FIRST EDITION Sydney Mines to Little Bras d'Or • A brand new Monday newsletter for the Northside • Launching Monday, November 30, 2026
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Serving the Northside for over 40 years. Cars and trucks of all makes and models — repairs, exhaust, Rust Check undercoating, and more.
836 Main Street, Sydney Mines, NS — 902-736-6929
First Month $200 — includes FREE Spotlight — Then $125.00/month, no contract • Proud Sponsor of The Northsider
ISSUE #1 - FIRST EDITION - HOLIDAY KICKOFF
13 Communities With 1 Heart
Every Monday morning, before you head out the door, take 5 minutes for the place you call home. 13 Communities With 1 Heart isn’t just another newsletter. It’s your weekly check-in with all of us — from one end of our region to the other, 13 different communities beating with the same heart.
Here’s why it’s wise to read it first thing Monday:
So grab your coffee, open your inbox, and start your week informed, connected, and proud of where you live.
13 Communities. 1 Heart. Your Monday Morning Must-Read.
Tap a community to filter What's Goin' On? below.
⚠ READ WITH CAUTION — NEED TO KNOW
Road closures, weather, bridge closures, ferry delays — and other need-to-know stuff for the Northside.
Last updated: Monday, Nov 30, 2026 — morning • Next check: as news comes in • Send a tip: hello@thenorthsider.ca — please include time, place, and a photo if safe to take one.
ROAD CLOSURES
Check before you leave — construction, accidents, and school zones can change this in minutes.
Official: 511.novascotia.ca • Call 511
WEATHER
Winter driving, wind, and freezing rain can hit fast on the Northside. Dress for it, charge your phone, and give yourself extra time.
Official: Environment Canada — Sydney area
BRIDGES — SEAL ISLAND BRIDGE / HWY 105
The Seal Island Bridge on Hwy 105 can close to high-sided vehicles in strong wind. One-lane work happens from time to time.
Official: 511 Nova Scotia
FERRY — NORTH SYDNEY ↔ PORT AUX BASQUES
Weather and mechanical issues can delay or cancel Marine Atlantic sailings. Don’t rely on last week’s schedule.
Official: marineatlantic.ca
POWER / SCHOOLS / OTHER
If you hear about a school closure or power outage, check the school board / utility first — rumours spread faster than the fix.
Official: Check your school board & Nova Scotia Power outage map
The Northsider is a community newsletter, not an emergency service. For emergencies call 911. For provincial roads call 511. For ferry sailings check Marine Atlantic.
Births, marriages, anniversaries, birthdays, deaths and funerals across the Northside. Published with family permission only.
DEATH / FUNERAL • SYDNEY MINES
October 31, 2026 • Funeral: Monday, November 9, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.
Arthur Francis MacMullin, 85, of Sydney Mines, passed away peacefully at home on October 31, 2026. Beloved husband of the late Henrietta (Roland) MacMullin. Proud Grandpoppy, musician, and retired Electrical Planner at Prince Colliery after 37 years in the coal industry.
Visitation was Sunday, Nov 8 at J.M. Jobes Funeral Home, Sydney Mines. Funeral Mass Monday, Nov 9 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Joseph's Church, North Sydney, followed by interment at St. Joseph's Cemetery, Sydney Mines.
Funeral Home: J.M. Jobes Funeral Home
View full obituary at J.M. Jobes Funeral Home
Please check with the funeral home for full obituary.
Share a Vital Stat? Email hello@thenorthsider.ca with: Type, Name, Community, Date, Funeral Home Name (for deaths / funerals only), and a sentence for the notice.
Deaths and funerals are only published with family permission. Please check with the funeral home for full obituary.
Peck's Auto Repair - Main Street, Sydney Mines
Q: Joe, what's kept Peck's going on Main Street all these years?
A: Just looking after people. If it's your car, it's your way to work, to get the kids, to get to the store. We treat it like that.
Peck's looks after cars and trucks of all makes and models - repairs, exhaust, mufflers, Rust Check undercoating, and getting folks ready for winter.
Over 40 years serving the same streets, neighbours dropping in, word of mouth. That's what keeps us going.
First Spotlight - Included FREE in Peck's first month as Monthly Sponsor. Next Spotlight: $50.00 each.
THE NORTHSIDE CLIFFHANGER • A 4-WEEK STORY • FICTION
Week 1 of 4 • Sydney Mines • New episode every Monday
WEEK 1 — MONDAY, NOV 30
Danny MacNeil, 68, wasn’t looking for anything. He was just trying to get his late father’s shed on Main Street in Sydney Mines cleared out before the snow came — the same shed his father had locked up tight every night for forty years, even though there was never much in it worth stealing.
Behind a stack of old lobster traps, under a tarp stiff with coal dust, he found it: a dented steel lunchbox. His father’s name was still scratched on the lid in faded paint: J. MacNeil — Princess Colliery.
Danny figured it was empty. It wasn’t.
Inside, wrapped in a piece of oilcloth, were three things: a black-and-white photo of four young miners he didn’t recognise, a small brass key with no tag on it, and a letter, never opened, addressed to his father in careful handwriting and dated November 30, 1978 — forty-eight years ago to the day.
He didn’t open the letter in the shed. He carried the lunchbox inside, made a pot of tea, sat down at the kitchen table, and stared at it for a long time.
Because the handwriting on the envelope wasn’t his mother’s. It wasn’t anyone in the family’s.
And the return address was a house on the same street — a house that had been torn down in 1982.
Danny slit the envelope open with a butter knife.
The first line read: “John, if you’re reading this, I didn’t make it home.”
To be continued next Monday…
What do you think is in that letter? Who wrote it? And what does that brass key open? Tell us at hello@thenorthsider.ca — we’ll print the best guesses next week.
The Lunchbox is a work of fiction written for The Northsider. Any resemblance to real people is coincidental.
Have an event in your community? Email us and we'll list it.
Email hello@thenorthsider.ca to add your event
Include: Event Name, Community, Date, Time, Category, Venue, Details, Price.
We drop one unique story each day.
Come back each day for a special story.... you won't be sorry.
Tap a day — you'll only get a one-line invite to come back that day. No full story ahead of time.
Come back Monday — a story starts that won’t finish till Friday.
Come back Tuesday — a word only Northsiders say, and why it stuck.
Come back Wednesday — midweek, someone’s secret slips out.
Come back Thursday — the Weekender drops, and one pick will surprise you.
Come back Friday — where everyone’s headed, and what happens after dark.
Come back Saturday — the weekend story takes a turn you won’t see coming.
Come back Sunday — a quiet ending, a loose end, and a hint of next week.
NEIGHBOURS HELPING NEIGHBOURS
Small stuff that matters. Lost dog, found keys, need a ride, can lend a hand.
Post one: Email hello@thenorthsider.ca with LOST / FOUND / HELP WANTED / HELP OFFERED, what, where, and how to reach you. Stay safe: meet in public, don't share passwords, codes, or bank info. Never send money to claim a lost pet.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Send in a photo from the Northside — your dog, your view, your kid's first goal, your garden. We pick one every week.
🐕
This week's star: YOUR PET HERE
Sample slot — send us your photo and we'll swap it in.
Send a photo: Email hello@thenorthsider.ca with your name, community, pet's name (if it's a pet), and one line about the photo. By sending it, you agree we can print it in The Northsider.
SENIORS CORNER
Lunches, card games, bus trips, clinics, and a friendly check-in.
Share a seniors event: Email hello@thenorthsider.ca with date, place, cost, and who to contact.
⚠ SCAM ALERTS — READ WITH CAUTION
Stop. Think. Don't click, don't send money, don't share codes. If someone pressures you to act fast, it's almost always a scam.
Seen a scam? Tell us at hello@thenorthsider.ca — no names needed. Report it: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: 1-888-495-8501 / antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca. If you sent money, call your bank right away and call police non-emergency.
RECIPE / KITCHEN TABLE
One recipe a week from a local cook. Church cookbook energy.
From: Your Neighbour in Sydney Mines — send us yours!
You'll need: leftover fish, mashed potatoes, onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs.
To make: Mix fish + potatoes + onion + egg. Shape into cakes, roll in breadcrumbs, fry until golden. Serve with beans and brown bread.
Got a better fish cake recipe? We want it.
Send a recipe: Email hello@thenorthsider.ca with your name, community, recipe name, ingredients, and steps. One recipe, one cook, one week.
JOIN US
The Northsider is written by the Northside, not just about it. We're looking for one local reporter from each of our 13 communities.
You don't need experience. You just need to know what's happening on your street.
What a Local Reporter does (5 minutes a week):
Want to be your community's reporter? Email hello@thenorthsider.ca — "I want to be a Local Reporter"
Include: Name, Community, Phone. We'll get back to you within a day.
We keep The Northsider 95% news, 5% sponsors. Maximum 3 paid placements per issue - no banners, no pop-ups.
Tap for prices and to enquire - Monthly Sponsor, Spotlight & Weekender.
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