Premier Darrell Dexter: Nova Scotia is the only province in Canada to see an increase in the number of farms since 2009, Premier Darrell Dexter said Friday, while announcing the government was topping up the provinces $600,000 FarmNEXT fund by another $400,000 for next year, according to The Chronicle Herald. Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth, where the two-day Meet Your Farmer at the Mall event is underway, was deliberately selected as the location to hold the announcement instead of a rural location and A provincial fund that helps aspiring farmers finance their ventures has been boosted up to $1 million for 2014. The premier said the injection of funds into FarmNEXT will allow the program to provide cash incentives to potentially assist more young people getting into agriculture. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: In front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., there is a plaque on a step to mark the spot where 50 years ago, on Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., only 34 years old, stood and gazed out at an enormous crowd of 250,000 people, black and white, who had gathered as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. The highlight of the day was King's eloquent I Have a Dream speech in which he articulated his hope and vision for equality in America. Martin Luther King, Jr. waves to throng from steps of Lincoln Memorial, Aug. 28, 1963 MUST CREDIT: COURTESY OF U.S. MARINES The peaceful demonstration marked a milestone in the U.S. civil rights movement and in King's difficult and dangerous journey that had taken him from his pulpit in Montgomery, Ala., to become the leader and symbol of the movement to end prejudice and discrimination against African-Americans in the southern U.S. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Mark Ruge: They are Jehovah's Witnesses, and they are no longer just coming to a door near you. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. "We still do door-to-door, but downtown is where the people are." If you work or ride transit through downtown, you've seen them -- standing quietly and politely in pairs on the sidewalk, nodding pleasant hellos to passersby. "People are not at home more than ever before," says Mark Ruge, director of public information for Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada, explaining why members of the church are now standing on sidewalks downtown. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Martin Luther King Jr: They had a dream: three people who were inspired by Martin Luther King Jr, according to Globe and Mail. Whats in a name? How civic holidays get theirs AP Photo Multimedia His dream became ours, though even to this day we struggle to fulfill it. The Canada that listened to Martin Luther King Jr.s famous speech 50 years ago next week as great a milestone in the slow, slouching march of race relations in America as Lincolns Gettysburg Address a hundred years before congratulated itself on its mostly peaceful past, a past that included serving as a refuge for escaped slaves. Deep in our history of struggle for freedom, Dr. King said, Canada was the North Star the star followed by the Underground Railroad. We sang of heaven that awaited us and the slave masters listened in innocence, not realizing that we were not speaking of the hereafter, he explained. Heaven was the word for Canada. More Related to this Story Martin Luther King Jr. statue restored ahead of Washington anniversary (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

memorable trips: I started out in April on the No. 1 Spring Garden, revisiting my old stomping ground near Oxford Street and Quinpool Road. Nine memorable trips later, I was stoked for a sunny August ride on Route 10 to Westphal, an area I ve never seen before. Ten for 10, I thought and a new adventure. Perfect, according to The Chronicle Herald. Instead, after visits to a walk-in clinic and the QEII emergency department, emerging with two prescriptions and a diagnosis of a pinched nerve, recovery time uncertain, here I sit at home, ice pack around my neck, an armchair traveller venturing into the realm of bus trips past and This is the 10th column in my On the Bus series, and its about a journey I never expected to take. But the morning I d planned to take the No. 10, I was stopped in my tracks by a piercing pain near my left shoulder blade that pulsed its way down my left arm. Then it got worse. After a few days off work brought no improvement, I sought outside help, telling myself with ebbing hope that there would still be time to take my anniversary bus trip. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Steph Davis: So there was no reason to think that one of the most experienced practitioners of the extreme sport of BASE jumping where participants free-fall from fixed objects such as buildings, antennas, spans or bridges and natural rock formations was putting his life in greater danger than usual when he launched himself last Sunday from a 1,000-metre peak in the Dolomites, an area of the Italian Alps near the Austrian border, according to The Star. His wife of nearly two years, professional American mountain climber Steph Davis, had gone first, jumping from the precipice in her matching pink suit, flying for a few heart-stopping seconds before deploying her parachute and safely floating to the ground below and MONTREAL Mario Richard had jumped off of bridges in China, buildings in Montreal and mountain formations across the U.S. and Europe, and from airplanes the world over. Richard, a 47-year-old Quebec City-native, was draped in a black nylon suit that, when he stretched out his arms and legs, revealed webbing that gave him the wings and tail of a bird, the appearance of flying squirrel and the sensation of flight. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Justin Trudeau: OTTAWA -- Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's marijuana mea culpa has sparked some serious reefer madness on Parliament Hill. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. It now seems every parliamentarian is being asked if they've ever fired up a fattie. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau recently admitted to smoking marijuana when he was a member of Parliament. FRANCIS VACHON / THE CANADIAN PRESS Related Items Articles Trudeau tokin' is smokin' Obama not high on reopening marijuana debate Trudeau's confession he smoked a joint after becoming an MP has put the pot-smoking predilections of politicians -- if any -- under the microscope. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

B.C. Ferries: If the B.C. Liberal government ever needed an opportunity to regain the support of the voting public, now would be the time to do the right thing and order these bonuses scrapped. , according to Times Colonist. So it seems that B.C. Ferries is drowning in red ink, ridership is down, fares are up, many of the older ferries need to be replaced but no money is available. I fail to see how anyone could accept a pay bonus knowing that the financial situation at their place of employment is in dire straits. I think the awarding of bonuses to already overpaid executives in the B.C. Ferry Corp. is almost criminal. I checked: A bonus is an increase in pay over the normal assigned salary amount and could be awarded for increased performance, an additional noticeable enhancement of the work/job process, etc. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Muriel Alida Mearns: Both Brockton Point and Deadmans Island are filled with unmarked graves, some from the Squamish and Musqueam people, and others from immigrants of European and Chinese heritage. Victims of a smallpox outbreak in 1888 were also buried on Deadmans Island. One sad gravestone found in brush in 1945 and kept today in the Museum of Vancouver marked the grave of 8-month-old Muriel Alida Mearns, who died in 1892. More Related to this Story, according to Globe and Mail. Activists in Vancouver #039;s Downtown Eastside challenge latest attempt to gentrify neighbourhood The dead of Deadmans Island On its 125th anniversary, reflections on the lasting power of Stanley Park (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

Csom Latorovsk: Immigrants who arrive on Nova Scotias shores come with varying goals; many just want to escape poverty or strife or discrimination, according to The Chronicle Herald. Latorovski was a 35-year-old assistant paddling coach in his native Hungary when, in 1991, an invitation arrived. How d he like to move to Waverley and EDITOR S NOTE: The entirety of our 26-part series, Nova Scotia: A to Z, will be published in The Novascotian every Saturday until we reach the letter Z. Todays feature is on Csom Latorovsk, who is from Hungary. To see other stories in our series, click here . Csom Latorovski has been to the Olympics. Four times. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.