Supervised Beaches

Nova Scotia's lifeguards are set to hit the sand on some of the province's popular beaches when supervision begins on Thursday (July 1st). The Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service, now in its 38th year of operation, will provide supervision at 22 beaches across the province including Rissers and Bayswater Beaches in Lunenburg County. There has never been a drowning on a beach while being supervised by the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service. Close to 500,000 people visit Nova Scotia's supervised beaches each year, with about 100 rescues taking place and other injuries prevented.

Shooting Update

RCMP say a man and woman are in critical condition after a double shooting this afternoon in New Germany.(Wednesday, June 30) Const. Les Kakonyi says the shootings happened in the parking lot of Barry's Fresh Mart just after 12:30 p.m.
Kakonyi says police believe the man shot the woman before shooting himself. He says they are known to one another, but he won't reveal the nature of their relationship. Both have been taken to a hospital in Halifax where Kakonyi said they were listed in critical condition. Meantime, residents of the community are holding a prayer and candlelight vigil at the Lion's Club Park at 8 o'clock tonight.

Double Shooting in New Germany

Two people have been shot outside a grocery store in New Germany. Reports say a man shot a woman then turned the gun on himself just before 1pm in the parking lot of Barry's Freshmart. The woman was transported to the South Shore Regional Hospital.
There is no word on her condition. Meanwhile, the man is apparently is apparently being transported to the QEII hospital in Halifax by life -flight. RCMP are on the scene of the double shooting. We'll have further details as they become available.

Liverpool School Teacher Jailed

A Queens County teacher has been sentenced to six months in jail for having sex with his teenage student. Forty-three year old Derrick Joseph Redden was also placed on probation for six months after pleading guilty to a charge of sexual exploitation. Court was told that the relationship between the Liverpool Regional High School teacher and the girl, began on February 18th of 2009 when the girl was 16. Her father found sexually explicit text messages which had been exchanged between the two when he was tipped off by an anonymous caller that he should investigate the relationship. Redden and the teen admitted to having sex four to five times a month. The relationship ended when Redden was arrested in March and the girl was 17
The South Shore Regional School Board placed Redden on leave with pay pending the outcome of his court case, however, he resigned his teaching position the first week of June. The Board says it has no comment on the outcome of the trial as Redden is no longer their employee.

Smile...You're on Camera!

You could soon be caught on camera in certain areas of downtown Bridgewater. Town Council approved the purchase of video surveillance equipment from Maritect Investigations and Security Ltd., at a cost of 29 thousand dollars. Mayor Carroll Publicover says there was 40 thousand put in this years budget for a surveillance program to update primarily the security in the downtown area. The sites to be surveilled include the area around the Tavern, corner of King Street and Victoria Road, the parking lot area at the Bridgewater Mall servicing the lounge and on King Street in front of King of Donair. Police currently have the capability of monitoring both high schools, Brookside Cemetery and the Veteran's park area.

Sustainability Festival 2010

Growing Green...is the theme of a Sustainability Festival being hosted by the Town of Bridgewater this fall. The festival was a key recommendation of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. Together with the Farmer's Market and the Bridgewater Century Ride, the Festival is planning activities and entertainment.
It will be a "Family Friendly" sustainable event which hopes to leave a lasting positive "green" impression on the community long after it is over.
The Sustainability Festival is set for Saturday,August 21st from 8:30 am to 3:30 p.m.

Student Scholarship

A Park View High School student has received a scholarship from the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation.

Janine Bressmer won a $10,000 award for her essay entitled: Population-Based Health Research Conducted in Nova Scotia.

One scholarship was presented to a student in each of the nine school districts in the province.

This is the 10th year the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation has provided scholarships to students preparing to study health-related fields at a post-secondary institution.

New Lighting for Arena

S-E-S Lighting & Energy Consultants has been awarded a 24 thousand dollar contract to replace the lighting at the Bridgewater Memorial Arena with high efficiency components. Town Council received eight proposals for the project ranging in cost up to 79 thousand. The budget for the work has been set at 31 thousand 390 dollars of which over 80 percent of the cost will be co-funded by other partners. The project is highly time sensitive because lighting upgrades must be completed before ice is installed in the arena during the week of August 16th.

Special Purpose Tax

Bridgewater businesses and property owners will be paying an equal commercial and residential tax rate of point 08 cents per 100 dollars of assessment to help pay the Town's share of the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Council voted 4 to 2 to implement option 1 of a special purpose tax to help fund the facility. Mayor Carroll Publicover says creating an unbalanced rate could create division. He says everybody has to dig in and support this project. Publicover says the business community has the capacity to deal with an increase, probably a little better than the residential side has to.
The Mayor had favoured implementing the special tax over a 20 year period. He says that a reasonable length of time to pay that capital investment off and then deal with the capital improvements from that point forward, and there will be capital reserves built into the operating of the facility. Council will determine the time frame at a later date before the special purpose tax is implemented next year.

Pleasantville Man Receives Veterans Honour

A Pleasantville man is being recognized for his work in the Veteran community. Roger Purnell will receive the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation during a ceremony in Halifax on Tuesday. (June 29th)
Purnell served in the United Kingdom's Royal Marines Commando from 1964-1979, with tours of duty in Borneo, Malaysia and Indonesia. He immigrated to Canada in 1991 and became active with the Navy League of Canada and The Royal Canadian Legion. He served as Zone 13 Commander of The Royal Canadian Legion until 2009 and was subsequently elected to District "E" Commander supervising 18 branches of the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Purnell serves on the Executive of Branch 24 and was President from 2002 to 2005.
Purnell's achievements include organizing many commemorative events such as the "Support our Troops Rally," "Family Forces Day," and a massive rally in June 2008 called the "Red Rally Support our Troops Day." He also assisted in the organization of the First Special Service Force- Devil's Brigade Reunion which was held in August, 2009 and will be involved with the Legion's Biennial Convention scheduled to be in Halifax in 2012. In 2005, Mr. Purnell devoted countless hours to developing The Veteran's Memorial Park in Bridgewater,
Purnell will be one of 12 people from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to receive the award this year.

LCLC Special Purpose Tax

Bridgewater Council will make a decision at tonight's meeting regarding a special purpose tax to help pay the town's share of the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Council put forth three options and was seeking public input from residents. The options include an equal commercial and residential rate of point 08 cents per 100 dollars of assessment, the commercial rate half of the residential rate and the commercial rate three quarters of the residential rate. The special purpose tax which will be a line items on property owners bills for the next 20 years will be implemented in 2011/12.

Bus Road-e-o

The South Shore Regional School Board is testing its bus drivers to see how they rank against each other. The Board is holding a "Road-eo" on Monday,(June 28th) which will feature a series of events, including an obstacle course, backing up, and a series of turns through tennis balls. Each event will be scored out of 10. While time will not be a factor, the bus must remain in constant motion. Once the bus is stopped, the judges will consider the event finished for that driver. The Road-eo gets underway at noontime at the School Board's Bus Garage.

A Gift of Nature

An important natural area near Shelburne has been secured by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. It's almost 300 acres of natural habitat at Johnstons Pond, near Shelburne along Nova Scotia’s south shore. The coastal habitat is one of 10 Gifts to Canadians announced this week in celebration of Canada Day.
Situated between the Sable River and the Port L’Hebert Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Johnstons Pond is an undisturbed estuary separated from the Atlantic Ocean by an extensive barrier beach. The sandy barrier beach provides viable breeding habitat for the endangered Piping Plover as well as the Spotted Sandpiper and a small Common Tern colony. The salt marshes, ponds and mudflats found at Johnstons Pond are also important habitat for migratory birds such as Canada Geese and the Semi-palmated Sandpiper. The property also contains a mature coastal forest consisting of spruce, Red Maple and American Larch.

Mill Village man pled guilty

The man from Mill Village who was apprehended on May 12th by Fisheries officers in Liverpool appeared in court this week. Anthony Wayne Greer pleaded guilty to fishing for lobster with obstructed escape nets and was fined 25 hundred dollars and the forfeiture of five lobster traps that had escape vents blocked. His violation dates back to May 12th.

Bayport man fishing lobsters during closed time

A resident from Bayport area will appear in Court in August after being apprehended for fishing lobsters during a closed time. On June 23rd, Fishery officers from Liverpool and Bridgewater caught the man and seized an out port motor and an 18 foot vessel, as well as 79 under sized lobsters which they returned to the water. The man is scheduled to appear in court on August 18th.

School Board Regional Space Review

The Blockhouse School could be going on the auction block. The building will become vacant and surplus when École de la Rive-Sud moves into a new building in Cookville this September. The South Shore Regional School Board has decided not to take over the Blockhouse school for regional office space so it will revert back to the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. Board Chair Elliott Payzant says they are considering other options including relocating to the Lunenburg Academy. Payzant says there's no rush to make a decision as the lease on the current space on Wentzell Drive is good for at least another four years.

Transition House Funding

Harbour House in Bridgewater, is receiving a little more than 21 thousand dollars in provincial funding while Second Story Women's Centre, in Lunenburg will get almost 28 thousand., The province is providing 500 thousand dollars to transition houses and women's centres allowing the 18 facilities to continue providing quality services and programs to benefit women and their children. Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse says the facilities provide an important lifeline to women and their children who experience violence and increasing the funding is the right decision to make. It is the first increase in 10 years.

No Frills coming to Bridgewater

The Save Easy in the Bridgewater Plaza on Dominion Street will be soon taking down its sign, as Loblaw launches one of many No Frills across Atlantic Canada. The companies recently announced they plan to open six No Frills banner stores in Atlantic Canada, including one in Bridgewater. No Frills stores deliver low prices, popular President's Choice and no name products. No Frills will open in the fall of this year.

CAMs Classes Cancelled Again

Chester Area Middle School classes are again cancelled today ( Wednesday, June 23rd ) for grades 6 and 7 while the wing of the school is cleaned up after flooding in their classrooms. Also SCHOOL's OUT for SUMMER. Today (Wed. ) is the last day of school for South Shore Regional School Board students.

Economic Development Strategy

The Region of Queens Municipality has approved an Economic Development Working Strategy for 2010 and beyond. Deputy-Mayor Darlene Norman says the working document will be used to provide staff with direction regarding Council's views on where they want to see the Region of Queens go in the future. It will also provide staff with clear-cut guidelines that they can provide new residents, current presidents, and people wishing to develop in the community a good black and white..this is what the Region has to offer and its positive points. Norman says Council expressed a desire to provide vision and direction to the Economic Development Department of the Region in the fall of 2009.

Bell Times to Change

A change in the bell times for students at Bridgewater Junior Senior High School when they return to classes after the summer break. The Principal has asked the South Shore Regional School Board to approve a change in the start and end bell times by 10 minutes effective in September. In the morning the bell time will be moved from 9:10 to 9:00am, and from 3:10 to 3:00pm in the afternoon. The request was endorsed by the School Board.

Renewable Electricity Plan

Here's a chance to have your say on the province's draft renewable electricity plan and regulations. Public meetings are being seeking pubic input. The sessions are being hosted by Regional Development Authorities in conjunction with the Department of Energy. A meeing in Bridgewater is set for Thursday morning (June 24th) from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at the Days Inn on North Street. There will also be a meeting in Liverpool from noon to 1:30 p.m., at the Best Western, 63 Queens Place Drive. For a view of the plan and draft regulations, click here. http://www.gov.ns.ca/energy

Migrant Vessel

A migrant vessel that arrived at the Port of Shelburne Saturday evening has been secured by the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency. The RCMP Immigration and Passport Section and Integrated Border Enforcement Team have confirmed that there were 10 individuals from Eastern Europe onboard (five women and five men). The vessel was traveling north from Bermuda and was spotted off Shelburne by Canada Coast Guard ship 'Earl Grey'. The individuals are being processed and an investigation is being conducted to determine any possible connection to organized crime, including human smuggling, ensuring Canadian Law is upheld and maintaining the safety of those onboard the vessel displaying the name 'Valletta' .

Queens County Scam

RCMP are warning people in Queens County to be aware of a possible telephone scam. The scam is collecting monetary donations to support bullying programs in Queens County schools. If anyone has received a telephone they are asked to report this information to the local Liverpool RCMP at 902-354-5721.

Sentencing Delayed in Daughter's Sexual Assault

A Lunenburg County man scheduled to be sentenced for sexually assaulting his daughter has been sent for a "sexual assessment" at a psychiatric hospital.

The 52-year-old man was recently convicted of sexually assaulting his daughter, beginning when she was eleven years old.

The man also beat his daughter with a leather strap, a spoon and a broom handle until her skin cracked and bled.

The sexual assaults did not involve sexual intercourse.

He was supposed to have been sentenced Monday at Provincial Court in Bridgewater.

The Crown and defence agreed Monday, however, that a "sexual deviancy assessment" at the East Coast Forensic Hospital would help the judge in passing sentence.

The man is facing another charge of sexually assaulting another girl under the age of 14 in 1978.

South Shore Health Finances

Despite having a balanced budget at the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year there are challenges ahead for South Shore Health. C-E-O Alice Leverman says they're still waiting for approval for their business plan from the Department of Health . Leverman says the Board has undertaken a number of initiatives so they know it's going to be a very tight year and there's lots of work to be done. She says they anticipate hearing back from the province very soon. Leverman says the Board was optimistically forecasting they would have a balanced budget and year end statements proved that correct.

Tie A Yellow Ribbon..

Bridgewater Mayor Carroll Publicover is getting set to tie one on next week.. ... a yellow ribbon that is,...in the Support the Troops Campaign. Major James Fera of 14 Construction Engineering Squadron is seeking the Town's support for another campaign this year. In a recent presentation to Town Council, Major Fera said last years community support was heartwarming and was a great boost to the morale of soldiers and military families. Many of the storefronts have kept the yellow ribbons in their windows year round. This year's campaign will kick off Monday, June 28th and continue over the Canada Day weekend until July 8th. The Mayor along with the Major will place the first yellow ribbon on King Street next week.

Waterfront Development Controls

A motion to investigate implementing development standards for the Liverpool waterfront generated lots of discussion at the Region of Queens Municipal Council meeting Monday. The guidelines would only apply to the waterfront, the only C-4 Zone in the municipality.Deputy Mayor Darlene Norman says the request came from the Planning Advisory Committee made up of three councillors and 8 members of the public. She says PAC determined there needs to be design criteria for the waterfront area and guidelines should be implemented in keeping with the natural esthetics of what is already there, in particular Shipyard Point and Privateer Park. Norman says discussions got off-line slightly when some councillors wondered if some of the C-4 should be zoned parkland only with no development. That may have caused some confusion on the motion which was passed by a 4 to 3 vote.

CAMs Classes Cancelled

A break from classes for students at Chester Area Middle School in the 6 and 7 wing. Due to localized flooding at CAMs students in Grades 6 and 7 will not have classes tomorrow (Tuesday, June 22nd.) They were sent home this morning upon arrival at the school. For updates on the situation check the School Board's website at www.ssrsb.ca

Early Morning Fire

Arthur's Auto Repair in Oak Park, Shelburne County was destroyed by an early morning fire that broke out. Around 6am Several Fire Departments were out battling the Stubborn Fire that was spotted by a passing motorist. Barrington, Port Clyde ,Island & Barrington Passage, Shag Harbour-Bear Point, Woods Harbour, East Pubnico and West Pubnico Fire Departments responded to the call. The RCMP and Nova Scotia Power also responded to the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Crousetown Armed Standoff

A 43-year-old man is in custody following an armed-standoff with police in Lunenburg County late Sunday night.

The RCMP responded to a call to a residence in Crousetown where they found a man, whome they described as "suicidal", armed with a shotgun.

The Mounties secured the area and negotiated with the man for several hours before successfully negotiating his surrender.

The RCMP report that, although the man fired four shots in and around the building, no one was injured.

After an examination at the South Shore Regional Hospital, the Mounties held the man in custody overnight.

He appears at Provincial Court in Bridgewater on Monday.

Town Parkland

Bridgewater Town Council plans to re-designate and rezone various Town properties to parkland. Mayor Carroll Publicover says in most cases the parcels are recognized and used as parkland but have not been zoned accordingly . The housekeeping amendments include minor related text changes to the Land Use By-law including the addition of community gardens as a permitted use in the Park Zone. The 11 parcels include the Wile Carding Mill parking lot and six lots of land on Pine Street donated to the town for use as a passive park.

Auxiliary Funding

The South Shore Regional Hospital Auxiliary is again helping with funding needs. The Auxiliary has made a commitment to purchase a door to the balcony at the Bridgewater Hospital, a ram for the main entrance at South Shore Regional, and a Centrifuge machine to support blood collection at the new Ross Resource Centre. South Shore Health C-E-O Alice Leverman says the Board is most fortunate to have the support of the Auxiliary to fund the hospital's needs.

Quality Improvement Action Plan

South Shore Health is moving forward with its Quality Improvement Action Plan. Staff and Physicians were asked for help indentifying area for quality improvement, waste reduction and cost savings. C-E-O Alice Leverman says they came forward with hundred of ideas for making South Shore Health better. She says three themes emerged from the input into the Q-I Action Plan.
As the first major step, Leverman says they are beginning put a new organizational structure in place that will serve as the foundation for implementing their strategic plan. There will be smaller executive team consisting of a V-P of Health Services, a V-P Corporate Services and a V-P Medicine. Leverman says the initial focus will be on administrative and operational costs such as call- back, overtime, product use, travel and other areas identified in savings.

Recreation Funding for South Shore

Recreation facilities in the South Shore region will receive almost 360 thousand dollars in grants through the provincial Recreation Facility Development Program. The funding was announced Friday in Yarmouth by Lunenburg West MLA Gary Ramey. The Yarmouth YMCA, received $150 thousand dollars for upgrades to the facility. Investments in the South Shore Region include :
-Municipality of Lunenburg: develop Marine Park, $28,000 -Municipality of Shelburne: repairs to Tom Tigney Trail Bridge, $30,000 -Shelburne & Area Minor Baseball Association: convert field to a baseball field, $4,000
-Shelburne Lions Club: Repairs/upgrades to Shelburne Lion's community hall, $9,660
-South Shore Regional School Board, Chester Area Middle School: repair track and field facilities, $9,000
-South Shore Regional School Board, Hebbville Academy: upgrade playground, $14,000
-South Shore Regional School Board, Wickwire Academy: develop playground, $25,000
-Village of Chester Commission: upgrade Chester Lido Pool, $88,000 over two years
The program assists community groups, municipalities and other not-for-profit organizations develop facilities to increase public participation in sport and physical recreation.

Chamber Appointments

Cy Mayo has been appointed President of the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce. He takes over from Past President Craig Collins. The Board of Directors recently held the first meeting of the new fiscal year with the main agenda item, the appointment of the executive committee. Sandra Richards is the Vice-President and Barry Smith the Treasurer. Other Board members are: Shawn O'Hara, Jerry Porodo,
Dave Hadley, Glen Hall, Aidan Matchett and Judy Koster .More information on the Chamber's initiatives and current projects can be found at www.bridgewaterchamber.com.

Hospital Overcrowding a Challenge

Hospital overcrowding continues to be a challenge for South Shore Health. C-E-O Alice Leverman says it has been a very busy week with anywhere from 6 to 10 people waiting in Emergency for a bed. She says there's usually a spike in the early morning Leverman says while the opening of new long term care beds has provided some relief, the situation is difficult to predict because it's dependent on a lot of factors. She says overcrowding is expected to be an ongoing challenge due to the age and health status of the population. Since the opening of Ryan Hall on May 19th, 19 alternate level of care patients have been moved from hospital into long term care facilities. A total of 28 additional long term and residential care beds are scheduled to open in Lunenburg County over the next few months. Leverman says hospital overcrowding causes a lot of concern and frustration for patients and families. They may experience delays in admission, long wait or transfers to another hospital for care. Surgeries may also be cancelled. Leverman says it also creates a stressful working environment for staff.

Town Gets New-Used Truck

Queens Chrysler Limited the supplier of a used 4X4 three quarter ton truck for the Town of Bridgewater. There were four responses to the Town's Request for Proposals to supply a used vehicle. Two of those did not meet the required specifications. Queens Chrysler was the lowest of the two remaining bids and was awarded a tender for 33 thousand, 335 dollars to supply a 2006 Dodge Ram, 25 hundred truck. The vehicle has 64 thousand 200 kilometres but there is an extended warranty available. The truck will be used for operations at the Brookside Cemetery.

Name Change for School

A rose by any other name..... in this case, a name change for the South Shore Alternate/Adult School. Principal Glen Matthews says the name change incorporates all three campuses of the South Shore Alternate and Adult School (Gorham Memorial Education Centre campus in Liverpool; the South Shore Alternate School Bridgewater campus located at the NSCC, and the Mahone Bay campus, located at the Mahone Bay Centre. Matthews says the new name better reflects the innovations that have been brought forward in educational delivery to those students who benefit from our uniqueness, and what we have plans for in the future to better serve our students at all three sites (plus our satellite campus), at the Middle Level, High School, and Adult High school. The new name,the South Shore Innovative Learning Centre was unanimously approved by the South Shore Regional School Board

School Boundary Changes

The South Shore Regional School Board has deferred decisions regarding boundary changes for a number of catchment areas. Board Chair Elliott Payzant says a number of students and parents will be affected by the proposed changes and the Board passed a motion to to defer any decision making until after public consultation can be held in the fall.
There are currently a number of grey areas where students can choose which school to attend. They include the Lacey Mines Road where students can attend either Chester District Elementary or Gold River. The Meldrum Avenue area in which students can choose to attend Hebbville, Pentz or Bridgewater Elementary schools, and the Pine Grove and Lower Branch areas where students are given the choice to attend New Germany Rural High or Park View Education Centre. Meeting dates will be communicated with the communities affected by the possible changes.

Bus Stop Concerns

The relocation of a school bus stop in Pleasantville has some parents concerned for their children's safety. Tracey Wagner made a presentation to the South Shore Regional School Board Wednesday night regarding the move of a bus stop from Northwind Road. She spoke about the community concerns with the safety of the new bus stop location and asked the Board to have the stop moved back to the original location. Board Chair Elliott Payzant says the matter has been referred to the Finance and Operations Committee to look at including an appeals process in the policy. He says the Board followed all the guidelines of the current policy and the bus stop site has been inspected and deemed safe by the provincial Utility and Review Board. The buses had been going into the Northwind subdivision for over 20 years before the stops were moved in April.

Probation for Italy Cross Facebook Threat

A Lunenburg County man has been sentenced to 18-months "probation" for using Facebook to threaten his mother's ex-boyfriend.

Jonathan James Dagley of Italy Cross appeared at provincial court in Bridgewater yesterday after pleading "guilty" to threatening to harm Allan Vernon Brown of Branch LaHave in March.

Brown went to the RCMP on March 2nd with several computer printouts showing threats Dagley had made against him on the social networking site.

The court was told that Brown dated Dagley's mother for several years before it ended four or five years ago.

In addition to being placed on probation, Dagley was ordered to have no contact with Brown and to take mental health and anger management counselling as ordered by his probation officer.

Dagley received six-months "probation" in 2004 for "uttering threats" and a further 12-months "probation" in 2007 for the same crime.

Learn to Fish (L2F) Program

Volunteers from South Shore Bassmasters and the Hants West Wildlife Association who will be helping students across the province learn how to sportfish. The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture's Inland Fisheries Division has helped teach volunteers from the groups how to deliver the Learn to Fish (L2F) program to reach more classrooms. More than 30 groups across the province received training this year, which means another 13-hundred youth will know about beginner sportfishing.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Sterling Belliveau says sportfishing is a great way to enjoy our lakes and rivers in a safe and serene family setting.

Employees Buy Time

The Town of Bridgewater has approved a policy that allows its employees more flexibility in their work schedule. Staff will be allowed to purchase additional time off and pay for it in equal increments over the course of a year. The plan is one option that can help employees balance multiple commitments while making sure their work gets done. The policy must fall within the constraints of operational requirements and is only available to permanent, full-time ,non-union staff. The policy is modelled on one that is currently in place in Halifax Regional Municipality.

Bicycle Lanes for Bridgewater

Bridgewater will soon have a number of bicycle lanes and signage installed along Glen Allen from Aberdeen Road to LaHave Street. Mayor Carroll Publicover says they have a specific plan for infrastructure to be put in place as part of the Town's Active Transportation improvements. The cost is being matched by the province through the Green Mobility Capital Grants Program. Council approved an unbudgeted 66 hundred dollars for the installation of 46 sets of shared bicycle lanes as well as 11 share the road signs. The Town's contribution is Gas Tax eligible. Publicover says he's looking forward to the day when more people are walking and biking. He says it won't happen unless the Town shows some leadership and takes some initiative..

Special Purpose Tax

Bridgewater residents will see a new line item in their tax bills next year. A special purpose tax which could total 80 dollars a year, is being implemented in 2011/12 to help pay the capital costs of the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Mayor Carroll Publicover says property owners will be able to see how much the Lifestyle Centre will be costing on their property tax bills for the next 20 years. Council is seeking public input on three proposed options. The commercial and residential rate the same , the commercial rate half of the residential rate and the commercial rate three quarters of the residential rate. Residents have until June 28th to voice their concerns when Council will make a decision on which option to implement .

Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Today is Elder Abuse Awareness Day today in the Province. It coincides with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Minister of Seniors Denise Peterson-Rafuse says the most
effective way to prevent abuse is by increasing awareness of the
signs and forms of senior abuse.

Signs that an older adult may be experiencing abuse or neglect
include:
● adult say they are being harmed
● show signs of depression or anxiety
● seem fearful around certain people
● become socially withdrawn (having less contact with people who they have been close to in the past)
● become passive and very compliant
● have unexplained physical injuries
● lack food, clothing and other necessities
● show changes in their hygiene or nutrition (e.g. signs of
malnutrition)
● suddenly become unable to meet financial obligations
● have unusual withdrawals from their bank or other financial institutions.

Beach Access Restricted

Protecting piping plovers at Cherry Hill Beach could put humans at risk. Part of the roadway behind the dunes is blocked by boulders to restrict vehicle traffic. The beach is a nesting habitat for the endangered birds. The Municipality of Lunenburg will contact DNR to see if arrangements can be made to gate the access road. District 12 Councillor Eric Hustvedt who brought the matter to Council's attention, says it's important the Fire Department be able to access the far end of the beach for emergency situations. He says there have been occasions where the fire department has had to respond to swimmers in distress at the far end of the beach, and with boulders blocking the access the van with the lifesaving equipment might not be able to respond in a timely manner. Hustvedt says if the access road is gated, the area Fire Chief could have a key which he or someone in the chain of command could use in an emergency.

Fire Destroys Parkdale Cottage

The chief of the New Germany Fire Department says a weekend blaze has so badly damaged a cottage in Lunenburg county that they may not be able to determine it cause. Blair Lantz says the cottage on the Rusells Cove Road in Parkdale was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived yesterday afternoon. He says his department received a call at 3:05 Sunday afternoon and that no one was in the cottage at the time of the outbreak. Chief Lantz says the fire destroyed the cottage, a boat house, a boat and half-an-acre of woodland. Cornwall, Springfield and New Ross Firefighters were called-in to the scene. Blockhouse Northfield, Chester Basin and Bridgewater fire departments remained on "standby" status.

Queens County Fatal Single-Car Crash

The Liverpool detachment of the R-C-M-P are investigating the cause of a weekend car accident that has left a man dead.

The Mounties say the single-car crash occurred at around 6:00 o'clock Saturday afternoon when a vehicle rolled into a ditch near the intersection of "Shore Road" and "Western Head Road".

The man driving the car died at the scene.

Two other men and two women were taken to hospital with "undetermined injuries".
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Three Men Arrested on Fishery Charges

Three Lunenburg County residents will appear in court in August on fisheries related charges.

Fisheries officers from the Liverpool detachment apprehended three men on Bush Island on Saturday evening.

The three men each face a charge of "fishing for, and being in possession of, lobster during closed-time".

Fisheries officers seized three lobster traps, an outboard engine and a boat.

They appear at court in Bridgewater on August 11th.

Funding for Conversion of Streetlights

The Towns of Lunenburg and Mahone Bay among 7 municipalities receiving funding to convert conventional streetlights to energy-efficient LED streetlights The money is coming from the province's ecoNova Scotia Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change. Lunenburg will receive $178,268 to convert the remaining 532 streetlights to LED, while Mahone Bay gets $16,839 to convert 44 streetlights to LED. Premier Darrell Dexter also announced 230 thousand dollars toward other alternative energy projects in the Amherst area.

Renewable Electricity Plan

Bridgewater and Liverpool two of the communities where meetings will be held to receive public input on draft regulations for the province's Renewable Electricity Plan. The meetings are being hosted by regional development authorities, in conjunction with the Department of Energy.The draft regulations outline how rates paid to community groups that generate renewable electricity will be set, and a special rate to support the next stage of tidal development. They also establish a renewable electricity administrator to choose the winning bids from independent power producers. Earlier this spring, government introduced its plan to achieve 25 per cent renewable electricity by 2015, and set a goal of 40 per cent renewable electricity by 2020.
MEETING DATE:
-- June 24: Bridgewater, 8:30-10 a.m., Days Inn, 216 North St.
-- June 24: Liverpool, noon to 1:30 p.m., 63 Queens Place Dr.

Nine New Long Term Care Homes Open

Ryan Hall in Bridgewater one of nine new long term facilities officially opened Friday, June 11th. Premier Darrell Dexter says the opening of the modern, state-of-the art facilities is helping Nova Scotia's seniors live more independently in their communities. Ryan Hall , with 65 beds and eight other facilities will add 431 new nursing home beds in Nova Scotia. The other facilities are:
-- Bible Hill, Vimy Court 60 beds
-- Sydney, Celtic Court, 36 beds
-- Amherst, Northumberland Hall, 36 beds
-- Kentville, Orchard Hall, 62 beds
-- Greenwich, Blomidon Court, 50 beds
-- Brookfield, Elk Court, 36 beds
-- Cole Harbour, Bissett Court, 50 beds
-- Debert, Debert Court, 36 beds

The new nursing homes provide employment for more than 600 people.
Shannex will operate the nine new facilities.

Argyle Inn Fire

Eleven people have been forced from their rooms after fire extensively damaged one of the annexes of a motel in Bridgewater. Those affected by the fire are long term residents in one of several buildings of the Argyle Inn. There were no injuries among tenants at the motel on Aberdeen Road, although several pets died in the fire, which was reported around 5:00 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The Canadian Red Cross has assisted the eleven adults with emergency purchases of clothing or cleaning materials, food and personal-care items. The inn's owners have relocated the residents to another building on the site. The fire gutted several rooms of the one storey wooden annex, while the remainder received extensive smoke and water damage.

NSCC Valedictorian

He was this year's class valedictorian and he's been featured in NSCC’s 2010 Student Success magazine for his work as a tutor and helping a Korean student learn English . Twenty-six year old Mike Sawlor who was enrolled in the Architectural Drafting program at NSCC’s Lunenburg Campus ,also ended up teaching English as a second language to his Korean classmate, 19-year old Sang (Sam) Yoo. Sawlor's peers recognized his generosity with the “Gift of Giving” award two years in a row, and when he applied to become valedictorian, the panel unanimously chose him. Award winners during Thursday nights convocation ceremonies are as follows:
* Governor General's Academic Medal - Danielle Baines, Drafting Mechanical
* NSCC Board of Governors Award - Danielle Baines, Drafting Mechanical
* NSCC Foundation Award - Kacie Moynan, Business Administration Software & Information Management
* NSCC Gold Medal - Jane Boisvert, Continuing Care
* President's Award - Adam Schnare, Office Administration

Teen Trial Before Judge and Jury

A 16 year old facing charges of attempted murder in relation to an April stabbing is taking his case before a Supreme Court judge and jury. The Bridgewater teen who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act will remain in custody in Waterville until his preliminary hearing which is slated for August 12th. The teen who is accused of stabbing another 18 year old male numerous times is charged with attempted murder, assault with a weapon and breaching probation. He's been in custody since being arrested following an altercation at a house party in Chester Basin April 18th.

Tax Rates Rise in Chester

Similar to other municipalities, residents in Chester will be paying more in property taxes. Council approved a residential tax increase of 2 cents over last year to balance the 19.5 million dollar operating budget. The residential rate is set at 63 cents per 100 of assessment, while the commercial tax rate is $1.53 per 100 of assessment. Warden Allen Webber says the decision to raise taxes was not taken lightly, but is necessary due to the challenge of meeting rising costs. Some of the new initiatives supported by this budget include the hiring of an additional RCMP Officer, hiring a Planner to move forward with the implementation of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan, and bringing a By-Law Enforcement Officer on board to address public concerns.

NSCC Grad Ceremonies

The Lunenburg Campus of Nova Scotia Community College will
celebrate its class of 2010 during a convocation ceremony this evening (Thursday, June 10) beginning at 7:00 p.m. The ceremony will celebrate the achievements of all 200 Lunenburg Campus graduates who have earned diplomas and certificates in the last academic year. Michael Sawlor, a graduate of NSCC's Drafting Architectural program is this year's valedictorian. NSCC offers more than 100 programs in five academic schools across 13 campuses. For a list of the award winners, visit our website at CKBW.dot.CA, Friday morning.

Possible Park in Petite Riviere

The Municipality of Lunenburg is negotiating to acquire the land in Petite Riviere which was the former home of Covey Island Boatworks. The boat yard plant was destroyed by fire in August 2008. Mayor Don Downe says the owners of the property have offered the land to the Municipality for the purpose of a park. Downe says they have the support of the residents and the fire department to look into the matter and are working in conjunction with the community. He says there are some areas to investigate further such as an environmental assessment. Staff has been instructed to proceed to the next stage. Mayor Downe says Petite is one of the gems of the Municipality, a beautiful area and if all works out it could mean a little park right in that corner with slipways for kayaks and canoes and parking for the fire department.

Name the Ferry

A community initiative to name the new LaHave ferry is being supported by Lunenburg Municipal Council. The Lunenburg Historical Society has requested the new ferry be named in honour of Captain Brady Himmelman. Mayor Don Downe says there have been four generations of Himmelman's running the ferry across the LaHave River since the 1900's. He put forth a motion that Council support the chosen name and contact the province to request that Brady Himmelman be the name of the new ferry to be commissioned shortly.

Queens Place Gets Federal Funding

It's the news they've been waiting for. The Region of Queens Municipality has received approval in principle of federal funding of 6.6 million dollars for Queens Place through the Build Canada Fund. The letter of approval was received Friday, (June 4) from the office of John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Queens Place was deemed eligible for funding of up to one-third of the eligible capital costs. Mayor John Leefe says the formal offer and approval by Council means the project can move out of the discussion stage and into reality. The next and final step is to negotiate the terms and conditions of the agreement with the federal government. Mayor Leefe says as soon as the architects have the final documents available the Queens Place project can be put out to tender. The target date for completion of the recreation facility is on or before January 2012.

Mayor Elected to FCM Board of Directors

Another election victory for Mayor Don Downe of the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. He's the new Nova Scotia representative on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors. Downe says his involvement will be beneficial for the District and other municipalities as well. He says it's an opportunity for him to learn more about the operations of the FCM. Downe says he's had some previous practice, being the Vice-President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and doing a lot of years of lobbying in Ottawa. He says he's looking forward to try to find ways to meet the many challenges municipalities face
The FCM is the umbrella group for some 15 hundred representatives across the Country and is the voice of municipalities at the federal level.

Canada Day Grants

Canada Day celebrations for a number of community organizations getting a boost from funding from the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. Council has approved 52 hundred dollars in grants for Canada Day events throughout the county. The New Germany Canada Day Committee, Riverport & District Fire Department and Canada Day on the LaHave all received grants of one thousand dollars. Seven hundred dollars was approved for the Tancook Island Recreation Centre Association, and the Petite Riviere Fire Department will received 500 dollars.

Miller Peace Park Plan

The Miller Peace Park Community Plan has been adopted by the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. The plan was put forward by an advisory committee appointed last fall to address a number of concerns involving the park. Council approved committee appointments and terms of reference for the advisory committee at a meeting in March. Among the recommendations accepted by Council, an increase of patrols at the park by the RCMP and Citizens on Patrol, and a decrease in the number of opportunities in the park for parking in non-designated areas. There is also a proposed strategy to increase promotion around educating and informing the public about the Municipality's Dog off Leash policy. The 25 acre park was purchased by the Municipality some 20 years ago from Mac Miller.

Tax Rates Rise in Municipality of Lunenburg

Residents in the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg will be paying a bit more in taxes this year. Council approved a two cent increase in residential rates to 81 cents per 100 dollars of assessment. Mayor Don Downe says on an average home of 150 thousand dollars, the two cent increase equals an additional 30 dollars in property taxes, or $2.50 per month. Commercial rates are rising from $1.92 to $2.05 per 100 of assessment. Sewer rates, fire hydrant rates and street light rates are all going up and the Deed Transfer Tax is increasing to 1.25 percent of the value of property transferred. The Municipality approved an Operating Budget of 26 million dollars and a Capital Budget of 10 million.