Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Former Minister Wants Report On Lobster Prices

The MLA for Queens-Shelburne wants to see the findings of a panel's work looking into the low price of lobster. Sterling Belliveau says those in the industry need to know what they will be faced with when the lobster fishing season opens later this month. He is asking Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell to release a report examining the factors behind poor lobster prices. Last season, fishermen were getting just over three dollars per pound in some areas. The panel was established last June and has members from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI. Belliveau says with dumping day less than three weeks away it's time the recommendations be made available to the industry. Lobster season is set to begin in LFA's 33 and 34 on November 25.

Trudeau's National Campaign Team Has Local Connection

A resident of Shelburne County has been appointed to Justin Trudeau's national campaign team. Kirk Cox has accepted a volunteer position to work at the ground level in Nova Scotia for the Liberal Party of Canada. Cox says he's looking forward to the new role. He says the federal Liberals have some work to do in this province.



The Liberals and Conservatives each hold four seats in Nova Scotia. The NDP have three. Cox is the CAO for the Municipality of Shelburne. He says the position will not affect his day job. Two people from each province were selected to help run the national campaign for the 2015 federal election. The other is Kristan Hines of Halifax.

Poll Results: Senate's Got To Go

With all the uproar inside and outside the Canadian Senate chamber, our latest poll at "CKBW.ca" and "HANK-FM.ca" has come up with interesting results. At CKBW's website, we asked the question: Should the Canadian Senate be eliminated. A whopping 90 percent want the Senate abolished. Only 10 percent want to keep the Senate should remain. At HANK's website meanwhile, the results of the poll were close to the same. 85 percent of respondents voted in favour of getting rid of the Senate. 15 percent said they opposed abolition of the Senate.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Charges Laid After Bridgewater Car Crash


A 44 year old Bridgewater man is facing charges related to a single vehicle accident in the town over the weekend. When responding to a 911 call, Bridgewater Police found a car that had crashed into trees and a large rock on Victoria Road. However, the driver was missing. Officers concluded speed and alcohol were involved. Police later found the alleged driver of the vehicle. He was taken to South Shore Regional Hospital for assessment where its alleged he refused to provide a blood sample to police. In addition to charges of impaired driving and leaving the scene of an accident, the suspect also faces an additional charge of Breach of Recognizance. He's been ordered to appear in Bridgewater Provincial Court on January 5th to enter a plea to the charges.

Lock Down Order Lifted At Hebbville Schools

A lockdown order at Hebbville Academy and Elementary was issued today after three non-students were on site at the school. The situation was resolved shortly after 2 o'clock. No students or staff were injured. No word on whether criminal charges will be laid against those individuals.

Liverpool: New Middle School To Open In 2014

The new South Queens Middle School in Liverpool will welcome students and staff early in 2014. The first day of classes will be January 8th. Communications Manager with the South Shore Regional School Board, Trish Smith, says everyone is looking forward to moving into the new school. She says they've done mid-school year opens in the past with success.



Sod was turned on the $15 million school project last fall. It was announced in June the facility would not be ready in time for the start of the school year. The new middle school would be home to students in Grades 6-8.

Bridgewater: Patient Intake Set For Wednesday

Residents in need of a primary care provider in the Bridgewater area will have an opportunity to secure a doctor or nurse practitioner on Wednesday. Dr. Shelia Dwyer and Cheryl Soroka will accept new patients over the phone beginning at 5:30pm that evening. There are 150 spaces available in total. Vice President of Health Services Janet Simm says they made some improvements to the phone system to make it easier on those trying to get through. She says when the intake has reached capacity, callers will hear a busy signal. That means there are no spaces left open for this specific intake.



Simm says more patient intakes will be held in the future and doctor recruitment remains a top priority. The number to phone is 527-4814.

Shelburne: New Doctor Accepting 300 Patients

The newest doctor for South West Health will hold a patient intake this week. The intake will take place Thursday with 300 spaces available. The health authority welcomed Dr. Aleksandra Malec during the summer months. Malec opened her family practice temporarily at Enterprise Square in Shelburne until the new medical centre near Roseway Hospital is complete. The intake will be held over the phone beginning at 12:30pm (on Thursday). The number to phone is 875-3370.

Municipalities Conference Focus' On Economy, Jobs, Planning

South Shore municipal leaders will be heading to Halifax for a conference focusing on local issues. The Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities annual conference kicks off tomorrow. Some agenda items include strategic planning, wind energy and developing a municipal alcohol policy. Lunenburg mayor Rachel Bailey says another focus of the conference will look at housing issues in municipalities and towns.



Ray Ivany will deliver a keynote address. He is the Chair of the Nova Scotia Commission on Building the Economy. Ivany is expected to provide an update on consultations held by the commission and its work to date.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Mustangs Fall To Saint John

Travis Parks scored the lone goal as the Charlie's Pizza South Shore Mustangs fell to the Saint John Vito's 5-1. The game is part of inter-league action between the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick/PEI major midget hockey leagues. The Mustangs are back in action Sunday afternoon as they take on the Fredericton Canadians at 3pm in New Brunswick.

Bridgewater: Community Christmas Back For Fifth Year

Volunteers with the Community Christmas Society in Bridgewater are preparing for another holiday feast. Members of the group recently spoke at town council to highlight last year's event and promote this year's Christmas Day tradition. Over 400 people attended the dinner last year at Park View. One of the volunteers, Ashton Rodenhiser, says the event helps bring people together.



Tickets for the dinner will be handed out starting in early December. A volunteer meeting is scheduled for November 12 at 7pm at the Bridgewater Superstore.

Weekend: High School Soccer, Hockey Results

In soccer, the New Germany Saints division three club finished second at provincials this weekend. The Saints lost 5-3 in the final to Ecole de Carrefour. Elsewhere, the Park View Panthers division one girls team placed third at provincials, defeating Horton 2-0 in the consolation game.
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In High School hockey, the Park View Panthers beat the Northeast Kings a Titans 6-3 in their home opener Saturday night in Bridgewater. Jacob Key stopped 25 shots for the win. Morgan Lunn scored twice while Logan Cleveland, Ryan Nowe, Connor MacQuarrie and Keegan Cooke also found the back of the net.

Bridgewater Endorses First Reading Of Noise By-Law

Bridgewater has introduced new legislation regarding unwanted sound in the town. Council has endorsed first reading of a noise by-law. The by-law includes establishing maximum decibel limits including 75 decibels overnight and 90 decibels during the day. Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Amy Wamboldt, says there are benefits to using a decibel system.



The by-law wouldn't apply to activities like noises caused by emergency response vehicles, Canada Day or religious holidays or scheduled festivals. The issue has come to light recently after several residents complained about a loud refrigeration unit at No Frills. Mayor David Walker says he's not convinced a by-law is the necessary step. He hopes residents will take time to view the document and make comments on the town's website. Council will have another discussion on the matter on November 25.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Lunenburg Dubbed ''Irresistibly Charming" By American Newspaper

Lunenburg is receiving some attention south of the border. The town is listed as one of the top 10 irresistibly charming World Heritage cities in a write-up by USA Today. The online blurb highlights Lunenburg's unique building colours and tourist attractions like the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. Mayor Rachel Bailey says it's great to be recognized.



Lunenburg joins Quebec on the list as the only Canadian jurisdictions to be mentioned in the article. To read the article, click here .

Community Clean-Up Planned In Lower Branch

A massive cleanup is planned for Saturday morning to remove illegally dumped items along a riverbank. Thirteen-year-old James Hebert has teamed up with the Municipality of Lunenburg to try and bring more awareness to the issue. The boy is concerned about the amount of garbage and appliances on the Smith Road in Lower Branch. The clean-up is scheduled to start around 9am and last until the afternoon. Officials with the departments of transportation and environment and community groups will be on-hand for the event.

Mill Cove Woman Donates Tree For Boston

A Lunenburg County woman is this year's donor of Nova Scotia's Christmas tree for Boston. Mary Lou Milligan of Mill Cove has a 47-foot white spruce on her property that is about 40-years-old. The large evergreen is an annual thank-you gift to the city for help provided after the 1917 Halifax explosion. About 2,000 people were killed and hundreds more were left injured and homeless by the explosion. Boston was quick to provide medical personnel and supplies. A crew from the Department of Natural Resources will cut down the tree during a public ceremony November 12 at 10am. Another ceremony will be held in Halifax on November 13 at 11:30am for a final farewell before the province transports the tree to Boston. This will be the 42nd tree sent to Boston by the province since the tradition began in 1971. The tree lighting will take place on the Boston Common, December 5, at a ceremony attracting about 30,000 people and broadcast live on television.

Liverpool: Fiore Botanica Expanding In New Year

A European-style aromatherapy business in Liverpool is expanding. Fiore Botanica will move to a new location in January 2014 in the historic former spot of Max Harding's Men's Wear. The new location at 224 Main Street is more than double the square footage of the current store. The store owners began searching for a new location in August after selling out of their products on a regular basis. They hope the new location will allow them to grow and meet demand. Fiore Botanica opened in February and has sold product to local customers and others throughout North America and overseas.

Queens: Business Annoucement Expected Today

The Mayor of Queens County has called a noon hour press conference to unveil details on what they call an exciting business announcement. It will be held at at 224 Main Street in Liverpool. We'll have all the details on today's announcement once we get the information.

South Shore: Power Restored In Queens/Lunenburg

About 5,000 people have their power back in sections of Queens and Lunenburg counties. The outage hit shortly after 8 o'clock this morning. Nova Scotia Power crews got to the problem quickly and were able to put the lights back on under an hour later. High wind and heavy rain is pounding parts of the South Shore. It's part of a fall storm predicted by Environment Canada. Wind gusts could blow up to 80 kilometres today. There was a power bump earlier in Bridgewater (Pinecrest Subdivision/Jubliee Road) but that was also restored. We'll keep you updated on all/any power outages throughout the South Shore.

MHL: Lumberjacks Pick New Captain

A new captain will be unveiled tonight as the CIBC Wood Gundy Lumberjacks host the Amherst Ramblers. Lunenburg native Brennan Bailey is expected to wear the 'C' for the remainder of the year after Mitchell Henneberry was traded recently to Summerside. Meanwhile, the Jacks look to get on the right track after dropping their last five games. They trail Amherst by 10 points for fifth place in the Eastlink division. Puck drop between the two teams will be at 7pm tonight at the Clearwater Seafoods Arena.