Joey Mailman

2009-06-08 11:32:51

A husband, father and longtime DOT employee has lost his courageous and lengthy battle with cancer.  Joey Mailman passed away this weekend at the age of 63.  A proud life-long Bridgewater resident, Joey was also committed to helping in his community.  From refereeing hockey, he was a founding member of Shaid, a dedicated member of the Bridgewater Golf and country club, he was also a director for Bridgewater minor baseball and president of South Shore Video Group.  He was a Lions club member and spent a great deal of time helping raise money for the fight against cancer.   A celebration of life service is being held tomorrow, Tuesday at the RA Corkum Funeral Home.   

Obituary notice from RA Corkum funeral home

Campaign change

2009-06-08 06:39:32

A political scientist says when voters get in a mindset that a change is needed, there's no fighting it.  The Conservatives have been asking for another mandate based on experience and leadership.  But Dr Michael MacMillan of Mount Saint Vincent University says government's aren't elected, they're defeated. He says opposition parties wait for opportunities for the government to discredit itself, make mistakes or voters just get tired of them. Dr MacMillan says when making up their minds they look at the parties first, leaders second followed by issues and local candidates. He says opinion polls rank well below those factors when it comes to people making their minds up about who to vote for.

The head of a leading market research firm says Nova Scotians are in the mood for a big change. Don Mills, C-E-O of Corporate Research Associates, says the major theme of the 35-day election campaign was ``change in a substantive way,''  The Halifax-based pollster has been tracking Nova Scotia politics for two decades. His quarterly polls show the N-D-P has been the preferred choice for voters for almost three years.

Itineraries of the Nova Scotia party leaders for Monday, June 8:  
Rodney MacDonald, Progressive Conservative party:
    IONA: Canvassing. 10:30 a.m. 
    NORTH SYDNEY: Canvassing. 12:00 p.m.   
    ESKASONI: Canvassing. 2:00 p.m.
      
Darrell Dexter, New Democratic Party:
    BRAS D'OR: Canvassing at Tim Hortons, 366 Park Rd. 8:15 a.m.   
    NORTH SYDNEY: Canvassing at Tim Hortons, 7 Blowers St. 8:45 a.m.
    NORTH SYDNEY: Canvassing at Northside Community Guest Home and Extended Care, 11 Queen St. 9:15 a.m.
    MILLBROOK: Canvassing. 2:00 p.m.   
    SALMON RIVER: Canvassing along Birch Street. 2:30 pm   
    TRURO: Canvassing along Young Street. 2:50 p.m.
    BIBLE HILL: Canvassing at Bible Hill Estates. 3:30 p.m.
    PUGWASH: Canvassing along Victoria, Prince Albert and Black streets. 5:00 p.m.
  
Stephen McNeil, Liberal party:
    DARTMOUTH: Waving at traffic on the Angus L. Macdonald bridge. 7 a.m.   
    DARTMOUTH: Canvassing at Seniors Apartments, Jamieson Street. 10:00 a.m.   
    DARTMOUTH: Canvassing along Virginia Avenue. 11:30 a.m.   
    WINDSOR: Canvassing along Water Street. 2:00 p.m.   
    NEW MINAS: Waving at the Atlantic Superstore. 3:00 p.m.   
    KENTVILLE: Canvassing on Main Street. 4:00 p.m.   
    ANNAPOLIS: Canvassing. 6:00 p.m.

Doctor Passes

2009-06-05 12:33:33

A family physician who served Bridgewater residents for more than 40 years has passed away.  Doctor Fred Prince was 81.  He died at home yesterday.  Doctor Prince was born in Kentville but served tirelessly as a family doctor in Bridgewater for decades after graduating Dalhousie medical school in 1956.  In 1963, he organized the first medical clinic on the South Shore on Hillcrest Street, which housed three general practitioners and a dentist.   He was also a huge supporter of music.    Over the years, he was a member of the Gentlemen of Swing, the Don Warner Orchestra, the Chester Brass, the South Shore Concert Orchestra, the Bridgewater Fireman’s Band, and the Big Sound Band.   Doctor Fred Prince is survived by his wife of 57 years Beatrice along with his children and grandchildren.  A family service is being held next week in the Valley.  Visitation will be on Monday night at Sweeny's funeral home in Bridgewater.

New Charges

2009-06-05 09:32:11

A Simpsons Corner man facing charges of impaired driving three months after being sentenced on a same charge has asked for time to see a lawyer. Forty-seven year old Randall James Durling was fined $600 February 23d . He had been set to go to trial on a charge of impaired driving causing bodily harm, but changed his plea to a lesser offence of impaired driving. The initial charge stemmed from a collision in Nineveh in December 2007. The latest charges were laid May 22nd when Durling was stopped in New Canada. Along with the impaired and breathalyzer counts, Durling is also charged with operating a motor vehicle while disqualified, and possession of marijuana.  He's scheduled to be back in court June 24th.

Campaign Update

2009-06-05 06:22:03

Just to highlight how important the five ridings are in this campaign, both the NDP and the Conservatives are criss-crossing the south shore today.  Rodney MacDonald will be in Lunenburg with Peter Zwicker this morning before heading out with Carolyn Bolivar-Getson in Bridgewater this afternoon and then it's off to Liverpool with Kerry Morash this evening.  Darrell Dexter will be in Lunenburg this morning for a campaign statement at the Fisheries Museum at ten, before heading to Mahone Bay with Pam Birdsall. He then will be off to Wolfville this afternoon.  Stephen McNeil will be in and around Halifax this morning before heading to Stewiacke, Guysborough and Antigonish.

Two political scientists say the chances of the New Democrats forming a government may be decided in close races in rural Nova Scotia on Tuesday.    David Johnson of Cape Breton University says there's strong evidence the N-D-P has consolidated its lead in most Halifax ridings.    He says a breakthrough victory would be the result of a ``two-decade haul'' of ground work.    Jennifer Smith at Dalhousie University also says she believes the party's hold is strong in Halifax.    However, both long-time observers of party politics say it's much harder to call what will happen in smaller ridings.    That includes ridings like Queens, where just a few hundred votes in the south shore district may decide the outcome in three-way races.    Smith notes when the N-D-P won in Queens in the last election, there was no Liberal candidate, and this race is ``too close to call.'' (The Canadian Press)

Missing Woman Found

2009-06-05 06:20:46

(UPDATE) A Queens county woman who RCMP had asked for help in locating has been found.  Corporal Grant Webber says she was found in Sobeys in Liverpool after making a phone call to her home.  He adds she wasn't lost. Her family was concerned about her well-being when they notified police yesterday afternoon.  Police are thanking everyone for their help on this file.

Queens RCMP asking for public assistance in locating 53 year old Wilma Karen Labrador of Liverpool. Labrador is about 5 feet, 2 inches, 170 to 180 pounds and has chin length dark hair with gold highlights.  She was wearing a beige T-shirt and black pants.  A police dog and helicopter are being used in the search for Labrador who has been missing since around 1:15 Thursday afternoon.  Anyone having seen her or knows of her whereabouts is asked to contact the Queens RCMP.

Regulation Situation

2009-06-04 06:16:29

An independent retailer says some smaller gas stations in Nova Scotia are still closing in spite of government price regulation that's supposed to save them.    Dave Collins of Wilson Fuels expects that will continue to happen until regulators raise margins so the smaller operators can make more money.    But, he says that would be political suicide.    Collins suggests government get out of regulation and let business address the price issue.    He says governments run a business for headlines while the focus of business is profit.    Collins says the taxes generated can help pay for social programs. (CKBW)

Nurse Practitioner

2009-06-04 06:14:53

Even if the doctor is OUT, the nurse practitioner is IN at the New Germany and Area Medical Center.  Rob Snelling started seeing patients yesterday as part of the District plan to have more health care opportunities in Lunenburg and Queens counties.  There are also nurse practitioners in North Queens, Lunenburg and Chester.  Nurse practitioners are able to diagnose, monitor, and treat many conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, flu, sore throats and ear infections. They can prescribe some medications and can order blood tests, X-rays and scans.   South Shore Health officials say having the position at the New Germany clinic will help in the efforts to recruit family physicians to the area.  The position is being funding by the Department of Health.

Drugs Seized

2009-06-03 06:13:08

RCMP with the Shelburne Street Crime Enforcement unit say they seized two pounds of pot from a home on Highway 3 in Shag Harbour.  The Mounties executed the search warrant Monday.  Police say the marijuana was wrapped in 28 gram packages. They also nabbed about sixteen grams of hash in the raid.   A 38 year old Shag Harbour resident was arrested for possession for the purpose of trafficking. Additional charges are pending for having unregistered firearms and unsafely stored firearms.  The suspect has a court appearance scheduled for August 27th in Barrington.

Tax Rate Held

2009-06-03 06:08:51

Tax rates in Bridgewater are being held at the same level as last year.  Town council unanimously passed a budget last night keeping the residential rate at $1.628 and the commercial rate at $3.721 per one hundred dollars assessment.  Mayor Carroll Publicover says higher assessments and some department cost cutting helped them to achieve the status quo with rates.  Publicover says they are hoping to expand town services while keeping taxes in check.  The mayor says fortunately the province hasn't been as hard hit by the recession as other areas like Ontario.

Moved by Deputy Mayor Walker, seconded by Councillor Ritcey that Town Council for the Town of Bridgewater approve the 2009/2010 budget tabled as follows:                1.           the Capital Budget in the amount of $3,136,951, which is partially funded by borrowing $200,000 from the capital reserve fund to be repaid in equal annual payments over 10 years with interest paid annually at a rate of 6%;               2.           Operating expenditures in the amount of $16,347,022 which includes $404,948 Capital out of Revenue; $110,116 Transfer to Reserves; and $1,214,638 for Principal Repayment;               3.           the Operating Revenue of $16,347,022;               4.           Commercial Tax Rate including Business Occupancy Tax Rate to be set at $3.721 per $100 of the full assessed value of the property;               5.           Residential Tax to remain at $1.628 per $100 of the adjusted assessed value after cap;                6.           a special purpose parking tax for all commercial assessment in the parking services district as follows:                              i.             $0.0743 per $100 of the assessed value for all commercial property assessments except for those occupied by financial institutions; and                              ii.            $3.198 per $100 of the assessed value for commercial property assessments for those occupied by financial institutions; and               7.           the interest rate paid on reserves be set at 0%. And that the final tax bill will become due on Wednesday, September 30, 2009; and that the interest rate on overdue accounts be set at 12% per annum, charged at 1% per month.  Motion Carried.

Protest Rally

2009-06-02 06:12:35

Workers at the Bowater Mersey Mill in Brooklyn will be taking part in a national  day of protest  Tuesday, June 2nd.  The main campaign rally to be held in Ottawa, is called 'Wake up Harper", to draw attention to the crisis in the forest industry.  Courtney Wentzell, president of the local union, says they'll have information pickets set up outside the mills gates from 7 to 9:30 am.  The Brooklyn mill is going into its third shutdown June 2nd. It will run through to July 16th.

Purses Poached

2009-06-02 06:10:44

Bridgewater Police aren't saying if the incidents are related, other than the targets are similar and the incidents happened not far from one another.  The first incident happened on Wednesday afternoon. A purse was taken out of a vehicle parked at the LaHave Street ball field. That was sometime between 4:45 and 5:40pm.  And on Thursday afternoon, someone smashed out a passenger window smashed in a grey Honda Civic and stole a purse sitting on the seat.  The vehicle was parked at the HB Studios fieldhouse on Glen Allan Extension.  Police are asking for people to get ahold of them if they saw anyone hanging out in the parking lot last Thursday between 4:10 and 4:30.

 

Student Remembered

2009-06-01 09:48:14

They should be getting ready for graduation and the start on the journey for the rest of their lives.  Instead, students at New Germany Rural High are being dismissed early today to get ready to say goodbye to a fellow classmate.  17 year-old Jacob Alexander Noonan was killed last Wednesday afternoon walking along Highway 10 in Springfield.  The Grade 12 student was from North River and was a part-time employee of the New Germany Irving.  A funeral service is being held this afternoon (at 3pm) in the New Germany High School gymnasium.   A Memorial Bursary fund is being set up in Jacob's name.

V-I-C SOLD

2009-06-01 06:23:19

The Bridgewater Tourist Bureau has a new owner.  The land the building sits on at the corner of Elm Street and Aberdeen Road is owned by the Town, but the  building  used as a Visitor Information Centre was owned by the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce.  The VIC was offered to the Town for a dollar, but after no sale the Chamber called for public tenders.   It was announced Friday afternoon the building has been sold to Sea Coast HVAC Limited of Bridgewater. The new owners have until June 30th to remove the VIC from its present location.

Friday Politics

2009-06-01 06:19:43

Liberals in Lunenburg West are challenging a statement by Conservative Candidate Carolyn Bolivar-Getson.  Mark Furey is speaking out against a statement she made at a debate in Bridgewater this week.  Bolivar-Getson made the claim her Conservative government had produced eight consecutive balanced budgets.  Furey adamantely denies that.  He says the only way they could have balanced the spring budget was if they broke the rules.  A proposed amendment to the Finance Act had to pass for the Conservative financial plan to balance. That change would have allowed them to spend extra money on programs instead of putting it on the province's 12-billion dollar debt.  Furey says it's time for the Conservative government to be accountable for their actions and realize Nova Scotians are smarter than that.

Political rhetoric, or a pledge to set the record straight?   Pam Birdsall has paid for a print ad to refute what she says are untrue statements by Premier Rodney MacDonald.   The NDP candidate in Lunenburg says the premier claimed publicly the Firefighter tax credit would be cancelled if the government changed.  Birdsall says the $500 credit for 2009 is law and was approved in the Legislature in 2007 with the NDP fully supporting the measure.  She says the election makes no difference to the law or the ammendment extending it to ground search and rescue along with firefighters.

Judy Streatch is calling on the South Shore Region School board to keep Big Tancook Elementary school open.  The facility is one of the last one-room schools in the country and it sits on an island in the waters of Mahone Bay.  Declining enrollments at the school in recent years have lead board members to order an impact assessment report.  Streatch says Big Tancook Elementary has a long standing history of educating the children who call the islands home.  She adds it is a wonderful school in a unique situation and she says that has to be remembered in any move forward plan for the P-5 facility.  It's thought there will be an enrollment of between five and ten students over the next five years.  Streatch says she does not support closing Big Tancook Elementary and will work to make sure parents have input on where their kids are educated.

It's a political challenge of a different sort. Rick Welsford, the Liberal candidate in the riding of Lunenburg has challenged the other candidates to remove their signs from the Towns lawns and gardens. Welsford issued his challenge during his closing remarks of a candidates debate in Lunenburg last night.  He planned to remove his signs immediately after leaving the debate.

Lunenburg Debate

2009-05-29 06:20:44

It was standing room only at the Lunenburg Fire Hall for the candidates debate last night sponsored by the Lunenburg Board of Trade. The riding will be represented by a newcomer taking over from MLA Michael Baker who died this March after losing his battle with cancer.  Vying for the seat are Conservative Peter Zwicker, Liberal Rick Welsford, Pam Birdsall is representing the NDP, and Milton Countway is running as an Independent. The candidates were previously submitted with four questions dealing with tourism in the town, road maintenance stimulating the economy in the riding and health care.  Questions submitted from the floor ranged from what the candidates would do to ensure the festivals and arts continued in Lunenburg, to supporting an outright ban on uranium mining. A new school for the town, as well as the closure of Riverport Elementary were also touched upon. And each candidate was also asked about their campaign members and if they were brought in from other parts of the province.

Lunenburg Infrastructure Work

2009-05-29 06:17:48

The Town of Lunenburg has received over half a million dollars in funding under the shovel ready projects program.  Town Engineer Marc Belliveau says they filed two applications for funding under the Canada/Nova Scotia Building Canada Fund and received $554,650 to be used  for street water and sewer upgrades on Kalbach Street.  The total cost of the project which must be completed by March 31st, 2011 is almost $832,000.   Council approved funding the remaining one-third cost from this year's budget and if  not completed, it will be carried over to the 2010/11 capital budget. Belliveau says the next step is to issue a call for proposals for project engineering services.

Academic Excellence

2009-05-29 06:11:33

Fourteen students attending South Shore schools have been presented with the 2009 Lieutenant Governor’s Medal. The Education Medals first approved in 1961 are awarded to one male and one female in each school and the award is open to all Grade 11 High School students and to students in the 1st year vocational school program.  This years medal recipients are: Mason Jordan and Madison Acker of Bridgewater Junior Senior High School, Lindsay Doucet and Keith Parker of Forest Heights Community School, Cassandra Rose Fralic and Graham John Muise of Liverpool Regional High School, Alana Barry and Ryan Eisner of New Germany Rural High, Erika Brittany Noreen Huskins and Aaron John Joudrey representing North Queens Rural High, Graham Mann and Samantha Rompkey of Park View Education Centre, and Marla Russell and Nicholas Gear of Lunenburg Junior Senior High School.  The awards ceremony was held this week at Lunenburg Junior/Senior High.

Green Leader

2009-05-29 06:01:01

Nova Scotia's Green Party is trying to offer an alternative for voters in this campaign.  Party Leader Ryan Watson tells CKBW they have a candidate in all 52 ridings to provide that option.  He says some people are running full campaigns while others are letting their name stand to give that choice.  Watson acknowledges a full slate does also give them money for every "x".  Watson says he's proud they have 20 women running for seats - the most of any party - especially since that is the way it turned out, not because of any specific policy.  Be listening for more from the leader of the Green Party of Nova Scotia this weekend on South Shore Sunday Morning.

Adult School Spared

2009-05-28 09:43:13

A reprieve for the Adult High School in Bridgewater.  The South Shore Regional School Board has been able to rework its budget and continue to fund the adult program Lunenburg campus.  Superintendent Nancy Pynch-Worthylake says the school was on the chopping block because there  were not enough funds in the Boards budget to continue its operation. The Board approved a draft balanced budget but has yet to receive its final revenue figures from the Department of Education.