High Liner Buys Back Shares

High Liner Foods is buying back shares held by Nova Scotia Business Inc. for 4-million-dollars. The Lunenburg based seafood giant gave notice to shareholders earlier this month that it would buy back non-voting common shares. In 1984, the province invested 5-million-dollars in High Liner Foods, now the country's largest value-added seafood company. The shares have earned the province 5-point-3-million-dollars in dividends. High Liner employs 325 people in Nova Scotia.

Shed Fire in Blue Rocks

Several fire departments were out early this morning to battle a structure fire in Lunenburg County.

The Lunenburg Fire Department received a call at around 3:00 o'clock to a blaze at a shed behind 48 The-Lane in Blue Rocks.

They called in the Blockhouse Fire Department for a pumper, tanker and crew; Dayspring for a tanker and crew; the Riverport Fire Department for a pumper and crew; and the Oakhill department for a tanker.

The Mahone Bay Fire Department was also called for a pumper and crew to remain on "standby" at the Lunenburg Fire Hall.

Council Considers Tax Exemption

South Shore Transition House Association is asking Bridgewater Town Council to be included in the Tax Exemption By-law.Harbour House is a 15 bed transition house located in Bridgewater which serves abused women and their children. Mayor Carroll Publicover says there are 7 not-for profit charitable organizations that qualify under the exemptions by-law, and he doesn't see a flood of requests coming to Council. He says Harbour House does great work and is only 80 percent funded by the province so they have to fundraise the other 20 percent. Council voted 4 to 3 to draft an amendment for a full tax exemption for Harbour House to be included in the by-law, much the same as was done for the Small World Learning Centre Daycare .

Temporary Traffic Lights

Bridgewater Town Council is working on a solution to ease the traffic congestion on North Street. Sixty thousand dollars is included in this years draft budget for a set of traffic lights to be installed at the intersection of Haven and Seasons Drive on North Street. Mayor Carroll Publicover says the lights are only a temporary solution but he'll fight to keep the money in the budget. A planned upgrade of North Street and Aberdeen Road includes widening the two streets to include additional turning lanes, sidewalks and bicycle lanes and a roundabout along with permanent traffic lights.

Lock up Your Vehicles

There's been a recent rash of thefts from vehicles in The Wileville/Auburndale area. Within the last two nights, 15 vehicles were entered and an undetermined number of items were stolen. RCMP are asking for public assistance in identifying who is responsible for the thefts. The Mounties are also reminding residents to ensure their vehicles are securely locked during the evenings and not to leave anything of value in the vehicle or in plain view of would be thieves.

Senior Friendly Challenge

(Photo - Coalition for an Age Friendly Community Committee)
The Coalition for an Age Friendly Community is extending the Senior Friendly challenge to businesses in the Town of Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. It's also a call for volunteers to participate in the Check-up training program. The next training session will be held May 5th. The Senior Friendly Program is modeled after a project developed by the Alberta Council on Aging the program is designed to help businesses and organizations become more age-friendly. For more information on this Senior Friendly™ Program and future "Age-Friendly" initiatives please contact: Beth George, Seniors Safety Coordinator
Ph: 543-3567 or email,bgeorge@bridgewater.ca

Free Recycling Workshop

A free workshop on the economics of recycling is being offered to all non-profit and community groups in Lunenburg and Queens counties Thursday evening April 29th between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. at the Forest Heights Community School in Chester Basin. This is an opportunity for non-profit organizations to improve their own bottom lines through the sharing and discussion of success stories and best practices because dealing with solid waste can be both a time consuming and expensive challenge for community groups, The Economics of Recycling workshop is being presented by the Municipality of the District of Chester, Region 6 Solid Waste Management and the Lunenburg Queens Regional Development Agency.

Woman of the Year Award

A local businesswoman is one of three finalists for the
Women's Business Alliance (WBA) of Choice Hotels 2010 Woman of the Year Award. Bernice Theriault, Manager of the Bridgewater Comfort Inn
will attend the Choice Hotel's 56th Annual Convention in Las Vegas from May 4th to 6th where she'll be recognized with the other nominees.
Theriault has served as a board member of the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce for six years and is currently the Vice Chair of the Bridgewater Development Association and is actively involved in many community projects. The Bridgewater Comfort Inn has also received notification that it is one of three finalists for the 2010 Canadian Hotel of the Year Award.

Organ Donor Information Session

South Shore Health will be hosting an evening of information about the important topic of organ and tissue donation. The evening will highlight a speaker from the Regional Tissue Bank in Halifax as well as a local physician, Dr. Kory Jollymore. The public is invited to attend the free session to learn more and get any questions you may have answered. The information session is set for Thursday evening, April 29th, at 7 p.m. at the Atlantic Superstore Community Room, Bridgewater.

Reminder to Remove Studded Tires

Motorists are being reminded to remove their studded tires. RCMP remind motorists that with the warmer spring weather Traffic Services will be focusing on making this spring safe for all highway travelers.
Studded tires are not to be used between May 1st and October 14th of each year. The RCMP is committed to making Canadian roadways the safest in the world under the Road Safety Vision 2010.

Auxilliary RCMP Recognized

Three former RCMP Auxiliary Constables will be recognized during a special ceremony tomorrow. (Wed. April 28th) Recognition and presentations will be made to the three former members, who through their commitment and dedication, contributed in a significant way to the community policing service delivery model in Lunenburg County. The ceremony is set for 1:15 p.m. at the RCMP Cookville detachment.
The RCMP Auxiliary Constable Program is a Community Policing Program that allows community residents the opportunity to work with regular members of the RCMP, providing front-line support to policing services in the areas of general duties, school liaison, drug awareness, traffic control, boat patrols, off-highway vehicles patrols, as well as numerous other areas of responsibility.

Workers Remembered

Larry and Cheryl MacKay from New Germany are sharing their story as part of a Day of Mourning campaign in support of families affected by workplace tragedy. In 1999 Larry, a saw-filer in a saw mill, called home from the hospital to tell Cheryl he cut his hand on a saw. Doctors performed surgery to repair tendons and possible nerve damage, but an infection developed that caused the wound to open and damage the repair work. In Lunenburg County alone, about 870 people were injured at work last year. Nearly 200 of those injuries were serious enough that the worker had to lose time from work to recover. On Wednesday, (April 28th) Nova Scotia joins the rest of Canada and more than 80 countries worldwide to commemorate the Day of Mourning and pay tribute to those who died or were injured at work. The WCB has produced an awareness campaign in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Workforce Development, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour and Threads of Life, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting families affected by workplace tragedy. To read more about Larry and Cheryl MacKay’s story and the Day of Mourning campaign, visit www.dayofmourning.ns.ca.

Day of Mourning

The Town of Lunenburg inviting the public to a ceremony to recognize workers who have lost their lives or were injured in the workplace. On Wednesday (April 28th) The Mayor and Town Council invite all Town employees and public to join them on the Lunenburg Waterfront at the site of the Fishermen’s Memorial on Bluenose Drive for a wreath laying ceremony. The event is slated to get underway at 11:45 a.m.

Bridgewater Residents Face Tax Hike

Looks like taxes will be going up for Bridgewater property owners. Town Council hopes to table the budget and set the tax rate by May 10th, and a 2 and half percent increase is being proposed. The draft budget proposes raising the residential rate to $1.66 per $100 of assessment, up from $1.62 and the commercial rate to $4.05 from $3.72. Council is looking at a 17 million dollar budget with 6.7 million of that for capital expenditures. Mayor Carroll Publicover says there hasn't been a tax increase in the Town for a long time and maybe it hasn't registered with the general public. Council has two more meetings where public input will be received before the budget is tabled.

Shannex Complaints

A senior's care home soon set to open in Bridgewater is meeting with some resistance from nearby neighbours. Residents of Brady Street appeared before Town Council to complain of high wattage lights shining in their homes and noise from a ventilation fan. Mayor Carroll Publicover says the residents have shouldered a lot of inconvenience during the construction period. Publicover says Council will work with Shannex officials and the contractors to resolve the issues. The residents are also calling for a fence to be erected between the properties. Publicover says a conditional occupancy permit has been issued to Shannex and they have 30 days to resolve the issues. The Halifax based firm Shannex specializes in seniors care. Ryan Hall, a 65 bed long term care residence is located off Hollingsworth Drive

4th Annual Community Meeting

The 4th annual United Way community meeting will be held tomorrow morning at the Day's Inn in Bridgewater.

Beginning at 10am, the meeting will focus on funded partners and highlight six particular groups that are making a difference in the community.

This year, 25 Lunenburg County organization and programs will share funding to help make positive things happen in Lunenburg County.

To register please email: office@lunenburgcounty.unitedway.ca

Motorcycle/Truck Accident in Chester

A 38 year old man was taken to the QE-2 Hospital following a serious motor vehicle collision in Chester Saturday afternoon. RCMP responded to a 9-1-1 call around 1:40 Saturday afternoon. The accident happened on Highway 3 in Chester. A pickup truck was turning across the lane of traffic when it was struck by a motorcycle. The motorcyclist was taken to Halifax with serious injuries. The 37 year old truck driver from Chester is facing charges of impaired driving causing bodily harm in the operation of a motor vehicle. A court date has been set for June 23rd. RCMP are continuing to investigate and say further charges could be laid.

Bridgewater man Turns Hiimself In

A Bridgewater man sought on a Canada wide warrant for a home invasion has turned himself into police. Twenty-four year old Matthew Kevin Glavine was charged with three others in a home invasion on Churchill Street in October 2008. Glavine was charged as a party to the offence of robbery in connection with the incident. He failed to appear in court and is alleged to have committed a number of other offences in 2009 including break and enter, robbery, being unlawfully at large and trafficking. Bridgewater Police had issued a Canada wide warrant for Glavine last May. He turned himself into the Bridgewater Justice Centre on Wednesday. Following a court appearance this afternoon Glavine has been remanded until May 19th.

House dedication in Liverpool

The dedications of the 30th house built through Habitat for Humanity in the Province is set for tomorrow in Liverpool.

At 2pm the keys will be handed over to the new owners of the home on Amherst St.

The public are welcome to attend the event, as well tours will be available after the dedication.

Sudden death at Cresent Beach

Lunenburg County RCMP are investigating the sudden death of a 43-year-old at Crescent Beach this morning.

RCMP Responded to a 911 call at around 7:45 this morning, after an adult male was found on the beach deceased.

The Provincial Medical Examiners office is assisting in this investigation. An autopsy is planned for tomorrow.

RCMP do not suspect foul play.