In politics truth takes a back seat to perception. Public perception becomes reality regardless of the truth of the situation. The current public perception of the antics of the three main parties is one of dishonesty, betrayal, and a lack of integrity. It's time to move away from the entrenched political positions of privilege and entitlement and back to one of service to the people. In Japan, the Prime Minister just resigned because he could not fulfill a campaign promise. Here in Canada, we expect our elected representatives to say anything to get elected, and promises are ephemeral at best.

Economically the Yarmouth area is ripe for renewal. While some have benefitted greatly from projects in the past, much of the benefit has not trickled down to Main St. We need to prime a new economic engine that is less dependent on grandiose projects that look shiny but deliver little, and more projects that reflect local initiatives, and take advantage of the area's natural gifts.

Here's one example: no one would say that Yarmouth has the calmest air in the province. This area is blessed with strong, consistent winds. Yet there are no wind power projects, not even a course on wind power technology and maintenance at NSCC. Nova Scotia could be the pacesetter in home-grown wind technology, instead of relying on foreign companies selling their technology to us for assembly. We are falling behind in the advancement of Green technology and risk being importers and consumers instead of innovators and distributors, which is where the real, lasting economic benefit is, not in the consumption of someone else's product. And yet that is the direction in which we are being led, if we can call that leading.

Which brings me to leadership...

There is a serious lack of leadership in this province. The crew at the helm have taken over the boat, but don't appear to be able to set a course, and we could easily run aground or adrift. As purveyors of the status quo, they do not welcome the future, but rather fear it. Steady as she goes doesn't work well when the boat is headed for the rocks. We used to be pioneers, willing to sail to the horizon; now we crave our comforts and appear to be willing to settle for anything that will ensure calm waters. But we can only drift in the horse latitudes for so long before we wither away. The only way to go is forward, into the future, and sometimes that means heading into the chop. It may not be comfortable all the time, but it will be exciting, and wonderful to get our hearts racing again.