Mini-report on 1997 Groves

In June, 1997, The Groves Conference on Marriage and the Family met in Nova Scotia to consider the economic changes occurring in the Maritime Provinces, the effects of these on local families and communities, and the lessons to be drawn for the rest of the global community.

Arriving by car, plane, and ferry, and joined by local colleagues, 60 persons met for five days at the Digby Pines on the shores of the Annapolis Basin, home of the world-famous scallop fleet, to hear from Nova Scotia leaders and residents about the economic and social challenges to their quality of life and their efforts to respond creatively.

They were welcomed by representatives of the first families in the area to suffer harsh economic change -- the Mi'kmaq, deposed from their traditional lands and livelihood by European settlers and the French Acadians, in turn, deported from their farms and villages by the English in the mid-1700s.

They heard from Laurence Mawhinney -- Presbyterian minister and 17-year Mayor of Lunenburg, once a major seaport and now one of two UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites in North America -- who provided a glimpse into the economic challenges of the Atlantic provinces and described efforts to keep Lunenburg a thriving community.

They listened to Ron Stewart -- physician, professor, member of the Legislative Assembly from Cape-Breton-North, and former Minister of Health responsible for dramatic revamping of the traditional Nova Scotia health care system, who emphasized the importance of preventive health care, the transfer of control over health care from physicians to local community boards, and the belief that true health depends as much on individual self-esteem and emotional well-being as it does on well-staffed hospitals and easy access to the latest technology.

And to Professors Murphy and Leighton, faculty at Harvard and Dalhousie Universities, who described their 40-year longitudinal study of the epidemiology of mental health in the area and noted the relationship between mental illness and socio-economic conditions.

And they spent a morning with local fisher-families, who spoke of the drastic changes in the fisheries and of their efforts to save their communities and way of life for their children and grandchildren, believing that their future well-being depends on careful management of the fisheries, cooperative efforts among local fishermen, and drastic reduction in the influence and presence of large-scale corporate fishing interests.

They spent 8 hours on a tour of historic Annapolis Royal, first settled by Europeans in 1605; visited the first French settlement at Port Royal; the first and only tidal power plant in North America; the famous Historic Gardens; and Fort Anne -- Canada's first National Park. They learned about hand lining and lobstering and scallop dragging; and the changes in these industries over time. They were inducted into the Order of Good Time by the Annapolis Royal Town Crier and the Deputy Mayor; attended Baggy's House, a play depicting the effect on Newfoundland of the collapse of the cod industry, and dialogued with the playwrights and actors. They listened to local music and to readings from local poets, and they met in small groups to discuss the implications of all they were witnessing. And they ate seafood and more seafood.

Forty were lucky enough to stay an additional four days to take a bus tour of the south shore of the province -- to Brier Island for a nature walk with Deborah Tobin and an ocean ride with Penny Graham; to White Point Beach and Risser's Beach; Lunenburg; Peggy's Cove; and Halifax, ending with the spectacular International Tattoo.

Participants left Nova Scotia sensitized to the trauma associated with disintegration of a traditional way of life, keenly aware of the devastating effects of economic insecurity and loss of livelihood on families and communities, and alerted to the rapid depletion of our natural resources by the combined forces of technology and human greed. And they left with indelible memories of Nova Scotia as a land of bright sea and fresh air, warm faces and big hearts, and people determined to weather the hard times.

The truth is: Nova Scotia is but a microcosm of the world, and the problems facing Nova Scotia are universal problems. We must all, as one global community, learn to think in terms of long-term sustainability and what will be in the best interests of our descendants 7 generations from now.

Eleanor D. Macklin, 1997 Program Chair