CAMs Classes Cancelled Again

Chester Area Middle School classes are again cancelled today ( Wednesday, June 23rd ) for grades 6 and 7 while the wing of the school is cleaned up after flooding in their classrooms. Also SCHOOL's OUT for SUMMER. Today (Wed. ) is the last day of school for South Shore Regional School Board students.

Economic Development Strategy

The Region of Queens Municipality has approved an Economic Development Working Strategy for 2010 and beyond. Deputy-Mayor Darlene Norman says the working document will be used to provide staff with direction regarding Council's views on where they want to see the Region of Queens go in the future. It will also provide staff with clear-cut guidelines that they can provide new residents, current presidents, and people wishing to develop in the community a good black and white..this is what the Region has to offer and its positive points. Norman says Council expressed a desire to provide vision and direction to the Economic Development Department of the Region in the fall of 2009.

Bell Times to Change

A change in the bell times for students at Bridgewater Junior Senior High School when they return to classes after the summer break. The Principal has asked the South Shore Regional School Board to approve a change in the start and end bell times by 10 minutes effective in September. In the morning the bell time will be moved from 9:10 to 9:00am, and from 3:10 to 3:00pm in the afternoon. The request was endorsed by the School Board.

Renewable Electricity Plan

Here's a chance to have your say on the province's draft renewable electricity plan and regulations. Public meetings are being seeking pubic input. The sessions are being hosted by Regional Development Authorities in conjunction with the Department of Energy. A meeing in Bridgewater is set for Thursday morning (June 24th) from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at the Days Inn on North Street. There will also be a meeting in Liverpool from noon to 1:30 p.m., at the Best Western, 63 Queens Place Drive. For a view of the plan and draft regulations, click here. http://www.gov.ns.ca/energy

Migrant Vessel

A migrant vessel that arrived at the Port of Shelburne Saturday evening has been secured by the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency. The RCMP Immigration and Passport Section and Integrated Border Enforcement Team have confirmed that there were 10 individuals from Eastern Europe onboard (five women and five men). The vessel was traveling north from Bermuda and was spotted off Shelburne by Canada Coast Guard ship 'Earl Grey'. The individuals are being processed and an investigation is being conducted to determine any possible connection to organized crime, including human smuggling, ensuring Canadian Law is upheld and maintaining the safety of those onboard the vessel displaying the name 'Valletta' .

Queens County Scam

RCMP are warning people in Queens County to be aware of a possible telephone scam. The scam is collecting monetary donations to support bullying programs in Queens County schools. If anyone has received a telephone they are asked to report this information to the local Liverpool RCMP at 902-354-5721.

Sentencing Delayed in Daughter's Sexual Assault

A Lunenburg County man scheduled to be sentenced for sexually assaulting his daughter has been sent for a "sexual assessment" at a psychiatric hospital.

The 52-year-old man was recently convicted of sexually assaulting his daughter, beginning when she was eleven years old.

The man also beat his daughter with a leather strap, a spoon and a broom handle until her skin cracked and bled.

The sexual assaults did not involve sexual intercourse.

He was supposed to have been sentenced Monday at Provincial Court in Bridgewater.

The Crown and defence agreed Monday, however, that a "sexual deviancy assessment" at the East Coast Forensic Hospital would help the judge in passing sentence.

The man is facing another charge of sexually assaulting another girl under the age of 14 in 1978.

South Shore Health Finances

Despite having a balanced budget at the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year there are challenges ahead for South Shore Health. C-E-O Alice Leverman says they're still waiting for approval for their business plan from the Department of Health . Leverman says the Board has undertaken a number of initiatives so they know it's going to be a very tight year and there's lots of work to be done. She says they anticipate hearing back from the province very soon. Leverman says the Board was optimistically forecasting they would have a balanced budget and year end statements proved that correct.

Tie A Yellow Ribbon..

Bridgewater Mayor Carroll Publicover is getting set to tie one on next week.. ... a yellow ribbon that is,...in the Support the Troops Campaign. Major James Fera of 14 Construction Engineering Squadron is seeking the Town's support for another campaign this year. In a recent presentation to Town Council, Major Fera said last years community support was heartwarming and was a great boost to the morale of soldiers and military families. Many of the storefronts have kept the yellow ribbons in their windows year round. This year's campaign will kick off Monday, June 28th and continue over the Canada Day weekend until July 8th. The Mayor along with the Major will place the first yellow ribbon on King Street next week.

Waterfront Development Controls

A motion to investigate implementing development standards for the Liverpool waterfront generated lots of discussion at the Region of Queens Municipal Council meeting Monday. The guidelines would only apply to the waterfront, the only C-4 Zone in the municipality.Deputy Mayor Darlene Norman says the request came from the Planning Advisory Committee made up of three councillors and 8 members of the public. She says PAC determined there needs to be design criteria for the waterfront area and guidelines should be implemented in keeping with the natural esthetics of what is already there, in particular Shipyard Point and Privateer Park. Norman says discussions got off-line slightly when some councillors wondered if some of the C-4 should be zoned parkland only with no development. That may have caused some confusion on the motion which was passed by a 4 to 3 vote.

CAMs Classes Cancelled

A break from classes for students at Chester Area Middle School in the 6 and 7 wing. Due to localized flooding at CAMs students in Grades 6 and 7 will not have classes tomorrow (Tuesday, June 22nd.) They were sent home this morning upon arrival at the school. For updates on the situation check the School Board's website at www.ssrsb.ca

Early Morning Fire

Arthur's Auto Repair in Oak Park, Shelburne County was destroyed by an early morning fire that broke out. Around 6am Several Fire Departments were out battling the Stubborn Fire that was spotted by a passing motorist. Barrington, Port Clyde ,Island & Barrington Passage, Shag Harbour-Bear Point, Woods Harbour, East Pubnico and West Pubnico Fire Departments responded to the call. The RCMP and Nova Scotia Power also responded to the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Crousetown Armed Standoff

A 43-year-old man is in custody following an armed-standoff with police in Lunenburg County late Sunday night.

The RCMP responded to a call to a residence in Crousetown where they found a man, whome they described as "suicidal", armed with a shotgun.

The Mounties secured the area and negotiated with the man for several hours before successfully negotiating his surrender.

The RCMP report that, although the man fired four shots in and around the building, no one was injured.

After an examination at the South Shore Regional Hospital, the Mounties held the man in custody overnight.

He appears at Provincial Court in Bridgewater on Monday.

Town Parkland

Bridgewater Town Council plans to re-designate and rezone various Town properties to parkland. Mayor Carroll Publicover says in most cases the parcels are recognized and used as parkland but have not been zoned accordingly . The housekeeping amendments include minor related text changes to the Land Use By-law including the addition of community gardens as a permitted use in the Park Zone. The 11 parcels include the Wile Carding Mill parking lot and six lots of land on Pine Street donated to the town for use as a passive park.

Auxiliary Funding

The South Shore Regional Hospital Auxiliary is again helping with funding needs. The Auxiliary has made a commitment to purchase a door to the balcony at the Bridgewater Hospital, a ram for the main entrance at South Shore Regional, and a Centrifuge machine to support blood collection at the new Ross Resource Centre. South Shore Health C-E-O Alice Leverman says the Board is most fortunate to have the support of the Auxiliary to fund the hospital's needs.

Quality Improvement Action Plan

South Shore Health is moving forward with its Quality Improvement Action Plan. Staff and Physicians were asked for help indentifying area for quality improvement, waste reduction and cost savings. C-E-O Alice Leverman says they came forward with hundred of ideas for making South Shore Health better. She says three themes emerged from the input into the Q-I Action Plan.
As the first major step, Leverman says they are beginning put a new organizational structure in place that will serve as the foundation for implementing their strategic plan. There will be smaller executive team consisting of a V-P of Health Services, a V-P Corporate Services and a V-P Medicine. Leverman says the initial focus will be on administrative and operational costs such as call- back, overtime, product use, travel and other areas identified in savings.

Recreation Funding for South Shore

Recreation facilities in the South Shore region will receive almost 360 thousand dollars in grants through the provincial Recreation Facility Development Program. The funding was announced Friday in Yarmouth by Lunenburg West MLA Gary Ramey. The Yarmouth YMCA, received $150 thousand dollars for upgrades to the facility. Investments in the South Shore Region include :
-Municipality of Lunenburg: develop Marine Park, $28,000 -Municipality of Shelburne: repairs to Tom Tigney Trail Bridge, $30,000 -Shelburne & Area Minor Baseball Association: convert field to a baseball field, $4,000
-Shelburne Lions Club: Repairs/upgrades to Shelburne Lion's community hall, $9,660
-South Shore Regional School Board, Chester Area Middle School: repair track and field facilities, $9,000
-South Shore Regional School Board, Hebbville Academy: upgrade playground, $14,000
-South Shore Regional School Board, Wickwire Academy: develop playground, $25,000
-Village of Chester Commission: upgrade Chester Lido Pool, $88,000 over two years
The program assists community groups, municipalities and other not-for-profit organizations develop facilities to increase public participation in sport and physical recreation.

Chamber Appointments

Cy Mayo has been appointed President of the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce. He takes over from Past President Craig Collins. The Board of Directors recently held the first meeting of the new fiscal year with the main agenda item, the appointment of the executive committee. Sandra Richards is the Vice-President and Barry Smith the Treasurer. Other Board members are: Shawn O'Hara, Jerry Porodo,
Dave Hadley, Glen Hall, Aidan Matchett and Judy Koster .More information on the Chamber's initiatives and current projects can be found at www.bridgewaterchamber.com.

Hospital Overcrowding a Challenge

Hospital overcrowding continues to be a challenge for South Shore Health. C-E-O Alice Leverman says it has been a very busy week with anywhere from 6 to 10 people waiting in Emergency for a bed. She says there's usually a spike in the early morning Leverman says while the opening of new long term care beds has provided some relief, the situation is difficult to predict because it's dependent on a lot of factors. She says overcrowding is expected to be an ongoing challenge due to the age and health status of the population. Since the opening of Ryan Hall on May 19th, 19 alternate level of care patients have been moved from hospital into long term care facilities. A total of 28 additional long term and residential care beds are scheduled to open in Lunenburg County over the next few months. Leverman says hospital overcrowding causes a lot of concern and frustration for patients and families. They may experience delays in admission, long wait or transfers to another hospital for care. Surgeries may also be cancelled. Leverman says it also creates a stressful working environment for staff.

Town Gets New-Used Truck

Queens Chrysler Limited the supplier of a used 4X4 three quarter ton truck for the Town of Bridgewater. There were four responses to the Town's Request for Proposals to supply a used vehicle. Two of those did not meet the required specifications. Queens Chrysler was the lowest of the two remaining bids and was awarded a tender for 33 thousand, 335 dollars to supply a 2006 Dodge Ram, 25 hundred truck. The vehicle has 64 thousand 200 kilometres but there is an extended warranty available. The truck will be used for operations at the Brookside Cemetery.