Mustangs Captain breaks second team record

Brennan Bailey

South Shore Mustangs captain Brennan Bailey has broken another team record. Bailey's overtime goal Tuesday night gives him 14 on the season, surpassing Pete LeCain's previous mark of 13 by a defenseman set in 1997-98. Bailey says although he's in the hunt for a third team record, he's more worried about finishing strong with only two games left in the regular season. Bailey broke his first team record in December when the third-year Mustang became the teams all-time leading scoring defenseman. He's tied with Pete LeCain for most points in a season with 34 and has two games remaining this weekend to best that mark.

Local Businesses win awards in Halifax

A pair of local businesses have been awarded by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. Schoolhouse Gluten-Free Gourmet in Mahone Bay took gold in the New Business of the Year award and Cedar Bay Grilling Company in Blandford also received gold for Small Business of the Year. A news  release says "the awards recognize those who are willing to take chances, push the boundaries and stretch the limits for success." The awards were handed out Thursday January 26.

1688 Lobster Association in Liverpool on Thursday

The 1688 Professional Lobster Fishermen's Association are taking their movement to Queens. The PLFA will host their second meeting within the South Shore this afternoon at the Liverpool Fire Department. President James Mood will lead the discussion. The meeting will focus on the recent formation of the association, price and industry related issues. Approximately 30 fishermen attended a similar event hosted in Chester last week. The meeting in Liverpool begins at 1:30PM.

Breaking: Electric Co-op Extend Negotiations with Power Suppliers

The five municipal units involved in the province's electric co-op are still trying to hammer out a new energy deal for their customers. The municipal electric co-op formed in 1997 and its members include the town's of Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, Riverport, Berwick and Antigonish. The co-op has been involved in serious negotiations for the few past months with two unidentified energy suppliers. In a CKBW/HANK interview, Mahone Bay Mayor Joe Feeney says the parties involved are close to a deal and have agreed to extend negotiations until the end of this month. "We're being...I don't think overly cautious...but we're being very cautious, but if we can get the final few stumbling blocks sorted out here...I'm confident we're going to be able to make a pretty good deal here for our customers spanning the next 20 years,"  The municipal units operate their own electric utilities and buy their power in bulk from Nova Scotia Power. However, the co-op announced an MOU between two new power suppliers last month that will bring cleaner, cheaper energy to their customers.

South Canoe Wind Project: Public Consultation this Month

The three proponents behind the South Canoe Wind project will begin public consultations this month. Oxford Frozen Foods along with Minas Basin Pulp and Paper have partnered with Nova Scotia Power on the proposed wind farm. The South Canoe Wind Project would feature up to 50 wind turbines spread over 6,400 hectares between Chester and Windsor. President of Energy Development for Minas Basin John Woods says public meetings will be held in Vaughan and Chester. "We're coming to the end of the competitive process, so it's time to involve the public and engage in public consultations so we're on schedule and we hope to be successful in several months time," The Vaughan meeting goes on February 11th, while the meeting in Chester will be held on Feb 13th at the Legion. The successful bid will be announced in April or May.

VIDEO: Finance Minister speaks to Bridgewater Rotary Club

Nova Scotia Finance Minister Graham Steele was one of three guest speakers to talk with prospective andcurrent members of the Rotary Club of Bridgewater and District. Steele spoke about his involvement in Rotary and other topics during the clubs open house at the Bridgewater Days Inn Tuesday night.

South Shore Regional working on Safety Violations

South Shore Health is well on their way to becoming fully compliant with the province's fire inspectors. The fire marshal's office noted 59 violations at South Shore Shore Regional Hospital in its inspections last November. The communications director with South Shore Health, Barb Johnson, mentions some of the 59 recommendations that were made.

"Some of the issues were around recommendations of a different type of fire extinguisher, 23 of the recommendations were around clutter or storage, items that we had to move out of hallways or in some cases, for example, staff had items stored on top of lockers."

But, as of this week, only five deficiencies remain in the hospital including the need for fire doors in specific areas, changes to power sources for ovens, and the need for better storage. Johnson says the Fire Marshal returned a few weeks ago and was very pleased with the changes already made. She says they've ordered the necessary supplies and hope to have all issues sorted out by the end of February.

Bailey knots OT winner as Mustangs beat Valley

The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs earned a hard-fought 4-3 overtime win over the Valley Wildcats Tuesday night. The club battled back from an early 2-0 deficit, improving their position in the league standings to 3rd place with only two games remaining. Head Coach Tim Boyce says it was a big win for his club because it gave them some confidence after losing two straight over the weekend. Captain Brennan Bailey scored the overtime winner for the Stangs while Cole Skinner got the 'W' between the pipes. The Mustangs are back on the road Saturday and Sunday against Dartmouth and Cole Harbour to close out the regular season.

MLA Birdsall endorses Nash as next Federal NDP Leader

Pam Birdsall

The MLA for Lunenburg is throwing her support behind Peggy Nash as the future leader of the Federal NDP party. Pam Birdsall says she chose the Toronto MP because she believes she has all the qualities of a leader.

"She's one of those people, in my mind, who can bring people together, a real consensus builder and I think that's exactly like Jack (Layton) was. He was a man that worked with his team and any of us who knew Jack and knew the way he worked, that was what he was known for and Peggy is very much like that."

Birdsall says Nash would have no problems bucking heads with Prime Minister Stephen Harper because she's a former hard-nosed labour negotiator.

"She was the first female labour union negotiator in North America, you know I mean, that speaks volumes if you know what labour negotiation is all about. So, I mean this is someone who doesn't just say oh well, ok, whatever you say and I think that's a real quality of being able to be not easily provoked and calm under pressure."

Queens MLA Vicki Conrad also announced her endorsement of Nash. The party's leadership convention is slated for March 23-24 in Toronto.

Bridgewater: Huge Support for Cook's Cancer Battle

A benefit breakfast held over the weekend for a resident of Bridgewater was an overwhelming success. The fundraiser at the Bridgewater Fire Hall on Saturday was organized for 35 year-old Jody Cook who is fighting breast cancer. More $8,800 dollars was raised through the sale of 600 breakfast plates in addition to cash donations and tickets sales. Food was donated by local businesses while members of the Bridgewater Fire Department volunteered their time to help out with the breakfast.

Black Bull Resources Report Net Losses in 2011

The future of a Nova Scotia company is unclear following another year of poor market conditions. Black Bull Resources is reporting net losses  exceeding $380,000 for the year ending September 30th. The company owns the White Rock Mine near Shelburne and officials say the company will be placed into hibernation mode until further notice. CEO Joseph MacDonald says the company's focus is to reserve cash by reducing overall expenses. A handful of part-time employees remain at the mine for routine care and maintenance. The White Rock Mine produces a unique, bright white high purity quartz marketed under Scotia White.

Phone Survey planned for town and municipality of Shelburne

The town and municipality of Shelburne are conducting a phone survey to see how physically active members of the community were over the last two years. The survey, conducted by IPSOS Reid Research, will be conducted beginning February 1 until February 13. The physical activity and community school coordinator, Lisa Landry, says the survey will help gather information for the community's physical activity strategy.

"It's a way for us to get input from the community and it's also a follow-up from the survey we did in 2009, so this will give us comparative information so we can gauge the changes in physical activity levels since then."

Landry says they have created more opportunities for people to become active in leisure programs or sports since 2009. She says 300 people will be polled during the phone survey and expects the results to be released by mid-March.

Finance Minister among guests at Rotary Open House

Graham Steele

The Bridgewater Rotary Club is holding an open house Tuesday night to offer people a chance to learn more about the volunteer organization. Current and past members are expected to meet at the Bridgewater Days Inn at 6pm. Nova Scotia Finance Minister Graham Steele is among the guest speakers, as well as incoming District Governor Greg Caldwell and Windsor Rotary Club President Jonathan DeMont.

Pet Food Drive raises over $2,000 for Queens SPCA

Karissa Boudreau

The people came out in droves Saturday to help raise money for the Queens County SPCA. The 4th annual Karissa Boudreau Memorial Pet Food Drive raised $2,048 in cash and an estimated 12-14 shopping carts full of supplies. The president of the Queens County SPCA, Martin Hilliard, says they received a variety of different items.

"Hundreds of pounds of dog food, cat food, toys, treats, all kinds of stuff, it was absolutely overwhelming."

Hilliard says the fundraiser is a huge help because a busy summer and fall season has left a big strain on their finances. One of the organizers, Wendy Whalen, says after four years, it was nice to see people still care so much.The 12-year-old Boudreau will always be remembered as a young girl who loved animals, with aspirations of being a veterinarian. It's expected the last pet food drive will be held next year before organizers move on.

Town of Lunenburg: Not Interested in Shared Services Review

The Town of Lunenburg says its not opposed to sharing some services but council isn't interested in regional governance. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney made the comments as Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the District of Lunenburg move forward with a detailed review of regional governance and shared services. Mawhinney says he wanted to clear the air because residents have been asking why the town isn't part of the review. "We certainly wish the other three well as they continue their review and discussion, but we were not looking at regional governance per say. We're happy to look at shared services, yes. But a review focused on regional governance as the first step, in our opinion, was not the way He notes the town recently withdrew from a partnership with the three municipal units on the Waste Management Committee. Mawhinney called the venture less than satisfactory and felt the towns views were not considered seriously. The town is currently negotiating with the Municipality of Chester on a new waste disposal agreement at Kaizer Meadow.

Composites Atlantic: Calls Back Some Laid-Off Workers

Composites Atlantic has re-hired five employees that were victims of a mid-November lay-off. At the time, 37 employees were laid off as the result of an unexpected change in delivery schedules from several major customers. President and CEO Claude Baril says their market has picked up over the past few weeks. "Actually when we did lay-off...we had not underestimated but maybe went a bit too far and we re-hired some more people because we were late on some programs and dealing with overtime, so we adjusted," Baril says work orders at the plant will be stable for at least the first six months of this year and the company will re-evaluate later in the summer. The Lunenburg based aerospace plant employs more than 300 people and manufactures lightweight aircraft parts.

Final "Shared Services" Meeting Goes Tonight

Don Downe

The last of 5 public meetings in Lunenburg County discussing the sharing of some services will be held tonight. A report on the feasibility of sharing some municipal services among Mahone Bay, Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has recommended .... in favor. The meetings have been designed to get public feedback and help councillors in the communities make their decisions on the proposal. District of Lunenburg Mayor Don Downe says that's important. He says: "We need to make sure we consult and get an idea on how our community feels about it. At the same, we are prepared to show leadership. But I think its important to have them come forward with some very interesting questions that they have about the report and we need to give them the answers." Tonight's meeting begins at 7 o'clock at the Petite Riviere Fire Hall.

Queens County Adds More Protected Lands

Queens County has aquired another 22-hundred hectares of protected land.
Its a gift from Bowater Mersey, part of the rescue package for the mill back in December. District of Queens Mayor John Leefe says saving pristine areas from development is important. About 19 percent, or 44-thousand hectares, of Queens County's total land mass .... is now protected under the World Wildlife Federation's "Endangered Spaces Program". That figure is well above the 12 percent required under the program.

Shelburne Arena ready for next stage of upgrades

Tony Mahaney

The Shelburne Arena is entering phase two of its upgrade stage. The rink is getting roughly $453,000 worth of work done including repairs and replacement of refrigeration equipment, structural upgrades and accessibility issues. The chair of the Shelburne County Arena Association, Tony Mahaney, says they're moving ahead with their next step of renovations.

"We just finished phase one that did $500,000 worth of improvements that took care of a number of issues concerning lighting and part of the refrigeration, as well as upgrading the players' dressing rooms and washrooms. So, this phase is to accommodate the people viewing the games."

Mahaney adds, one way to help people view the games is by making the rink more accessible including building a ramp to get into the main entrance.

"Once you get into the facility, there's some upgrades that are required for the washroom facilities so that they can easily access the washrooms, as well as a small section that will be set aside for a viewing stage or viewing platform for anybody that is requiring accessibility."

Mahaney says he hopes all the upgrades will help give the arena 20-25 years of use before a new rink will be needed. He says he expects phase two will be complete by 2015.

Hockey: Cole Harbour Thumps Mustangs

In Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League action last night Cole Harbour dumped the visiting South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs 6-2. Brendan Nickerson and Alex Nauss scored for Stangs who are back on the ice this morning against the Valley Wildcats. Puck dropped at 10:30 at the Bridgewater Arena.