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CTV News
13 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Province says boat school expansion will bring new opportunities to N.S. youth
A rendering of the new Boat School, currently under construction on the Halifax waterfront. (Source: RHAD Architects) A unique school at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is expanding to provide new aquatic opportunities for young Nova Scotians, said a news release from the province. The 'boat school' taking shape in downtown Halifax will help meet growing demand for boatbuilding and watercraft programs the museum offers to underserved youth. The popular programs have been taught in small boat sheds at the museum for the last decade. 'Sharing this boat school dream and its community values with our generous donors has led to an outpouring of financial support for the Boat School's construction and its programs which has been both breathtaking and humbling,' said John Hennigar-Shuh, president of the Canadian Maritime Heritage Foundation. Nova Scotia spent more than $7 million on the boat school and provides operational funding through the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage, said the release. The federal government spent more than $3.2 million for the new facility. Private donors provided $3 million to the project and $1.6 million to support the program's delivery. Nova Scotia's minister of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage said the new school opens the door for more people to take part in a proud Maritime tradition. 'Through building boats, these youth are also building confidence and community,' said Minister Dave Ritcey. 'We're proud to support a program that makes this experience inclusive and accessible to the next generation.' The school is under construction. Its design is climate-resilient to protect against storms and sea-level rise, said the release. It incorporates energy-efficient features that meet Canada Green Building Council standards and includes upgrades to the wharf and pier. 'When we invest in climate-resilient infrastructure, we ensure that what we build is protected now and into the future,' said Halifax MP Shannon Miedema. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Nova Scotia kicks off annual Gaelic month
A flag raising at Province House in Halifax officially kicked off the 29th Gaelic Nova Scotia Month. Well-known Cape Breton fiddler Howie MacDonald says he was steeped in Gaelic culture at home. 'My mother grew up speaking Gaelic,' Howie MacDonald said, adding each of his grandparents spoke Gaelic, as do several of his cousins. Though he doesn't speak much of the language himself, Howie MacDonald says he has seen the culture rebound in recent years - particularly among the younger generations. 'They're not only learning Gaelic,' said Howie MacDonald. 'They're learning the [bag]pipes, they're learning how to stepdance, they're learning how to play the fiddle.' '[The] government commits to collaborating with Gaelic communities to support the growth of Gaelic Nova Scotia through opportunities for language acquisition, cultural awareness,' said Nova Scotia's Gaelic Affairs Minister, Dave Ritcey. The Gaelic College in St. Ann's Bay, N.S., welcomes upwards of a thousand students a year - from children as young as five, to adults as old as 90. '(It's) an institution that has been around since 1938,' said Gaelic College president Rodney MacDonald during an interview with CTV Atlantic in July 2024. 'And the focus and the mandate of the college is to focus on the language, the music, the dance and the craft - which came from the Highlands and islands of Scotland.' Howie MacDonald says, not too long ago, there was concern that Gaelic - the language, in particular - was dying. Now, he hopes to become a more fluent speaker himself one day. 'You know, I learned mostly the bad words growing up,' he said. 'But I would like to see it spread out and become more common in the everyday.' Gaelic Nova Scotia Month runs to the end of May, including official kickoffs in some other Nova Scotia communities in the coming days. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
