Health Board

2009-05-12 12:05:36

Nova Scotia's Health Minister has appointed one new member and re-appointed three others to the Board of Directors for South Shore Health.  Christopher Clarke, Walter Freeman and Doug Nauss are all returning to the board.  Dr. Al Doucet is the new face. He has practised as a family physician in Liverpool for 31 years and was a recent president of the District's Medical Staff. He retired from family practice last year and is currently working part time as South Shore Health's physician leader for Continuing Care.  Dr. Doucet replaces retiring Board Member Dr. David Large who did not reoffer for his position.

Salmon Habitat

2009-05-12 12:03:26

Community groups in two south shore counties and across Nova Scotia will soon be starting projects to improve fish habitat in their local river systems. The money is coming from the Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund.     Repairing stream channels, planting trees to stabilize banks, and restoring historic trout and salmon migration routes are all parts of projects supported by the Adopt-a-Stream program.       Fisheries and Aquaculture director of inland fisheries Murray Hill says the many volunteer groups across the province who have waterway projects should be proud of their work.          Over the next year, 18 community groups will receive money from the 2009 Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund. A five-dollar and 44-cent fee added to the general and salmon fishing licences in the province provides the income for the fund.
 Two projects are earmarked in Lunenburg County: The LaHave River Salmon Association will get $12,000. And for there is $15,000 for Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation for work on Mushamush River. In Queens County, there's $400 for the Medway River Salmon Association.   Additional information on sportfishing can be found online at  www.gov.ns.ca/fish/sportfishing .

 

Queens Ballot

2009-05-12 06:15:20

It's now official - the ballot is set with all three candidates in place.   Kerry Morash is the Conservative party candidate in Queen's.  Morash - a lifelong Queens resident - was first elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003.  He was acclaimed as candidate at a nomination meeting Monday night.    He has served as caucus chair and held two portfolios in cabinet and most recently was Rural Outreach Coordinator.  Morash was defeated by the NDP's Vicki Conrad in 2006 - the first time the Tories lost in Queens in fifty years.  Many said it was the lack of a Liberal candidate in the riding that allowed the NDP to take the seat by 55 ballots last time. The Grits have Wayne Henley on the ballot this time.  Conrad is fighting to hold onto the seat for the New Democrats heading into a very competitive campaign.

Fatal A-T-V Accident

2009-05-11 11:56:29

An all terrain vehicle accident has claimed the life of a 40-year old Queens county man.  RCMP Staff Sergeant Bruno Deveau says the RCMP were called out yesterday morning to a private dirt road in North Brookfield in Queens.  That's where they found Terry Scott Rawding of Pleasant River. He was pronounced dead at the scene. S/Sgt Deveau says he had been at a camp the night before and he left that night headed for home. That's when they believe the accident happened.  Police say Rawding was wearing a helmet. They are still investigating.

Sawmill Fire

2009-05-11 11:54:52

Officials with Bowater's sawmill operation in Lunenburg county call it a minor fire. Robin Anthony says there was only slight damage in a Stacker Outfeed area of the sawmill in Oakhill. And there were no injuries.Oakhill and Dayspring responded to the call last night around twenty to ten. The fire was reportedly in the same outbuilding where some welding had been done earlier in the day.

Leader's Tour

2009-05-11 11:41:07

Rodney MacDonald was the first.   Darrell Dexter wasn't too far behind.  And today, the Leader of the Liberal Party will be campaigning in Lunenburg county.  Stephen McNeil says the area is important to his party. McNeil will be in Bridgewater, Lunenburg and Mahone Bay today and in Tantallon with the Chester St. Margaret's candidate this evening.  Darrell Dexter is in Lunenburg today where he will be taking a tour of video-game developer H-B Studios.  Premier MacDonald is spending the day in the Halifax area.

Tax Credit

2009-05-11 05:50:54

Lunenburg's NDP candidate says one of their party's campaign planks would be a help to companies like Composites Atlantic.  Pam Birdsall says the ten percent manufacturing and processing tax credit would help businesses grow and would create employment in Lunenburg.  Thursday, she took a tour of Composites with party leader Darrell Dexter adding their proposal would allow them to invest in new equipment.  She adds it's not just a tax break but an incentive for companies to upgrade and become more competitive.  Lunenburg's total manufacturing labour force accounted for just over 42-hundred jobs according to statistics from 2001.

French School Land

2009-05-11 05:49:11

Now that the sale has closed, we're finding out how much the Municipality got for a piece of land for a new French school in Cookville.  C-A-O Tammy Wilson says the property is just over ten acres. It was sold to the province earlier this year at a cost of $400,000.  The piece of property is just off Highway 10 near the WalMart development.   A replacement for École de la Rive-Sud in Blockhouse will be built near the Osprey Ridge development.  The school will have up to 285 French first-language students from the region. It will cost about $13 million and should be completed in 2010.  A local real estate agent says forty-thousand an acre is a fair price for a lot that size near the Exit 12 development.  She says that's where a lot of people want to be right now as the retail area continues to grow.  The municipality isn't sure if the 1 percent deed transfer tax applies to the sale between the two levels of government.

Beach Protection

2009-05-08 06:29:13

The dunes of Cherry Hill Beach are being protected .  Effective today, (Friday, May 8th,) vehicle traffic along the dunes and the beach is banned.Beach access for traditional uses such as clam digging, waterfowl hunting and swimming  will continue to be permitted. There will be a designated area for parking.  Cherry Hill Beach is  an important nesting habitat for the endangered piping plover and a vital feeding and resting area for many thousands of migrating shorebirds." The ban will be enforced by Department of Natural Resources officers and, when appropriate, RCMP. Operators who ignore the ban can be charged under the Crown Lands Act and/or the Motor Vehicle Act.

McHappy BBBS

2009-05-08 06:26:13

They're awfully McHappy at South Shore Big Brothers and Big Sisters today.  The group was the beneficiary of the funds from yesterday's McHappy Days at the Bridgewater McDonald's restaurant.  A dollar from each mcmuffin and Big Mac sold yesterday were given to charity.  And after the numbers were crunched, it looks like there were a lot of sandwiches munched.  Sandra Murray says they will be receiving $2,000 to help pay for their programs to help boys and girls in the area.

Generous Enough

2009-05-08 06:23:36

A May 20th public meeting on the Queens Place recreational facility has been cancelled because of a lack of "information gaps".  One of those according to the Region's Rec department is a shortfall in funding. The group says the five-million dollars from the province doesn't quite come up to one third of the cost.  They were also hoping for additional money to develop the land around the construction site.  Premier Rodney MacDonald says his government has already given what it can to the project.  The group says a public meeting on Queens Place will be held, but not until they have all of the information they need to provide to residents of Queens.

Leaders Tour

2009-05-07 09:33:24

NDP Leader Darrell Dexter hits the south shore area to campaign with local candidates today.  Dexter will be doing some mainstreeting at the Bridgewater Mall Plaza with Lunenburg West candidate Gary Ramey at noontime. At 2 o'clock this afternoon the Provincial New Democrat leader will tour Composites Atlantic in Lunenburg with Pam Birdsall who's running for the NDP in the Lunenburg riding. Later in the afternoon Dexter will join  candidate Denise Peterson Rafuse for a meet and greet at the NDP Campaign Headquarters for Chester-St. Margaret's at 4171 Highway 3 in Chester.  Dexter will also pay a visit to Shoreham Village.

After an intense day of Campaigning on the south shore including an appearance at the Lunenburg nomination meeting, Premier MacDonald is in Pictou county today. Peter Zwicker was elected as the Conservative's candidate for the Lunenburg riding last night.

Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil will be in the valley campaigning today.

 

Queens Place stall

2009-05-07 09:31:59

 

A public meeting for Queens Place scheduled for later this month is being postponed because of outstanding issues including funding.   A news release from Recreation says the purpose of the meeting was to present the Schematic Design for the recreation facility as well as provide specific information about capital and operating costs.   But they point to "information gaps" that need to be resolved before a public meeting.  Those include a need for completed site development costs and more federal and provincial money.  They say the seven million from the Federal Government was 1.8 million less than what they asked for. And the five-million from the province was less than the one-third project funding in many other communities.  The Region has asked for a top up but says that hasn't materialized yet. They also say the election campaign underway will likely impact a request for funding to help defray the costs of developing commercial land next to Queens Place.  They add the combination of these three critical areas impact on the Region's capacity to provide the best information possible to the public. Once full information is available, they say the meeting will be rescheduled.

Home Invasion

2009-05-07 06:26:05

Charges have now been laid against two people allegedly involved in a home invasion on Pleasant Street early yesterday afternoon. Twenty-three year old Matthew Kevin Glavine and 18 year old Shaun Tyler Greek are facing charges of  break and enter into a dwelling and committing an indictable of aggravated assault.  Breach charges as well as a charge of trafficking in crack cocaine are also alleged. Arrest warrants for the pair have been issued.  Meantime, An individual who was initially arrested by police yesterday has been released without charge.  This incident, is still under investigation.   Police are asking anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of GLAVINE and GREEK to contact  Bridgewater Police, 543-2464 or CRIMESTOPPERS

Home Invasion

2009-05-07 06:26:05

Charges have now been laid against two people involved in a home invasion on Pleasant Street early yesterday afternoon. Twenty-three year old Matthew Kevin Glavine and 18 year old Shaun Tyler Greek are facing charges of  break and enter into a dwelling and committing an indictable of aggravated assault.  Breach charges as well as a charge of trafficking in crack cocaine are also alleged. Arrest warrants for the pair have been issued.  Meantime, An individual who was initially arrested by police yesterday has been released without charge.  This incident, is still under investigation.   Police are asking anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of GLAVINE and GREEK to contact  Bridgewater Police, 543-2464 or CRIMESTOPPERS

Inspection Changes changed

2009-05-07 06:24:03

 A bit of a reprieve for tuners and off-roaders.  Government officials say concerns from vehicle owners and the motor vehicle industry have prompted an in-depth review of the processes for inspecting modified vehicles.     A recent clarification to the Motor Vehicle Inspection Manual explicitly states testers are required to fail a vehicle that has been raised or lowered, unless the alteration had been previously approved by an engineer.  And that would have required taking the vehicle to New Brunswick to be certified.  The clarification has raised a number of issues, which the review will address. The review will take up to one year to complete and will result in recommendations for the appropriate next steps.   In the meantime, testers will continue to follow the same safety standards in place for all other vehicles.

Leader's Schedule

2009-05-06 06:05:20

With the provincial election campaign starting to rev up, the Conservatives are giving the south shore a lot of attention. Premier MacDonald spoke with CKBW news yesterday morning at seven o'clock, one of the first interviews of the day about the election.
Today, the Conservative leader is campaigning with Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. He's scheduled to be serving Big Macs with her for McHappy Day at McDonalds in Bridgewater.
Then this afternoon, it's off to Queens to start campaigning with Kerry Morash.  Party officials tell us he will be the only person seeking the PC nomination in Queens when their meeting is held next Monday.
And tonight, MacDonald will be in Mahone Bay for the nomination meeting to see if it will be Peter Zwicker or Ron Allen who will be vying for Michael Baker's former seat in Lunenburg.
Liberal Leader, Steven McNeil is campaigning in Metro.
And NDP leader Darrel Dexter is in the Truro and New Glasgow areas today.

Drug Arrests

2009-05-06 06:00:02

Two Pinehurst males facing  drug and weapons charges after a search warrant was executed at a Penny Road residence.  The South Shore Integrated Street Crime Unit with assistance from RCMP and Bridgewater Police executed the warrant May 1st.  A quantity of marijuana plants were seized as well as firearms that were unsafely stored in the residence.   A 59 year old male and an 18 year old male are facing charges of production of a marijuana and unsafe storage of firearms.  The accused are scheduled to appear in Bridgewater Provincial Court on June 17th for election and plea.

Election Budget

2009-05-05 06:15:18

What started out as a budget document is now a plank in the Conservative's election platform.    Premier Rodney MacDonald will pay a visit to the province's lieutenant-governor this morning.    That's when he is expected to ask Mayann Francis for an election on June 9th.    MacDonald's minority Conservative government was defeated last evening after losing a vote to amend the Provincial Finance Act.    Both opposition parties had repeatedly said they would not support the bill.    The defeat means this year's budget would have a 260-million dollar deficit.    Expect the political rhetoric to have both the Premier and the opposition blaming each other for forcing us to the polls this summer.

The ballots aren't quite set yet for the five ridings on the south shore. There are two more nomination meetings to come, and both of them involve the Progressive Conservatives.

Community Services minister at dissolution, Judy Streatch is running again in Chester St. Margaret's.  The Liberals will have JoAnn Grant and Denise Peterson-Rafuse is running for the NDP.
In Lunenburg, Rick Welsford is on the ballot for the Liberals and Pam Birdsall for the NDP.  The Conservatives will be chosing between Ron Allen and Peter Zwicker at their nomination meeting tomorrow in Mahone Bay.
Lunenburg West has Natural Resources minister Carolyn Bollivar Getson for the PC's running against Mark Furey for the Liberals and Gary Ramey for the NDP.
In Queens, incumbant New Democrat Vicki Conrad is on the ballot against Wayne Henley of the Liberals and a Conservative candidate who will be chosen next Monday.
And in Shelburne, Sterling Belliveau will be working to hold the seat for the NDP while running against Eddie Nickerson of the Conservatives and Darian Huskilson of the Liberals.

Health money

2009-05-05 06:13:05

South Shore residents are going to be seeing an enhancement of service at the South Shore Regional Hospital. MLA  Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, on behalf of Health Minister Karen Casey, says a multi-million dollar  investment in South Shore Regional Hospital will enhance emergency room service and accommodate a satellite dialysis unit.  Funding was also announced for design work on Queens General Hospital in Liverpool. The design work will enable the Queens project to move forward.  Christopher Clarke co-chair of the hospitals fundraising committee says they've been working towards the project for about 6 years. The 22 medical beds that were built in 1965 will be replaced with modern up to date facilities and there will be a new primary care centre meaning better medical delivery in Queens