There's something in the air this spring, and it has nothing to do with the foul odor that occasionally emanates from the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Lower Truro.
No, this breeze is a restless one and it comes in the form of Colchester County residents taking to the streets and gymnasiums in protest this month.
We're not just talking about one solitary protest either.
Since April 11, there have been five very visible public gatherings, one of which attracted several hundred people and two that drew more than 100 participants.
This grassroots form of democracy kicked off with a bang when an estimated 500 students from the three county high schools - Cobequid Educational Centre, South Colchester Academy and North Colchester High - walked out of classes to oppose a Chignecto-Central Regional School Board plan to slash all 41 librarians on staff.
That evening, about 175 people, many of them carrying signs, attended a school board meeting to express their concerns as the impact from the board's $6.5-million budget shortfall started to become clear.
Generally speaking, few if any members of the public attend regular school board meetings.
Last week, it was the Nova Scotia Teachers' Union's turn to be heard as about 100 teachers and supporters paraded in front of Truro-Bible Hill MLA Lenore Zann's office after school, carrying banners bearing such slogans as ‘schools are not broken, they're broke,' and Œcuts hurt kids.'
Earlier this week, about 80 people gathered at the NSCC Sport and Wellness Centre in Truro to lobby the college for answers as to why it was closing the centre and adjoining Centennial Pool to public access on Oct. 31.
And yesterday saw 15 members of the Grandparents Rights Association - all who have lost contact with their grandchildren - take to the streets armed with signs and brochures to lobby support for grandparents' rights to see their grandchildren in times of family unrest.
We applaud every single person involved in these protests for going the extra mile in an effort to be heard. We may not agree with every issue but we sure as heck admire their strength of conviction.
Power to the people. In Colchester County, it's an idea that seems to be gaining traction this spring.
