Let's Talk Antigonish Podcast

This week Justin and Anuj sat down with palliative care physician Dr. Emily Rice and nurse consultant Jamie Campbell to clear up what might be the most misunderstood area of healthcare. Spoiler alert: if you think palliative care is just end-of-life care in a hospital, you’re wrong—and you’re not alone. From the surprising truth that patients with palliative care actually live longer than those without it, to discovering that your family doctor is likely already providing palliative care without calling it that, Emily and Jamie dismantle misconceptions while explaining what this “contractor for your health” approach really means. Covering a massive geographic area from Antigonish to Canso with just two physician positions, the team—which includes social workers and even a music therapist—helps patients navigate everything from symptom management at home to difficult conversations about goals and quality of life. Along the way, Justin and Anuj learn how we’ve medicalized death and why that is not always in a patient’s best interest, how the Antigonish Palliative Care Society (yes, the poultry box people!) provides crucial support, and why having these conversations with your family now matters more than you think. Tune in for an honest, surprisingly uplifting look at care that meets people exactly where they are.

Important links provided by Dr. Rice:

Antigonish Palliative Care Society: https://www.antigonishpalliativecaresociety.com/

Nova Scotia Hospice Palliative Care Association: https://nshpca.ca/

Canadian Virtual Hospice: https://www.virtualhospice.ca/en_US/Main+Site+Navigation/Home.aspx

Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Society: https://www.chpca.ca/

BC Centre for Palliative Care: https://www.bc-cpc.ca/

Palliative Care Physician and Author Dr. Kathryn Mannix: Dying for Beginners Video

Palliative Care Public Service Announcement Videos by Dr. Jared Rubinstein: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1dPS3PDtoPgPqR3Z-lazrkAceGwmg1_r

The Waiting Room Revolution: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/

and wherever you get your podcasts, start with season 1

Advanced Care Planning

Love is Not Enough: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-9dMSJLk6gpTw5WlzbL4INuzqjGJBfh_

NS Hospice Palliative Care: https://nshpca.ca/advance-care-planning/

Grief

NS Health Life Changes resources: https://www.nshealth.ca/lifechanges#bereavement

www.mygrief.ca

www.kidsgrief.ca

www.youthgrief.ca

This week Justin and Anuj sat down with Pat McKenna from the Naomi Society to discuss their plans for a new 10-unit building at Sugarloaf. Behind the construction plans lies a sobering reality: Nova Scotia declared intimate partner violence an epidemic in 2024 after eight femicides in a single year, and all 483 shelter beds in the province are currently full. The Naomi Society is building affordable second-stage housing for women and children fleeing violence, providing a safe place to land after shelter stays when returning to the community. From coordinating escapes to shelters to accompanying women through court proceedings, the organization supported 225 individual clients in Antigonish and Guysborough counties in just six months. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Naomi Society at 902-863-3807. Tune in to understand the hidden scale of this crisis in our community and what’s being done to address it.

More info for the Naomi Society website:

https://naomisociety.ca/

This week Justin and Anuj sat down with Warden Nicholas MacInnis to unpack the 2025 Electoral Boundary Review. What sounds like dry bureaucratic shuffling turns out to be anything but. From balancing the districts to create electoral fairness to navigating tricky questions of community identity, Nicholas walks us through why redrawing these lines is far trickier than you’d think. Along the way, Justin and Anuj discover that the fringe area around town is growing faster than anyone realized (the county now accounts for up to 40% of the town’s sewer usage), learn about ambitious plans to drill new wells to supplement water supply after this summer’s once-in-50-years drought, and find out why the county actually operates more of its own water and sewer systems than most people know. With public hearings underway and a New Year’s deadline looming, this is your chance to understand what’s at stake and how you can weigh in. Tune in to learn why these boundaries are about so much more than lines on a map—and why the county and town’s improving relationship might be the best news of all.

Important info on the boundary review from the county: https://antigonishcounty.ca/boundary-review-2025/

This week Justin and Anuj sat down with Children’s Services Librarian Kristel Fleuren-Hunter and Programming and Outreach Assistant Elizabeth Glintz to discover why this isn’t your typical library. From helping newcomers navigate their first days in Canada to providing a vital third space for everyone in Antigonish, from running a community fridge to preparing tax returns for over 500 residents, the People’s Place has become Antigonish’s unofficial hub for connection and support. Behind the magic is a crew of incredibly committed staff whose passion for community service shines through in everything they do. A remarkable feat given the realities of a budget and salaries that, as Justin and Anuj found out, is nowhere near what you’d expect for this level of public service. Tune in to learn how this remarkable initiative became a model of what collaborative public service should be—and why it needs more support to keep thriving.

Some news stories on library funding issues:

https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/new-glasgow/pictou-antigonish-libraries-scrambling-to-make-up-shortfall

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-s-libraries-say-their-financial-books-are-1.7500890

https://www.989xfm.ca/pictou-antigonish-regional-library-receives-additional-funding-from-the-province/

This week, Justin and Anuj sat down with Dorothy Lander and Dr. John Graham-Pole to explore Antigonish’s Death Cafe—a monthly gathering where locals come together to break the ultimate taboo and talk openly about aging, dying, and what comes after. From green burials and willow caskets to personal directives and letters to the beloved dead, this conversation reveals how a group of friends transformed death from a whispered “D word” into a topic of laughter, tears, and profound connection. Whether you’re curious about palliative care, interested in different cultural approaches to mortality, or simply wondering what happens when your neighbor dies at home, this frank and surprisingly uplifting discussion proves that talking about death might just be one of the most life-affirming things we can do.

For more about the Death Cafe Antigonish, email John: [email protected]

This episode of Let’s Talk Antigonish features Mark Ballard, chair of SAFE (Settlement in Antigonish for Families from Everywhere), a refugee resettlement organization celebrating its 10th anniversary. What began in 2015 as a small group responding to the Syrian refugee crisis has grown into a regional organization that has successfully resettled approximately 180 refugees from countries including Syria, Afghanistan, Congo, Rwanda, and South Sudan. SAFE operates entirely through volunteers with virtually no administrative overhead, working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to sponsor both the most vulnerable refugees and families seeking reunification. The organization provides comprehensive support including housing, English language training, employment assistance, health care navigation, and cultural integration.

Mark discusses the unique success of refugee resettlement in small rural communities like Antigonish, attributing it to the hands-on volunteer approach and the town’s welcoming culture, influenced by St. Francis Xavier University and the Coady Institute’s presence. He emphasizes that SAFE’s work is fundamentally humanitarian—giving people fleeing life-threatening situations a chance to rebuild their lives. The organization is celebrating its 10th anniversary on November 15th with a panel discussion and dinner, while running a $60,000 matching fundraising campaign to sponsor two or three additional vulnerable families. SAFE continues to advocate for refugee causes and remains committed to its mission of community-driven humanitarian support.

We sat down with Emilie Chiasson (Alumni Engagement coordinator at StFX and freelance writer) and Elizabeth Yeo (Vice President Students sat StFX) to talk about their plans to bring GenWell (Canada's Human Connection Movement) to Antigonish. On October 29th, StFX will host the first-ever GenWell Day at a Canadian university, bringing CEO Pete Bombaci to campus for a series of presentations and discussions on social isolation and community connection.

In this conversation, we discuss how technology and modern life have contributed to what some call a "loneliness epidemic" – with six in ten Canadians reporting they don't identify as having community. Elizabeth shares insights on how the university is addressing post-pandemic social challenges among students, while Emilie discusses her observations about declining human connection in everyday life, from those pesky earbuds that seem permanently lodged in everyone’s ears, to the disappearance of traditional community gathering spaces. Emilie and Elizabeth offer some practical solutions for building stronger connections, from simple acts like talking to strangers and inviting neighbours over for supper, to institutional changes like StFX's Good Neighbors program.

More about GenWell at this link

You might not expect a rural Nova Scotia town of 5,000 to be a hotbed for international jazz talent, but Antigonish is full of surprises. In this week’s episode, we sit down with Jake Hanlon, chair of St. FX's music department, and Paul Tynan, Artistic Director of the Antigonish Jazz Fest, to explore the remarkable musical ecosystem in our backyard. From hosting Canada's first jazz studies degree program to bringing Grammy winners like Pacific Mambo Orchestra and legends like Herbie Hancock's Headhunters to intimate local venues, our town has become one of Canada's most important east coast jazz destinations. Discover St. FX's legendary visiting artist program attracting world-renowned musicians from Mongolia to Barcelona, learn about regular student gigs around town, and find out how a tourism initiative became a festival drawing music lovers across the Maritimes—whether you're a jazz aficionado or have never entered the Schwartz Auditorium to hear a student recital, this conversation will give you new appreciation for the extraordinary musical talent performing in your community. And it’s not just jazz (as Jake and Paul point out): Antigonish is home to the Antigonish Performing Arts Series, a ton of local bands, traditional sessions and ceilidhs, and more. We really punch above our weight when it comes to music in this town!

StFX Music Department

Antigonish Jazz Fest website

StFX Music’s Instagram account

We sat down with Anita Stewart, Executive Director of the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association to talk about their exciting plans to build a brand new facility on James Street where the old Tim Hortons used to be. Stewart discusses the comprehensive range of services the center provides including trauma therapy, the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program, medical clinic services, immigration support, and healthy relationships education, while emphasizing that despite being called the "Women's Center," many services are available to all genders. The conversation highlights their upcoming capital campaign "Rise Together: A Hub for Hope, Healing, and Rebuilding" to fund this innovative net-zero, passive design building that will significantly expand their capacity and allow them to offer additional services like addiction counseling, expanded mental health support, and unique programs like menopause cafes and workforce re-entry support, with completion targeted for 2027.

Link to the Antigonish Women's Centre & Sexual Assault Services website

In this week’s episode of Let’s Talk Antigonish, Justin and Anuj (checking in from India!) sit down with Barry MacKenzie, curator of the Antigonish Heritage Museum, for a deep dive into the stories, artifacts, and community spirit that make the museum such a gem. Barry shares the fascinating history of the building itself—a former railway station turned cultural hub—before walking us through standout exhibits like the antique fire pumper, a prosthetic leg, and beautiful Mi’kmaq basketry. But the museum is far from just a repository for artefacts and old spinning wheels; Barry highlights how the museum has evolved into a place of discovery, hospitality, and inclusion, hosting everything from traditional ceilidhs to climate talks, interactive exhibits, and even an escape room that’s become a hit with locals and visitors alike.