Treasure Trove Act Repealed

Ownership of Nova Scotia's underwater cultural and heritage resources will be more secure as government introduces legislation today (Tuesday, November 2nd) to repeal the Treasure Trove Act, amend the Special Places Protection Act and create the Oak Island Treasure Act. Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell says Nova Scotians are concerned that artifacts and cultural heritage are being exploited for commercial gain and changes to the legislation will help keep material from future excavations. Tourism, Culture and Heritage Minister Percy Paris says that artifacts in shipwrecks along the coast belong to Nova  Scotia and that government will act to protect that history.

DEXTER DEFENDS FUNDING CUTS

Premier Darrell Dexter is defending the government's plan to cut education funding.

The province is proposing a 5 percent cuts in the budget for school boards province-wide, that's 196-million dollars.

Dexter says budget cuts are necessary in difficult economic times but HIS government is taking a better approach.

"Unlike governments in the past that have simply come forward and dictated across the board reductions, we took a different view, we said that the leadership on the issue of financial stability, the leadership on the issues on how we get back to balance should belong to the people in control of the budgets," says Dexter.

Chairman of the South Shore Regional School Board says the province is in too big a rush to balance the budget.

Elliott Payzant says a hasty attempt to pull the province out the red will threaten student education.

No details of the budget cuts have been finalized.

Literacy Action Week- Book Launch

To celebrate Literacy Action Week, the Community College's Lunenburg Campus is hosting a book launch and signing this Friday. The Way it Works is the sixth and latest novel by William Kowalshi, established author and NSCC faculty member for the School of Access and School of Trades & Technology. The launch will take place at NSCC's Lunenburg Campus, 75 High Street in Bridgewater, on Friday, Nov. 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Mr. Kowalshi will be on hand for a reading and book signing. The Way it Works is a short novel for adults and has recently been nominated for the Ontario Library Association's reader's choice award, the Golden Oak Award.  Literacy Action week is held the first week of November each year. It is the time when Literacy Nova Scotia and individuals and organizations who have an interest in supporting adult literacy concentrate on ways to inform governments and the public about literacy in their community.

CYBER-Safety Program

An anti-cyberbullying program will be unveiled this Friday by Bridgewater Police. "CYBER: Programmed for Safety" teaches children the problems of bullying behaviour and how to protect themselves when on the Internet. According to statistics

- 50% of Canadian children say that they are online most of the time.
- 25% of young Canadian Internet users say that someone has sent them messages that have said hateful things about others.
- 42% of kids have been targeted while online.
- Only 10% of those kids who were bullied told their parents about the incident.
- A mere 18% of the cases were reported to a law enforcement agency.

The public event to launch the new program takes place Friday, November 5th at the Bridgewater Elementary School at 11:15 a.m.

Lunenburg Pair Face Drug/Weapons Charges

Two residents of Lunenburg are facing drug allegations following a search of their residence on Pelham Street. Members of the South Shore Integrated Street Squad along with Bridgewater Police and Lunenburg County RCMP conducted the search on Friday, October 29th. Police seized cocaine, processed marihuana, "magic mushrooms", prohibited weapons and stolen property. A 26 year old man and 24 year old woman from Lunenburg have been charged with possessing cocaine, marihuana and "magic mushrooms" for the purposes of trafficking. The pair also face charges for for possessing prohibited weapons and stolen property under the Criminal Code. A date of January 12th has been set for plea in Bridgewater Provincial Court.

PREMIER MAKES IT OFFICIAL, ANNOUNCING NEW SCHOOL FOR LIVERPOOL

A new school will be built in Liverpool.

Premier Darrell Dexter made the announcement this morning in the South Shore town.
The new facility will replace the aging South Queens Junior High.
The Premier says he attended South Queens Junior High so it holds a special place in his heart and he knows the replacement will be an excellent addition to the community.
South Queens Junior High School has an enrollment of about 300 students in grades 7 to 9.
A study determined it was better value to build a new school rather than renovate the existing one.
Planning will begin immediately, starting with the site-selection process.
The design, completion date and cost of the project will be determined during the early phases of planning.

School Board Modifies Transfer Policy

The South Shore Regional School Board has modified its transfer-policy.
Students are sometimes granted special permission to attend a school, based on their participation in an "advanced" or "immersion" program.
With the new policy in place, students who then withdraw from that program will have to return to their regional school.
Superintendent Nancy Pynch-Worthylake says transfers are seldom requested and rarely granted.
Students denied a transfer can fight the decision with the regional Appeal Committee.

Downtown Bridgewater Traffic Disruptions

The downtown section of Bridgewater continues to present problems for motorists.
Because of infrastructure upgrades, traffic is being disrupted at the York St. / Alexandra Ave. / Dufferin St. intersection.
The work will continue until Friday and motorists are advised to use an alternate route.
King Street will remain open to two-way traffic.
Dufferin Street will remain closed from King Street access.
All businesses and residences in the construction-area will continue to be accessible by local-traffic.

Veterans Protest Their Treatment by Federal Government

As Remembrance Day approaches, veterans across the country are protesting.
Retired members of the Canadian armed forces have expressed renewed outrage at the conservative government's decision to not re-appoint the outspoken Pat Stogran as veterans' ombudsman.
Craig Leonard -- a retired veteran who suffers from post traumatic distress disorder -- says the government was not listening to what Stogran had to say.
Leonard -- who served in Manitoba, New Brunswick and in the Golan Heights along the disputed-border between Israel and Syria -- says the benefits offered under the 2006 Federal Veterans charter are unacceptable for those who served.  
A nation-wide Day of Protest is taking place on November 6th.
Local picketers will gather at the office of Member-of-Parliament Gerald Keddy on Aberdeen Road in Bridgewater at 11:00 o'clock on Saturday.

PROVINCE PLANS TO SLASH SCHOOL FUNDS

The chair of the South Shore Regional School Board says an attempt to balance the provincial-budget is threatening classrooms across the South Shore.

Elliot Payzant made the comment in reaction to the provincial government's proposed five-per-cent annual budget-cuts over the next-three years.

That's 196-million-dollars missing from the balance-sheets.

Payzant says class sizes will likely increase, support for students with special needs may be reduced and staff cuts are certain.

The School board will present its new fiscal plan to the public later this month.

Game Over VLT's

A Nova Scotia organization ... "Game OverVLT's-dot-com"... says enough is enough and its time Video Lottery Terminals were banned for good. Spokesman Terry Fulmer says its a disgrace that hundreds of millions of dollars are being raked in by the gaming corporation every year yet whats put back for helping problem gamblers in Nova Scotia is but a drop in the bucket. Fulmer says gambling is OK if you know what you're doing but the VLT's are destroying too many people and their families because they're such an attraction. Fulmer accuses the province of failing to take responsibility and helping the estimated 18-thousand Nova Scotians with gambling problems resulting in large part from the prevalence of VLT's.

Fulmer is on a cross-province speaking tour and recently addressed the issue during a presentation to the Bridgewater Rotary Club.

Citizenship Ceremony at Forest Heights Community School

The Department of "Citizenship and Immigration" held a citizenship ceremony Thursday afternoon at Forest Heights Community School. Trish Smith the Communications Director for the "South Shore Regional School Board" says the event allows the students to be involved and it also exposes them to the idea of becoming a new Canadian citizen. The ceremony welcomed a number of new citizens -- including the principal of Forests Heights Community School. Born in Australia -- Shannon Catton took the oath of Canadian citizenship, along with more than 30 other new Canadians.

*** Teacher Shannon Catton with the presider of the ceremony, Order of Canada recipient, Elizabeth Parr-Johnson**

Theft Advisory

Shelburne RCMP are advising the public of an increase in the theft of materials that are able to be sold to scrap metal yards.  Most recently the Mounties had a theft of various pieces and types of metal, along with a unique stainless steal propeller shaft.  The shaft would have been difficult to move due to its size and weight.  People are advised that if they see any suspicious activity to call their local police agency immediately.

New School Announcement Monday

A new school construction project will be announced in Liverpool on Monday November 1st..   Premier Darrell Dexter will be in Queens County to make the official announcement at the South Queens Junior High School at 10 a.m. The school was listed as a priority several years ago and parents and the School Board have been pushing for a new stand alone building saying renovations to the existing facility were not economically sound.

Male Injured Falling from Deer Stand

It was a bit of an unusual call for assistance for the Barrington RCMP. The Mounties received a call around noon time from EHS reporting they were treating a patient in a wooded area about four miles behind the church on Oak Park Road. Due to the rough terrain the paramedics were unable to safely transport the injured male out of the forest. Arrangements were made to have a Sea King helicopter attend and airlift the patient who was transported to Yarmouth Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The 65 year old man had been in the wooded area with friends on a deer hunting trip overnight when he fell from his deer stand. The victim did not believe his injuries were serious and spent the night at the nearby camp with other hunters. However, when he awoke Friday morning, he was in a great deal of pain and his son called 9-1-1.

Deer Hunting Season Opens

Nova Scotian hunters are celebrating another deer hunting season, which begins today. (October 29th). To manage the deer population in Nova Scotia, a zone system is used to set the number of antlerless licences based on the number of deer in various areas. This year the province has reconfigured the deer zones from an eight- to a 12-zone system, so applicants should review new zones carefully.  Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell reminds hunters to make safety a priority, and says people in the woods should wear hunter-orange clothing at all times. The five-week season excludes Sundays and runs until Dec. 3.

Again this year, meat may be donated to food banks through Feed Nova Scotia's Hunters Helping the Hungry program. Hunters may bring a deer or moose to a participating meat cutter to donate all or a portion of the meat to help families in need.

Cenotaph Restoration

The Government of Canada is helping fund the restoration of the Chester Basin Cenotaph . South Shore/St. Margaret's M-P Gerald Keddy has announced funding of up to 14 hundred 65 dollars to the Royal Canadian Legion, Everett Branch # 88, for the restoration project.. Built in 1976 in front of the Chester Basin Legion, the cenotaph is in remembrance of those from the community who made the supreme sacrifice for Canada in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. Planned restoration work includes removing brickwork around the monument; levelling the terrain; replacing brickwork and cleaning the bronze plaque. This is one of eleven community-led projects receiving a total of $110,120 announced by the Government of Canada through Veterans Affairs Canada's Cenotaph/Monument Restoration Program.

Police Warn of Seniors Scam

Bridgewater Police are warning seniors not to fall for the grandson telephone scam that is making the rounds. On October 20th, a Bridgewater woman reported a suspicious phone call she had received from a male claiming to be her grandson. The caller told the woman he had been involved in a car accident, and needed 5 thousand dollars to replace a telephone pole he had damaged. The intended victim did not take the bait and reported the phone call to police. This is the second such call reported to police in the past few months.

Accident Results in MVA Charge

Two people were taken to South Shore Regional Hospital following a two car accident on LaHave Street Wednesday night. The accident happened shortly after 10pm. Police say weather conditions played a part in the accident as it was raining hard at the time. Both vehicles were extensively damaged. Four people were involved in the collision. Two individuals were treated for minor injuries and later released. One of the drivers is being charged under the Motor Vehicle Act with failing to yield to highway traffic when entering the highway.

Minor Injuries in Port Mouton Truck Accident

A transport truck driver suffered only minor-injuries when his 18-wheeler overturned in a ditch at Exit-20 on Highway-103 in Port Mouton.

The RCMP closed the highway betwen 3:30 and 5:30 this morning to allow a couple of tow trucks to set the transport truck upright and haul it away.

The Mounties suspect that wet-conditions at the time of the incident, which happened at around 11:00 o'clock last night, may have contributed to the accident.