “It’s attract-
ing the attention of parents, teachers, and the community,” says
Aldous. “I believe all schools should consider having a garden.”
On a global level, the Slow Food movement aims to edu-
cate; its focus is to encourage an understanding about food—
how it tastes and where it comes from—in order to make
eating more pleasurable. The goal isn’t to abolish junk food;
rather, it’s to show that food comes from somewhere besides
fast-food restaurants. “Slow food can’t conquer fast food, but it
can show that there’s another food system out there,” says Brian
Kienapple, the leader of Slow Food Nova Scotia. “There is a
triangular relationship between the person who grows the food,
the person who prepares it, and the person who consumes it,”
O
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OPEN TO THE WORLD, A UTUMN 2007
25
Power in numbers
Convivium is Latin for “a feast, an entertainment, a banquet”
(its plural is convivia). Slow Food pioneer Carlo Petrini chose
this word because, unlike chapter or group, convivium encour-
ages conviviality among its members.There are 1,000 convivia
worldwide; they build relationships and connect chefs with local
producers, campaign to protect traditional foods, organize tast-
ings and seminars, nominate producers to participate in inter-
national events, and promote Slow Food education in schools.
— L.C.W.
hat’s the essence of Slow Food. An idea becomes a
seed that grows into the hands of farmers, students,
parents, teachers, chefs, and consumers. As these
connections grow stronger, the symbiotic relationship
between rural and urban communities is strengthened. Farmers’
markets grow. Consumer awareness rises. Local tastes are
rediscovered. History, tradition, and culture are revived
through something as simple as growing vegetables in a
garden. “Blueberries, maple syrup, lobster, the Berkshire pig,
Gravenstein apples—these are foods that have cultural and culi-
nary significance in Nova Scotia,” says Kienapple.
Slow Food has 1,000 convivia throughout the world, but
“Nova Scotia is where both of our interests over-
lapped. Beyond that, we both wanted to travel here,
and we’re excited to be here,” says Allison (right) with
Jessica, holding the fruits of their labour.
Allison and Jessica Hayes-Conroy chose to conduct their PhD
research on the Nova Scotian convivium. “We wanted a place
that was likely to be different from Berkeley in terms of agricul-
ture, history, culture, and diversity,” says Allison. “We also
wanted to do research in the same place. Nova Scotia is where
both of our interests overlapped. Beyond that, we both wanted
to travel here, and we’re excited to be here.”
Perhaps it’s the biodiversity of farms here—they’re the most
diverse in Canada—that make it unique. Or it could be that the
province had the first farmers’ market in Canada, one that is still
thriving today. Maybe it’s the active interest Nova Scotians have
in preserving their culinary heritage in order to create variety in
their food choices. One factor is certain: The gap between rich
and poor isn’t broad enough here to drive a socio-economic
wedge between consumers and producers. Wedges such as those,
which exist in many parts of the United States, make researching
social and political activism there an elitist activity.
While Allison and Jessica believe that food will forever be a
complex topic, they feel their time in Nova Scotia has been well
spent. “We’ve been warmly welcomed by Slow Food Nova
Scotia, and we’ve had a great experience,” says Jessica. “We
came here hoping to engage people in dialogue, to discuss the
fun, the chaos, and the complications of food activism.” Although
the sisters bid farewell to the province at the end of September,
that doesn’t mean they don’t plan to return. “I love it here,” says
Jessica, “and I hope to move here one day.”
I
T
SANDOR FIZLI
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26
Fields of
S
AN
DO
R
FI
Z
LI
Page 25
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27
by Allison Lawlor
Applied research in tidal,
wind, and solar power
is raising the profile of
green energy alternatives
ob Maher has always cared about the
environment. “It’s important to reduce
our impact on the planet,” he says.
“It’s a philosophical thing.” In his
own modest way, Maher limits his
ecological footprint on the Earth.
When he can, he leaves his car at home
and bicycles the 12 kilometres along wind-
ing country roads to his office in Middleton,
in the heart of Nova Scotia’s fertile Annapolis
Valley. At home he tends a big garden, where
he grows herbicide-free vegetables.
In 2000, after many years of hard work,
opportunities to work on renewable energy
projects began at the Applied Geomatics
Research Group (
AGRG
) at the Nova Scotia
Community College’s Centre for Geographic
Sciences (agrg.cogs.nscc.ca). Maher leapt at
the chance to further pursue something he
cared about both personally and profession-
ally. “This builds on our previous strengths,
like software development, and the applica-
tion of geographically–based technologies,”
green
Bob Maher: “The work being
done here will raise Nova
Scotia’s global profile.”
B
Page 26
says Maher, the
AGRG
’s senior research scientist.
Consisting of 17 core staff members, his group is recog-
nized for its use of geomatics tools in environmental
research, such as geographic information systems, global
positioning systems, and remote sensing.
The
AGRG
was founded with financial support from
the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust and the
Canada Foundation for Innovation. “We’re really a tech-
nology-integration department,” says Maher. It’s because
of this technology that the
AGRG
is now working on
three different renewable energy fronts: wind, solar, and
tidal. In a province that has signalled that it wants to
become greener, Maher sees a place for his research
group in the growing alternative energy sector. Earlier
this year, the province introduced regulations that require
about 20% of its electricity to be generated by renewable
energy by 2013. As a result of the new legislation, Nova
Scotia Power has put out a tender for 130 megawatts of
renewable energy; the company estimates that this
will result in almost $300 million in new investments in
the province.
“There is probably going to be a flurry of activity on
the tidal front,” predicts Maher. “The work being done
here will raise our global profile.” With the highest tides in
the world, the Bay of Fundy, located between Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick, has garnered a lot of attention for its
green potential. Research from the Palo Alto, Calif.–based
Electric Power Research Institute identifies that body of
water as potentially the best site in North America for
large-scale, grid-connected, tidal-energy generation.
With 100 billion tonnes of seawater flowing in and
out of the Bay of Fundy each day, it has more than the
combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers. When
fully developed, estimates are that new tidal technology
has the potential to generate 300 megawatts of emission-
free energy from eight locations in Nova Scotia—that’s
enough energy to power close to 100,000 homes.
To help make that happen, Tim Webster, an
AGRG
research scientist, is working with
ATEC
Power Inc., a
Windsor,
N.S.
–based company established in 2005 and a
contender to develop tidal power in Atlantic Canada. “It
seemed like a natural fit,” says John Wightman, who is an
owner of
ATEC
Power. “They’re a leading facility doing
this type of research in Canada,” he adds, referring to
AGRG
’s expertise in global positioning system and
remote sensing.
Wightman and his organization want to have a better
understanding of the nature of the Bay of Fundy’s tidal
currents, so Webster is amassing huge amounts of infor-
mation on the bay, ranging from bottom type and currents,
to the location of infrastructure such as power lines. After
collecting digital maps and charts from various govern-
ment agencies and research departments, Webster will use
a computer-mapping system to produce one detailed map
that will overlay all of the information, allowing it to be
viewed simultaneously. He will then develop a website
for
ATEC
Power, where the information can be posted.
Preliminary tidal-current studies conducted in 2005 by
ATEC
Power show the Minas Passage, an area about 12
kilometres long and five kilometres wide between Cape
Split and Cape Blomidon, as the most favourable site for
tidal power generation. Still, Webster says it’s too early in
his research to name a specific test site for
ATEC
to
potentially locate its underwater hydrokinetic tidal tur-
bine designed by Annapolis, Md.–based
UEK
Corp.
Wightman will say that the Minas Passage is the prime
location when it comes to tidal power: “We obviously
want to be a player in that hot spot.”
Webster is also working with the Geological Survey
of Canada on another project in the Bay of Fundy, which
uses Li
DAR
technology to collect topographical informa-
tion. The technology works by mounting a piece of the
OP E N TO TH E W ORLD, A UTUMN 2007
28
In a province that wants to become greener,
Maher sees a place for his research group in
the growing alternative energy sector
Page 27
OP E N TO TH E W ORLD, A UTUMN 2007
29
equipment on an aircraft and sending a laser down to a
specific area to collect data. Once the data is collected and
modelled, the Geological Survey will combine it into its
surveys, providing additional information for those inter-
ested in developing tidal power.
Li
DAR
technology is one of the ways the
AGRG
is dis-
tinguishing itself from other educational institutions, not
only in Canada but also worldwide. To Maher’s knowl-
edge, there are only four other academic institutions in the
world with this multimillion-dollar piece of equipment.
Currently, the centre’s Li
DAR
technology is being loaned
to researchers in Alberta; flying over the glaciers in the
Canadian Rockies, they will use it to map the area in pre-
cise three-dimensional detail. Concerned with the receding
glaciers, the technology permits the scientists to go back
the following year to get another picture, allowing them
to draw detailed maps rather than rely on less accurate
estimates. Maher predicts a growing demand for this tech-
nology—and the
AGRG
’s ability to provide it.
Winds of change
When it comes to renewable energy,
AGRG
researchers are
also working on wind and solar power projects. Research
scientist David Colville has partnered with Yves Gagnon at
the Université de Moncton to develop an online interactive
wind atlas, for which the Nova Scotia government provided
$78,000. “Folks interested in wind development will have
a place to start,” says Colville. “The primary value of the
atlas will be for understanding the locations with the best
potential wind power.”
Gagnon has already developed wind atlases for New
Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The Prince Edward
Island atlas allows users to zoom in to find detailed infor-
mation on the wind resource in any particular area.
Colville says that Nova Scotia’s map will be similar; he is
currently collecting weather, topography, and land-use data
from governmental departments to use in the wind atlas.
Gagnon developed the model for the atlas, and Colville
and his research associate, Steve Bird, built an interactive
website with the results. The site, launched in late
September, is hosted by the Department of Energy.
Colville and Bird are also working with Green Power
Labs Inc. on a solar-radiation project. In 2004 the
Dartmouth,
N.S.
–based company released the Solar Energy
Map for Nova Scotia, a
GIS
tool to demonstrate the econom-
ic feasibility of solar energy across the province. In late
2006, the company announced a partnership with the
Running on pure power
In a little over a decade, Nova Scotia hopes to be one of the cleanest
and most sustainable environments in the world.The Environmental
Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act was introduced in late spring and
approved during national Environment Week in early June.“This Act
recognizes that a healthy environment contributes to a healthy econo-
my and to our long-term prosperity,” says Nova Scotia Premier
Rodney MacDonald.
The Act includes more than 20 goals to help the province become
cleaner and more sustainable by 2020. Some of those targets include:
reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10% less than 1990 levels; new
emission standards for motor vehicles by 2010; new policies to pre-
vent the loss of wetlands by 2009; and legally protecting 12% of Nova
Scotia’s land mass by 2015.
The Act follows a commitment to set a new standard for renew-
able energy in Canada by generating almost 20% of Nova Scotia’s elec-
tricity through green sources such as wind, tidal, biomass, solar, and
hydro by 2013.“Nova Scotians want more renewable energy generated
here,” says Minister of Energy Bill Dooks.“We are going to get cleaner,
greener energy to power our homes and businesses in the most cost-
effective way possible.”With the new regulations in place, 100,000
more homes will be running on renewable energy in five years.
Working with the province to help achieve those goals is Cape
Breton Power Ltd.After two years of preparation, nine wind turbines in
Glace Bay, N.S., at the Lingan Wind Farm are up and running and will be
producing 42 million kilowatt hours of electricity every year—enough
energy to power 6,000 homes.According to Premier MacDonald, this
project is proof that Nova Scotia has the policy, resources, and people
to create a green economy.“This is an opportunity to use our wind
resources to increase the supply of renewable energy for the entire
province,” says Luciano Lisi, the CFO of Cape Breton Power.“It’s a small
but important step toward integrating renewable energy into the exist-
ing mix of power generated in Nova Scotia.”
Wind turbines stand as tall as a 12-storey building and are equipped
with a triple-blade rotor that is 48 metres in diameter.The blades of the
wind turbines capture the wind and convert it into energy.The Lingan
turbines have no moving mechanical parts, making them quiet and more
reliable than past models.The energy being produced at the Lingan
Wind Farm is being entirely contracted to Nova Scotia Power Inc. By
2009 NSPI plans to generate 200 megawatts of renewable new energy,
enough to power 70,000 homes.
“The Lingan Wind Farm project is the result of a lot of hard work
by Cape Breton entrepreneurs who have invested significant sums to
produce cleaner, greener power,” says NSPI president and CEO Ralph
Tedesco.“The dedication of this successful wind farm, together with
other wind installations, means that Nova Scotia has more wind-generat-
ed electricity on the ground than any other Atlantic province.”The com-
pany also estimates that roughly 12% of the electricity produced in
Nova Scotia is made from renewable sources.
— HEATHER MACLEAN
Page 28
Applied Geomatics Research Group to do a
more advanced assessment of the Maritime
region’s solar-energy resource based on
satellite imagery. “The college has a very
strong applied geomatics research group,”
says Alexandre Pavlovski, the president of
Green Power Labs.
Colville received about $30,000 from
Nova Scotia Economic Development to
facilitate the project, which will be com-
pleted in the spring of 2008. “We envision
having a solar-radiation atlas for the
Maritimes,” he says. To collect the infor-
mation, they are using
GOES
weather-
satellite imagery provided by
NASA
.
While
GOES
imagery has long been used
to watch weather, Green Power Labs has
developed a model to use the imagery
with one-kilometre resolution, meaning
that there is information for every one
kilometre squared in the Maritimes. Using
this imagery will allow researchers to map
out where the clouds are and how much
solar energy is getting through.
Colville and Bird are collecting data
over a year-long period to build an accu-
rate image of the maximum and minimum
amounts of sunlight in a given area. Using
this data, he and his team will determine
the monthly and daily solar-radiation
amounts for particular areas. “To make
this happen,” says Colville, “we are build-
ing software tools.” But it’s not just any
software—it will be another valuable tool
for Green Power Labs to better serve its
clients, as well as a product it hopes to
sell globally.
Maher is excited about future
AGRG
opportunities in the renewable-energy
sector and sees a growing demand for this
technology—and the
AGRG
’s ability to
undertake applied-research projects. He
predicts possibilities for everything from
monitoring buildings to allowing owners
to see whether or not they are truly recy-
cling water or reducing heat consumption
to providing people with easily accessible
detailed data about their local environ-
ment. Relying more on renewable energy
makes good sense. “Nova Scotians as a
whole have to meet their economic bottom
line,” says Maher. “Part of that is the
sensible use of the resources they have.”
With technology being increasingly
relied upon to make better use of the
Earth’s limited natural resources, there’s
no question that the
AGRG
will continue
to play a meaningful role. “Essentially,
we provide information to people in a way
that they can understand,” says Maher.
“It’s all part of educating people about
their environment.”
■
OP E N TO TH E W ORLD, A UTUMN 2007
30
“We provide information to people
in a way that they can understand”
S
AN
DO
R
FI
Z
LI
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OPEN TO THE W ORLD, S UMMER 2007
32
On a mission
The tartan scarves may have offered to a
casual observer the first clue that this was a
unified group. In fact, it was a group on a
mission—a mission to Ottawa, to meet for-
eign service officers, ambassadors, high
commissioners, and consular officials and
to promote Nova Scotia as an education
destination and a partner in international
education and training projects.
The February mission itself involved
partnership and collaboration, uniting
EduNova (the provincial non-profit,
co-operative, education-and-training associ-
ation), Nova Scotia Business Inc.
(www.novascotiabusiness.com), and the
provincial Department of Education
(www.ednet.ns.ca). When EduNova
(www.edunova.ca) lists its membership—
Nova Scotia’s 11 universities, a 13-campus
community college network, seven school
boards, and a number of private education
and training organizations and consulting
firms—its significance becomes apparent.
“It was a winning situation for every
one of us to get together and have a clear
message that went out around the world
about the quality that we represent,” says
Nova Scotia Agricultural College
(www.nsac.ns.ca) president Philip Hicks,
who chairs the Council of Nova Scotia
University Presidents.
Nova Scotia has about 4,000 interna-
tional students representing 140 countries,
who contribute about $100 million a year to
the provincial economy. “If those students
didn’t come to Nova Scotia, we would defi-
nitely notice,” says EduNova president and
CEO
Ava Czapalay. “Our businesses would
notice, and our universities would notice
for sure.”
The internationalization of campuses
continues to be crucial for the education
sector in Nova Scotia. “What is a university
but a crucible for the exchange of ideas,
challenges, contradictions, and arguments
out of which comes knowledge and wis-
dom?” asks Hicks. “And if we all are from
the same cultural heritage, we’re not going
to achieve that on our campuses.”
Joan McArthur-Blair, the president and
CEO
of the Nova Scotia Community
College (www.nscc.ca), agrees. “There are
tremendous growth possibilities for the
community college in international work,”
she says. “To support the economy and
quality of life of Nova Scotia, we need to
be part of internationalizing our province.”
NSBI
president and
CEO
Stephen Lund
view the mission as an opportunity to high-
light the importance of our education sys-
tem and its link to the province’s economic
success. “We talk to companies every day
about locating in Nova Scotia, and they’re
looking at places around the world,” he
says. “The reason we’re so successful is
because we’ve got what most places don’t
have: a really strong, solid, post-secondary
education system.”
In what Lund describes as a worldwide
“war for talent,” a highly educated work-
force is at the top of
NSBI
’s list of competi-
tive advantages and a key attraction for
companies such as Citco Fund Services.
The world’s No. 1 hedge fund administrator
recently opened an operation in Halifax and
is slated to employ up to 350 people. “The
buzz these days in Bermuda and Europe is
that Halifax is the next Dublin,” says Lund.
“Dublin’s success was driven by its educa-
tion system, and so we believe there are
huge opportunities for us here.”
The international connection continues
to be strengthened through relationship
building. Philip Smith, the High
Commissioner for the Bahamas, says that
even though Nova Scotia is not really an
island, the atmosphere is very similar to
home for the more than 200 international
students from the Bahamas who come to
study here. “Not only do Bahamians feel
very much at home, but all of the people
from the Caribbean who have come to
Nova Scotia have found that it’s among the
best places to study. It’s foreign, it’s differ-
ent, but it’s very much like home.”
Nearly 90 Nova Scotians participated in
the program, which included an afternoon
information session for foreign service offi-
cers and an evening reception at which
embassies from around the world were rep-
resented. “It was great exposure and a great
audience,” says Education Minister Karen
Casey. “We spoke to the audience, and the
audience heard. It was a great success.”
Back in Nova Scotia, Czapalay spoke
on the phone with the High Commissioner
of India, who thanked her for hosting the
reception and conveyed an eagerness to
collaborate. “It was definitely mission
accomplished,” she says.
— MARIEWEEREN
V
A
N
T
A
G
E
P
O
I
N
T
“In order to support the economy and quality
of life of Nova Scotia, we need to be part of
internationalizing our province”
— Joan McArthur-Blair
Education leaders are promoting post-secondary institutions, building global
partnerships, and attracting more international students to Nova Scotia