Conrad: Fires back at Liberals and Tories over Bowater Package

The MLA for Queens took a shot at the Liberals and Conservatives this week for their stance on the NDP's plan for Bowater Mersey. New Democrat Vicki Conrad says their opposition to the $50 million dollar deal won't be forgotten by the people of the South Shore. Conrad made the comments after Liberal MLA Manning MacDonald called the pulp and paper industry a "dinosaur industry" during question period. Hundreds of families in Queens, Lunenburg, Shelburne, Digby, Annapolis and Halifax depend on the mill for their livelihood. The life-line from the NDP earlier this month assures the mill will remain in operation for at least five years.

Chester Warden: Big Decision Looms on Wild Rose Park

Councillors in Chester are set to debate the future of Wild Rose Park in Western Shore later this month. The Municipality of the District of Chester is faced with a decision on whether or not to engage itself in keeping the park fully accessible for public use. Large parts of the park are located on Crown Land while other areas are privately owned and divided into 12 separate parcels of land. Warden Allen Webber says council has been keeping an eye on the situation for more than a year and now have to decide whether or not to inject in the situation. "I've been here for 30 years, and never, have we ever, expropriated anybody's property and for good reason - it's a very extreme measure. However, extreme circumstances sometimes call for extreme action. It's an available tool for us, whether we use it or not remains to be seen, but let me be clear - we'll negotiate with land owners on a case by case basis to acquire their interests. Should we go down that path"  Webber is urging the residents of Chester and the surrounding area to attend a meeting on the mater on December 22nd. The meeting will begin at 8:45AM. Information packages are available at the Municipal office in Chester.

Phone Scams around the South Shore

Shelburne RCMP are looking into a telephone scam involving computers. Numerous residents have been getting calls regarding this scam for weeks. Mounties says those behind it claim to be a computer consultant who require access to the persons computer because it was attacked by a virus. From there, the fraudsters proceed to erase the victims hard drive but police says it's unclear if any personal information is obtained. In another case, residents are being offered a service keeps personal computers or laptops secure from viruses at a cost of $120 per year.  Mounties says the consultant told people they were based out of New York and were of East Indian decent. The RCMP is reminding the public not to give out any personal information over the phone and to report any suspicious calls to your local police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Phonebusters at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.phonebusters.com/

Power Outages across South Shore

Thousands of South Shore residents are without power at this time due to the high winds. About 400 households and businesses in Queens County lost power between 9-10 Thursday morning. Close to 2,000 residents in Shelburne County are also without electricity. Around 1,000 homes in Lunenburg County have lost their power as well. Nova Scotia Power says service should be restored to those areas no later than 3:15 this afternoon. The NSCC campus in Shelburne has been closed for the day after losing its power. The Tancook Ferry is out of service until further notice Thursday because of extreme high winds and waves.

Fairview Inn set to be demolished; Police say no charges will be laid

**Pictures taken of the Fairview Inn Wednesday December 7**

A Conquerall Mills company begins work Thursday morning on tearing down one of the oldest Inns in NovaScotia. C & T Construction is expected to have two excavators on site of the Fairview Inn on Queen Street. The company's owner, Craig Fancy, says they've already removed most of the metal from inside the building. He says it's just a matter of time before the building is demolished and the site is clear.

"Once we get it on the ground, I think it will go pretty quick. We have to get the trucks to haul it away to Chester, so it does take time."

The building's ruins will be taken to the Kaizer Meadow Landfill in the Municipality of Chester. Fancy is asking residents to remain away from the Fairview Inn site while its being demolished because of safety concerns. Meanwhile, Bridgewater Police Chief John Collyer says no charges will be laid after fire destroyed the Inn June 4. Collyer said in a release Wednesday that the fire marshal has concluded he cannot determine the exact cause of the fire.

Mayor unaware of Tethering issue in Municipality

The mayor of the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg says he's not aware of a tethering issue with dogs in the area. The Nova Scotia SPCA is pressuring municipalities to protect pets from being tied up outside too long. Downe says he would like the SPCA to make a presentation to council on the issue. He says the municipality's current bylaw deals with dangerous dogs, dogs at large and dogs that constantly bark. The SPCA is claiming municipal bylaws don't do enough to protect the pets. They are asking for chains to be at least five metres long and away from trees and bushes to prevent dogs from getting tangled.