Portal:Nova Scotia

Sheet Harbour is a rural community in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located in the eastern reaches of the Halifax Regional Municipality, approximately 117 km (73 mi) northeast of the central urban area of the municipality, concentrated on Downtown Halifax and Dartmouth. The community is located along the Marine Drive scenic route on Trunk 7 at its junctions with Route 224 and Route 374. Surrounding the branched harbour which its name is derived from, the community has a population of about 800 and its respective census tract, containing sizable amounts of land around the community, has a population of 3,478 as of the 2011 Census. Two rivers, West River and East River, flow through the community and into the Northwest and Northeast Arms of the harbour respectively. The coastline of the community is heavily eroded and the region in which the community is located has an abundance of lakes. The region has a humid continental climate, congruent with the majority of Nova Scotia, and the ocean significantly influences the temperature.

The Miꞌkmaq referred to the area around present-day Sheet Harbour as Weijooik, meaning "flowing wildly". The majority of the land that the community occupies was granted in 1773, and a colony was established thereafter in 1784 by Loyalist refugees and British veterans of the American Revolution. The settlement was labelled as "Port North" on the Royal Navy Chart published in 1778, and retained this name until 1805. Alternate names such as Campbelltown and Manchester were proposed for the settlement, but the name was ultimately changed to Sheet Harbour, named for a rock at the entrance to the harbour resembling a sheet, to provide a more descriptive name for the settlement. Sheet Harbour became a prosperous hub for the lumber industry. A sawmill was built around 1863 at the tide head of East River, though its operating company dissolved a few years later due to financial issues. The first sulphide pulp mill in Canada was built in 1885 at East River. The mill closed in 1891 due to the cost of importing sulphide. (Full article...)

The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever is a medium-sized gun dog bred primarily for hunting. It is often referred to as a "toller". It is the smallest of the retrievers, and is often mistaken for a small Golden Retriever. Tollers are intelligent, eager to please, alert, and energetic. The toller also has webbed feet. The name "toller" is derived from their ability to lure waterfowl within gunshot range. The dog goes up to the water's edge and attracts the ducks so the hunter can shoot them. Then they go to retrieve the duck from the water. The breed originated in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The American Kennel Club ranks the toller as the 69th most popular dog breed. (Full article...)

William Nelson Edward Hall VC (28 April 1827 – 27 August 1904) was the first Black person, first Nova Scotian, and the third Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross due to his actions in the 1857 Siege of Lucknow, amid the Indian Rebellion. In the face of heavy enemy fire, Hall and an officer from his ship continued to load and fire a 24-pounder gun at the walls of the Shah Nujeef mosque, a prominent stronghold of the Sepoy defence. Hall's actions were integral to the breaking of the siege and subsequent British evacuation. (Full article...)