The Inverness Oran

On April 10^th CUPE members took their message to the rotary in Port Hastings.

-by April MacDonald

                “We didn’t walk out; we took a stand!” were the words written on signs carried by local members of the CUPE.

As of  7:00 a.m. on April 13^th, 24 long-term care homes in this province went on strike. Out of the 24 listed (see end of article for complete list) Port Hawkesbury – 2 Macquarrie Drive Extension, Port Hawkesbury, was named.

                The CUPE LTC Local 1485 (Inverary Manor) sent this notice to families and loved ones.

                “CUPE Local 1485 at Inverary Manor in Inverness would like to address the upcoming strike action and what it may mean for residents and their families.

                “As many of you are aware, beginning Monday, April 13^th, 2026, at 7:00 a.m., long-term care locals across Nova Scotia will begin strike action. Initially, 22 CUPE locals will take to the picket line while continuing to provide essential services within their facilities, in accordance with essential service agreements.

                “At this time, Local 1485 is not among the first group of 22 locals participating in strike action. However, we stand in full solidarity with our fellow CUPE members across the province as they advocate for the long-term care sector.

                “Long-term care workers in Nova Scotia are currently the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada. Many are struggling to meet their own basic needs while continuing to provide compassionate, essential care to residents every day. This strike action is about securing a livable wage, improving working conditions, and addressing critical recruitment and retention challenges in long-term care.

                “We understand that this situation may cause concern for families and the public. Please be assured that the safety and well-being of all residents remains our top priority. CUPE long-term care workers take immense pride in the care and services we provide.

                “Should strike action expand, services may be impacted across various roles, including Licensed Practical Nurses, Continuing Care Assistants, Dietary Aides, Housekeeping, Laundry, Maintenance, Physiotherapy Assistants, and Activity Assistants. Even so, essential services will remain in place to ensure residents continue to receive safe and necessary care.

                “We respectfully ask for your support and understanding during this time as long-term care workers stand together to fight for fairness, respect, and a better quality of life, for both workers and the residents we care for.

                “In solidarity [signed by] CUPE Local 1485 Members, President, Ashton Brown, Vice President, Courtney MacKinnon, Recording Secretary, Darcy MacDonald, Treasurer, Willena Murphy.”

                In Port Hawkesbury the members of CUPE 3630 said, “We didn’t choose to strike lightly. We chose it because we’ve been left with no other option.

                “Over the past years, our workload has increased, responsibilities have grown, and staffing levels have continued to fall – but our wages and working conditions have not kept up. This is not just about us. This is about the quality of care residents receive.

                “When there aren’t enough staff, it means less time with residents, more rushed care, and increased burnout for the workers who are still showing up every day. We are being mandated, denied time off, and stretched beyond what is safe or sustainable.

                “We are standing up for: fair wages that reflect the work we do; safe staffing levels; and better conditions so we can continue to provide the care our community deserves.

                “We care deeply about our residents. That is exactly why we are fighting for change. Thank you for your support – CUPE 3630”

                Personal testimonials from members such as Chlory MacLean-Poirier added, “When people ask how they can help during this strike it’s quite simple. Pick up a phone or drop a quick email to any or all three of these people. Saying you value what we do and that we deserve a fair, living wage and not to have to worry about always being short staffed!! How can we encourage people to apply or to move to the most beautiful place in the world to work here when we don’t feel valued ourselves!! So reach out to these people in charge of our province and ask them why other Atlantic provinces value their long term care workers more than our province values us!”

                MacLean-Poirier included these three names and contact information for those who want to stand with the CUPE LTC members:

– Tim Houston, phone: 902-424-6600, toll-free: 1-800-267-1993, email: [email protected];

– Barb Adams, phone: 902-406-0656, email: [email protected];

– Kyle MacQuarrie, phone: 902-258-2216, toll-free: 888-968-7652, email: [email protected]

                Tonia Kennedy, a member from Port Hawkesbury said “April 13^th. The day we go out on the line. This is not something I ever imagined doing. For 10 years as a continuing care assistant I have shown up to work with my whole heart.

                “I don’t just ‘go to a job’ I go to see my residents. I know their routines, their smiles, their stories. I care for them like they’re my own family.

                “I adore what I do. I am proud of what I do. But love for my job does not pay my bills.

                “Like so many of my coworkers, I am struggling. Groceries are higher, Gas is higher, Power is higher. Everything is higher – except our wages. We are being asked to continue giving everything of ourselves while barely being able to afford our own lives.

                “The government’s recent offer has been painted as ‘fair’ to the public by people like Barb Adams and Tim Houston, but that is simply not the reality we are living.

                “We are not being greedy. We are not being selfish, we are asking for enough to live. And the truth is – if we want people to choose this field, something has to change.

                “We need wages that actually reflect the work we do. Because right now, they don’t.

                “I have never seen my workplace so short staffed as it is now . We are constantly stretched thin.

                “Full-time staff are being mandated constantly. Vacation requests – the ones we depend on to rest and reset – are being denied. People are burning out, and good workers are leaving.

                “You cannot expect people to stay in a job that is asking more and more, while giving less and less in return.

                “You may have heard that other nursing homes, acute care, and home care have already ‘accepted’ this offer. That wording is misleading.

                “That’s not being explained is that in those agreements included a ‘me too’ clause. That means they will automatically receive any improvements that come from future negotiations, including what we are fighting for right now – without having to strike themselves.

                “So no, this isn’t everyone agreeing the offer is good. It’s others being protected while we are left to fight for what’s fair.

                “Even more concerning, this offer leaves behind some of the most essential workers in our facilities.

                “Housekeeping, laundry, and dietary staff. These are the people who keep our residents clean, fed, and safe every single day. Under this proposal, many of them would be making wages that don’t even keep up with today’s cost of living.

                “$21.22 dollars an hour is not a livable wage. Currently as a Continuing care assistant I'm at $24.00 and can’t stay afloat, so how will they?

                “How is that fair? We work as a team. We care as a team. And we are fighting as a team.

                “This strike is not about wanting more – it’s about needing enough.

– Enough to pay rent.

– Enough to buy groceries without stress.

– Enough to live with dignity, just like the residents we care for every day deserve.

– We don’t want to be on a picket line.

– We want to be inside giving care, sharing laughs, and doing the job we love.

                “But something has to change.

                “So on April 13^th, we stand together – not just for ourselves, but for the future of care in our communities.

                “Because if the people who care for your loved ones can’t afford to live…who will be there tomorrow?

                “This is not the outcome any of us wanted; however, it is an outcome we have been preparing for. This process has shown us that we, as a sector, are united and ready to fight for what we deserve. Let’s make it impossible for the government to ignore that. Solidarity!

                “Please visit a picket line and show your support!”

                Erin Fortin, the Acting CEO for the County of Inverness Municipal Housing Corporation explained that there has been significant attention across Nova Scotia regarding CUPE strike activity impacting some long-term care homes.

                “At this time, I would like to clarify that the unions representing employees at Inverary Manor and Foyer Père Fiset are not in a legal strike position and continue to participate in the bargaining process,” said Fortin.

                “We are currently receiving a high volume of inquiries and concerns from residents and families, and we are hoping to share clear and accurate information within our communities,” she closed.

                Fortin requested that the Oran share this update on behalf the County of Inverness Municipal Housing Corporation.

Morgan Toney won the Juno for Best Traditional Roots album on March 28^th.

-by Beverley Phillips

                Juno winner Morgan Toney is back home in Wagmatcook, but has yet to hold Canada’s top music award in his hands.

                Toney won the Juno for Best Traditional Roots album for his 2025 album Heal the Divide. His music is a blend of Mi’kmaw and Celtic sounds that has been dubbed Mi’kmaltic. It’s his second nomination and first win.

                He wasn’t on hand to receive the reward in Hamilton on March 28^th as he was on tour in BC. But he was watching the proceedings live and released a video of his reaction on his social media account in which he exclaimed, “We did it!” and ran around the room he was practising in with bandmate Ryan Roberts. They immediately called Keith Mullins, the third member of the group, who was unable to be on tour with them.

                Speaking to Toney a week and a half after the win, he said he’s still on high. “After a couple of days of just relaxing at home,” he said, “I’m thinking about it a lot, and I’m pretty blown away. It feels great.”

                He hasn’t had a party to celebrate yet, but is planning one for when the Juno actually arrives. As of the Oran deadline, the award is in transit.

                On how Heal the Divide came to be, he said, “Well, the whole album started a couple of years ago. We were just talking about themes, about what we wanted to do, but the most important thing that we wanted to do was take our music up a notch. The First Flight album and the Resilience album were great, but we wanted to connect with other artists around Cape Breton Island. We reached out to Stony Bear singers and a couple of Keith’s friends that he knew in Sydney. But this whole album is pretty much an experiment when you think about it. We’re trying out new sounds, new instruments, new harmonies, and I think it’s probably going to be the best album that we ever put out. We’re really proud of it.”

                That Toney has two Juno nominations and one win under his belt is impressive, given he only took up fiddle playing in university in 2018. He studied music at Cape Breton University, and as part of the program, he had to take some performance classes, and that’s where he learned to sing and play the fiddle. “I had to take a fiddle course in the first year, and I felt like the course was not really for me as a beginner, as someone who didn't know how to play the fiddle or read music. It was very difficult for me just to get through the first month. The instructor there at the time, Stan Chapman, was very helpful throughout that whole first term. He would spend extra hours with me before class or after classes to make sure that I was on the right page. For him giving me that time, it really meant a lot. And through that first year, I had the chance to go down to a couple of venues around CBRM (Cape Breton Region Municipality), like the Governor’s Pub and the Blue Mist down in Bras d’Or. So I got to hang out with those people as well, exchange tunes and knowledge, and learn from them. That whole first year was overwhelming, but it was probably one of the best years in my life.”

                At one point, he considered giving it up as he was struggling with it, but then his mother, the late Jacqueline (Jackie) Anne Toney of We’koqma’q, shared some family history. He said, “I thought to myself, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. Maybe I should just find something else to do.’ I came back home, and it was actually my late mother who told me, ‘Morgan, there’s music in this family – your great-grandfather played the fiddle. Three of your great uncles played the fiddle. None of us (her generation) played the fiddle.’ She said it felt so good for her just to hear the fiddle music played in the house again after so many years. When she told me that, I told myself, ‘Okay, maybe I should stick with this. If it’s making people feel a certain way, I’m gonna stick with it.’ And that’s what I did.”

                Jackie was always encouraging and supportive of whatever dream her son had as he was growing up. “I would always tell her, ‘I would love to try doing this someday,’ and she would say, ‘Yeah. You would be great at doing that. Let’s watch some videos on how people are doing it.’ I wanted to be a hotel manager, and we would watch videos of people who were managing hotels. I told her I wanted to be a musician, and we’d watch some of her favourite musicians. She didn’t burst any bubbles. She wanted me to figure it out on my own. When I told her that I wanted to be a musician after she told me about the whole family history, she told me, ‘You know what? This is probably the best dream that you ever had, and I think you should stick with it.’”

                Sticking with it and getting connected to Mullins and Roberts has taken him not just across the country, but around the world. Through the sponsorship of the National Art Centre in Ottawa, Toney and the band played at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. He was worried about the cultural and language barrier, but the organizer at the Canadian pavilion spoke fluent Japanese and introduced the band at every show and translated the story of each song. “Even though they didn’t speak any of my languages, you can still see them enjoying the music and enjoying the notes, the chords, whatever Keith’s doing on his cajon, all of our music skills coming together. They were there for it, and they listened to every single note. They’re really attentive, and they were definitely some of my favourite shows I have ever done.”

                Morgan’s music has not only translated well to international audiences, but he sees his music as being part of the Canadian truth and reconciliation process here at home. And while he understands those who say the Mi’kmaw and Scottish styles of music should be separate, he sees it otherwise. “For me, truth and reconciliation can mean a lot of things. For me as a musician, from what I have seen over the past few years that we have been doing this, seeing people come out to our shows where they all come from different backgrounds, different cultures, they speak different languages. They only come out to hear music. For me, that is truth and reconciliation. For them to come to our show and hear our story and to hear the history of the Mi’kmaw people, that's truth and reconciliation as well.”

                He agreed with what Eskasoni elder John Sylliboy said at Judique’s 250 celebration last year. Sylliboy was part of a reenactment of the first settler, Michael Mor MacDonald, landing on the shore, and he spoke about how the Mi’kmaw helped MacDonald survive that winter. But he also spoke about how the Mi’kmaw and the Scottish people formed a friendship over the sharing of stories and songs, and that it was time to rekindle that relationship, and the best way is through story and song. “John is absolutely right,” said Toney. “We have to rekindle our friendships, especially with the Acadian people as well. Or people who are not familiar with Mi’kmaw people, or those who have a certain stance about us. We all just want to get along at the end of the day. Let’s all just get along, and let’s make this world a better place together.”

                If Sylliboy is right, and that music and story is how these past relationships are best rekindled, then Toney’s music is already doing the work.

Accepting the Vince Ryan Memorial Cup for winning the Cape Breton Division of the Nova Scotia Senior A Hockey League are Cape Breton West Blackstone Knights captains Malcolm MacEachern, Randon MacKinnon, presenter Krista Ryan, Neil MacLean, and Keenan Gillis.

-by Bill Dunphy

                It was a comeback for the ages.

                From down 2-0 to start the best-of-five Cape Breton Division playoff series of the Nova Scotia Senior A Hockey League, the Cape Breton West Blackstone Knights reeled off three straight wins to hoist the Vince Ryan Memorial cup.

                The Knights capped off the comeback on Saturday night at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre with, you guessed it, another 3-2 win.

                “In the room before game three, everyone was feeling good, feeling light, and everything took off from there,” said Knights captain Neil MacLean.

                “We played like a team – we played for each other.”

                The team began the rally last Saturday in Membertou with a 3-2 win, followed by a 3-2 double overtime win in Port Hood.

                This past Saturday, the Knights established their forecheck early and were rewarded with the game’s first goal.

                Matt Raike, working the front of the County net, passed up to the blueline where Jason Johnson made a  cross-ice pass to Liam Trenholm. With Raike still in front for the screen, Trenholm’s shot hit nothing but net with the riser from the point.

                The County had the edge in shots, 16-12, but tournament MVP (in this sportswriter’s mind) Knights goaltender Kenzie MacPhail was lights-out once again.

                The County came out in the second period playing desperate hockey, crowding MacPhail’s crease and scoring in a scramble at 2:29.

                But 42 seconds later the Knights doused the County’s fire with Stephen Fox scoring on a one-timer in the slot. Winning a dump-and-chase initiated by MacLean, Chad Wilson centered the puck from the corner for Fox to finish.

                Randon MacKinnon scored what would be the winning goal at 15:25 of the second frame.

                On a delayed County penalty, Fox won a puck battle to get it to Wilson along the half-wall, where he picked up MacKinnon on the left side of the slot for a slapper to beat County goalie Cody Smith cleanly on the glove side.

                Next came a test of nerves.

                At 7:44, an inadvertent spear by Cody Hinkley put him in the box for a four-minute minor, and the County capitalized at 9:15 when a big save by MacPhail saw the puck get behind him for Jordan Moss to bang it home to make it a 3-2 game.

                The Knights killed the other two minutes and the refs put the whistles away for the remainder of the period.

                Knights coach Kyle Gillies called a time out at 17:09 to give his players a breather and the County pulled Smith for an extra attacker with a minute left in the game.

                On a faceoff in the Knights end, the County called their time out at 19:46 but to no avail, the clock was on the Knights’ side for the 3-2 win.

                MacKinnon said winning the series with this team was special.

                “It’s pretty cool. Knowing the talent of the guys is one thing, but seeing it in reality is another. KG (coach Kyle Gillies) knew what this team was capable of and we proved it,” said MacKinnon.

                He said the progress the team made was evident with every game they played.

                “Glace Bay and the County have good teams and every team had a chance to win this,” he said, tipping his hat to MacPhail.

                “Kenzie was the backbone of this team. He showed up every game even when we didn’t. This series we had guys getting in front of shots, doing what it takes for Kenzie to see the puck,” MacKinnon said.

                MacLean echoed the sentiment.

                “There’s no chance we win this series without Kenzie. I can’t even put it into words, the saves he made, the low shots through traffic, the one-timers, multiple stops on the same play. He literally stood on his head for us.”

                Stephen Fox led the playoffs in points with 15 and tied with MacKinnon for goals, each with six.

                “Randon’s winning goal was nice. I got the puck in deep and created a puck battle, getting the puck out to Chad for the pass that Randon one-timed,” Fox said.

                He said the team peaked at the right time.

                “After our first win, we felt good about our chances. We began controlling the play pretty good, and after the double-overtime in Port Hood, we really felt that the momentum was on our side.”

                And was there any nervousness coming into Saturday’s winner-take-all game?

                “No, we’re pretty good at keepin’ er chill.”

                Wrapping up the series and the season, coach Gillies said it wasn’t all about winning.

                “The trophies matter. The banners matter. They always will, but what stays with you most is the people you were in it with, the battles you went through together, and the bonds that were built in the process,” he said.

                “The game asks a lot of you. It asks for time, energy, commitment, and heart. And even though we all know it eventually comes to an end, it gives something back that lasts much longer. It shapes your character. It teaches humility in winning, dignity in losing, and perspective in both. It teaches you to be part of something bigger than yourself.”

                Gillies concluded, “In the end, what we take with us is not simply what we won or lost. It’s who we became, who we shared it with, and how lucky we were to be in the arena together.”

                As of press time, it was not known if Truro was going to travel here if a Nova Scotia championship series was scheduled. Stay tuned.