Well, folks. Here we are at the start of another year. It's easy to look back and assess the impacts of the past 12 months, but unless you possess some sort of extraordinary powers, you can't see into the future.

 As luck would have it, I just so happen to have such a device. So let us gaze into our mystical, magical crystal ball to try and catch a glimpse of what the next 12 months may be offering up.

 We see a year filled with political unrest and uncertainty, a year filled with continued economic struggles and a year filled with the hope that several initiatives will herald the beginning of an exciting new era of growth and prosperity for our communities here on the home front.

 Peering into the dense mist, images slowly emerge. There it is. It's coming into focus.

 We see an epic battle brewing. It's the struggle of two men waging bloody war for the right to sit on the throne. Many will be sacrificed in this conflict. Rivers of blood, sweat and tears will flow. It will tax the treasury. It's the classic fight for power, the stuff from which legends are born.

 No. Wait a minute. This isn't right.

 What at first we thought was the makings of some fantastical battle in some faraway land to defend an ancient crown, actually turns out to be nothing more than Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff squaring off in the political arena as Canadians are surely looking at a federal election in 2011, most likely sometime this spring.

 There will be no damsels in distress, brave knights or acts of chivalry in this war. Instead, we see two men, one desperate to cling to his tenuous office, the other chomping at the bit to knock off the first as these two egos clash. And Canadians will pay dearly for the actions of these two men.

 Lower down the food chain, we see another war brewing, this one on a much smaller playing field than the vast Canadian landscape. This battle takes place on an island, of sorts, a place where the high sheriff rules supreme with an iron fist, squeezing the poor, wretched citizens of this wasteland for every last penny they possess and cutting many of the services the peasants have come to expect such as quality education for their young ones.

 No. Sorry. Wrong again. Time to take this crystal ball in for repairs - it appears to be defective.

  As with the previous vision, what we first thought was an age-old struggle between the rich and poor classes in a foreign country far removed from our little piece of paradise, actually turns out be set right here in Nova Scotia where the governing NDP under Premier Darrell Dexter attempt to tackle the growing financial debt. That means we can expect more taxes (perhaps disguised as user fees) and certainly a reduction in services.

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 Tough times lay ahead for Canada's Ocean Playground province. In 2011, then, we had better brace for non-stop political hanky-panky as the NDP squares off against the opposition parties and just about everyone else we can think of, unions and taxpayers included.

 What's this? Another vision emerging?

 We see trees falling, bulldozers and backhoes moving in to clear the land and work crews with their hard hats and steel-toed boots taking their place on the production lines as if they were warding off invading marauders.

 Wait for it. Yes, the image is coming into focus. It's finally going to happen in 2011. After years of planning, much debate and political wrangling, the long-gestating Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre will begin to take physical shape over the next 12 months.

 There's lots of work to be done, but the $33.5 million, 8,900-square-metre centre is about to become a reality. It will be built in the Bridgewater business park, close to the North Park Street and Wentzell Drive intersection. The centre is essentially comprised of one 1,250-seat ice-skating rink, a six-lane 25-metre-long pool and a state-of-the-art library. Site clearing for the project is expected to begin in short order with construction to be under way by spring 2011. The projected opening is targeted for December 2012. Yay!!!

 Wait. There's more. Through the fog we see a new image.

 It's a proud ship built of wood, gliding gracefully across the open seas, her sails capturing the wind. Suddenly, we realize it's an image of times past.

 Time and tide had not been a good friend to Bluenose II and, by 2009, the 46-year-old vessel was showing serious signs of age in vulnerable areas, including her keel, and a decision was made to "restore" the ship. Bluenose II completed her last public sail in September of that year as plans were being made to carry out what will be a massive $14.5 million, keel-up reconstruction of the ship. With the Smith and Rhuland Shipyard now, itself, history, a new entity, the Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance, was formed to carry out work on the new vessel. Comprised of Lunenburg Industrial Foundry and Engineering Limited, Snyder's Shipyard and Covey Island Boatworks, the alliance boasts a combined total of nearly 285 years of shipbuilding and repair experience.

 Late last summer, site preparations and construction of a new marine railway began where the next edition of Bluenose sailing history will be built over the coming 18 months.

 In the coming days Lunenburgers, and indeed all Canadians, will have the opportunity to see history unfold before their eyes through the work of the skilled craftsmen of the Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance.

 Wouldn't it be fun to gaze into the future? If only we had a crystal ball ...

 E-mail me: editorial@southshorenow.ca

posted on 01/04/11