Thursday, August 29, 2013

Port Mouton: Province Helps Blue Wave Seafoods

A long standing employer in Queens County is getting help from the Nova Scotia Government. Blue Wave Seafood in Port Mouton is getting a $500,000 loan from the provincial government to help restructure its operations. The loan is repayable over the next ten years. The company employs nearly 70 full and part-time staff and is a fish processor and exporter. Fisheries Minister Sterling Belliveau says the money will provide the company with working capital as it restructures to achieve long-term sustainability. Nova Scotia is Canada's third largest exporter of fish and seafood, with exports valued at about $922 million in 2012.

Chester Councillor Pleased With New Crosswalk

A Chester councillor is applauding the addition of a crosswalk near Chester Area Middle School. Brad Armstrong says parents lobbied for a crosswalk during the last municipal election and he decided to work on the issue. He says he approached the Village Commission and they agreed to pay for the crosswalk, painted by the Department of Transportation, and hire a part-time crossing guard. Armstrong says its good news.



He expects roughly 40-50 kids will use the crosswalk daily at Duke and Main streets.

MODL Provides Funding To Help Recruit Doctors

The Municipality of Lunenburg has agreed to provide up to $2,000 to help persuade nurse practitioners to the area. Mayor Don Downe says the money will help send people from South Shore Health to New Brunswick this fall to market the South Shore and recruit doctors. The municipality will match funding with the town of Bridgewater. Downe says they have to separate themselves from other regions in the Maritimes.



Downe says the one thing he's heard while traveling to local communities is the need for more family doctors.

Standby For NS Gasoline Price Hike

Gas prices have taken a hike in New Brunswick overnight. Regular self serve is up 3 cents a litre today to $1.37.1. Diesel is up even more to $1.39.7. With that in mind, prices are likely to jump overnight tonight here on the South Shore by similar amounts. The increase in gas prices is being fueled by whats been happening on the world markets. The price of oil world-wide is actually down $1.31 today so far after finishing yesterday at its highest close in more than two years. Oil is trading at $108.79 U-S a barrel.
The price jumped more than a dollar yesterday on jitters about a possible U-S-led military attack on Syria.

Ferry Partnership Head Optimistic Yarmouth-Maine Service Will Become A Reality

The man who heads up the International Ferry Partnership is optomistic a new ferry service between Yarmouth and Maine will be in operation by next May.  Keith Condon helped spearhead the move to get the ferry back up and running.  He says the provincial government will is there, compared to 2009 when it wasn't.



STM Quest is in negotiations with the Dexter government that may lead to an agreement between the two for STM to run the service.